The challenge was presented to American Digital Media, Inc. (ADM) by Denver West Mint, numismatic suppliers and experts of rare collectable U.S. coins. Denver West Mint is a full service coin purchasing and coin distribution company for rare U.S. coinage. It caters to coin shops, high end collectors and investors.

Denver West Mint also provides investor guidance and recommendations for purchase and liquidation. The most effective way they have found to distribute their message is through informational DVD’s on current coin collecting recommendations and profit trends.

This nationwide DVD distribution numbered 113,000. The $100,000 budget required utilization of the best cost factor for disc replication, custom DVD packaging and mailing. To achieve the objectives within the identified parameters, ADM:

• Recommended the lightweight Eco DVD Disc and post office-approved mailer for automation discounts.
• Oversaw the entire project starting with video replication, custom DVD packaging design and mailing.
• Ensured adherence to U.S. postal regulations.
• Followed through with DVD fulfillment, sorting of “ship to” addresses, postage, sorting, assembly and introduction of the Eco DVD Disc into the postal system
• All within a tight and stringent time frame.

This successful approach, anchored around the Eco DVD Disc, saved the client over $26,000 in postage alone and over $32,000 overall, meeting all objectives on time and well under budget.

“The Eco Disc solution ADM brought to the table was a creative, innovative and effective way to save us a lot of money and crucial time,” said Joyce Dawn, Purchasing Director for Denver West Mint. “ADM took a challenge and made us look great while making it easy for us and our audience. We highly recommend them.”

Is the Eco Disc the right solution for your project? Get a quote for free and find out!

Media mastering and duplication provides a number of format options. For visual programs and presentations, the decision for which format—DVD or Blu-ray—on which to distribute the program hinges on a number of particulars.

What type of equipment is in the end user’s home or conference room?
Especially for B to B and B to E audiences, knowing what type of equipment is being used to view the program on the disc is probably information that should be known much earlier in the process. Duplication / Replication is the final opportunity to make sure your content is provided on a format that can be viewed. A DVD can be played on a Blu-ray player but DVD players cannot play Blu-ray discs.

On what native resolution was the program produced?
Blu-ray disc resolution is 1,920 x 1080 dots per inch (dpi). DVD’s resolution is 720 x 480 dpi. This means if the program is produced in high definition and/or if the end users will watch on a high definition screen, Blu-ray is the optimal choice.

Are there features on the program that are unavailable on the DVD format?
If the program was produced to include special features—interactive cameras, for example—not supported on the DVD format, this decision becomes very easy.

How much data needs to fit on the disc?
DVDs store between 4.7 and 8.5 gigabytes (GB) of data. Blu-ray discs store 25 to 50 GB.

How detailed are your images?
Blu-ray gets its name from the blue colored laser that reads the disc (DVD’s are read by a red laser).
Blu-ray laser wavelength is 405 nanometers (nm), and the DVD’s is 650 nm, which basically means the Blu-ray provides sharper images.

Does the disc need to last a long time?
Will the disc be stored in an environment that requires extra protection? While DVD and Blu-ray discs are identical in thickness (120 mm), protection coatings are different. Blu-ray protection coating is hard; DVD’s coating is not. DVD coating is 0.6 mm thick while the Blu-ray disc has one that is 0.1 mm thick.

Both formats provide great features, such as extra content—additional scenes, games, interviews—that can usually be included on the same disc as the main programming.

For more information or to get started, contact American Digital Media.

Mailing DVD’s is still an effective way to get product in the hands of your target market, especially for B to C or retail order fulfillment and B to B presentations. Options to minimize the cost of DVD mailings include volume—mass or bulk mailings—and the Eco DVD, which in addition to being eco-friendly is much less expensive to ship.

The method in the past was pretty simple. Place your DVD into a 5” x 5” mailer, attach the address sticker, apply postage and drop it off at the post office. With the postage increases over the last several years, this has become quite expensive.

Price breaks for mass mailing DVD’s begin at quantities of ten thousand. An estimated cost today to accomplish a bulk DVD mailing of ten thousand or more is about $1.60 each, with 85 cents of that going towards postage. That’s over half your cost going towards postage! Why so expensive? Because your mailer with DVD disc enclosed is considered “rigid” by post office standards. Items classified as “rigid” cost more to ship.

