Imagine this: Your deadline is looming and you urgently need to have a dozen videos copied to DVD. Fast! What are the odds that you've already weighed the advantages of short run DVD duplication against its disadvantages? And what are the odds that you even know what short run duplication really is? Chances are, not very high on both counts.

Short run duplication refers to the small-scale production of digital video discs. Just how small is small-scale? Industry standards peg it to be anywhere from a single copy all the way up to 500 copies. More conservative manufacturers even insist on lowering the bar to just 300 pieces. Quantities in excess of 500 units undergo an altogether different process known as replication rather than duplication.

Replication is done through a technique known as stamping. This requires the creation of a glass mold from which discs are then pressed. Duplication, on the other hand, is performed on DVD-Rs through a method known as burning. A laser beam is used to burn information directly onto a light-sensitive dye embedded in the medium's recordable underside. Data are eventually etched and stored when the photochemical substance reacts to the intense heat emitted by the laser.

Short run duplication is recommended for filling small and urgent jobs. This is because one of its most notable advantages is speed. Since it does away with the tedious step of mold making, short run duplication yields considerably faster results than long run replication.

Hardware developments also contribute to the quick turn-around or completion time of short runs. As disc burning speeds become increasingly faster, so do copying rates. This means newer models can churn out more DVDs in less time.

These days, the number of companies offering reasonably-priced DVD duplication and replication services seems to be on the rise. Because DVD replication requires the use of relatively complicated and expensive apparatus, you're better off leaving it to the experts. However, outsourcing is not your sole option for small-scale duplication needs. With the right software and hardware, you can easily burn manageable quantities from any ordinary home computer. All you need are time, creativity and the right equipment.

Yet speed and convenience come at the expense of, well, expense. While short runs have the benefit of low start-up costs, in the final analysis, replication has a definite edge when it comes to the final products cost per unit. As it is with any industry, volume orders end up being much cheaper than piecemeal purchases.

Duplication is also considered to be slightly inferior to replication. This is because the integrity and playability of a copy depends a great deal upon the quality of the blank medium used. Using substandard DVD-Rs can compromise your end product.