Yes, if you have a DVD recorder. When DVD was originally introduced in 1997, only players were available. Most DVD units sold today are still play-only, but recorders are available and affordable. DVD video recorders first appeared in Japan at the end of 1999, and in the rest of the world at the end of [...]
Monthly Archives: December 2009
VHS is good enough, why should I care about DVD?
December 31, 2009 – 12:03 am
The primary advantages of DVD are video quality, surround sound, and extra features. In addition, DVD will not degrade with age or after many playings like videotape will (which is an advantage for parents with kids who watch Disney videos twice a week!). This is the same thing that makes CDs more collectable than cassette [...]
What’s a dual-layer disc? Will it work in all players?
December 30, 2009 – 11:57 pm
A dual-layer disc has two layers of data, one of them semi-transparent so that the laser can focus through it and read the second layer. Since both layers are read from the same side, a dual-layer disc can hold almost twice as much as a single-layer disc, typically 4 hours of video. Many discs use [...]
The disc says Dolby Digital. Why do I get 2-channel surround audio?
December 30, 2009 – 11:57 pm
Some discs (many from Columbia TriStar) have 2-channel Dolby Surround audio (or plain stereo) on track one and 5.1-channel audio on track two. Some studios create separate sound mixes optimized for Dolby Surround or stereo, and they feel the default track should match the majority of sound systems in use. Unless you specifically select the [...]
What’s the difference between first, second, and third generation DVD?
December 30, 2009 – 11:34 pm
There is no meaningful answer to this question, since you’ll get a different response from everyone you ask. The terms “2nd generation” and “3rd generation,” and so on refer both to DVD-Video players and to DVD-ROM drives. In general, they simply mean newer versions of DVD playback devices. The terms haven’t been used (yet) to [...]
DVD X Studios Launches iPhone DiskAid
December 29, 2009 – 9:29 pm
December 29, 2009-DVD X Studios, a specialized supplier of multi-media solution, today launched iPhone DiskAid, a useful utility for transferring video, music and photo from and to iPhone. iPhone DiskAid is a iPhone access solution enableing iPhone users direct access to their media content from the home PC via a USB connector. Product highlights in [...]
Why can’t I take a screenshot of DVD video? Why do I get a pink or black square?
December 27, 2009 – 7:15 pm
Most DVD PCs, even those with software decoders, use video overlay hardware to insert the video directly into the VGA signal. This an efficient way to handle the very high bandwidth of full-motion video. Some decoder cards, such as the Creative Labs Encore Dxr series and the Sigma Designs Hollywood series, use a pass-through cable [...]
What is Divx?
December 25, 2009 – 7:06 pm
Depending on whom you ask, Divx (Digital Video Express, first known as ZoomTV) was either an insidious evil scheme for greedy studios to control what you see in your own living room or an innovative approach to video rental that would have offered cheap discs you could get almost anywhere and keep for later viewings.
Developed [...]
What’s widescreen? How do the aspect ratios work?
December 20, 2009 – 11:52 pm
Video can be stored on a DVD in 4:3 format (standard TV shape) or 16:9 (widescreen). The width-to-height ratio of standard televisions is 4 to 3; in other words, 1.33 times wider than high. New widescreen televisions, specifically those designed for HDTV, have a ratio of 16 to 9; that is, 1.78 times wider than [...]
Does DVD Support HDTV (DTV)? Will HDTV Make DVD Obsolete?
December 17, 2009 – 7:58 pm
Short answers: Partially. No.
First, some quick definitions: HDTV (high-definition TV) encompasses both analog and digital televisions that have a widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio and approximately 5 times the resolution of standard TV (double vertical, double horizontal, wider aspect). DTV (digital TV) applies to digital broadcasts in general and to the U.S. ATSC standard in specific. [...]
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