DVD & Video


What is a DVD?


The most eagerly embraced consumer electronics format ever introduced, DVD is to videotape what CDs were to vinyl record albums. DVD was originally an acronym for Digital Video Disc. Later, others began calling it Digital Versatile Disc. By any name, it is essentially a next-generation form of the compact disc (CD). DVD can hold far more data, and DVD players can read and process that data at far higher speeds. Whereas a CD can store music for playback (or, in the form of a CD-ROM, a computer program), a DVD can store a movie for playback -- and with picture and sound quality that far surpasses that of VHS videotapes.

What are Blu-ray and HD-DVD?

HD-DVD and Blu-ray Discs (BD) are two evolutionary formats designed to replace conventional DVDs, and to allow movie fans to enjoy films in high definition, with pictures far more crisply detailed than standard DVDs. Both formats conform to the general dimensions of DVDs and CDs, and hardware manufacturers intend to insure that players will play back the earlier formats, although with no improvement in video or audio performance. HD-DVD players will not play Blu-ray discs, nor will Blu-ray machines play HD-DVD discs.

What are the differences between Blu-ray and HD-DVD discs?

Capacity is the primary distinction between Blu-ray and HD-DVD discs: Blu-ray discs hold far more data that, in theory, would allow studios to pack far more features on a single disc. HD-DVD capacity, while more than adequate to present films of average length, would be stressed on longer action-packed epics. Both films play back video and audio signals that conform to the same technical specifications, so distinctions in performance between the two would be minimal, at least in theory.

Will all the films currently out on DVD eventually come out in both formats?

At this juncture, that's not a certainty. At the outset, only a few studios have committed themselves to releasing films in both formats. Sony -- the parent company of which developed the Blu-ray format -- leads the group of studios that has so far promised only Blu-ray titles. If both the HD-DVD and Blu-ray manufacturing camps stand their ground, continue to produce and sell players, and build substantial audiences, chances are good that studios will find it necessary to produce discs in both formats, as they did in the days of Beta and VHS.

Will the DVDs I buy from Barnes & Noble.com play in my machine?

Generally, DVDs sold by Barnes & Noble.com are "region 1" discs. This means that they will work only in machines designed for and sold within the United States (and its territories) and Canada. A logo of a framed globe bearing the appropriate regional number appears on each regionally encoded disc. Some discs from smaller, independent labels may not be coded, which means that they will play in any machine in any country.

Why are DVDs regionally coded?

Since studios often release movies in different countries through different regional distribution companies, the coding is meant to protect the integrity of those regional rights holders. While some independent distributors dispense with the coding, the major studios do not.

What are the DVD Regions?

Region 1: United States (and U.S. Territories) and Canada
Region 2: Europe, Japan, the Middle East, and South Africa
Region 3: East and Southeast Asia (Hong Kong)
Region 4: Australia, the Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, and South America
Region 5: Africa, Eastern Europe, the Indian Subcontinent, Mongolia, and North Korea
Region 6: China
Region 7: Not yet designated
Region 8: International venues such airplanes and ocean liners

What are DVD "extras"?

DVDs often include "extras" that don't appear on VHS editions of the same film. These "added value" features can include: theatrical trailers; alternate scene takes and endings; screen tests; making-of features; explanations of special effects sequences; original storyboards; interviews with the actors and crew; picture galleries; and much more. Some DVDs also include games and/or web links that take you to restricted areas on fan sites.

Can a DVD do any other fancy tricks?

On the high-tech side, DVDs are capable of feeding wide-screen images to wide-screen (16:9 or HDTV-ready) televisions. These DVDs are commonly marked “Anamorphic” or “Enhanced” for wide-screen or 16:9 viewing. For those with a standard TV, the very same DVD presents the wide-screen image in letterbox format: that is, with black strips along the top and bottom of the screen to preserve the film's original theatrical aspect ratio (width-to-height). 
 
A DVD can also present seamless branches: That means that movies can be set to present the viewer's choice from among multiple endings. Few disc producers and directors have chosen to take advantage of the feature, but it's there. Much the same can be said of DVD's rarely used ability to present choices of different camera angles within a scene.

What are Dolby and Dolby Surround?

Dolby is a recording system introduced in films in 1972 to improve audio clarity. Dolby Laboratories, its creator, later expanded the system to create acoustic effects, and it is the underlying process by which dimension is added to a motion picture soundtrack. (For instance: plane engines that seem to come from the back of the theater before the aircraft appears on the screen.) It has been advanced significantly in the modern digital environment. A Dolby decoder, typically built into an A/V receiver or DVD player, is necessary to take advantage of the multidimensional effects.

What is Dolby Digital?

Dolby Digital is the 1990s version of Dolby Surround. It updates the original enhancements of Surround to provide five distinct audio signals (and the need for five speakers): left, center, right, left surround, and right surround.

What is Dolby Digital 5.1?

Dolby Digital's newest type of surround sound -- which is now often applied when mastering titles for DVD release -- adds a sixth "channel" to the five speaker-specific channels. This channel isolates and provides the low rumbles and loud bangs that are more felt than heard in movie theaters.

What is DTS?

Digital Theater Systems (DTS) Digital Surround is similar to Dolby Digital. As an audio encoding format, it requires a decoder that is usually either in the player or in an external receiver. A battle continues between those who claim DTS sounds better than Dolby Digital and those who claim the opposite. Players made before mid-1998 -- and many since, up to the present day -- ignore DTS soundtracks. DVD players that are DTS-compatible carry an official "DTS Digital Out" logo, and a few manufacturers provide upgrades to make existing players compatible with DTS discs. Since virtually every DVD with a DTS soundtrack has an accompanying Dolby Digital track, choosing one does not exclude the other.

What is THX?

Originated for theaters, this sound and audio processing system is the brainchild of Star Wars creator George Lucas's Lucasfilm and is now available for home entertainment systems (Home THX). The THX process is designed to ensure that movie's screen presentation and soundtrack are aligned as closely as possible to filmmakers' original intentions. THX is also compatible with all Dolby Digital and DTS formats. However, in order to take full advantage of the THX format, the system must be outfitted with Home THX products and carefully tuned to the room, and the movie must be presented at a prescribed sound level.

Will the tapes I buy from Barnes & Noble.com play in my machine?

If your machine was designed for and sold within North America and Japan, the short answer is yes. The VHS videotapes sold by Barnes & Noble.com are recorded in NTSC, named for the 1953 National Television Standards Committee, which codified the system. Most of Europe and the rest of the world employ another, incompatible format: PAL (for Phase Alternating Line). France, meanwhile, employs something called SECAM, which also is incompatible with NTSC.