I've commented on this in another thread, but I thought I'd better start a new thread before the folks following that one flame me for posting off-topic.

I just pulled the trigger on a standalone 1-to-1 DVD duplicator (http://www.supermediastore.com/pioneer-dvd-duplicator-tower-dvd-duplicators-1-to-1.html). I've been toying with getting one for a while, and SMS is having special this week where they throw in 100 TY 8x Premium DVD-Rs with the dup'r. Those TYs are my preferred brand, so its like getting a $30 discount on the dup'r.

This is the plan: I dump precious, irreplaceable family videos to the HDD of my Panasonic DMR-E85. I slice, dice, edit, thumbnail, and chapterize (and remove any segments embarassing to me) and burn a disc. Then, rather than putting more wear-n-tear on the Panny's burner, I put that DVD in the dup'r and spin off copies for relatives, a backup for my archive, etc.

I know it sounds roundabout, but I make a lot of DVDs. I suppose I could make copies with the burner in my laptop....but for frequently performed tasks, I prefer dedicated machines. (Maybe I also just wanted another gadget in my A/V room :o )

Aside from Church AV Guy, is anybody else doing this?

Well, the most important question is, did you order the white one, or the black one?

No choice of color, but I got a nice set of floormats and tires with cool raised white lettering on the sidewalls!

I think it's a great idea. I'd like to do it myself. In fact, I'd like to get one that makes five copies at a time, and maybe try to sell a few of some things not available commercially.

I think it's a great idea. I'd like to do it myself. In fact, I'd like to get one that makes five copies at a time, and maybe try to sell a few of some things not available commercially.

Supermediastore has duplicators that'll spin off multiple copies, though of course they cost a good bit more than the 1-to-1 model I've ordered. They have an even less expensive model where you simply pop the DVD-R or CD-R to be copied into a read drive, the appropriate media in the write drive, and the machine does the rest. I went for a machine with an LCD readout and some additional functions 'cuz I know I like to tinker a bit.....

You might want to be cautious about trying to sell copies, even of OP material. Even if it's not currently available commercially, somebody somewhere owns the copyright and could, theoretically, take legal action against you.

However, there may be some loopholes or, at least, gray areas in the law. Some years ago there was a guy selling good-quality CD-R dubs of old, out-of-print LPs from the '50s and '60s. Apparently, his strategy was that if the original record company reissued the content, he'd stop selling his version. But the music was all classical, so he wasn't exactly making big bucks.

I was looking at a 5 disc duplicator, with Pio burners, and a 250GB HDD, at SMS, for just over $500. I'd call that a steal. I don't figure to get rich by selling bootlegs, but what I have in mind are things never issued, like old movies, and some things that are Public Domain, and not in print. Mostly they would go to collectors I know. For one thing, I have compiled the most complete set of classic Fleischer Brothers cartoons, with Betty Boop in them, that is possible. All in chronological order. Most are PD, and not generally available. Many weren't even in the allegedly complete Betty Boop VHS set.

I would also like to create a DVD set of all Warner Brothers cartoons, from the beginning, until about 1948, all in chronological order. I have all the Golden Age of Looney Tunes LD sets, but there are lots of B&W toons that are very hard to find. If I ever do complete such a set, I wouldn't dare sell it, except possibly to a few close friends. For the record, if WB would ever release such a set, I'd buy it in a minute. I hate the way they are releasing them on DVD now. What a mess! :rolleyes: :mad:

No choice of color, but I got a nice set of floormats and tires with cool raised white lettering on the sidewalls!
But, but... The link you posted clearly shows them in white and black. Are you saying that color is not an option? Why would they show both colors if they aren't available?

Well, I'll never order THAT product! No choice of color... Grump....

There was a comment made in the 2 to 1 product:the asus reader that came with it is horrible but I replaced it with another pioneer burner as the readerDoes this suggest that the reader in these is poor? I just did a quick scan of their Pioneer products and they all have the same reader.

Yeah, if it's in public domain, it's fair game. And you're talking about just the kind of scenario that made me decide to get a duplicator: you spend a lot of time compiling a material and editing it up all nicely, then you want to spin off some extra copies. Or, you've already deleted it from the HDD and then you have a need to make a copy. Of course, you can do it on the computer, but as I've said before, I like dedicated-box solutions.....

