It’s not hard to recognize that 3-D is becoming a major force in video content, just look at all of the movies being released in 3-D regardless of whether it’s necessary or not. Plus all of the TV manufactures are all rushing to put out 3-D capable TV sets. So it’s not a stretch to imagine 3-D being the preeminent format for home video and video games, but Nintendo is taking it a step further as they introduced their new 3DS, 3-D portable video game system that doesn’t require 3-D glasses.

Our C.E.O. Calvin Chang was visiting Japan when he noticed this large kiosk at the Tokyo JR Station (one of the main train stations in Tokyo). Being thoroughly impressed by the technology and strong 3-D graphics, Mr. Chang thought how the 3-D craze will ultimately be a boost for the duplication market. The things that crossed his mind were, the amount of capacity needed for feature length 3-D content is much too large for anything other than Blu-ray optical discs at this time. The playability between duplicated and replicated Blu-ray discs and is identical, so there is no drop off for duplication. The drop in pricing for Blu-ray related products, such as the writer drives, players, recordable media, etc. all are encouraging signs as we look toward the influx of purchases for this format.

We are encouraged by this major push toward multi-platform 3-D and we think it can only benefit the consumer and the reproduction industry.

When deciding on purchasing a duplicator, there are a number of key elements to consider when determining which unit and brand would fit your needs the best. Even though price is a strong determining factor, keep in mind what you’re getting for the price; will the unit perform as needed? Will the unit grow as your needs grow? Will the company stand behind the product and provide the support you need when you need it? Is the company looking out for your best interest or their own? Most importantly, will the company be around in the future or will they disappear as soon as you need them?

Just like purchasing a computer, home appliance, or even a car, pricing varies depending on performance, reliability, brand name, and manufacturer support. So when you’re selecting a duplicator, don’t just consider the price, but pay particular attention to these 3 key elements:
1. Design & Component material
2. Manufacturing, Testing, and Shipping procedures
3. Customer Service and Technical Support

I) Design & Component material:

When you look at the Xerox Duplicator and the SharkCopier series duplicators provided by Vinpower Digital, the first thing you notice is the unique look and design. This attractive design not only differentiates itself through its appearance, but through the use of higher quality and more effective components and parts. It’s those parts that ensure a better performing and longer lasting duplicator. There are a number of duplicator providers who just throw components together without taking into consideration quality or effectiveness. The Vinpower provided lines of the Xerox and SharkCopier duplicator series are not assembled with the standard parts and low cost components others use; the Xerox Duplicator and SharkCopier series is designed to answers to a higher calling, the customers! Even though the Xerox Duplicator line offers some added value standard features compared to the SharkCopier series, they are both designed and built using the following components which show the added value of these duplicators over the competition:

A) Casing (external case): Both series use an aluminum casing specially designed by Vinpower Digital to diffuse the internal heat created by the writer drives much faster than the standard steel casing is capable of. With the casings advanced air flow design and aluminum casing, the internal temperature of the duplicator is approximately 10 ~ 15 degrees cooler than alternative cases on the market. Operating the duplicator under lower temperatures will not only allow for continuous use without the need for a cool down period, but also increases the lifetime of the unit while providing better reliability when duplicating. The less heat concentrated on the drives, the better the performance and the longer they will continue to perform optimally.

B) Controller (operating system): The controller for the Xerox Duplicator and SharkCopier series is specially manufactured for these units and is not available to the general public as other controller brands in alternative duplicators are. Other controller manufacturers do not assemble completed duplicator and do not understand the full symbiotic nature that the controller, drives and casing plays in the overall performance. Their focus is more on uniformity in design and operation to work the same for everyone instead of optimizing the performance and conveniences expected from users of the Xerox Duplicator and SharkCopier series. In fact, if you took two identical duplicators with the only variables being the controllers, the Vinpower controller will produce a better disc performance rating every time (based on the PIPO scale for measuring disc quality). The Vinpower controllers are calibrated to optimize the reading and writing drivers/burners on the market to ensure all the drives work in sync to produce a clean consistent duplication. In addition to compatibility, Vinpower utilizes a greater number of capacitors and diodes that ensures proper functionality and better reliability. The added components allows these controllers to perform all the same functions as standard controllers but offers more options and capabilities which ultimately benefits the end user.

C) Drives (writer and reader drives): The Xerox Duplicator and SharkCopier series only use the best drives optimized for multi-drive simultaneous duplication to provide the greatest possible performance. The controller is able to manipulate many of the drives on the market directly to provide stable and quality performance that is better suited for duplicator use. Understanding and using the best drives for your particular needs and circumstances is extremely important for both your end product and your pocket book.

