DVD specs

DVD specifications. This is not official specifications, and it also covers what actually is instead of what theoretically could be.

Software size: 9 gigabytes

Picture: 720 by 480 pixels, mpeg2 codec.

Sound: Mandatory Dolby Digital up to 448 kilobits a second, optional Digital Theater System (DTS) track up to 1536 kilobits a second.

The first thing to know about the resolution: These are not square pixels. These pixels can be squished and pulled in any direction. The second: This is really low resolution. The standard computer monitor is 1280 by 1024, which has almost 4 times as many pixels.

Sound fairs somewhat better. Dolby Digital has anywhere from 2.0 speakers (stereo) up to 7 speakers (6.1). 6.1 surround sound is very enveloping, and the bass track allows amazing low frequency effects. Dolby Digital is heavily compressed, however. 448 kilobits/second is not much better than mp3s, which are notorious for their sound quality. However, the compression techniques for Dolby Digital are VERY good, so the sound is generally pretty impressive. DTS looks much better on paper. DTS has up to 6.1 sound with lower compression. However, the vast majority of DTS tracks do not use all 1536 kilobits a second. Most use 768 kilobits a second. This is still better than Dolby Digital, but critics say that Dolby Digital has better compression methods, so in the end the sound quality is about the same. In many situations, it depends on the movie and the listener's ears.