Q and A: DVD the next big thing or a costly gimmick?
SCOTT McPHERSON
12/16/97
The San Diego Union-Tribune
UNION-TRIBUNE; 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
Page 8
(Copyright 1997)
Q. I'm not into computers, but I want to be able to play on the Internet. What do you think of Web TV?
--Floyd Starling, Minneapolis
A. Web TV is a set-top box, about the size of a music CD player. It hooks to your TV in much the same way a VCR does, with one important exception: You must have a telephone jack in the same room as the television (and the closer, the better).
The unit comes with a remote control. You should also purchase the optional wireless keyboard, to navigate your way across the entire Internet. You subscribe to Web TV as your Internet provider, which explains why Microsoft paid handsomely for the network.
It takes a few minutes to learn the unique Web browser interface, but once you understand its nuances, you're off and running. I was surprised at how quickly the browser loads even complex Web pages. Using Web TV, I was even able to log into secure Web sites without any difficulty. For homes with children, Web TV offers Surfwatch server-based blocking at no extra charge. You also get a personal e-mail address. A nice feature of Web TV is the little light that alerts you to new e-mail, even if the TV is turned off. A printer interface is also available. For anyone looking to get onto the Internet but who lacks the capital -- or the patience -- for a computer, Web TV is a great way to go. I have seen Web TV going for as little as $59, after seasonal rebates. At that price, there's no reason not to get online. Q. I am seeing more and more ads for DVD players and DVD-ROM drives for computers. What is your opinion of DVD? Will it become a standard, or is this just another gimmick for the electronics industry to cash in on? --Todd Schnick, Tallahassee, Fla.
A. DVD, which at one time stood for Digital Video Disk, is the greatest single innovation to come along since the advent of CD-ROM. DVD disks hold almost eight times the data of conventional CDs or CD-ROMs, while adhering to the traditional 5-inch CD form factor. This is accomplished by a dramatic improvement in the way a laser beam reads the pits on the disk. The finer the beam, the more pits can be etched onto the disk, thus, causing greater capacity.
But perhaps the greatest innovation is that DVD is a cross-platform standard. This means that a DVD of the classic movie "Dr. Strangelove," for example, will play on a Macintosh, a Windows PC and a set-top box. Most DVD movies also give you the option of original theatrical wide-screen ("letterbox") format, or the traditional "pan and scan" adapted-for-TV release. Finally, you'll find several different language tracks on one DVD, which will make manufacturing much easier (read: cheaper) for the major studios.
DVD players feature three times the resolution (measured in lines) of traditional VHS tapes, which means DVD players deliver laser disk-quality video, and will be ready and able to perform when HDTV appears near the millennium. DVD players also are backward-compatible, which means one device will play your music CDs and your movies. I predict that, within five years, you won't even rent VHS tapes. You'll rent DVDs and you'll be grateful you have the technology. DVD-ROM will take awhile to emerge as a new software standard, but it will ultimately replace CD-ROM. Indeed, as game and encyclopedia publishers realize they can fit the content of multiple CD-ROMs onto one DVD and save money, DVD-ROMs will proliferate.
This means that anyone buying a new PC for the holidays should seriously consider one equipped with a DVD-ROM reader. Ask your retailer for DVD-ROM-equipped units. And mail-order customers should definitely ask for a quote for a system equipped with a DVD-ROM package. For upgraders, check out the add-on DVD-ROM kits. The new Creative Labs kit, for example, includes the DVD-ROM drive, add-on MPEG cards and some software. But it also includes the AC-3 decoder (now known as Dolby Digital), plus output jacks that enable you to hook your DVD-ROM directly to your television set. So your PC's DVD-ROM kit can perform double duty as your consumer electronics DVD player. Now that's clever. |
