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Primera Bravo
DVD Publisher
Everyone
loves DVD. But burning and printing multiple discs for clients can be
a long, boring process. Primera offers an automated solution with its
Bravo DVD Publisher combined burner/printer
What do you do when
a client wants 25 copies of a DVD project by tomorrow morning? In most
cases, the answer is to drink a lot of coffee while waiting around at
the computer, burning discs one at a time. And, if you've promised to
provide printed face labels, that's even less sleep you'll be getting.
At times like this, you really are an automaton - so why not get an
automaton to do the job for you? That's the logic behind Primera's Bravo
DVD Publisher, and we have to admit, it's sound - promising unattended
disc burning in much the same way that many of us enjoy batch capture
at the beginning of a project.
The device is a large, impressive-looking machine, fronted with a dark
translucent visor which lifts up to reveal two columns for discs (in
and out trays, so to speak). Between these is an EIDE DVD burner and
a colour inkjet printer. There's also a robotic arm to do the manual
work of moving discs from one place to another. As standard, the machine
supports a maximum of 25 discs - and when you consider that 25 well-packed
DVDs could take over ten hours to burn, we think that's enough for most
people's needs, and ideal for being left running overnight. But, if
25 discs are not enough, an optional Kiosk Mode Kit can be used - allowing
blank discs to fill both columns, with finished discs sliding out the
front into an output bin supplied as part of the kit, along with a metal
tray, Mac and Windows software and instructions (the kit was not included
with the review model).
Conclusion
The benefit of Bravo DVD Publisher in creating well-presented short
runs of CD and DVD projects will be obvious to many readers, but also
extends further - here at Computer Video Towers, for instance, we see
a lot of electronic press packs burned to CD-R, as well as small-run
software discs and driver utilities that have been created on recordable
media. The machine itself is big on 'wow' factor - it's the kind of
device that will be put prominently on display in editing suites to
impress clients. What's more, it works extremely well. Software choice
is a little limited if you want to burn and print in a single session,
but this is still a very versatile machine. Documentation is good and
installation procedures are utterly painless, while the compatibility
with Mac and Windows systems (with the right software bundles) is a
definite bonus. Our only gripe is that the price tag puts Bravo well
out of reach of most home editors. But, unlike many of the more high-end
products we see at Computer Video Towers, this is a genuine productivity
device, intended for users for whom time is money. And if that's the
case, the DVD Publisher could be worth every penny.
Peter Wells
Read the full review
in February 2004's Computer Video magazine.
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Reviewed in this issue:
Primera Bravo DVD Publisher
Siren DVD Duplication Station
Sony DSR-PDX10P
Avid Xpress Pro
Canopus Edius 1.5
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DVD Workshop goes pro
Adobe editing suite on the cheap
Toshiba portable Media Center
Forging ahead in sound
Edit-ready Apple PowerMac
LaCie Toast 6 burner bundle
ADS Tech USB2 boxes
Budget Canopus ProCoder
Pinnacle Dazzles
Canopus three-way converter
Discreet 3ds max 6
Premiere Pro music-making
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