As for drive reliability, read accuracy, etc., I went with Pioneer because I've had good luck with Pioneer DVD players and the Pio 450/460 series recorders. Plus, there was a poll on the videohelp (I think) forum where users rated Pio drives in the top 2. We'll see if it works...

As for the color of the duplicator, I was so focused on which model to order and the free 100-pack o' TY Premium 8x, I didn't even realize I was never offered a color choice in the ordering process. Go figure!

...As for the color of the duplicator, I was so focused on which model to order and the free 100-pack o' TY Premium 8x, I didn't even realize I was never offered a color choice in the ordering process. Go figure!
I was just makin' fun...:D It turns out that the photo does show black or beige, but the option is not really available in the 1:1 machine. The color option appears to be only available, at least on the Supermediastore web site, in the 1:2 (and greater) variants of that duplicator.

I eagerly await your comments about it.

There was a comment made in the 2 to 1 product: "the asus reader that came with it is horrible but I replaced it with another pioneer burner as the reader" Does this suggest that the reader in these is poor? I just did a quick scan of their Pioneer products and they all have the same reader.

Thats interesting, its always been my impression that ASUS and Pioneer drives were one and the same. I suppose then, their burners are much better than their readers based on this duplicator review. Although I'm actually astonished to hear anyone makes a dedicated read-only PC drive anymore: who would want it? How much cheaper could it be than a complete burner, which they probably mass produce many more of? I've always kinda assumed these duplicators just slotted in the same drives for reader and burners.:confused:

... I've always kinda assumed these duplicators just slotted in the same drives for reader and burners.:confused:
Negative. The series of duplicators that the OP has listed all use the ASUS (by pioneeer) reader, "ASUS(Pioneer OEM) 16X DVD-ROM" and multiple Pioneer writers, "Pioneer DVR-116D 20X DVD-RW Recorder" in the cases. The person who posted the review says he replaced the reader with a Pioneer burner, which gave superior performance (presumably reading).

...I just pulled the trigger on a standalone 1-to-1 DVD duplicator (http://www.supermediastore.com/pioneer-dvd-duplicator-tower-dvd-duplicators-1-to-1.html). I've been toying with getting one for a while...
I know it sounds strange, but a friend wanted to borrow some disks I had, so I made him the copies and kept my originals. He was apparenly impressed with my duplicator, so he went off and bought one for himself. He said it was the same one you bought, doswonk1. His looks much more like mine than like the one in the photograph. It has a display, selection and function buttons. The photo does not show these things. In fact, his looks almost exactly like my Microboards, right down to the menu selections. Does yours look like the photo, or like the picture of the Microboards duplicator.

We did a few timings and the microboards is definitely faster, by 10% to almost 15%. I don't know what that could mean. The Microboards duplicator is much smaller. It is nearly the same size in width and height, but it is a lot shorter in depth. According to the dimensions on the web page, this should not be, but maybe my duplicator being a few years old is the reason.

Do you have any further observations to report?

He purchased the duplicator last week, when there was a "free gift" of a 100 piece cake-boy of T-Ys. That special is no longer being shown. My guess is, it will be back soon (eventually).

Here's a quick link to my short review. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=17367605#post17367605)

Mine is configured more like the one in the photo than the Microboards. I won't say it's 100% identical, but I'm pretty sure the cabinet dimensions are just about spot on (11 long x 7 wide x 6.5 high). Can't measure because I'm not at home at the moment. It actually turned out to be a bit bigger than I expected. My control panel with LED and buttons is on the top of the unit, like the one in the picture on the website.

Anyway the thing is built like an industrial-grade piece of equipment--metal cabinet, decent weight, thick power cord. The PC-type cooling fan starts up as soon as you power on and runs continuously, so it might be a bit of a distraction to have it running in close proximity to your TV viewing area.

It continues to do what I want it to do: make reliable copies and spare my DVDR's burner from as much wear-and-tear as possible. So I can dump Precious Family Home Videos on the DVDR's HDD, slice/dice/edit/chapterize to my heart's content. Burn a "master" copy, and let the dup'r spit out copies for the rest of the fam, backup, and the time capsule I'm digging in the backyard (just kidding on that last one), while I go back to work on the DVDR editing the next bloc of material.