The new, environmentally friendly Eco DVD, however, is not rigid. It’s “flexible”–flexible enough to pass the post offices requirements for flat-automation discounts! The cost for utilizing the Eco DVD instead of the standard DVD disc lowers your postage cost considerably. It only costs about 27 cents in postage to mail Eco DVD. That’s a 68 percent savings per DVD! For our example of a ten thousand piece mass DVD mailing, the savings is $5,800.00 in postage alone.

A supplier offering DVD mailing services in addition to the Eco DVD will assure maximum cost savings, as well as providing time and convenience for you.

“I have a program that is marketable. Only problem is, it’s on video tape. How can I sell it?”

Easy: Turn it into a DVD and put it back out on the market. Transferring a program from video tape to DVD is actually a simple production process!

Most programs made ten years ago and beyond will be on videotape. Once-dominant professional and broadcast formats include 8mm, one-inch (1”, or reel to reel), three-quarter (¾”), Betacam SP and countless others. Although these older formats are hardly used anymore, the program content on these tapes might still be useful and re-mastering it to DVD might make sense.

First, understand most tape formats from that time area are analog and DVD’s are digital. You must be able to digitize your current program before you can recreate a new master on DVD. eHow.com provides a nice explanation of the difference between analog and digital:

Analog data is a series of electrical pulses, frequently designed to represent what they embody. Example: An analog clock with rotating hands is designed to imitate the way the Earth rotates — giving time both a number and a visual representation…

Digital data is a numerical representation. All data on your computer is digital. Example: Digital data stores information in binary form, using ones and zeros to create the interfaces and data that you use on your computer.

The major difference between analog and digital data is that digital allows for identical copies of the data–no matter how many copies you make of a [digital DVD or CD], the quality will not be lost. However, with analog copies of a [DVD or CD], the quality is slightly degraded with each [generation].

Most higher-end video production or tape transfer companies have the equipment and knowledge to transfer professional video tape to DVD. Additional benefits available include menu functions, navigation, closed captioning, trailers, multiple language tracks, motion graphics and other marketable options that enhance the consumer experience, expand the available market and provide other benefits—options that were cost-prohibitive or unavailable when the program would have been produced originally, on video tape.

Once completed, you can begin the copy process with your new DVD master. With this new DVD master, you can produce one or just a few copies (DVD duplication) to millions (DVD replication) depending on your needs.

Revive that old program and resell it on DVD!

Questions like “What needs to be done?” “How long does it take?” “Will it work?” are more prevalent with DVD’s and CD’s intended for resale on the retail market more so than with any other intended use. In other uses, the DVD or CD is an employee communication or part of a marketing or sales campaign to promote a product or service. In the case of DVD’s and CD’s produced for the retail market, the media is the product being marketed. Its appearance on the shelf cannot be understated and in some cases is the principal, if not the only, form of promotion.

If you’re the owner or producer of the content on the DVD or CD, you have too much time, emotion and money invested for it not to work.

Working with a qualified graphic artist is an essential part of the process. There is a difference between knowing how to use Photoshop or another graphic program and being a qualified graphic artist. Your artist should consider your audience and your content to develop unique design and packaging for your DVD or CD. The more intriguing and compelling the design and packaging, the more likely people will be to pick up your disc. Take this step very seriously.

Also critical is selecting an experienced DVD / CD duplication, replication and packaging company. It’s always best to find a company which can provide all the necessary steps within their scope of services. This ensures all components of the process are considered, planned for and prioritized and accountability is centralized. Your DVD / CD duplication, replication and packaging partner should provide quality disc manufacturing and all disc packaging options including printing and timely delivery. Trying to manage and coordinate multiple vendors or “do it yourself” places unnecessary burden on you and—to the, “Will it work?” question–exponentially increases the odds of something going wrong.

Some DVD or CD companies offer in-house graphic development which can be a big plus, especially if they have hands-on experience with developing packaging for retail placement. If your media partner has ongoing experience with retail placement, ask them:

• What should your expectations be?
• For what pitfalls should you watch out?
• What can be done to increase your chances for success?

You’ll be pleased to find that most are eager to help, and why not? If your DVD or CD retail placement launch is successful, you’ll come back to them for more duplication or replication!

DVD or CD packaging is not “one size fits all.” Different goals and audiences require different solutions.

•    Is your project an internal piece, communicating training content to employees?
•    Is your project a B to B marketing piece, presenting your products or services to other businesses?

