A DVD, or digital versatile disc, is a product of new optical disc technologies that can vastly improve the quality of a number of consumer electronics and personal computer products. DVDs can hold up to 17 gigabytes of data, and recent research indicates a potential for 15 times more storage. Basically, a DVD is a double-density, double-sided compact disc. DVD replication is the process by which the data is transferred from the source master to DVD discs. You should not confuse it with duplication, as they are not the same.

The source master is first checked for unreadable sectors when it is submitted to the manufacturing plant. This is important because without this verification, one could end up having many defective discs.

The first step in what we call 'pressing' discs is to transfer data from the master onto a 'master mold'. It is referred to as a glass master in this case. With the help of laser beam, pits or grooves are created onto a glass master. The data on the master determines the spacing and length of the grooves.

By stamper we mean the mold for the DVD discs, which is created by the glass master. The grooves that are created in the glass mastering process are pressed against a nickel layer to create a stamper. The grooves are then copied onto the stamper, which will subsequently become part of a DVD disc. Finally, polycarbonate materials are molded with the grooves on the stampers to create a disc. DVDs need two layers of the polycarbonate discs, which are then bonded together.

Replication has a number of advantages that include accuracy, quality, quantity, and packaging. Instead of duplication, replication is the obvious choice for a professional finished product in significant numbers. The bigger the size of the order, the lower is the price.