Plus, it lets me go a little easier on my stash of TY 8x Premium discs; for less critical copies, I can just dump stuff on cheaper 16x media from Buy More or Large Mart.

So bottom line is I'm still kicking myself for not getting the duplicator three years ago.

BTW, I've really come to appreciate Panasonic's FR recording mode. The first 2 years I was using the thing, I recorded everything at SP and sometimes had to spread material across two discs. FR lets me neatly pack 2-1/2 hours on a disc with no serious loss of PQ, sometimes even 3 hours on minimal-movement material. The FR mode does reserve a ~400 meg "cushion" of disk space that usually goes unused. However, I can manipulate the process to get access to that space. Downside is the outer edges of the recording area are more vulnerable to scuffs and scratches; not filling that area with recorded material means you're less likely to lose the end of the last program! (But sometimes I live dangerously.)

Glad to hear you like the Panasonic. I just got one to pair with a Toshiba 410 which I can't use for anything over two hours. I'm waiting on some switches to be able to switch back and forth between them so haven't tried out the FR yet. I did make a 4 Hr. recording to test it and it looked as good or better than the 3 Hr. PQ I'm getting with the Magnavox recorders.

I was thinking of getting something like this someday when I ever get the extra money so I could do a bunch of "copyright free" stuff and hand them out. (I would have to figure out what media to use as TY's are a little too pricey to be giving away like that, but I wouldn't want to destroy my burner using cheap ol Riteks or something, like what happened to my Panny)

Mine is configured more like the one in the photo than the Microboards. I won't say it's 100% identical, but I'm pretty sure the cabinet dimensions are just about spot on (11 long x 7 wide x 6.5 high). Can't measure because I'm not at home at the moment. It actually turned out to be a bit bigger than I expected. My control panel with LED and buttons is on the top of the unit, like the one in the picture on the website.

That's interesting. This one looks identical to my Microboards duplicator, except it's about 6 inches longer and nowhere on it does it say Microboards, like mine does. There is no manufacturer's name on it at all as far as I can tell. I haven't checked underneith. It is definitely NOT the one in the photo. Odd, because he used the link from your original post to make the order. The Supermediastor on-line order information clearly shows the image from your OP link.

Not unhappy, merely puzzled.

I tried to copy a few of my home recorded DVDs using my PC along with the program Shrink. I didn't have good luck with several of them and was wondering if a duplicator like those mentioned in this post would work better.
The problem I had was the original played fine in several players and recorders but during the high speed copy(with the preview window enabled) I noticed in several areas(particularly towards the last 1/4) the window would pause, then start up again. It did this several times with several different DVDs. I didn't think too much of it and burned my copy(with burn verify turned on) and all went fine. When I went back and played the copies I had several long pauses and picture breakups in the last 1/4 of the disc(basically a coaster). I went back and played my master and again it played fine.

What I'm thinking is the disc must have many errors but playing realtime the player is able to correct it but during HS copy the computer is not able to correct all the errors. The reason my burn verify went OK is because the burn is indeed a bit for bit copy of what's on my HDD but what's on my HDD does not match what's on my original DVD:(

My questions is this: Does my thinking make sense and if so do standalone duplicators like those mentioned above allow users to adjust the read speed? On my computer with Shrink I see options to adjust burn speed but NOT read speed.
Another question, do the duplicators mentioned have a verify function? and if so I'd assume it compares the actual discs and not a HDD image like I think Shrink does.

I'm kind of bummed my first venture to backing up some of my DVDs (losslessly) went so poor. Truth be told several of the discs I'm trying to backup were recorded on the grey TDK discs I used before I was advised they were basically Memorex:mad: and I also had problems with a few Philips 16x DVDs(probably CMC or poor quality), 8x Office Depots of several years back and one recent Verb 16x. I'd really hate to have to back up my discs realtime and with loss, although realtime would probably play just fine.

