John R, Nice to see Samsung with new models. Pioneer won't have the LD/DVD combo market all to themselves. What do you think a
multisystem player is?
Japanese component suppliers still control the supply of the essential
servo IC control mechanism. "This is the only component the Japanese can
still ask a high price for. BillyG Is it possible for CUBE to put this
function on ZiVA2?
techweb.com
Hot or Hype? -- New and emerging technologies take the spotlight almost
daily. Which ones do you really need in your next PC?
DVD
What's been promised: Take a long, hard look at your computer's CD-ROM
drive and storage device-DVD will make them obsolete over the next
several years. DVD is unique among PC industry acronyms: Depending on
whom you talk to, DVD stands for Digital Versatile Disc, Digital Video
Disc or nothing at all. Despite its confusing appellation, DVD bears
watching.
DVDs look just like current CDs (DVD players will play your CDs), but
with larger capacities than today's 650MB CD standard. DVDs can store a
variety of digitized data, including movies, archived information, audio
and other forms of data. A CD-ROM drive picks up information from discs
at 900KB per second, whereas DVD data reads at a 1.385MB-per-second
clip. To play DVD media, your computer needs a special drive that fits
in one of its drive bays.
First-generation DVDs are single-sided and single-layer, with capacities
of 4.7GB (more than seven times that of CDs); they can play movies up to
117 minutes long. Other classes of DVDs under development include a
one-sided, double-layer format with an 8.5GB capacity; a 9.4GB
two-sided, single-layer format; and a two-sided, dual-layer format with
a 17GB capacity.
What's been delivered: The Dell Dimension XPS D300, which has a DVD
drive with twin lasers and reads CD-Rs, is the best DVD-equipped system
so far. Other computers equipped with DVD include the Toshiba Infinia
7231 and the Unicent Avanta 266XLA. IBM and Toshiba are also adding the
drives to high-end notebooks positioned as desktop replacements. The
Creative Labs PC-DVD Encore, a multimedia upgrade kit that comes with a
DVD drive with MPEG II hardware, is shipping at $379.
What's coming and when: Most desktop and notebook PC manufacturers will
add DVD drives to their systems over the next two years. Initially, DVD
drives will increase the cost of such systems by about $400. DVD drives
that record are called DVD-RAM, and though this technology is currently
in early development, it may not appear for another couple of years. DVD
drives that read all CD-Rs are also beginning to emerge, with other
vendors joining Creative Labs in offering multimedia upgrade kits with
that capability.
Hot or hype: DVD is a hot technology, and you'll want a DVD drive in a
future system. It has the potential to turn PCs into entertainment
centers or reference workstations; it also lets you store tremendous
amounts of data on your PC. But you might want to hold off until
high-capacity DVD formats become available. Few DVD suppliers will
commit to delivery dates for 8.5GB, 9.4GB or 17GB DVD drives. -Jim
Forbes |
