More digital-disc movies to be available Aug. 26
Vancouver Sun, 08/06/97
DVD's cloudy picture just became clearer.
In the four months DVD -- digital video disc or digital versatile
disc, depending on which expert you talk to -- has been on the
video scene, the shiny little disc has lived up to its early hype
as the sharpest home-video format ever invented.
The rest of the hype -- that thousands of movies, concerts and TV
programs would be instantly available at half the cost of video
laserdiscs -- has been slower to materialize.
Now, the format's developers, Toshiba Electronics and Warner Home
Video, have announced that dozens of previously restricted titles
will become available throughout Canada beginning Aug. 26.
A handful of movie titles, such as Legends of the Fall and Jerry
Maguire (both from Columbia-TriStar Home Video), have been
available at Lower Mainland retail stores like A&B Sound and
Virgin Megastore for several weeks, at a cost of between $25.98
and $29.98.
The vast majority of titles, however -- everything from Blade
Runner to The Wizard of Oz -- have until now been restricted to
seven test-market cities scattered across the United States,
including Seattle, Los Angeles and New York.
Mail-order firms based in those cities were legally prohibited from
shipping Warner, MGM and LIVE DVD movies outside their city
limits.
Now, all that changes. The decision reflects a growing belief on
the part of DVD manufacturers that the format is gaining
acceptance among consumers.
The home-entertainment electronics industry is littered with recent
examples of technological breakthroughs that failed to capture the
imagination of consumers.
They range from Sony's vaunted MiniDisc digital, recordable discs
and Digital Audio Tape (DAT) to Kodak's heavily promoted photo-CD
and the high-resolution video format, Super-VHS.
DVD might succeed where other formats failed because of its
quality, convenience and cost.
In terms of quality, DVD is capable of reproducing 485 lines of
horizontal video -- 14-per-cent better resolution than that of
laserdisc, and more than double that of VHS. A DVD is capable of
storing 4.7 gigabytes of information, six times a regular CD's
storage capacity of 780 megabytes (0.78 gigabytes) -- which means,
in theory, that a musician's entire musical repertoire may be
stored on one disc.
In terms of convenience, DVD is the size of a regular compact disc
and can be stored in regular CD storage cases and boxes.
DVD's suggested retail price of $25 to $30 ($20 US south of the
border) makes it half the price of an average laserdisc, and only
slightly more than many pre-recorded VHS video movies.
Although all DVD players will play regular compact discs and a few
will even play video laserdiscs, they are more expensive than VHS
HiFi stereo videorecorders and are considerably pricier than
straight compact-disc players.
DVD players sell for between $799 for a basic Toshiba model and
$1,399 for a top-of-the-line model from Sony.
DVD's supporters point to the format's quality, convenience and
software cost as points in its favor. But critics point out that
like laserdisc, its future is uncertain because most consumers
prefer to rent videos and watch them once, rather than collect
them as they would books or CDs.
Other critics point out that advances in on-line technology could
make play-only movies obsolete. In theory, a consumer could order
a program of choice over the phone and have that program
transmitted directly to the home.
Most pre-recorded VHS cassettes and virtually all DVDs are
programmed with an electronic pulse that prevents unauthorized
copying. (Laserdiscs are not encoded with copyguard protection,
which is why movies are often released on laserdisc weeks and
sometimes even months after they are made available on VHS.)
Some video buffs complain that DVD's copyguard encoding distorts
color stability and contrast on certain kinds of TV sets.
In addition, DVDs are manufactured for specific regions of the
world -- again to guard against unauthorized copying. That means,
however, that a DVD purchased in Japan will not play on a DVD
player bought in Canada -- and vice versa.
Some video buffs also grumble that although DVDs are the same
dimension as regular CDs, several home-video distributors insist
on packaging DVDs in awkward cardboard slip cases and not the more
traditional plastic jewel boxes.
Other critics point out that because DVD manufacturers use digital
video compression to squeeze up to 133 minutes of motion video on
one side of a disc, the DVD has to be mastered to precise
specifications or distortion will appear.
Interestingly, since the advent of DVD, there has been a sharp drop
in sales of both laserdisc players and discs. Laserdisc owners are
anxious to see whether DVD replaces laser entirely. Average
consumers, faced with making a choice between one or the other,
are choosing DVD or else waiting for the introduction of digital
High-Definition Television (HDTV).
The introduction of more than 100 new DVD movie titles is a
much-needed step toward widespread acceptance. But regardless of
what eventually happens with DVD, one thing is certain.
Digital video is no longer just an abstract concept on some
engineer's drawing board. It is here. And, in one form or another,
it is here to stay.
(Copyright The Vancouver Sun)
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