Why buy DVD?
Videotape will
wear down. Think back to cassettes. Each time they are played,
a tad bit of the quality wears off, until eventually, the tape is ruined.
The same thing occurs with VHS. How many videos do you have which
have lines running through them that are not caused by tracking?
Though VHS is a great format, there is no way to adequately protect your
picture and sound. DVD offers a format in which the quality of picture
and sound will not deteriorate. Of course, they will need to be protected,
just like CDs, but the quality will remain the same, as long as no damage
comes to the DVD.
Also, DVDs offer
more stuff. Most DVDs include special features. Almost all
have a director's commentary. The Contact DVD, for example, has a
commentary by the producer and writer, the special effects guys, as well
as a third commentary by Jodie Foster. Many have behind the scenes
information, usually in a textual format, while some others have a recorded
behind the scenes featurette. Most also include the theatrical trailers.
The U.S. Marshalls DVD has a trailer for that movie, as well as a trailer
for The Fugitive, upon which it was based. And some even include
deleted scenes. The Austin Powers DVD holds about seven scenes that
were not included in the movie. The Wedding Singer has five karaoke
songs and music trivia.
What About Sound?
Most DVDs are
formatted with Dolby Digital 5.1. That means, on a home theater system
with six speakers (center, R front, L front, R rear, L rear, and subwoofer)
each speaker recieves a separate signal. The sounds are clearer,
and much better on the surround sound than VHS. There are several
discs with THX certification, and DTS has recently announced they are working
with DVDs as well.
How About the Picture?
First off, you
have a digital picture. Almost every television input device relies
on analog signals (VHS, cable, antenna transmissions). These signals
can only hold so much information. Digtal video allows more lines
for resolution, guarenteeing that there will be a clearer, sharper picture
on every run than what even a new VHS tape can offer.
How Much do They Cost and Where
are They Available?
I have seen
machines range from everywhere between $400 to $1,200. I have seen
some on sale for around $300. You can find a player at almost any
electronics store, and even Walmart and Target sell the players and software.
One word of caution that I will mention later is try to avoid Circut City.
See Divx below.
As for the DVD
software, you can find most priced between $15-$35 at Suncoast stores,
Best Buy, Target, and Walmart.
More and more
video stores are renting DVD software and players. I shall post a
link later that has the locations of stores which rent the format.
The price I have seen for rental is $2 for 2 nights (much better than the
DIVX price -- see below)
Do I need anything special to hook
the player up to my system?
Yes. If
you have an older television, you will need an RF switch which is available
at most Radio Shacks or other electronic stores. DVD players use
RCA jacks as well as S-Video cables.
What Titles are Available?
More than I
could list here. The last I checked, there were about 1,500 titles,
and a total of 2,000 should be available by December. All studios
have commited to DVD. Warner Brothers and Columbia TriStar have gone
full force in releasing their titles, and they are constanly putting out
new and old titles. One side benefit to having some of these titles
are that they are released before the video is. For more on
DVD titles, check out DVD.com
What is DIVX?
DIVX is a branch of DVD technology.
The basic premise is that rather than going to a rental store and renting
a movie, only to return it in two to three days, you rent a film that you
keep in your home. Anytime you wish to watch it, you will be charged
a fee for a 48 hour period. The machine records what you watch and
stores it. Once a month, you plug the machine into a telephone line,
and it dials an 800 number and relays the films and how many times they
were charged. The owner then recieves a bill and pays for their viewing
that way.
DIVX is currently
available in most parts of the United States.
The discs will
not offer any of the options that DVD currently offers. That means
there will be no choice between Pan and Scan and Widescreen, no extra footage,
and no director's commentary.
Is DIVX worth it?
DIVX players
will be able to play DVD titles, but DVD players will not be able to play
DIVX titles. There is a special encoding on the disc itself that
prevents playing.
There are two
companies that have refused to release films on DIVX, Warner Brothers and
Comlumbia Tristar.
There are benefits
to owning both systems, but in the long run, DVD will be the one to own.
I will admit,
I am biased. I do not think that DIVX will succeed, and any effort
to purchase a player/discs will only be a waste of money.
Personally,
I buy videos because I know that I will watch them over and over.
I spent several dollars in renting Tommy Boy before I owned it. Once
I have something in my home, I don't like to have to keep paying for it
each time it is used.
The reason I
mentioned that you should stay away from Circut City is that they will
try to persuade you to purchase DIVX rather that DVD.