Having taken an, alas, all-too-quick walk through the software world... space-or the lack thereof-requires us to take an even faster journey through the hardware-based equivalents, which are divided into two main categories: duplicators and burners.

The same manufacturers typically make both types of units as internal DVD drives-the big difference is in the quantity of discs the units are designed to churn out in a single session.

For one-shot duplication up to small quantities, burners are fine. But if you frequently need to produce dozens or hundreds of discs, you want a better, more efficient solution, which is where DVD duplicators come into play. These devices are designed to crank out many multiple discs simultaneously-often even while unattended.

Automated systems are also becoming more common for low-run requirements. If you're religiously making runs up to 25 copies, there are several cost-effective systems available. You won't need to be making hundreds of thousands of discs to justify this solution. Additionally, many of these systems allow you to add components as your needs grow. You could have an automated DVD burning system and then at a later date purchase the complementary DVD printing solution.

Of course, we can't have a conversation about DVDs these days without meddling in the topic of high definition optical media, namely Blu-ray and HD-DVD. While the cost of these burners is still quite high and consumers with playback devices are still quite few, we expect the first quarter of 2007 to bring about a prosumer offering a little below a thousand dollars. That may have a few of you early adopters lightening your wallets. While it still will cost you an arm and a leg, at least the ball is rolling in the right direction. However, you'll have to keep you eyes and ears attentive as to who's going to win the format war.

With all that in mind, check this buyer's guide to review your options for DVD production and mastering programs and hardware. Which you choose will depend on your computer sophistication and goals. Chances are, you may want to mix and match with both hardware and software, for maximum versatility.

Ed Driscoll is a freelance journalist covering home theater and the media for the past decade.