Primera BravoPro Disc Publisher

Product Review: Page (1) of 2 - 05/23/05

Primera BravoPro Disc Publisher 100-disc automated CD/DVD disc production system By Dave Nagel Summary: The BravoPro Disc Publisher is an automatic DVD and CD production system that includes two DVD±R drives or two 52x CD-R drives, as well as an integrated inkjet printer, for producing up to 100 finished discs per run.
Recommendation: Buy
Users: Corporate and event videographers, marketers, presentation pros, post houses
Platform: Mac OS X and Windows (tested with a G5 running Mac OS X)
Price: $3,995 (list) for the DVD±R version (with double-layer DVD+R support); $3,495 (list) for the CD-R version (52x); actual retail prices are about $1,000 to $1,300 less.
More information: http://www.primera.com

When I reviewed Primera's first automated disc publishing system--the Bravo Disc Publisher--DVD was just making its way into everyday production, penetrating into the areas of corporate and event videography, marketing and presentations, not to mention post-production. Now, of course, DVD is a part of our everyday lives. And, fortunately, Primera's been keeping pace with our ever-increasing needs for better, faster DVD production.

The BravoPro Disc Publisher is the latest offering from Primera in the area of automated disc production. At $3,995 (list) for the dual-burner, double-layer DVD±R version, it comes in at a much higher price point than the original Bravo Disc Publisher, but it offers a lot more for the money in terms of speed, quality, reliability and overall features. Mind you, I thoroughly enjoyed the original Bravo, but the BravoPro blows that unit away. It's a good investment for anybody in videography, presentations, marketing or post who needs to produce a multitude of client-ready discs without the hassle of standing ready for multi-disc runs.

Features
If you're unfamiliar with automated DVD production systems, here's a brief explanation. These sorts of devices include both a DVD writer and an integrated inkjet printer and use a software-controlled robotic arm to move fresh discs into the burner, then to the printer and then to the out bin, where you can collect the finished discs. But the BravoPro takes this a step further with the inclusion of two double-layer DVD burners, a faster robotic arm and a more rapid printhead. So you can get your jobs done more quickly.

The BravoPro includes an in and out bin for blank and finished discs (for use in the basic mode); two Plextor DVD±R drives that operate at 16x for single-layer DVDs, 4x for double-layer DVDs and 48x for CD-Rs; and an integrated Lexmark 4,800 DPI inkjet disc printer.

Generally, I'm not a big fan of Lexmark printers, but this one does a fine job on a variety of surfaces. I tested both white and silver discs from several manufacturers, and the results were adequate. In my experience, Lexmark disc printers get a bit muddy in the darker colors and washed out with lighter colors, but this one does better than other Lexmark printers I've experienced. The result is a final disc that I would feel confident handing off to a paying client--after a few test prints to fine tune the image for final printing. I will note that while this Lexmark printer does do a passable job, it's no Epson. Even the lowest-end Epson disc printer (the $99 R200) does a much, much better job at label printing in terms of crispness, vibrancy and tonal range, although there are not, at present, any automated disc production systems that use an Epson mechanism (sadly).

Also included standard with the BravoPro is a kiosk mode adapter. This allows the unit to use both of the integrated disc bins as input bins, increasing the capacity to 100 discs. The kiosk adapter attaches to the front center of the unit, and finished discs are dropped into it, rather than into one of the integrated bins.

For software, the BravoPro includes CharisMac Discribe 5.3.8 for Mac OS X, which is a special version of the software that includes the ability to run the robotic arm of the unit. Discribe lets you set up any number of burning and printing projects, from audio CDs to video and data DVDs created on the fly from files on your hard drive to direct disc copying.

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