I believe I've also read some people use a program to check DVDs for errors, does anyone have a recommendation for such a program, available for free download or to purchase. I'd like to know how bad my discs are before trying to back them up.

I tried to copy a few of my home recorded DVDs using my PC along with the program Shrink. I didn't have good luck with several of them and was wondering if a duplicator like those mentioned in this post would work better.
The problem I had was the original played fine in several players and recorders but during the high speed copy(with the preview window enabled) I noticed in several areas(particularly towards the last 1/4) the window would pause, then start up again. It did this several times with several different DVDs. I didn't think too much of it and burned my copy(with burn verify turned on) and all went fine. When I went back and played the copies I had several long pauses and picture breakups in the last 1/4 of the disc(basically a coaster). I went back and played my master and again it played fine.

What I'm thinking is the disc must have many errors but playing realtime the player is able to correct it but during HS copy the computer is not able to correct all the errors. The reason my burn verify went OK is because the burn is indeed a bit for bit copy of what's on my HDD but what's on my HDD does not match what's on my original DVD:(

My questions is this: Does my thinking make sense and if so do standalone duplicators like those mentioned above allow users to adjust the read speed? On my computer with Shrink I see options to adjust burn speed but NOT read speed.
Another question, do the duplicators mentioned have a verify function? and if so I'd assume it compares the actual discs and not a HDD image like I think Shrink does.

I'm kind of bummed my first venture to backing up some of my DVDs (losslessly) went so poor. Truth be told several of the discs I'm trying to backup were recorded on the grey TDK discs I used before I was advised they were basically Memorex:mad: and I also had problems with a few Philips 16x DVDs(probably CMC or poor quality), 8x Office Depots of several years back and one recent Verb 16x. I'd really hate to have to back up my discs realtime and with loss, although realtime would probably play just fine.

I believe I've also read some people use a program to check DVDs for errors, does anyone have a recommendation for such a program, available for free download or to purchase. I'd like to know how bad my discs are before trying to back them up.

In the more recent "thumbnail" thread I reported a problem attempting to duplicate a similarly problematic TDK (CMC) disc with my entry-level CopyPal duplicator. The report begins with this post:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=18544942#post18544942

That CopyPal model doesn't provide for user configured read or burn settings. Some duplicators provide for user configured burn settings but I don't know about read settings.

After the CopyPal couldn't manage disc-to-disc duplication with that problematic TDK disc my next approach was with DVD Shrink. The "open disc" and "preview" hung at the same spot where the TDK disc's "skipping" begun when playing it with my Sony DVD players.

The TDK disc had four titles totaling just about six hours of material originally dubbed from videotape to DVD with a Panasonic. The first two titles, the most important content, were OK. The third title had several hang-ups and the fourth title might have had one hang-up--I don't remember.

With DVD Shrink I couldn't figure out how to "open" only the first two titles for "preview." My reasoning was that if I could limit the "open" and "preview" feature to the first two titles I could then enter the "backup" feature in order to save the first two titles as video and audio folders to the computer's hard drive. Unless DVD Shrink will allow selective "open" and "preview" functions before the "backup" function, it isn't useful in this type of situation.

So, what did I do? I played the TDK disc on a Sony DVD player and recorded the entire disc content in real-time to a Magnavox 2160 hard drive. I used the Magnavox LP (three hour) recording mode. Following the real-time transfer I edited/divided the hard drive recordings and then high-speed dubbed the titles to two TY 8x DVD-R discs.

A few days ago I randomly selected for duplication seven Memorex CMC discs (originally recorded in March 2007). With the CopyPal using TY 16x DVD-R discs for the burns all seven Memorex discs were copied successfully! So far, so good.

But I'm sure to encounter more problematic TDK and Memorex CMC discs as I revisit the archive in order to duplicate more discs.

How little I knew about inferior media just a few years ago...

After the CopyPal couldn't manage disc-to-disc duplication with that problematic TDK disc my next approach was with DVD Shrink. The "open disc" and "preview" hung at the same spot where the TDK disc's "skipping" begun when playing it with my Sony DVD players.
...