II) Manufacturing, Testing, and Shipping procedures

Even if you use the best components and materials to build the duplicator, if the proper care and knowledge to assemble them is not performed, then you will not have an optimized unit. The Xerox Duplicator and SharkCopier series are assembled by very knowledgeable and skilled technicians and every duplicator has to pass a 72 hour continuous burn-in test before it’s ever released to the public. Both series are assembled under the strictest Quality Control conditions to ensure every unit sold meets the highest standards in quality and performance.

To further ensure that the Xerox Duplicator and SharkCopier series arrives to the customer in the best condition and to prevent any possible damage caused by the shipping carrier, all of these duplicators are double insulated and packed in a specially designed shipping box to better protect against mishandling in transit. When the customer purchases new equipment, it should arrive in that manner no matter how it was shipped.

III) Customer Service and Technical Support

Our relationship with the customer does not end after the unit has been sold. The ability to speak to a technician whom is knowledgeable and available when you have questions is a key component when deciding on a duplicator to purchase. Every Xerox Duplicator and SharkCopier series sold has the full backing and support of Vinpower Digital. Both series come standard with a full one year parts and labor warranty. In addition, our technicians will be available to walk you through any problem or question you may have from the first day to the last as long as you own the duplicator. Our technicians work with you directly and actually have technical training and knowledge of every single duplicator to ensure you get prompt and accurate answers and service. Unlike some fly by night companies looking to make a quick buck who are never available or capable of providing answers or service, we stand behind the products we sell and the customers who buy them.

When you look at all of the facts behind what makes a duplicator stand out amongst the competition, the answer is very clear which units ranks the best, the one that provides the highest compatibility, best performance, longest lasting, and most features. In other words the Xerox Duplicator and SharkCopier series are your best options for optical disc duplication equipment.

Recently there has been some documentation related to the design method of SATA standalone duplication controllers which touts one method as being better than another. It’s important that the truth be told and I want to set the record straight so that the consumer can review the facts and decide for themselves.

The dispute centers around the method in which current SATA controllers are designed and built. One party claims to be the sole provider of the “Native SATA” (NS) chipset which they claim is faster and more reliable. The alternative application is the Individual Channel SATA (ICS) configuration.

In order to make the comparison in a more understandable concept for the masses, including myself, I will break down the differences between the two by using an analogy that is closely related and something most people can relate to, internet access.

Picture the NS concept as being akin to cable while ICS would be ADSL. In both cases, they will allow the user to access the internet, they’re both potentially really fast, both offer connections for virtually any computer, and if they exist in a territory are relatively easy to receive.

The cable access does have an advantage in that it can carry greater bandwidth and may be faster than ADSL. According to published websites ranking the downloading speed between Cable and ADSL, they’ve listed the following speeds:

Cable fluctuated between 15Mbps ~ 25Mbps of download speed depending on the carrier.

ADSL was rated as having 6Mbps download speed.

The problem comes into play when multiple locations (households) all need to access the single cable line at the same time. Even though cable can handle a higher bandwidth, it’s limited in the number of households that can access the internet at the same time. The reason being is that they are all using the same access point which will bog down the system and cause the speed to drop significantly, especially if they are viewing/transferring large files. Think about it in terms of a sandwich, if you have the option of eating an entire 12” sandwich which you have to share with 2 others or you can each a 6” sandwich that you do not have to share. The 12” seems longer until everyone else starts taking their share, which more often than not, one household inevitably will take more than their fare share. Yet, even if it were eaten equally amongst all 3 households, they will each end up with a smaller amount of the sandwich (4” each) than they would have had if they opted for the 6” they didn’t need to share.

ADSL may have limitations in the total bandwidth/speed available, but what is available is typically more than adequate for the tasks at hand for reliable fast internet access. The difference and the benefit comes into play when you understand that ADSL provides each household with their own direct access point to the internet hub which they do not have to share. It then becomes that ADSL is faster because they are not burdened or slowed down by the actions of other households who access the internet at the same time.

This holds true for NS and ICS controllers as well. The NS controller may hold an advantage in bandwidth, but the fact that all ports/connections are tied to a single bus, means that bandwidth gets diminished when each connection is utilized, especially for larger capacity formats like Blu-ray. Take for example; a 1 to 7 NS controller. If only 3 of the 7 ports are being utilized, it may be able to successfully copy a full Blu-ray master at 12x speed. However, if you utilized all 7 ports at the same time, then the added capacity and division of bandwidth will now limit the speed to 6x. Since all ports are tied to a single bus, all drives will be tied together which means any errors affecting 1 drive will ultimately create a drag on the total bandwidth and affect all the drives. So using the NS method and the more ports that are utilized the more the speed will decrease and thus so will the reliability.

For the ICS controller, since each port is connected to its own dedicated bus, the speed and drive reliability is not affected by utilizing more ports because they are all independent of each other. So if a 1 to 7 ICS controller can copy Blu-ray at 12x using only 3 ports, utilizing more ports on that same controller will not have any affect on the duplication speed or reliability. The ICS controller is more effective because all ports are connected to individual dedicated bus points that produce consistent and stable transmissions without relying on a single bus with shared bandwidth.

