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What Is DVD?<br />
<strong>Chapter</strong> 1<br />
General DVD<br />
DVD is the latest generation of optical disc storage technology. A DVD is<br />
essentially a bigger, faster compact disc (CD) that can hold cinema-like<br />
video, better-than-CD audio, still photos, and computer data. DVD aims to<br />
encompass home entertainment, computers, and business information<br />
with a single digital format. DVDs have replaced laserdiscs, are well on the<br />
way to replacing videotape and video game cartridges, and could eventually<br />
replace audio CDs and CD-ROMs. DVD has widespread support from<br />
all major electronics companies, computer hardware companies, and<br />
movie and music studios. With this unprecedented support, DVDs has<br />
become the most successful consumer electronics product of all time in<br />
less than three years after arriving on the market. In 2003, six years after<br />
their first appearance, over 250 million DVD playback devices were in operation<br />
worldwide, counting DVD players, DVD PCs, and DVD game consoles.<br />
This was more than half the number of VCRs, setting DVD up to<br />
become the new standard for video publishing.<br />
It’s important to understand the difference between the physical formats,<br />
such as DVD-ROM and DVD-R, and the application formats, such as DVD-<br />
Video and DVD-Audio. DVD-ROM is the base format that holds data. DVD-<br />
Video (often simply called DVD) defines how video programs such as<br />
movies are stored on disc and played in a DVD-Video player or a DVD computer.<br />
(See “Can I Play DVD Movies on My Computer?” in <strong>Chapter</strong> 4, “DVDs<br />
and Computers.”). The situation is similar to the differences between CD-<br />
ROMs and audio CDs.<br />
DVD-ROMs include recordable variations: DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD-RAM,<br />
DVD�R, and DVD�RW. (See “What About Recordable DVDs: DVD-R,<br />
DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, DVD�RW, and DVD�R?” in <strong>Chapter</strong> 4.) The application<br />
formats include DVD-Video, DVD-Video Recording (DVD-VR),<br />
DVD�RW Video Recording (DVD�VR), DVD-Audio Recording (DVD-AR),<br />
DVD Stream Recording, DVD-Audio and Super Audio CD (SACD). Also,<br />
special application formats are used for game consoles such as Sony<br />
PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Xbox.<br />
Copyright 2004 by Jim Taylor. Click Here for Terms of Use.
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