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Anyone involved with video editing will appreciate just how fast and convenient the Primera Bravo SE Disc Publisher that supports burning Blu-rays/DVDs/CDs really is. Using the onboard software (Discribe for Mac, PTPublisher for Windows), it's the perfect set of tools for those looking to burn multiple discs. A perfect complement is Roxio's Toast 9 Titanium, which now supports Blu-ray Disc (BD) creation and burning.
Primera Bravo SE Disc Publisher
As a video editor, I am constantly burning DVDs of various projects. After burning the 12th disc on my Apple laptop, I'm ready to find a professional duplicator in the phone book, just to save time and energy. Not to mention wear and tear on the computer's burner. But the price is always too high unless I order 1,000 DVDs, which is usually more than my clients or I currently require.
I've used all sorts of disc burners, either stand-alone, one-at-a-time burners (like those found in computers or external units), or those that can burn more than a single disc at a time, including one that looks like a desktop computer tower. You drop one disc in at the top, and five blanks in the other slots (some can support seven or more blank discs at a time), and it will automatically burn the disc (DVD or CD; video or audio, or data). For labeling, I'd simply use a Sharpie and my bad handwriting, or I'd log into my computer and use a program and printer to create and print a label, then use a DVD/CD label "stamper" to put the label on. It's still a lot of work to do, especially when I'm making 10 or more DVDs.
The most efficient way to do it is with an automated burner/labeler, like the Primera Bravo SE (www.primera.com). Once my DVD project is ready to burn, I create a label and the Bravo SE goes to work, and I can walk away knowing the work is being done automatically and efficiently.
Basically, the robot arm found inside the Bravo SE grabs a single disc (DVD, CD or BD/Blu-ray Disc) with the special coating on the top for printing labels, and drops it into the burner. It then takes the finished disc and places it in the full-color 4800 dpi printer to have the label created printed on it. Finally, it drops the finished disc into the output bin, where all finished discs reside. You can burn up to 20 discs at a time.
Now, imagine doing this at home or the office versus pulling your hair out while trying to burn one disc at a time and trying to ensure the labels line up properly and won't come out in your client's DVD player. That's what I thought: time to sit back and relax, while the Bravo SE takes care of business, or work on the next project on your computer.
Windows users get the PTPublisher and SureThing labeler software application, while Mac users have the Discribe app from CharisMac Engineering (www.charismac.com). I really like Discribe, because it's powerful and easy-to-use. To make a label, use Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator, or purchase a labeler from BeLight Software. Roxio Toast users can work with the Disc Cover RE app to make labels.
One of my favorite things in Discribe is the "Copy a Disc" feature, which enables you to put a DVD or CD into their computer, and have Discribe make an image file that can be burned, one at a time, with the Bravo SE. So if you have an old disc a client needs new copies of, it's as easy as grabbing the master DVD, putting it in the DVD player, and allowing the Bravo SE to burn the new copies. The Bravo SE Disc Publisher retails for $1,495.00 and can be bought directly from www.primera.com.
Roxio Toast 9 Titanium
Back in April 2008, I was visiting Sonic Solutions' area at NAB (www.sonic.com), and was impressed with the company's major software initiatives for professionals, and also products from their consumer division, Roxio (www.roxio.com). After speaking with several representatives, I was ready to give Toast 9 Titanium a shot.
Toast 9 Titanium isn't just Apple and Windows software to burn DVDs, CDs or Blu-ray Discs (BDs), it can also be used to burn data discs on those types of media. Another feature is the capability to back up to discs via the Get Backup feature. Have an AVCHD camcorder from Sony, Panasonic or Canon? Use Toast 9 Titanium to burn it to Blu-ray disc. You can also use the software to import your favorite shows from Tivo or EyeTV, and burn them to disc or stream it over WiFi to a computer or iPhone. It can record music found streaming on the Internet, then get all the song and artist's info with Toast 9 Titanium's audio fingerprinting tech.
So much more than just a disc burning software app, and I was ready to give it a shot. The first thing I wanted to do was try out the BD authoring. You'll need to purchase the $19.99 HD/BD plug-in . The plug-in includes menus and everything you need; I chose a short film shot on HDV, and the resulting BD was very nice. I was able to see a decrease in the time it takes to burn data discs and music CDs versus using Apple's native burning tools. Toast 9 Titanium was also able to read a scratched back-up CD I made in 2001, that I haven't been able to read in years. I was able to pull off old documents and photos, and back them up to an external FireWire drive.
I really enjoyed recording streaming tunes online, and Toast 9 Titanium's audio fingerprinting worked to identify and tag the song, artist and album. The software can be purchased for $99.99 at www.roxio.com, though there is a $20 mail-in rebate.
Conclusion
The Primera Bravo SE Disc Publisher with Blu-ray, DVD and CD burning capabilities, along with Toast 9 Titanium, are both vital hardware and software tools. The Bravo SE will work well for any video producer or editor looking to increase efficiency when making discs. Toast 9 Titanium provides more features than just burning discs, which makes it a must-have software app for Mac and Windows users.
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