With DVD Shrink I couldn't figure out how to "open" only the first two titles for "preview." My reasoning was that if I could limit the "open" and "preview" feature to the first two titles I could then enter the "backup" feature in order to save the first two titles as video and audio folders to the computer's hard drive. Unless DVD Shrink will allow selective "open" and "preview" functions before the "backup" function, it isn't useful in this type of situation.

For future reference, discs recorded on consumer standalone recorders do not have any copy protection. Therefore you can simply open the directory structure of the disc and copy over the appropriate .vob's without the need to use DVD Shrink, DVD Decrypter, etc., running into the problem of not being able to open a disc becasue of a bad burn or physical defect in the media. On my Panasonic DMR-EH75V (and possibly all others), all titles on the disc are separate .vob's, making it that much easier to copy the desired title. The only problem is, you will need to re-author the disc so that it will play properly. Not a huge problem, it takes only a few minutes to do if you have the software; the mpeg files will not need to be re-encoded.

My questions is this: Do standalone duplicators like those mentioned above allow users to adjust the read speed?

On my model of CopyPal, with the LCD readout and selectable parameters, it does allow adjustment of both the read and write speeds. I can now use 1x speed DVD-Rs without any burning failures.

Thanks tomwil, do you have a link to your model, or know it's number? Also does it have a verify function that compares the master disc and copy?
The problem I found with using my computer and HDD for the copy is the verify verifies the burn to the HDD image, not the original disc.
And again does anyone know of a decent PC program to check DVDs for errors? I'd really like to start checking my burnt DVDs for problems before they become worse.

When I returned my first CopyPal (the $99 one without LCD and parameter buttons), Amazon gave me a great deal on the next model up: Spartan SATA SpartanEdge (http://www.amazon.com/Spartan-SpartanEdge-Target-Duplicator-D01-SSP/dp/B002HRE10Y/ref=pd_cp_e_2).

This unit allows many parameters to be changed, such as read and write speed, and also does verify the burn against the original CD/DVD.

What I'm thinking is the disc must have many errors but playing realtime the player is able to correct it but during HS copy the computer is not able to correct all the errors.

My questions is this: Does my thinking make sense and if so do standalone duplicators like those mentioned above allow users to adjust the read speed? On my computer with Shrink I see options to adjust burn speed but NOT read speed.

I use Nero 7 Premium. Although I have never used the slow read speed option –it does indeed exist. I included screen grabs 1,2,3.

I believe I've also read some people use a program to check DVDs for errors, does anyone have a recommendation for such a program, available for free download or to purchase. I'd like to know how bad my discs are before trying to back them up.

Apparently there is a popular disc error checking program included in Nero. Unfortunately for me, it is not compatible with LG PC drives and that’s what I own. So I can’t use it myself but many folks say its one of the best programs out there for checking errors on dvds / cds

I included a screen grab of that too - image 4.

Thanks for the recommendations and nice screen shots:cool:
I do have a slight aversion to Nero products because when I installed a Nero program that came free with a CD copier(and I later returned) un-installing the Nero crashed my computer:( (this was before I purchased a HDD backup drive).
I ended up having to totally reinstall Windows which wiped out all my data:mad:

It's quite possible a purchased Nero product will be better than a free version supplied with a burner, but I would still be in the back of my mind.
If I end up buying a standalone DVD duplicator then the only use of the program would be to test discs and the Nero 7 Premium would probably be an overkill but I'll check it out.

Yikes!:eek:
I would stay clear of any software that in the past totally crashed my system.
I read in other forums of a few people having problems with Nero. Must be a conflict with certain hardware or software on their systems.

I got the free “Nero Express” version bundled with my last PC purchase two years ago. Since I bought so many things at once including CPU, MB, MEM, and other software – the store offered me a legal NERO-KEY for a few extra dollars and this changed my free version to Nero Premium.

I never had a single problem. I can still use WMP or any other CD/DVD stuff on my PC. I have transcoded around one hundred DivX files to DVD-Video format without a single problem. I have made DVDs with menus – not a problem. I have made mirror ISO files of DVDs. I have tuned mirror ISO files back to DVDs – no problem. I have transcoded around a couple hundred CDs to Mp3s and Mp3s to CDs – again without one single glitch. I have copied numerous discs, including ones made on my Pio cloned Sony 780, again without a single problem.

