Do you think Blu-ray Players will be the iPod of Christmas Past?










With Blu-ray players as the "front page" seller for most black friday advertisements, does this mean that the blu-ray player is the must have gadget of 2008. This probably isn't going to be the best retail Christmas but it is good news to a company like Great Lakes Media Technology whose business model is likely to profit from continued use of tangible media.

My honest opinion: I'm buying!

How Important Is Customer Service To You?

The duplication industry has seen significant changes over the past decade. Technological advancements from VHS and cassette tapes - to CD and DVD - and now high definition blu-ray. Replication companies implementing automated customer service is another trend that seems to be growing. As more and more companies move in this direction we feel that it is important to separate ourselves from this trend and maintain the "human" side of our customer support. In a recent survey, almost 79% of all customers will press "0" to bypass automated support to talk to a real person (BusinessWeek 2008).

For every single customer at Great Lakes Media there is an assigned Account Manager and Customer Service Representative. It is important for us to understand exactly what it is the customer is looking for and to be able to customize each order to the very last detail. Our team takes pride in developing relationships and really getting to know our customers whether they order from us once a year or every day! That is why Great Lakes Media Technology will always use real people and real service when answering our phones.

Vectors Versus Pixels

Our goal is to have your disc print perfect. While perfection is certainly not always possible, we can strive for it and keep a few things in mind. There are 2 types of art to be aware of when printing on a disc: vector-based and pixel-based. Each is unique and serves a special purpose. It is important to understand the different formats for various types of art to achieve our ultimate goal of the perfect disc.

Vector-based art is perfect for all text and line illustrations. Vector art uses mathematical equations to create the lines and points that make up your design. Each of the lines will be crisp and clear at any size you choose. This art is ideal for those occasions you would like to type out text, place your simple logo on a print piece, and especially when you would like to print in spot colors. One of the preferred programs used to create vector graphics is Adobe Illustrator

Pixel-based art is made up of little dots of color. Pixel art is ideal for photographs. Many different color dots (pixels) make up an image. Pixel art, though, is meant to stay at a certain size so it is important to create usable art at the size you intend to print. The larger you re-size your image the worse the quality gets. A visual inspection prior to sending them off is crucial for these types of files to make sure everything is crisp enough. Adobe Photoshop is the program most commonly used when working with photographs.

These two programs can work together and create a variety of art. Images can be placed in Illustrator and text can be created in Photoshop but the limitations of each program must be kept in mind. In the end it is best to use each program for what it is intended.

Blu-ray Player for $128 on Black Friday???

Are you buying? See http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/19/magnavox-blu-ray-player-to-be-128-at-walmart-on-black-friday/