First impressions truly are the most important and, especially these days, we have to grab the prospect’s interest in that first moment. The packaging for your DVD or CD must impress these possible future clients. If the packaging is not intriguing, the prospect throws it away. If the packaging looks cheap, so do you.

One of the first and most important steps is to retain a qualified graphic artist. There is a difference between knowing how to use Photoshop or another graphic program and being a qualified graphic artist. Your artist should ask questions about your program, products and services, what you offer, who your targeted customers are and what makes you different. All these elements need to be considered in your DVD’s or CD’s design and packaging. Especially if you are mailing the CD or DVD, the design on the packaging needs to draw in the receiver. The more intriguing and compelling the design and packaging, the more eager they will be open and watch it. Take this step very seriously.

The design and packaging should also be consistent with and relevant to your product or service offering. While a pleasing shot of snow-capped mountains looks very nice and pretty, it is irrelevant to your steel building setup kits.

With mailers, another thing to consider is the cost for postage. One option to minimizing this cost is an Eco DVD–a new, lightweight, environmentally-friendly DVD that qualifies for flat-automation discounts at the Post Office. This newer “green” disc has saved companies literally thousands of dollars in postage alone when incorporated and packaged correctly into a Post Office-approved mailer.

In addition to cost savings, companies using the Eco DVD have promoted their use of environmentally-conscious media. Marketing departments couple use of the Eco DVD with 100 percent recycled materials on the mailer itself, then trumpet their eco-friendly practices. Accurate use of buzzwords like green, recyclable, eco-friendly, environmentally friendly and carbon footprints present companies in a very positive light.

DVD or CD packaging is not “one size fits all.” Different goals and audiences require different solutions.

• Is your project an internal piece, communicating training content to employees?
• Is your project a B to C effort that will be launched on the open market for resale?

This is a common use for DVD’s and CD’s, especially for training purposes and when the content must be available on demand, perhaps listened to in a car or viewed while traveling on an airplane.  Examples include:

• New hire training
• Safety procedures
• Skills testing
• Company “identity” videos or statements
• Business development presentations

For any internal audience, the simplest and most cost effective packaging should be considered. This audience is already “sold” on the company. Their job is to absorb and/or present the content. Therefore, there is little upside to spending time and money on packaging. Simple text on the disc face identifying the title and content should be good enough. A paper sleeve with clear window for protection is usually sufficient packaging. This way your employees can see the program title and content through the envelope window. This avenue for manufacturing and packaging will be bottom line least expensive.

DVD or CD packaging is not “one size fits all.” Different goals and audiences require different solutions.

•  Is your project a B to B marketing piece, presenting your products or services to other businesses?
• Is your project a B to C effort that will be launched on the open market for resale?

Finished DVD Duplication Process

Being in the business of making DVD copies we get asked that a lot, It’s a good question, mainly because it involves two totally different processes. Which one is right for your project? That depends on quantity, time and budget.

DVD Replication
To manufacture or replicate a DVD: First, a glass master/stamper must be made of your program. This master is then used to stamp out the finished DVD. This process starts with molten plastic called polycarbonate. This plastic is injected into the replication machine, the stamper then presses the polycarbonate into the shape of your DVD disc. As it does so, it lays your entire DVD program into the disc at the same time. It is  truly a one step process. This DVD replication process is generally used on production runs of 1000 and more. It is the same process used to bring major movie releases to the consumer DVD market.

DVD Duplication
The other option is DVD duplication. This option is used for less than a 1000 units or for quicker delivery. This process utilizes blank DVD/R discs which are loaded into recording towers. Your program is then burned or etched onto these DVD discs. Although DVD  duplication is a bit more costly on a per unit basis, it is the perfect solution for production runs that don’t qualify for the DVD replication minimum of 1000 units and for projects on tight deadlines.

What projects do you have coming up that would require replication or duplication?

Jeffery K. Martin

President

Is your project an internal piece, communicating to current or prospective employees? Examples include:

• New hire training
• Safety procedures
• Skills testing
• Company “identity” videos or statements
• Business development presentations

Is your project a B to B marketing piece, presenting your products or services to other businesses?

Is your project a B to C effort that will be launched on the open market for resale?

These are all common uses for DVD’s and CD’s. The goals for your DVD or CD will depend heavily on which of these audiences is targeted (it will also influence whether duplication or replication is the correct method for your project).

Whether your disc is a music CD, Blu-ray, environmentally-friendly Eco Disc or DVD, design and packaging are decisions to be taken seriously and confronted early in the process.