I can use the “verify bit-for-bit” error check immediately after a Nero burn. The only feature I can’t use is the disc error-checking program of discs previously burned. Reading in other forums, I have traced this to be the only Nero feature of being incompatible with LG PC burners.

Thanks Supereye, it's very possible my bad Nero experience was a fluke. I have a different computer now(HP) and doing a properties on my DVD burner say it's a "TSST corp CDDVDW TS-H653Z SCSI CDrom device" whatever that means:confused: it is a lightscribe DVD burner.

Tomwil, I've been reading up on the duplicator you have. It seems quite nice although the mfgs. website(ily.com) sure leaves a lot to be desired. As far as I can find it has no way to display what options each model has. I can't find anything saying one can change read/burn speeds but then again the site leaves much to be desired.
I see the one without display for $99 but as many members say over and over again(and other members try to dispel) you get what you pay for. If I'm going to spend the money I'd like to get something where I could change parameters if I ran into a problematic disc.
Even Amazon has no reviews on the D01-SSP duplicator but they have several on the cheaper model(most positive).

I have a different computer now(HP) and doing a properties on my DVD burner say it's a "TSST corp CDDVDW TS-H653Z SCSI CDrom device" whatever that means:confused: it is a lightscribe DVD burner.

TSST indicates a drive from Toshiba/Samsung. I thought that the SCSI interface disappeared back in the late 1980s/early 1990s with the 6lb. big brick type hard drives, but what do I know?

NERO Disc Speed is the program. It works... as well as your burner reads. IF your burner works with Disc Speed (Asus, LiteOn, BenQ, and some others) and is a good reader/scanner (BenQ 1640) you can get an accurate and informative disc quality scan.

A good burner using good media will give you good quality burns, and good scans.

But in general, stand alone burners do not make very good burns even on great media. So as a rule, I only use certain +RWs with stand alones and then transfer to the computer where I can use my Asus with the MediaTek chipset and my venerable BenQ 1640 to make archival burns on TY and Verbatim (azo).

I'd be very interested to some scans of those Magnavox burned discs.... I suspect un-good burns (high PIEs & PIFs)...

Jeff,

The Spartan manual is here (http://www.ily.com/Manual/Spartan-Duplicator-Manual.pdf). The function I use the most is the Copy & Compare, assuring a perfect copy of the original.

Copy & Compare – This command will perform the copy process, and immediately follows with a comparison between the master disc and the copied disc(s) to ensure the copies are exact duplicates of the master disc. This command is especially useful for DVDs, data CDs and video CDs.
Note: The Compare process is a bit-by-bit comparison between the master disc and the copied discs. This operation ensures that all of the copies are completely identical to the Master disc.

Thanks tomwil, do you have a link to your model, or know it's number? Also does it have a verify function that compares the master disc and copy?
The problem I found with using my computer and HDD for the copy is the verify verifies the burn to the HDD image, not the original disc.
And again does anyone know of a decent PC program to check DVDs for errors? I'd really like to start checking my burnt DVDs for problems before they become worse.
The Microboards duplicator I bought (prior to my CopyPal purchase) has lots of features. there is a disk check, which makes sure the source is readable. It has a check and copy, which will verify the source, than make a copy. Of course, this option takes twice as long as the standard copy. It has a disk-to-disk verify option. There are other functions, among them, disk read and write speed selections that override the defaults.

Of course, you pay for these features. When I decided to put a second duplicator in my other entertainment center, not in the "TV" room, I went with the simplicity of the CopyPal, which, at $99 was less than half the cost of the Microboards duplicator. I use those other features very rarely, hence the CopyPal purchase, but if I need them, I'm glad to have them.

TSST indicates a drive from Toshiba/Samsung. I thought that the SCSI interface disappeared back in the late 1980s/early 1990s with the 6lb. big brick type hard drives, but what do I know?

SATA uses the ATA command set; SAS uses the SCSI command set. ATA directly supports only direct-access storage. However SCSI commands may be tunneled through ATA for devices such as CD/DVD drives.

