Pioneer New Media Technologies

Emedia Professional, April, 1999

DVD-R now playing: Crush Digital uses Pioneer recordable DVD drive to master Silence of the Lambs DVD-video title

In fall 1997, Crush Digital Video purchased one of the first Pioneer DVD-R drives to create one-offs and test discs for its growing clientele. The drive significantly streamlined a process that had been both time-consuming and expensive.

DVD titles generally require large amounts of preproduction time and energy to plan and create the elements that make up the finished disc. Interactive menus must be designed, and video and audio must be digitized or compressed to a computer file. After compression, navigation of the DVD is programmed, or "authored." After authoring, the finished disc image is burned to a DVD-R disc for testing. When that DVD-R master is deemed "perfect," it's sent to a replication house where multiple copies can be made.

A premier DVD authoring studio in New York City, Crush was founded specifically to master DVD-Video and ROM titles for commercial use. The award-winning facility boasts state-of-the-art equipment, tools, and personnel. To date, Crush has created more than 300 DVD titles, including theatrical releases, corporate presentations, show reels, interactive kiosks, and DVD-ROMs for computer use.

"Before DVD-R, we were mastering to DLT. From the master tape, we'd press to DVD and test the disc," explains Jeff Stabenau, president of Crush. "It sounds easy enough, but we'd often have a problem with the disc--sometimes minor, sometimes not. At a cost of around $3,600 per test disc and turnaround time of two to three days, this process was anything but ideal. Until DVD-R though, it was the only way to verify the disc," he says.

Bringing new life via DVD to the stylish thriller, Silence of the Lambs, was a formidable challenge for The Criterion Collection, a Crush client. Long renowned for bringing classic and contemporary motion pictures to Laserdisc, Criterion was ready for the logical leap to DVD with the Jonathan Demme masterpiece.

To assist in this rather large undertaking, Criterion enlisted the expertise of Crush, relying heavily on its Pioneer DVR-S101 DVD-R drive to create the test discs for Silence of the Lambs. What was once a lengthy, expensive process, was now much simpler and cost-effective: a test disc could be burned in less than an hour and tested in a DVD-Video player at only $50 apiece.

With more than 500 pages of additional material available for this "special edition" release--including actor and director commentaries, deleted scenes, storyboards, an FBI Crime Classification manual, and written confessions of serial killers--Criterion had a significant challenge and opportunity to capitalize on DVD's features.

"This film had so many elements that discriminating audiences would love to see, but VHS just can't capture," Stabenau says. "To get it right, we knew DVD-R would have to play a key role in the development of this DVD-Video title. It was a challenge we were ready and waiting for, thanks to our Pioneer DVD-R drive. The format gave us the flexibility and accuracy we needed prior to mass replication. Until about a year and a half ago, mastering a DVD title had been a long, arduous, and costly process," he recalls.

"We wanted to be true to the original theatrical release while adding unique features die-hard fans would appreciate," Stabenau adds. "With help from the Pioneer DVD-R drive, we were able to deliver stunning video and audio with a level of interactivity and features that continue to astound viewers."

For more information, contact Pioneer at 310/952-2111, or visit the company's Web site at http://www.pioneerusa.com.