|
|
|
DVD players’ technology
WE all know how to operate VCR and even set its clock. Now it’s time to learn the latest in digital video disc (DVD) technology. Living in the United States, we are used to buying electronic equipment at bargain prices.
It was by chance that we saw a DVD advertised for $39.99. Cheap, indeed. We went to the advertising store. This is what transpired there:
We: “I’m looking for the $39 DVD player you advertised.”
Salesman: “Of course, you won’t get progressive scan at that price. If it were me, I wouldn’t buy a DVD player without progressive scan. And you’ll have to take a look at the upconverter. It’s a line doubler. Gives you twice the resolution. HDTV quality from a DVD. n’t forget DVD audio. For that, you’ll need a 192-kilohertz digital audio converter.”
“That’s all?” we asked.
“Have you thought about whether you want a DVD recorder? Burn your digital photos and favourite programmes to your own DVDs. And you can do time shifting.”
“And what about outputs? Does your TV support digital video output?”
Like everything else, ads in the US too do not reflect a correct picture of the item advertised. Aim is to attract buyers. In the ads there will be very small prints, which nobody bothers to read. But this experience taught us much about DVDs. Shopping for a DVD player has got a lot more complicated with all the options now available.
In the United States, more than 17 million DVDs were sold last year, according to the Consumer Electronics Association, with more than 20 million expected to be sold this year.
Sales of DVD players have risen so fast in part because prices have fallen equally rapidly. In 1998, a DVD player cost from $400 to $1,000. This year, basic models often cost less than $40. The players are complex in part because they must straddle the fence as television makes the transition from analog to digital reception. Next summer, all new televisions 36 inches and larger must be digital. All new TVs will be digital by 2006.
Here’s an introduction to many of the features you will find if you’re thinking about buying a DVD player:
Progressive scan: On a digital television, a progressively scanned image from a DVD can look sharper than the alternative, called “interlaced scan.” But it won’t work on traditional analog TVs, which use the NTSC standard, named after the National Televiusion System Committee, which devised the US television broadcast system in 1953.
NTSC TVs, which are what most US consumers still have, create an image by scanning alternate lines on the screen — all the odd-numbered lines, for instance, and then going back and scanning the even-numbered lines. The eye sees the two interlaced scans as a single image. In a progressive scan, the image is created on the screen in consecutive lines, creating a more stable, sharper image.
Computer monitors use progressive scan, which is why small text can be read on a monitor, but not on a traditional TV screen. A detailed explanation and illustration of the difference can be found at
Line doublers: Some DVD players offer line doublers that claim to convert DVD video into high-definition video. DVDs have a resolution of 480 horizontal lines. High-definition TV, or HDTV, has a minimum of 720 lines of resolution. Line doubling is supposed to “up-convert” the DVD image to high-definition, which is like claiming that a dollar, placed next to a mirror, is really $2. DVDs do not have sufficient digital information to produce a true high-definition image.
192KHz digital-analog converter: Raw digital audio and video files are huge and must be compressed to fit on a CD or DVD. Compression removes imperceptible or barely perceptible portions of the signal. MP3 files, which have become synonymous with digital music, take their name from the MP3 compression technology. Because a DVD can hold roughly seven times as much data as a CD, DVD audio files do not have to be compressed as much, so their signal is closer to the original, uncompressed sound. Most DVD players have a 96KHz digital-analog converter, which is sufficient to play CD audio and surround-sound audio from DVD movies. However, DVD audio discs require a more powerful 192KHz, 24bit converter.
Few DVD audio discs are available today, so this feature will have limited immediate return on an investment. But higher-quality audio is expected to become more common in the future. For more information on DVD audio, visit
DVD recorders: DVD players essentially made the VCR obsolete, even though initially the players couldn’t record programming. That has changed.
DVD recorders can store programming on a built-in hard drive. Many can time-shift, like TiVo and other digital video recorders. Viewers can watch a previously recorded show at the same time they are recording a second show. Another way to time-shift is to combine the DVD player with a hard-drive video recorder such as TiVo.
Flash memory reader: Some manufacturers have added memory card readers so that you can run a slide show on your TV of your digital photos from Flash memory cards.
DVI output: Some of the newest DVD players come with DVI, or digital video interface, connections on the back. DVI is an emerging, state-of-the-art technology to connect the digital signal from a DVD player to a digital TV without first converting it to an analog signal.
The different types of DVD players available in the market are:
KLH KD1220: This is a basic DVD player with normal features which are found in most DVD players.
Features: At $35, this basic unit can also play audio CDs, CD-R/RW recordings, Kodak Picture CDs, Windows media and long-playing MP3 CDs.
Samsung DVD-C631P: All those who owns digital televisions should go for this model of Samsung.
Features: Priced at $80, Progressive scan DVD changer with EZ View Letter-Box Eliminator.
Other info: Prices have fallen to less than $100 on progressive-scan players. They can provide a sharper image, but only when used with digital television sets. There’s no measurable difference when they’re used with analog TV sets.
Mitsubishi DD-6040: This device is ideal for music fans.
Features: At $80, progressive-scan output and MP3-CDs and Windows Media Audio format playback.
Other info: In addition to progressive-scan output, this model, like many others, can play DVDs, CDs, CD-R/RWs, MP3 CDs and WMA CDs, as well as photo CDs. This model includes random and programmable track playback.
Samsung DVD-HD931: This player is an upconverter device.
Features: Costing $239, the player “upconverts” DVDs to HDTV-compliant formats, supposedly resulting in nearly twice the resolution that a progressive-scan player offers.
Other info: This model also has a Picture CD and JPEG CD viewer to view digital photos on your TV screen, and can play MP3 and CD-R/RW discs.
RCA DRC8000N: This model of DVD is one of the best available for recording purpose.
Features: At $450, it lets you record up to eight hours of television shows, as well as record from a camcorder or other video device onto DVD+R/+RW discs. This is also a progressive-scan player.
Other info: Also comes with GUIDE Plus+ Interactive Programme Guide for “one-touch recording of TV programming.”
Panasonic DMR-E100HS: This one is for the professional users.
Features: This $1,200 progressive scan DVD player and recorder, which comes with a 120-gigabyte hard disk. Panasonic says you can record up to 160 hours of TV shows. You can also use it to burn your own DVD-Rs.
Other info: It also comes with a memory card slot so you can import and export digital still photos and video.
The writer