So even though both methods have their merits, in the end the ICS method is the most credible solution as well as the most widely used tactic for the duplication market. The general requirement of a duplicator customer is to be able to produce numerous copies quickly and the ICS method is the only way to ensure that the customer’s needs are met. So when you’re looking for what type of controller you want in your duplicator, keep in mind that just because a company touts that their Native SATA version is faster or superior, they may not discuss the true capabilities of their product when used at or near stated capacity. Don’t take our word for it – run the tests yourself and we’re certain you’ll come to the same conclusion, a shared bus connection model like the Native SATA controller will more likely create significant speed and throughput issues even for the simplest of duplication jobs.

IT’S HERE!!! The launch of the 3D TV has happen! Vinpower Digital’s CEO Calvin Chang experienced the 3D TV at an electronics shop during his business trip in Japan. 3D TV’s are currently available in Japan and soon to hit the American market. Although you may be able to connect your DVD player to this TV, would you want to experience your new 3D TV with new Blu-ray technology or old DVD media? Blu-ray right! With the demand for the visual quality increasing so will the demand for the storage of that content. The introduction to Blu-ray media has only been preparing you for this moment. The demand for Bly-ray media is progressing with more and more technological advancements don’t be left behind.

Vinpower Digital’s CEO Calvin Chang captured this image of customers viewing 3D TV’s at an electronics shop during a business trip to Japan.

Below are photos from staff members at the CES 2010 convention which showcase just how much all the major manufacturers are pushing for the 3-D experience to be available in the home.

According to a recent article in Business Weekly entitled PC is coming back! in the October 12, 2009 issue, it states that with the rapid decrease in price and emergence of newer technology devoted to individual ownership of PC products, that the PC market as well as the Blu-ray market will grow significantly by the end of 2010.

In terms of the PC market, most households tend to have a single computer for the family, whereas with the introduction of the low cost Netbooks with their simplified feature sets and easy wi-fi connections will lead to the true definition of personal computers. This way each family member can have their own computer and everyone can independently connect to the web wirelessly. This increase in PC’s lends credence to the thought that content will increasingly be kept on some form of digital format such as optical disc (CD, DVD, or Blu-ray) or flash memory (USB pen drive, SD or Compact Flash card).

In addition the reduced price of PC’s the price of Blu-ray drives and media will continue to decline and is expected to be under $100 in 2010 which looks to be the magical price point whereby the drive can make significant inroads into the market share of DVD drives. With prices of Blu-ray media and players also continuing to decline, this format is positioned for a massive explosion in terms of adoption and increased market share.

The transference from tangible to digital “paperwork” will continue to pick up steam and it’s only a matter of time before paper becomes as obsolete as vinyl records and cassette tapes.

Below are a few pictures showing the presentation made as discussed in the previous blog from May 22, 2009 titled “CompUSA Blurring the Lines between Brick and Mortar and Online Retail Shopping”. These images further show the emphasis the company has put into their new direction of personal interaction with online assistance:

For most people, there are 3 ways to create a label on a CD or DVD;

1) Use a marker and write directly on the disc. This method is typically unattractive and the marker can leak through the plastic and degrade the data on the disc over time.
2) Print or write on a paper sticker label that’s adhered to the disc. Although this could offer a more attractive image – if the label is not properly applied, it could affect the balance of the disc while spinning in the player and affect the playback capability. Plus the adhesive from the label can degrade the data over time.
3) Use a CD/DVD inkjet or thermal printer to label directly on the disc. This is a more affective and safer method of printing on the disc, but it can be more costly for the printers, ink or ribbon, and higher price for the printable discs.

What you may not be aware of is that there is another labeling option through the recorder drive itself using laser labeling technology such as LightScribe Technology. LightScribe is a new form of Labeling CDs and DVDs, by scribing a label directly onto the label side of the disc using the same laser beam in the drive that is used to burn in the data on the data side of the disc. The LightScribe technology uses a special Laser Beam to etch the label on the surface of the disc. To use this technology we need an Optical Disc Drive with the LightScribe Technology and LightScribe capable CDs or DVDs.

Because there is no ink, it is easy to create professional looking discs with LightScribe technology from photos, text and artwork through your duplicator without the need of an added printer. One of the main benefits of this type of disc labeling is the lack of imbalance problems found during disc spinning that other paper-based labeling solutions have been known to cause. The process also does not emit any dangerous chemicals or dramatically reduce the lifespan of the CD or DVD drive under normal usage. The label is created on the disc by initiating a chemical change in the disc coating. A study of potential health and safety problems from using LightScribe turned up no cause for concern whereas ink and thermal ribbon could release chemicals into the air that we can breathe or ingest unknowingly. So if you’re looking for a more effective, lower cost, and safer method of labeling CDs and DVDs, then using a standalone duplicator with LightScribe technology is the answer!

