DLT mastering of DVDs

Tried posting this in DVD studio pro forum but got no response.

Can anyone point me in the right direction to info about making a dlt using dvd studio pro?
I see there is the option to export to dlt in the export menu. Is it simple?
Is it as simple as having the actual drive?
I have no experience with actually exporting DLTs and dont even really know what it is.
From what I understand it is an external tape drive that can be used to make master
copies of a DVD at a duplication house.
ANy info would be appreciated.

DLT tapes was the standard for delivery to a replication house maybe five years ago, but with new equipment available, it is not paramount any more.

Check around and ask about the acceptable delivery format. Some accept content on a hard drive and some even will take two copies of a DVD for replication.

As John said, this is not absolutely necessary any more, however it is still a reliable way to send your projects for replication.

To use this option you need a DLT drive and these are invariably SCSI based, so you'll also need a SCSI card. I have an old G4 running an Adaptec 2930U SCSI card, and an old HP SureStore DLT IV drive which works fine... slowly, but reliable. There are faster drives available now, and a replication bureau will probably thank you for sending in a tape from one of those... it'll take them less time to read in to their kit!

Once you have the SCSI card installed and the drive attached you should be pretty much good to go - remember to turn on the drive before booting the computer though as SCSI is a peculiar beast. Also, you won't find Adaptec cards anymore - look for ATTO and make sure the one you choose will work with your machine. Check eBay for DLT - loads available most of the time, but some are read only, some internal only, and some just plain no good for DVD.

From DVDSP you simply select the output device when building and formatting the image. The drive should appear in the drop down box if all is going well. You'll be prompted to load a new tape into the machine by DVDSP and the rest is automatic. If you are doing a dual layer disc then you'll be prompted to load the second tape at the appropriate time. You should label the tapes clearly as 'Layer 0' and 'Layer 1'.

One last thing - duplication is the act of copying a DVD by burning onto writeable media, such as DVD-R. As such the discs are only as compatible as DVD-R. Replication is a very different process and produces 100% compatible DVD-Video discs like you would find for sale in a shop. The costs of the two processes differ greatly, with duplication being more cost effective for short runs and replication more effective for runs of over 1000 units.

thank you.