DVD Comparison in Software

Maker Quick Response Code in Software DVD Comparison

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This chapter compares DVD systems with related consumer electronics and computer data storage products Each section presents technical specifications as well as advantages and disadvantages The charts are, of necessity, rather terse and technical, but most points are explained in the accompanying paragraphs or in s 3 and 4 Most terms and acronyms are also defined in the Glossary Some specifications, such as signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and dynamic range, are technical maximums that usually are lower in practice For example, both DVD video and audio at 24 bits per sample have a theoretical SNR of 144 decibels, but MPEG compression creates variable video noise and most recording equipment cannot actually achieve an SNR of 144 decibels, and current digital-to-analog converters are incapable of reproducing a perfectly clean signal While some technologies may be considered competitors to DVD, they also may complement DVD, and vice versa For example, VHS and DVD can coexist much like audiocassette tape and audio CD Digital videotape (DV) is a popular recording source in producing video for DVD

Laserdisc and CD-Video (CDV)

Laserdisc is the most obvious competitor to DVD-Video because it is a highquality video format on optical disc DVD player manufacturers found their initial primary customers to be videophiles and home theater aficionados, many of whom own laserdisc players Even before it came to market, DVD dealt laserdisc a mortal blow Anticipation of DVD in 1996 drove laserdisc player sales down 37 percent, even though sales of VCRs and hi-fi/surround-sound systems were up Disc sales also were down over 30 percent Approximately 70 percent of early DVD buyers already owned laserdisc players In July 1999, Pioneer Entertainment, the largest laserdisc distributor, announced that it had shifted focus to VHS and DVD to replace all its laserdisc business1 Image Entertainment, formerly the largest independent distributor of laserdiscs, released its last laserdisc titles in February 2000

1Other arms of Pioneer continued to distribute laserdiscs for education, corporate training, and special applications such as museum kiosks

DVD quickly displaced laserdisc as the premiere home entertainment format, but it will never achieve 100 percent replacement About 10,000 laserdisc titles were released in the United States for a peak installed base of about 2 million players Over 35,000 laserdisc titles were released worldwide into a market that reached approximately 7 million laserdisc players DVD attained the same player base in less than three years, but it will take four or five years to build a similar library of titles Laserdisc has the superiority of tenure and will continue to be a source of quality video, especially for rare titles that may not appear on DVD for a long while, if ever Most laserdisc player owners bought DVD players shortly after they became available, but few have rushed to replace their laserdisc collection An important distinction between laserdisc and DVD is that laserdiscs do not contain digital video, and they do not always use digital audio The laserdisc video format is analog pulse FM-encoded composite video CDV, sometimes called Video Single or CD-Video (not to be confused with Video CD), is actually a hybrid of CD and laserdisc Part of a CDV contains 20 minutes of digital audio playable on any CD player, DVD player, or CDcompatible laserdisc player The other part of a CDV contains 5 or 6 minutes of analog video and digital audio in laserdisc format, playable only on CDV-compatible laserdisc systems Table 81 lists laserdisc and DVD-Video specifications

Features DVD-Video has the same basic features as CLV laserdisc (such as, scan, pause, search) plus most of the added benefits of CAV laserdisc (such as, freeze, slow, fast) DVD goes beyond laserdisc with multistory branching, parental control, multiple camera angles, video menus, interactivity, and more Level II laserdisc players had a command language similar to that of DVD, but level II discs and players never grew beyond the small niches of education and industrial training Capacity Programs on DVD can be over four times longer than those on laserdisc at equivalent quality A single-layer DVD-Video holds over two hours of material per side, and a dual-layer disc holds over four hours A CLV laserdisc holds one hour per side, and a CAV laserdisc holds only one half hour DVD-Video supports still frames with audio, allowing for hundreds or thousands of pictures accompanied by hours of surround sound Laserdisc still frames have no audio (unless specially produced discs are connected to expensive still-frame audio equipment)