Disc "resurfacing" - What is really happening? (1 Viewer)

[Mark-W]

I too have the DVD Disc Doctor (also called "The Game Doctor," and several other names).
Well, yes, it does work. (I don't think it is as
tedious as all that: we're talking somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 minutes to repair a disc.)
I had a DVD that was essentially unplayable:
it locked up, skipped, and paused for long periods
of time.
After using the DVD Doctor, yes it has a bunch of
little "buff marks," the DVD plays with 0 problems.
Not bad for a product that costs less than $25.00
and doesn't require the use of any nasty chemicals.
-Mark

 

[Nick Graham]

A lot of used game/CD/DVD retailers in my area have been purchasing a machine from a company called Azuradisc. There is a website, that includes just about any info you'd need, including videos on how the discs are repaired and resurfaced. While running my own PC repair shop, I considered purchasing one, but decided there wasn't enough of a market in my small town. Anyways, hope this helps
www.azuradisc.com

 

[Bill Buklis]

From our tour of Technicolor at the last HTF meet in California, I got to see firsthand the manufacturing process of DVDs. (CDs use almost the exact same process).
The data is not "painted" on or "burned" on. CD-Rs and DVD-Rs are done differently.
Liquid plastic is injected into a mold in the shape of a DVD. At the same time a "stamper" smashes the liquid plastic into a DVD shape with the data imbedded in. The data is physically pressed into the plastic by the stamper.
The DVD is then coated with a reflective layer (aluminum I believe) so that the laser can see it. For dual discs, each layer is created separately in the same manner and then glued together. The bottom layer is coated with silver (they used to use gold) so that it can be seen through the top layer.
The silk screening is then painted on to the underside of the disc (label side, I mean).
A scratch on the data side probably affects the reflective coating more than the data itself. Buffing this should smooth it out and become reflective again. A deep scratch that distorts the actual data pits would ruin the disc permanently.
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