Q: What is a duplicator tower?
A: When we say duplicator tower we usually mean the stacking of CD or DVD writers in one unit. When they are stacked vertically the unit looks like a tower hence the name duplicator tower is often used. The main difference between a duplicator tower and a PC equipped with a writer is that a duplicator tower is usually a standalone unit that does not require any software to make it work. On a PC you would have to install CD or DVD burning software such as Roxio Easy CD & DVD Creator, Nero, Discjuggler, or other similar software. With a duplicator tower you would not have such requirements because the software is embedded into the chips that drive the duplicator.
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Q: What's the major difference between CD and DVD duplicator?
A: A CD duplicator can only burn CD recordable (CD-R) or CD-RW media. A DVD duplicator can burn either CDs or DVDs.
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Q: Is my DVD duplicator standalone?
A: Yes, all of our DVD duplicators are fully standalone with a simple one-touch button to duplicate. No computer knowledge is required AT ALL.
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Q: What is the difference between using the burner on a computer and a CD/DVD duplicator?
A: SmarrCopy™ duplicators are designed to maximize the quality of the duplicated disc and generally produce better quality discs than a computer. Our duplicators are much easier to use with one-touch operations instead of trying to understand specific software programs. Duplicators can be set up anywhere there is a power outlet while a computer requires specific programs and is often too difficult to transport. Most computers only offer one CD or DVD driver while a duplicator can come with multiple drivers and can make multiple copies simultaneously.
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Q: What are the common configurations of the duplication towers?
A: The most common configurations are 1-to-3, 1-to-5, 1-to-7, 1-to-9 and 1-to-11.
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Q: If I buy a multi-target duplicator, can I choose to burn on fewer than the maximum targets available?
A: Yes. The number of drives on the duplicator is merely the maximum number of duplications you can produce at one time. You can make any number of duplications up to the maximum without any concerns.
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Q: What features of a duplicator would I need to be concerned about when buying a duplicator?
A: The media that you need to burn and the number of CDs or DVDs to be duplicated, speed, and if you need an HDD for internal caching.
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Q: Can my DVD duplicator copy CDs?
A: Yes, all of SmarrCopy™ CD/DVD duplicators are capable of coping CD's as well.
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Q: How long will it take to copy a DVD?
A: Duplicating speed depends on the writing speed and quality of the blank DVD media and the speed of the DVD drive used. The copying speed of a DVD duplicator cannot exceed the media’s maximum certified duplication speed. A typical time of duplicating a good quality fully loaded DVD would be as follows:
a. 16X DVD Media => 5-7 minb. 8X DVD Media => 10-12 minc. 4X DVD Media => 20-30 mind. d. 2X DVD Media => 40-60 min
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Q: Can SmarrCopy™ duplicators make copies from masters created on an Apple or MAC computer?
A: Yes. Once you generate a master disc, the duplicator will make an exact digital duplication of the original regardless of what type of computer or program the master disc was created on.
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Q: Can I copy a CD or VCD to a DVD using SmarrCopy™ duplicator?
A: Yes. SmarrCopy™ duplicator can work for both CD and DVD.
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Q: What is copy protection and what does it apply to?
A: Copy protection is a way to ensure those not authorized to make duplications, do not. Most likely all movies and video games that you rent from a video rental store such as Blockbuster or purchase from the store have copy protection on them. They cannot be duplicated in their original form.
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Q: Can SmarrCopy™ duplicators copy copyright protected CDs or DVD's ?
A: Although making a duplicator crack the copyright protection scheme isn't really difficult from a technical point of view, most duplicator manufacturers, we do respect the hard work of the content authors or owners. If you try to copy copyright protected CDs or DVD's, the duplicator will most likely reject the copy. Even if there is no copyright protection on most masters, you should be aware of the consequence of potentially breaking the copyright laws.
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Q: Will SmarrCopy™ CD⁄DVD duplicator duplicates PAL format?
A: Yes, our DVD duplicators will duplicate both NTSC and PAL DVD Video format. However, your duplications will be in the same format as the master disc. If you're duplicating the PAL format the duplications will be in the PAL format. The same applies for NTSC.
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Q: Can SmarrCopy™ CD⁄DVD Duplicator also duplicate CD+G discs?
A: Yes. You can enable the CD+G duplicate function through the advance setup.
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Q: Can I duplicate business card size CD–R's or mini CD–R´s?
A: Yes. Our duplicators support all sizes of media. Please refer to the spec sheets.
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Q: If I buy a 16x DVD duplicator, can I use 1x or 4x media to copy at 16x?
A: No. The SmarrCopy™ CD⁄DVD duplicator will determine the media's maximum certified duplication speed and will not exceed it.
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Q: Can SmarrCopy™ CD⁄DVD duplicators copy music and DVD’s?
