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If you read
the DVD Primer, you know that DVD-Video is one of
the formats of the general DVD
specification.
 The
video and audio information stored on a DVD-Video are digital for a crystal clear picture and CD-quality
multi-channel surround sound. Among these and other
reasons, DVD-Video is the ideal format for enjoying movies and other video content.
The
Picture
The DVD-Video format provides
480 horizontal lines of resolution. This is a
significant improvement over the 260 horizontal lines of
resolution of standard VHS, and the 330 horizontal lines of
resolution for broadcast TV. The color is brilliant,
rich, and saturated.
DVD-Video contains digital video
information that is compressed using MPEG-2
(Motion Pictures Experts Group), to minimize the amount of
data required for video. If the video information is
left uncompressed, DVDs would contain only tens of minutes of
video footage, instead of several hours. (MPEG-2 is the
same compression algorithm used in digital satellite
TV.) The digital format provides a picture virtually
free of video noise.
Note: To fully take
advantage of DVD's superior picture, a component
video interface, or S-video
interface to the TV is recommended.
Aspect
Ratios
DVD-Video can reproduce the
widescreen theatrical formats of movies. DVD-Video can deliver the 1.85:1 aspect
ratio (where the screen width is 1.85 times the screen
height), or the 2.35:1 aspect ratio (where the screen width is
2.35 times the screen height). Of course, DVD-Video can
also provide the "full-frame" 1.33:1 aspect ratio (where the
screen width is 1.33 times the screen height, or 4 units wide
by 3 units high) that represents the standard NTSC [National
Television Standards Committee] television screen (the
standard TV format for the U.S. and Canada).
Surround Sound
To complement the
vistas
of the widescreen format are theater-quality surround
sound from the audio track(s) of the DVD. The DVD
specification requires Dolby
Digital 2.0 2-channel audio to be encoded on every
DVD-Video disc (for countries using the NTSC TV
standard). This 2-channel soundtrack allows Dolby
Surround Pro-Logic to be encoded in the stereo audio channels
for backwards compatibility with pre-existing Dolby Surround
Pro-Logic sound systems.
Optionally,
the DVD-Video disc includes the Dolby
Digital 5.1 surround sound format that provides five
channels (i.e., center, left, right, surround left, surround
right; giving it the "5" designation) of full frequency
(with respect to the range of human hearing, 20 Hz to
20,000 Hz) effects, plus a sixth channel for low frequency
effects (LFE). The LFE channel is usually reserved for
the subwoofer speaker(s), or those speakers capable of
reproducing low frequency ranges. The low frequency
effects channel gives Dolby Digital 5.1 the ".1"
designation. The ".1" signifies that the sixth channel
is not full frequency, as it contains only deep bass
frequencies.
An alternative to Dolby Digital is
DTS Digital
Surround, another 5.1-channel capable surround sound
format. DTS offers higher data rates (up to four times
higher) for audio information than Dolby Digital, meaning the
multi-channel audio information is not as compressed.
This higher data rate and the resulting actual performance
lead many audiophiles and home theater enthusiasts to claim
that DTS is better than Dolby Digital.
As if Dolby Digital and DTS
5.1-channel surround sound weren't enough, the DVD-Video
format can also support the newer extended surround formats
such as THX
Surround EX and DTS-ES
matrix and DTS-ES
discrete 6.1.
In countries
outside the U.S. and Canada where the PAL video system is
used, a DVD-Video disc must have either Dolby
Digital 2.0 or MPEG 2.0 soundtrack.
Multiple
Language Dialogs and Soundtracks
Many DVD-Video movies are
distributed with multiple language options (e.g., English,
Spanish, French), each with its own dialog and
soundtrack. With up to eight (8) languages or
soundtracks.
Subtitles
Closed captioning and/or subtitles
are also supported, with up to 32 separate closed caption
and/or subtitle tracks encoded into the DVD disc. This
feature is activated by using the DVD-Video player's remote
control.
Multiple
Angles Option
The DVD-Video format can support
the director's use of simultaneous multiple camera angles to
put a new spin on the plot. Some DVD-Video
titles offer this option. DVD-Video uses the
multi-angle feature to cross reference the current scene with
associated storyboard designs and layouts.
Bonus
Materials
Many DVD-Video movies
come
with bonus materials (that are normally not included in the
VHS version), such as:
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deleted scenes and alternate
endings
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director's audio commentary
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"the making-of" and various
"behind-the-scenes" features
-
cast and crew interviews
-
multi-angle storyboard vs. final
film comparisons
-
theatrical trailers and TV spots
-
music videos
-
still photos
-
cast and crew biographies and
filmographies
Some studios are pretty creative
when it comes to the type of bonus feature content, while
others are not as innovative. Some studios consistently
provide little, if any bonus programming, even with recent
blockbuster theatrical releases. Bonus features content
will vary from movie-to-movie, even released by the same
studio. Some bonus features are actually DVD-ROM
features where the same disc features DVD-ROM application
content. Such DVD-ROM content (e.g., full screenplay
text cross-referenced with video playback, web access, and
games) requires a computer with a DVD-ROM drive for
viewing.
Random
Access To Scenes
Video content on DVD-Video discs
are organized into titles and chapters, similar to how songs
are on tracks of an audio CD. Think of titles as being
analogous to the top-level directories of your computer hard
disk, then chapters would be subdirectories under these
titles. You can jump to your favorite scenes directly
using the "skip chapter" button on the DVD player or its
remote control, entering the chapter number directly using the
remote control, or using the DVD disc's menu feature. With this random access approach,
there is no more rewinding of videotapes!
Seamless Branching
DVD-Video has a unique feature
called "seamless branching" where different video segments can
be pre-programmed to combine in various combinations.
This allows for the same DVD-Video disc to contain different
versions of the same film, like an original theatrical release
version and a director's cut version of the same film.
For example, if you chose the "original theatrical release"
version from the main menu, the DVD-Video disc will play the
original version of the movie by playing the same scenes as
shown in the movie theaters. If you chose the
"director's cut" version from the main menu, the DVD-Video
disc will play back the director's cut of the movie, which may
skip to scenes there were previously unreleased during certain
segments and automatically branches back to the common scenes
shared with the theatrical version. These scene
transitions are nearly instantaneous and transparent to the
viewer.
Parental Control
The DVD-Video format offers parents
the ability to lock out viewing of certain materials by their
children. Furthermore, different versions of the same
movie with different MPAA
ratings (e.g., G, PG, PG-13, R) can be stored on the same DVD,
using the seamless
branching feature.
Region
Codes
Region code is not so much a
feature for consumers as it is for the studios releasing
movies and other video content to DVD-Video. DVD-Video
region codes divide the world up into numbered regions:
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Region 0: World-wide (i.e., no
specific region encoded)
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Region 1: North America (United
States and Canada)
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Region 2: Western Europe and
Japan
-
Region 3: Southeast Asia
-
Region 4: South America and
Australia
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Region 5: Africa, Eastern Europe
and Russia
-
Region 6: China
By encoding each DVD-Video disc and
DVD players with region codes, only similarly coded software
can be played back on DVD hardware. In other words, a
"region 1" coded DVD-Video can be played back only by a DVD
player that is compatible with "region 1". This allows
movie studios to release a DVD-Video of a movie, while
preparing the same movie for theatrical release of the same
movie overseas.
contact:
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