Computer "buses/pipelines" sarted out as serial and parrallel. Then came out USB and serial dropped out of sight. Of course about the only thing that used the serial port was the mouse. Parallel was for tape back ups and printers. SCSI and ATA were the two "command" sets that hooked up via the Parrallel bus. Now to confuse things further, you have "serial"ata = SATA. And Serial Attached SCSI = SAS. Serial is faster than Parrallel now. That is why SATA drives are faster movers of data than PATA drives. If we ever do get HD DVDR or better HD BRR (bluerayrecorders), we will need something as fast or faster than Serial.

For anyone looking for a great price on a DVD duplicator, SMS(SuperMediaStore.com) has the Linkyo Copypal 1:1 duplicator for $99.99 incl shipping. I believe this is the one that Luke and Digado has had success with.
While it doesn't have the ability to adjust read or burn speed(something I had really wanted) for $99 I couldn't resist and just ordered one. The special is through 5/25 or until supplies last.
http://www.supermediastore.com/product/u/linkyo-copypal-dvd-duplicator-tower-dvd-duplicators-1-to-1?utm_source=emailSonic&utm_content=Media&utm_medium=campaign&utm_term=HD%20001%202804-FT&utm_campaign=110519%2019%20Deals%20for%20the%2019th

For anyone looking for a great price on a DVD duplicator, SMS(SuperMediaStore.com) has the Linkyo Copypal 1:1 duplicator for $99.99 incl shipping. The special is through 5/25 or until supplies last.
http://www.supermediastore.com/produ...r%20the%2019th

It appears the link didn't work; try this link (http://www.supermediastore.com/product/u/linkyo-copypal-dvd-duplicator-tower-dvd-duplicators-1-to-1).

Remember that this duplicator does not have the Copy & Compare function, which with the varying quality of media these days, might be beneficial.

It appears the link didn't work; try this link (http://www.supermediastore.com/product/u/linkyo-copypal-dvd-duplicator-tower-dvd-duplicators-1-to-1).

Remember that this duplicator does not have the Copy & Compare function, which with the varying quality of media these days, might be beneficial.

Thanks for the correction, I corrected my link, not sure what went wrong:confused:
I agree, I'd like the compare function as well as adjustable read/burn speed but I just couldn't resist the sub $100 price, which finally got me off the fence:o

For anyone looking for a great price on a DVD duplicator, SMS(SuperMediaStore.com) has the Linkyo Copypal 1:1 duplicator for $99.99 incl shipping. I believe this is the one that Luke and Digado has had success with.
While it doesn't have the ability to adjust read or burn speed(something I had really wanted) for $99 I couldn't resist and just ordered one. The special is through 5/25 or until supplies last.
http://www.supermediastore.com/product/u/linkyo-copypal-dvd-duplicator-tower-dvd-duplicators-1-to-1?utm_source=emailSonic&utm_content=Media&utm_medium=campaign&utm_term=HD%20001%202804-FT&utm_campaign=110519%2019%20Deals%20for%20the%2019th

Yes, that's the duplicator I've been using. A full DVD averages around 5:15 to duplicate to 16x media, a little longer to 8x media.

For anyone looking for a great price on a DVD duplicator, SMS(SuperMediaStore.com) has the Linkyo Copypal 1:1 duplicator for $99.99 incl shipping. I believe this is the one that Luke and Digado has had success with.
While it doesn't have the ability to adjust read or burn speed(something I had really wanted) for $99 I couldn't resist and just ordered one. The special is through 5/25 or until supplies last.
http://www.supermediastore.com/product/u/linkyo-copypal-dvd-duplicator-tower-dvd-duplicators-1-to-1?utm_source=emailSonic&utm_content=Media&utm_medium=campaign&utm_term=HD%20001%202804-FT&utm_campaign=110519%2019%20Deals%20for%20the%2019th
yes, that's the one I have been using successfully for quite a while. It is at the same price I paid for mine! It has been a workhorse, and for <$100, what more could you ask? I agree, it has NO selections or adjustments, no buttons or even a display, just two trays and a (rather soft) beep, but it really works. If you want one with adjustable features, Supermediastore has them, but for more money, frequently more than twice as much.:eek:

Mine has all the features but I never actually use them. Just put the source in the top drawer and the blank in the bottom and close the drawers, the rest is automatic until it spits out the copy

