FAQs

Q. What are video regions?

A. Regions have largely been invented by the movie business to protect their financial interests. It enables them to release films on DVD in the United States ahead of the rest of the world, which cannot be played on a DVD player unless it can handle "region 1" discs, and thus they maximise their profits. The United States is region 1, Europe is region 2, etc, etc. DVD players are often set to play only discs encoded for the region in which they are sold, although some players are "all region". Most computers offer you the option to change region a few times but after a set number of changes will remain locked. So beware! You may find you cannot play region 2 discs again if you get locked out. All our discs are "region free" and will therefore play anywhere in the world. So with our discs you can safely ignore the regions question.

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Q. So why do I need different discs to send to the States?

A. There are two main television standards in the world nowadays. The United Kingdom works on the PAL standard, but the United States works on the NTSC standard. For an explanation of the difference and a full list of standards used throughout the world, go to our Standards page. Whilst a DVD player in a computer may well be able to cope with both standards easily, a television monitor connected to a player could well be a single standard only, either PAL or NTSC depending on the country you're in. This is especially noticeable in the USA. There are multi-standard monitors around - but you will probably need to consult your handbook to check this out.

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Q. How much material can you fit on a DVD?

A. This depends on the resolution that the original material is captured at. For "best" quality we wouldn't advise more than one hour per 4.7G disc, however you can put as much as two hours on this size disc, but at slightly lower resolution. How noticeable the difference is between these two extremes largely depends on the nature of the picture. Large, static pictures with little going on will show very little difference, but very "busy" pictures (e.g. wind rustling through tree leaves) will be more susceptible.

For longer lengths, or for instance a series of programmes, it is worth remembering that library cases will hold up to four discs within the same spine width as a single disc case, and up to ten discs within a slightly wider spine.

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Q. Would it be cheaper if I just had a plastic sleeve rather than a case?

A. While it would be cheaper to just have a plastic sleeve, that would be a poor choice to make. The amount you would save would be minimal, and the disadvantages greatly outweigh the cost saving. Any case offers protection to the disc - against accidental breakage, against dust and dirt, and most importantly stops the disc from getting scratched which could make it unplayable. It also presents a much more positive image to the end user - you think your programme is worth enough to deserve a case, and it's not just a throwaway item not to be bothered with. The relative costs between different kinds of cases is minimal, but for advice on the choice available click here.

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Q. Is it cheaper if I have larger quantities?

A. Yes, we operate a sliding discount for larger quantities - please contact us for details.

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Q. How many discs can you make at once?

A. This varies on the work we have in at any one time. We are happy to quote you for just a handful of discs, or for thousands. Please contact us for details.

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