A: Yes, but the DVD master must be non-copyright protected.a. The format can be single-sided, single layer DVD that can hold up to 4.7GB of audio and video data (DVD5).b. b. The format can also be single-sided, dual-layer DVD that can hold up to 8.5GB of audio and video data (DVD9).
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Q: Will a multi–drive duplicator take longer to make duplications than a 1 to 1 duplicator?
A: No. All drives make simultaneous duplications. So it takes the same amount of time to duplicate 1 disc as it does to duplicate the maximum drives on the unit.
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Q: When we talk about the speed of writers, we usually say how many X'es, but what does X stand for?
A: One X for CD is 150KB per second. So for a fully loaded CD-ROM with 650MB, it will take about 87 seconds for a 52X writer to complete the burning. The formula is 650 x 1024 ÷ 150 ÷ 52 = 87. As far as a DVD, one X represents 1380KB/sec. With this rate, a fully loaded DVD master with 4.7GB will requires about 893 seconds (about 15 minutes) for a 4X writer to complete the burning. Again, the formula is 4.7 x 1024 x 1024 ÷ 1380 ÷ 4 = 892.8. But note that the actual time will be longer because of the lead-in and lead-out. On the other hand, most of the time the master is not fully loaded so the numbers above are the extreme cases. Your burning time will be a function of how full the master is and what type of media you are using. Some media, although advertised for a certain speed, may not be able to attain the rates advertised and the duplicator will try to burn at a lower speed to ensure its integrity.
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Q: What are the common speeds for CD and DVD duplicators?
A: At the time of writing, the most common speeds are 52X for CD writers and 16X for DVD writers.
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Q: Can I set SmarrCopy™ CD⁄DVD duplicator to copy at different speeds?
A: Yes, the SmarrCopy™ CD⁄DVD duplicator's default speed is the maximum speed it can handle. However, it can be set to record at speeds lower than its maximum speed.
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Q: What are the advantages of duplicating with the hard drive option?
A: 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 possible quality.
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Q: How many images can I store on the internal hard drive?
A: That really depends on the capacity of the hard drive and what kind of image you are storing. For CD, the hard drive will be partitioned into 1GB partitions so the number of images you can store will be the same as how many GB the hard drive is. A 80GB hard drive will be able to store 80 images, 120GB 120 images and so on and so forth. For DVD, the hard drive will be partitioned into 5GB slots so the number of images will be the hard disk capacity in GB divided by five. So, an 80GB drive would store 16 images, a 120GB drive stores 24 images.
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Will the duplication speed affect the quality of the duplicated discs?
A: The higher the speed the greater the chances that there could be some quality drop-off. With competitors units the speed needs to be adjusted manually. With the SmarrCopy duplicator you do not need to make any speed adjustments. It will automatically determine the best speed necessary and make those adjustments on the fly.
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Q: How can I determine the best speed to use in order to get the best quality duplication?
A: Since the quality of duplication depends on various factors, such as the reader, burner, the quality of master and blank medias….etc. The SmarrCopy™ CD⁄DVD duplicators automatically determine the best speed for your combination to ensure the best duplication and lowest failure rate.
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Q: How could I tell if the duplicated copies are accurate or if they have problems?
A: You can test duplicated copies for accuracy by performing our “Compare” function. This function compares the duplications to the original master disc by comparing the bit by bit. This process ensures that the duplication is a 100% exact duplication of the original, and provides true playback ability. If there is a recording problem, the duplicator will notify you on the display that there was a failure and keep the affected disc in the machine so you can identify which one(s) are defective without disrupting the rest of the duplicating process.
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Can I upgrade my SmarrCop™ CD⁄DVD duplicator?
A: Yes. All duplicators can be upgraded by using factory provided firmware⁄software. Any attempt to alter the machine on your own or through a non–authorized service technician will nullify the warranty.
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What are USB connections?
A: USB connections are mounted inside the duplicator and allow a computer with appropriate USB links to control one or more of the duplicator drives to use as an external recorder upon your request.
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Can I save files from a computer hard drive to the duplicator hard drive through USB?
A: No. computer hard drives and duplicator hard drives are two separate file systems, so they cannot communicate. The USB and connections' allow the computer to use the duplicator as a CD or DVD external burner. You can use either of those devices to store the data on a disc from a specified CD or DVD drive on the duplicator. Once you create that disc, you can use it as your master disc to load into the hard drive and make your duplications.
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Q: Can I hook up my camcorder⁄digital camera with the duplicator by USB ⁄ Firewire?
A: No. Even though the camcorder or digital camera has a Firewire or USB connection, you cannot directly input the data onto the duplicator. You can download the data onto a computer and use the external Firewire or USB to create a master disc from which to make your duplications on.
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