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Home > Support > Disc Repair FAQ
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Everyday use of our digital media makes the plastic surface susceptible to scratches. Those scratches disrupt playback in media players because the laser reader becomes interrupted via the scratched surface.
Many people are unaware that most scratched discs, as long as the data layer has not been damaged, can be repaired. But the question is what kind of disc repair is right for you? With so many options available lets first discuss the difference between disc types.
Disc Comparison
If you place a CD, a DVD, and a Blu-ray Disc™ next to each other, they look nearly identical. But if you try to play a DVD in your CD player, or a Blu-ray Disc in your DVD player, it won't read it. It can't because each type of disc has a different physical structure, data format, and error correction system. Below we'll discuss what makes a DVD different from a CD, and we'll talk about what makes Blu-ray unique.
1. A polycarbonate disc layer has the data encoded by using bumps.
2. A shiny layer reflects the laser.
3. A layer of lacquer helps keep the shiny layer shiny.
4. Artwork is screen printed on the top of the disc.
The Compact Disc (CD)
A Compact Disc (also known as a CD) is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store sound recordings exclusively, but later it also allowed the preservation of other types of data. Audio CDs have been commercially available since October 1982. In 2010, they remain the standard physical storage medium for audio.
Standard CDs have a diameter of 120 mm and can hold up to 80 minutes of uncompressed audio (700 MB of data). The Mini CD has various diameters ranging from 60 to 80 mm; they are sometimes used for CD singles or device drivers, storing up to 24 minutes of audio. The technology was eventually adapted and expanded to encompass data storage CD-ROM, write-once audio and data storage CD-R, rewritable media CD-RW, Video Compact Discs (VCD), Super Video Compact Discs (SVCD), PhotoCD, PictureCD, CD-i, and Enhanced CD.
CD-ROMs and CD-Rs remain widely used technologies in the computer industry. The CD and its extensions are successful: in 2004, worldwide sales of CD audio, CD-ROM, and CD-R reached about 30 billion discs. By 2007, 200 billion CDs had been sold worldwide.
The DVD
DVD, also known as Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc, is an optical disc storage media format, and was invented and developed by Philips, Sony, TOSHIBA, and Time Warner in 1995. Its main uses are video and data storage. DVDs are of the same dimensions as compact discs (CDs), but store more than six times as much data.
Where a CD is a single 1.2-millimeter-thick disc, all DVDs use a "sandwich" design — two 0.6-millimeter discs bonded together. This sandwich construction allows DVD discs to have information on both sides and on one or two layers per side. This design is also more structurally stable and resistant to disc warping.
Compared to CD, DVD uses smaller data pits and more closely-spaced pit rows of "tracks," as illustrated above. This increased data density makes it possible for each layer on a DVD to hold more than six times the amount of data on a CD. DVD players use a red laser in place of the infrared laser found in CD players. The red laser's shorter wavelength, combined with a special lens design, result in a narrower, more tightly focused laser beam that can easily read the smaller pits.
Variations of the term DVD often indicate the way data is stored on the discs: DVD-ROM (read only memory) has data that can only be read and not written; DVD-R and DVD+R (recordable) can record data only once, and then function as a DVD-ROM; DVD-RW (re-writable), DVD+RW, and DVD-RAM (random access memory) can all record and erase data multiple times. The wavelength used by standard DVD lasers is 650 nm; thus, the light has a red color.
The Blu-Ray Disc
Putting high-definition video on a disc requires much higher storage capacity than DVDs allow. Compared to DVD and HD DVD, Blu-ray discs have smaller data pits and more closely spaced pit rows.
Blu-ray Disc (official acronym BD, also known as BR or Blu-ray) is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the standard DVD format. Its main uses are for storing high-definition video, PlayStation 3 video games, and other data, with up to 25 GB per single layered, and 50 GB per dual layered disc. Although these numbers represent the standard storage for Blu-ray Disc drives, the specification is open-ended, with the upper theoretical storage limit left unclear. 200 GB discs are available, and 100 GB discs are readable without extra equipment or modified firmware. The disc has the same physical dimensions as standard DVDs and CDs.
The name Blu-ray Disc derives from the blue-violet laser used to read the disc. While a standard DVD uses a 650 nanometer red laser, Blu-ray Disc uses a shorter wavelength, a 405 nm blue-violet laser, and allows for almost ten times more data storage than a DVD.