There’s been a lot of discussion that the winner of the Hi-def optical disc format wars (namely Blu-ray vs. HD DVD) was irrelevant because video stream downloads online or through cable/satellite will make either version obsolete in the near future. Personally, I think the optical disc and more specifically the Hi-def format will have a long and prosperous life.

By now it’s clear that Blu-ray Disc (BD) has won the Hi-def battle and is poised to be the format of choice. With this clarity in the field, it should help the sales of BD players, titles, and peripheries which will encourage manufacturers to develop more content and hardware for this format. At the same time, there are two major reasons why the BD format will continue to thrive even amid heavy speculation (mostly from Microsoft & Apple) that BD days are numbered; 1) Ease of use, 2) Price.

Most people who read blogs and surf the internet may assume that because everyone they know is fairly computer savvy, that everyone must be. But that is far from the truth. Even though I haven’t conducted an official survey, I’m willing to bet a majority of the people around the world find it far easier to simply pop a disc into a player and press play than downloading a file from the internet and playing it through a capable video program on their computer. Not to mention the time it takes to download a HD file is ridiculously long, especially if you’re ready to watch a program immediately. Plus the BD format now ranges from 25GB ~ 100GB capacity. At that size, how many movies can one download before they fill up their hard drives, especially as it competes with HDD space with incumbent software, picture files, music files, etc? In order to conserve space, one would have to back-up those BD movies onto BD-R discs. Again, showing the necessity for the BD format, writers and players. In the end it’s just easier to purchase a movie on disc than make life complicated by trying to download a movie.

The second issue is price. BD players and discs have been reduced to very reasonable pricing, (as low as $400 for a player and about $20 for a BD movie) which will only continue to decrease as competition increases and the format matures. Considering the higher degree of difficulty and experience required to download titles, the price of existing BD products is reasonable enough to encourage customers to simply purchase them. In fact I truly believe the initial slow adoption of the format had far more to do with the consumer’s nervousness over choosing the wrong format rather than price alone. Now that BD is the clear winner, I think the sales will more accurately depict the market size for this product. Plus with the cost of ownership decreasing and the superior quality and increased capability in the format, the run on Blu-ray titles should be similar to the market for DVD when it was first introduced.

There are many other reasons that can be used in the debate as to why BD will not have a shortened lifespan, but ease of use and price some up the two major points in any argument. So if you’re holding out on getting a BD player because you think video stream is the solution, I hope you have plenty of time and patience. I will be enjoying the incredible picture and sound of my physical media in the time it takes you just to log-on to your computer and I’ll most likely be finished before your movies even finishes downloading. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather live in the moment than wait for eternity.

In previous entries I’ve discussed DVD rental kiosks allowing storefronts to offer for more titles than they offered in the physical form. This is great for major film studios which can only put out a small fraction of the content they have available. Take for example entertainment giant Warner Bros. Jim Wuthrich, senior vice president of digital distribution at Warner Bros., notes that of the company’s 6600 films, only 1500 have been released on DVD. At any given moment, only 300 of Warner’s 1500 DVD titles may be available on a store shelf. That’s a staggering number of titles that are not released or even available for sale, limiting the company’s profitability. By allowing a retailer to carry all movie titles on a hard drive, which can be burnt right away with copy protection, then its extra money in the pockets of the retailer and the studios.

That’s great for the major studios and retailers, but what about the “little guy”? How does this benefit the independent film producer trying to distribute their productions? That’s where a new technology called Qflix comes into play. Qflix is a new technology which should be available within the 1^st or 2^nd quarter of 2008 that allows anyone to burn projects onto Qflix DVD media from a Qflix capable DVD burner with copy protection. The basic concept is that the Qflix media holds one part of the Content Scramble System (CSS), which is the industry standard for copy protection on DVD discs, and the burner encodes the remaining CSS code onto the burnt disc. The Qflix enabled CSS DVD’s are 99% compatible with all DVD players on the market.

So why does Qflix give an advantage to the small producer? The concept is simple, with advances in video cameras and home editing systems, almost anyone can create a major studio quality product on a budget. The problem was always production and distribution. In order to make a DVD with copy protection, one would have to have all the copies made through replication. In order for most replicators to even startup their equipment they would need to make a minimum quantity of 1000 pieces. Being independent, it’s near impossible to find shelf space in major retailers, meaning they need to create their own retail channels.

Now imagine that this independent producer can make only the copies they need when they need them. That gives them the flexibility to make small quantity runs or large volume runs depending on the demand for their project. This puts the power back in their hands and should encourage many more bourgeoning film makers to become the next Steven Spielberg.