Well I've been using my CopyPal 1:1 duplicator for a couple weeks now and I have nothing but good to say about it:) It not only duplicated my DVDR recorded media(both SL and a few +R DL) but also a few commercial DVDs(again both SL and DL) that don't have CP(only ones I've tried). I first verify with Shrink if the DVD has CP and whether it's SL or DL. Of course unlike Shrink the CopyPal can't do any compressing or re authoring to change disc type from DL to SL so for that operation I'll still need to use my PC.
Very impressed with the speed, ~5 min to duplicate a SL DVD and ~27 min to duplicate a DL disc(with Verbatim 2.4x +R DL blanks), those times are less than 1/2 using my PC to do the copy, I wonder how much faster DLs would be if I used Verb 8x instead of 2.4x?
I do have a question for anyone who has tried, what happens if you try and copy a commercial CP'd DVD? does it ruin your blank or fail before it even tries to write? I'd like to save the step of first looking at the disc on my PC but if it means saving a failed disc I'll take the time. Also what happens if your master is a DL disc but you only put in a SL blank, does it just run out of room and make a failed copy or is it smart enough to not even try? I guess I could just try these tests but if it would make coasters I'd just as soon gain from someone else s experience:)

Perhaps the linked post might have been posted to the duplicator thread but it was posted in a media thread because it's more about the media than the duplicator:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=20524155#post20524155

Well I've been using my CopyPal 1:1 duplicator for a couple weeks now and I have nothing but good to say about it:) It not only duplicated my DVDR recorded media(both SL and a few +R DL) but also a few commercial DVDs(again both SL and DL) that don't have CP(only ones I've tried). I first verify with Shrink if the DVD has CP and whether it's SL or DL. Of course unlike Shrink the CopyPal can't do any compressing or re authoring to change disc type from DL to SL so for that operation I'll still need to use my PC.
Very impressed with the speed, ~5 min to duplicate a SL DVD and ~27 min to duplicate a DL disc(with Verbatim 2.4x +R DL blanks), those times are less than 1/2 using my PC to do the copy, I wonder how much faster DLs would be if I used Verb 8x instead of 2.4x?
I do have a question for anyone who has tried, what happens if you try and copy a commercial CP'd DVD? does it ruin your blank or fail before it even tries to write? I'd like to save the step of first looking at the disc on my PC but if it means saving a failed disc I'll take the time. Also what happens if your master is a DL disc but you only put in a SL blank, does it just run out of room and make a failed copy or is it smart enough to not even try? I guess I could just try these tests but if it would make coasters I'd just as soon gain from someone else s experience:)
I have had my copyPal for a long time and made hundreds of copies with it, but I have to admit, I have never tried either of the operations that you have asked. I guess I never had a commercial disk that lacked CP, so I never tried, and I always used an identical disk for the copy as the original. The CopyPal *DOES* do both +R DL AND -R DL disks. My much older Microboards duplicator will not copy -R DL disks.

The only time I used different disks for source and target was when I bought my first duplicator, the above mentioned Microboards, for my project of copying all my non T-Y disks to T-Ys. At that time, I had quite a number of Ritek disks. Many of the older ones would not copy because of source disk errors. The oldest ones were a little over two years old. I was not pleased!

SuperMediatStore has the 1-to-3 duplicator (http://www.supermediastore.com/product/u/sony-dvd-standalone-tower-dvd-duplicators-3-target-black-economic?utm_source=emailSonic&utm_content=Media&utm_medium=campaign&utm_term=HD%20001%203027&utm_campaign=110801%20Super%20Media%20Selection) on sale again for $208. Or is that just the new regular price? Whatever, I paid that for my 1-1 machine. Great price.

I think the $209 price is their regular price. It was $220, and when they had it on sale for $200 ($199.99) it was because of a $20 coupon you could use. It has a lot of reviews (~40) and they are very positive (4.7 out of 5 stars). It also has options for write speed, test before copy, copy verify, and others. These are things my CopyPal does not have, but wht it lacks in complexity, it make up for with absolute simplicity.

Still, $209 for a 1 to 3 duplicator is a great price, as you say.