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Introduction to DVD
What is DVD?
Originally DVD was being worked on by two different groups of companies,
using the names "Digital Video Disc" and "Digital Versatile Disc". Luckily for
consumers, the two groups merged, at which time they dropped both of these
acronyms, so DVD doesn't actually stand for anything. It is a standard for
storing MPEG-2 compressed audio and video information on a high density disc the
same physical size as a normal audio CD.
Disc capacities range from 4.3 Gb to 15.9 Gb (standard CD is about 740Mb),
allowing up to 8 hours of high quality audio and video to be stored on a single
disc.
Although there is only one DVD-ROM standard (that used for DVDs that you buy
or rent) there are many recordable standards, each slightly different. Each
standard is playable on some, but not all DVD players. The recordable formats
are:
| Name |
Description |
| DVD-R |
A write once format, readable on the majority of DVD players. There are
2 separate versions, DVD-R(G) and DVD-R(A), which uses slightly
different wavelength lasers to write to the disc. DVD-R(G) discs cannot
be written in a DVD-R(A) writer (and vice versa), but both are playable in
about 90% of DVD players. Disc capacity is 4700 million bytes (4.37 Gb).
|
| DVD-RAM |
This format is best suited for PC use, since it has better resistance
against errors, has faster random access and is re-writable. It is
compatible with fewer DVD players than other formats, making it less
suitable for audio and video applications.
|
| DVD-RW |
Also known as DVD-R/W or DVD-ER, this re-writable format is playable on many
DVD players.
|
| DVD+RW |
DVD+RW is a re-writable format which has good compatibility with newer DVD
players.
|
| DVD+R |
The write once sister of DVD+RW, this format is more similar to DVD-R than
DVD+RW, being dye based. It also has good compatibility with newer DVD players.
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In conclusion, DVD-R and DVD+R are similar, write once formats. DVD-RW and
DVD+RW are similar re-writable formats. DVD-RAM is more suitable to data
applications than for audio and video use due to less compatibility with DVD
players. For maximum compatibility with DVD players, choose a DVD recorder that
is capable of recording to DVD-R or DVD+R as well as one of the re-writable
formats.
Technical Specifications DVD-Video
| Feature |
Description |
| Video Resolutions |
720x480, 704x480, 352x480 and 352x240 (NTSC). 720x576, 704x576, 352x576, and 352x288 (PAL).
|
| Video Compression |
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 |
| Video Bitrate |
Up to 9.8 Mbps variable bitrate (VBR) |
| Audio Compression |
MPEG-1 layer 2, MPEG-2, Dolby Digital (AC3), DTS, PCM (uncompressed audio) |
| Audio Bitrate (Dolby Digital) |
64 kbps to 448 kbps |
| Audio Bitrate (MPEG) |
32 kbps to 912 kbps |
| Audio Bitrate (DTS) |
64 kbps to 1536 kbps |
| Surround Sound |
MPEG-2 5.1 or 7.1, Dolby Digital, Digital Theater Systems Digital
Surround (DTS).
|
| Maximum audio streams |
Up to 8 (each with up to 8 channels) |
| Other features |
Multiple camera angles, menus and interactive functionality |
| Still picture resolutions |
Up to 720 x 480 or 720 x 576 |
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