GM Records

High Definition Television is an improvement in the technical quality of broadcasting programs and films, which until now has not had the possibility to compete with cinema or even films on DVD in the audiovisual sphere. The new standard of television signal broadcast is still not as well known in Poland as in the world.

The minimum parameters and requirements of hardware which has to serve the high definition television signal to the viewers are current theme no. 1. Especially interested are people who value high picture quality and sound.

Protection of intellectual property and security against illegal copying of discs is currently one of the most important problems which the producers of programs and computer games, phonographic companies, film studios and distributors of DVDs fight against. Every one of us knows that there is no such thing as ideal security. From here the race between “pirates” and producers of programs protecting the contents of discs continues.

The holographic disc could be an ace in the sleeve of optical mediums competing with each other on the international market. Currently the central figures who have occupied the market themselves are Blu Ray and HD DVD – two formats which fight for the attention of film studios, record companies and games console manufacturers. A new medium using holographic technology could turn out to put an end to the battle on the computer consumables market.

DVD achieved the maximum of its possibilities, and now the discs of the third generation, Blu-Ray and HD DVD will show their potential, which the international optical medium market currently focuses on.

The contemporary formats of optical mediums (DVD Video, DVD ROM, DVD Audio, CD ROM, CD Audio and others) give unlimited possibilities for recording sound, images or data.

Authoring is the first and most important stage in manufacture, which enables long-lasting recording of data on an optical medium.

Mastering is the second stage of pressing optical mediums after authoring. In this stage a master template is made, which is used for further replication of the material created before at the authoring stage.

The third stage in the manufacture of optical mediums – pressing – is the result of the previous stages of the process (authoring and mastering). It means the high volume replication of CDs or DVDs. This is the stage where the appropriate material is pressed (audio tracks, films, programs, etc.).

Printed design is the fourth production stage for optical mediums – after authoring, mastering and pressing. All phases in the process are important, but the final effect is very much print design and packaging. The form of the packaged disc is a distinct theme, which is found in one of the following articles.

The individual stages in the process of pressing optical mediums were the issues of other articles. It was only enough to pack the disc. However a nice box must result in containing a content, which is neat in every respect. Each disk undergoes quality control in order to ensure this.

Packaging is one of the elements which decides the “to be or not to be” of the product. It is often the most important incentive to purchase a product. Disc packaging – the sixth step in the manufacture of CDs and DVDs, is the last topic of the series “How is an optical medium created?”.