>> Slight kink of the topic:  Does anyone know what's required to take
>> a video file (MPEG) from a hard drive and make a watchable DVD from
>> it?  I realise there are software packages out there to do that,

I think what you are looking for is DVD authoring software.  It makes
the watchable-DVD given a video file.

Prior to that, you use video editing software to make the video file,
frequently in DV format.

>> but the requirement is to make three copies at once, and none of
>> them do anything like that.
>>
>> I suppose the easy solution is to make 1 copy and then use a DVD
>> duplicator to make the others, but that's a bit clumsy and
>> time-consuming (takes more than twice as long as if the three could
>> be made together) and the client would really like to keep it simple,
>> foolproof (!) and as quick as possible.

> Nero has an option entitled "Use multiple recorders", but I have no
> idea what it does as I've never used it.

Nero will make multiple copies at once; one copy per CD/DVD writer
that is installed.  I know it worked with CDs as a friend of mine
used to use it to make distribution disks.

I don't have first hand knowledge of using it to make multiple DVDs
using multiple DVD writers.  Writing 3 DVDs simultaneously requires
a high internal data rate (unless you seriously reduce the DVD write
speed on all the drives).  Make sure the system bus and hard disk
array are up to the task.

Another issue to consider...  I wonder how well Nero's DVD authoring
component interacts with their "use multiple recorders" feature?  You
might have to write the first disk by itself.  Then use the duplicate
feature to write 2 more copies (with 2 DVD writers) during a second
phase of your production cycle.

						Lee Jones

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