FAQ-Hard-Drive-Buffer-Memory-Size-For-A-Duplicator

Main Vin Power Digital Index

1. Can I select more than one partition from the duplicator hard drive and combine them on to one DVD? No, you can't. Each partition represents the exact clone of the master disc. They can not be combined or truncated.
   
2. Can I delete items in the hard drive when I no longer need them? Yes. You can always delete or override data stored on any of your partitions at any time.
   
3. Does the size of the hard drive matter? The larger the hard drive the more information can be stored on them. All hard drives are divided into partitions which will hold exactly one DVD or CD regardless of the duration of the disc. Each partition can hold the data from only 1 DVD or CD. The larger the hard drive, the more partitions the duplicator hard drive will contain.
   
4. If I buy a duplicator now, can I install the hard drive by myself later on? No. Installing the hard drive requires special wiring and pre-configuration procedures which can be only done by our certified technicians. Any attempts to alter the machine on your own or through a non-authorized service technician will nullify the warranty.
   
5. Why would I need a hard drive? Hard drives are beneficial to ensure quality burns at higher speeds and to store data that you may need to recall at a later date. With a hard drive, you can store important data or data you make frequent duplications from and easily recall any time you need. Also, it ensures that you can duplicate at the true maximum speed with the best quality.
   
6. What does the buffer memory do for the duplicator? To answer this, you should know a little more about how a duplicator functions. We have provided a relatable example below, but the technical explanation is as follows:
   
   The most effective standalone duplicators work by having a single reading source that routes the information to each writer drive individually through independent channels. This allows the duplicator to run at a higher rate of speed more effectively. Since, each writer drive is running independently, each drive will be able to duplicate at the highest rate of speed possible. The rate of speed may differ between the drives by an average of 8 seconds between the fastest and slowest drives upon completion. Six seconds may not seem like a significant amount of time, but in reality, at 1X speed for the DVD format, you burn 1MB per second. So, if you’re duplicating at 16X speed, then a 8 second differential accounts for 128MB of data differential between the fastest and the slowest drives (128MB derived from 8 secs. x 1MB per sec x 16X speed = 128MB). Without the proper size memory buffer, (because the memory is thousands of times faster than a reader drive or a hard d rive), the drives will not be able to continuously copy forcing the drives to utilize the burn proof function. The burn proof function is a method of pausing the faster drive until the slower drive can catch up, therefore, delaying the completion of the duplication and reducing the quality of the duplicated disc. You need to pay particular attention to not only whether the duplicator has a buffer memory, but also the size of the buffer memory. We recommend a minimum of 32MB to 64MB buffer memory for CD only duplicators and 128MB to 256MB buffer memory for DVD/CD duplicators.
   
   For Example: Take for example there are two vehicles traveling from one destination to another. The two vehicles are made by the same manufacturer under the same specs, but one is faster and can reach the final destination before the other. However, the vehicles are joined together by a joint fuel line that powers the vehicles. If the fuel line is too short then the faster vehicle will need to brake until the slower one catches up. Every time the faster vehicle needs to slow down, it lowers the vehicles performance. If the fuel line can be long enough to stretch as far as the distance between the faster vehicle and the slower vehicle, then they can both perform at their optional performance with no loss of quality. In this case, the drives are the two vehicles and the fuel line is the buffer memory. The more buffer memory the less chance of the faster drive stopping and the better the quality of the duplicated disc.
   
7. Will the buffer memory improve the quality and reliability of a duplicated disc? The answer is a resounding YES! Take for example that you are using 16X duplication speed to duplicate a DVD master disc. Based on comprehensive testing, the differential in speed between the fastest and slowest drives on a DVD duplicator averages to 8 seconds. At 16X speed, it will typically take 6 minutes (360 seconds) to completely duplicate a single run of DVD discs. All electronic products allow a 5% tolerance in performance and since 8 seconds is within that range at 2.2% speed differential, the drive manufacturers are satisfied with those results. If you do the calculations, with an 8 seconds differential, at 16X speed, there will be a difference of 128MB of data between the fastest and the slowest drives upon completion. If the duplicators buffer does not have enough memory, then the faster drives will have to pause while the slower drive(s ) catch up. Most duplicators provide only a mere 16MB or 32MB memory for their DVD duplicator buffers which will cause the drives to pause at least 4 ~ 8 times. When the drives need to pause to allow the slower drives to catch up, that will negatively affect the final performance quality of the duplicated discs. Whereas, using this case as an example, with a minimum of 128MB buffer memory, the unit will not have to pause at all and will not adversely affect the duplicated disc(s) quality or performance.
   
8. What is the idea buffer memory size for a duplicator? DVD & CD writer drives typically have a burn speed differential of 2 to 10 seconds between the fastest and slowest drives upon completion, since electronic products allow a 5% tolerance in production. Based on that fact, a 52X CD only duplicator should have minimum 32MB up to 64MB for the best performance and reliability at a reasonable expense. Since DVD/CD duplicators copy DVD's which have significantly larger storage space (4.7 up to 8.5GB compared to 700MB), they require a much higher memory buffer size. A 16X DVD duplicator should have minimum 128MB up to 256MB for the best performance and reliability at a reasonable expense. The more writer drives a duplicator has, the larger the memory buffer should be to accommodate for the greater time differential between drives. BEFORE you purchase a duplicator, make sure the vendor gives you a clear description of the buffer memory provided. The duplicator should have a minimum of 32MB to 64MB buffer memory for CD only duplicators and 128MB to 256MB buffer memory for DVD/CD duplicators