Even though high-definition video requires so much more data, high-def discs can easily hold even the longest movies on a single disc. Blu-ray discs can hold multiple hours of HD content, with plenty of room to spare for the bonus features you may have grown accustomed to with DVD. The developers of Blu-ray couldn't make the disc physically larger, so in order to significantly increase the information storage capacity, they increased the data density. The information pits got smaller, and the spacing of the pit rows got tighter. The discs also have a super-thin transparent protective coating, which places the data layer closer to the disc's surface and thus closer to the laser. In order to read these much smaller data pits, Blu-ray players use a blue-violet laser, which has a shorter wavelength and a smaller "beam spot" than the red laser used in DVD players. The players also spin the discs at higher speeds for even faster data transfer.
Repairing Technologies Available
Buffing Technology: "True" buffing technology is the most economical and environmentally/user friendly choice on the market. "True" buffing technology is demonstrated in VenMill’s OptoClear™ Process. This process uses the disc's original surface and applies Heat+Force+Time allowing the plastic surface to soften and to be redistributed to remove scratches. This type of process does not use any type of hazardous chemicals or any type of additional parts, such as hoses and hookups. This is the perfect front end operation. Discs can be repaired an unlimited amount times; meaning that no discs need to be discarded. The two main benefits of this process are that you do not damage the data layer along with keeping discs from landfills; making it the number one environmentally friendly disc repair product on the market.
To read more about VenMill’s OptoClear™ Technology use the link below.
Read More
Sanding Technology: Sanding technology, whether wet or dry, removes plastic from the disc surface. This type of technology tends to be loud, messy, and labor intensive. Sanding of a disc does remove scratches. However this process limits how many times you can repair a disc. When the sanding process has hit the data layer of a disc, the disc is rendered permanently ruined. Occasional use of this technology is good, but the price per repair tends to be higher then the buffing technology. This in turn makes the ROI hard to achieve.
This technology is intended for as a back end operation and can not be used in a front counter scenario.
Fillers: Fillers are used to fill scratches on discs. This application allows the laser on a disc player to read through a scratch so as not to disrupt playback. The downfall of this type of repair is that it is mostly ineffective. Though inexpensive you run the risk of seriously damaging your player.
Low-end Retail: Today you can find a handful of low cost disc repair products at the retail setting. With much testing, these “offered solutions” are ineffective, cumbersome, and expensive to use. These units are not equipped to handle more then a handful of discs before the product's life cycle has ended.
Disc RecyclingCD Recycling CenterVenMill is proud to have partnered with CD Recycling Center of America, Don’t just repair your discs, recycle too!
“Each year Billions CDs and DVDs are still being manufactured, while millions of unwanted, damaged, and obsolete discs end up in landfills and incinerators every month. It is important for those individuals or companies that use, sell, manufacture, or promote compact discs to also responsibly promote how and where to recycle them.” - states Bruce Bennett, founder of The Compact Disc Recycling Center of America.
Compacts Discs, when recycled properly, will stop unnecessary pollution, conserve natural resources, and help slow global warming. When compacts discs are placed in the trash, it is harmful to the environment. The plastic used in compact discs can be recycled into other everyday items, including household products, building materials, and auto parts.
Bennett states “I feel the main reason people are throwing out unwanted CDs and DVDs is that they simply don’t know what else to do with them. Now they can learn the importance of disc recycling, and also have a place to send them. They can send us one or one million discs and we’ll accept and recycle them.” Bennett also notes that the Recycling Center will also accept disc packaging as well, provided that they come in to the center totally disassembled. This includes jewel cases, DVD cases, sleeves, printed jackets and most disc packaging. The Center's recycling service is no charge, and also offers a low cost disassembly service fee for those companies and individuals that can not separate and disassemble their discs prior to sending them in. The Center asks and encourages that companies, members, and supporters place "The CD Recycling Center" logo on any new compact disc releases, thus promoting to the end user how and where to recycle the disc when they are finished using it.
Spread the word to help us save the world we all live in.
If you would like to start recycling your discs please contact either VenMill Industries (Click Here) or contact CD Recycling Center of America.
Visit CD Recycling
About CD Recycling Center of America:
The Compact Disc Recycling Center was founded in 2006 by Bruce Bennett, owner of The American Duplication Supply Group, including Superdups, New England Compact Disc and American Duplication Supply. After manufacturing millions of discs for thousands of customers, Bennett decided it was equally important as a manufacturer to educate people on the importance of disc recycling. The Compact Disc Recycling Center provides consumers and companies education, consultation, awareness and options for easy CD and DVD recycling, with a location to send the discs to. The website, www.cdrecyclingcenter.org offers a range of articles, research, products and profiles of their growing number of supporters and members, all to be applauded by the recycling conscious consumer.
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