This DVD disc speaks the right language..............................
digitaltheater.com
Lumivision Releases DVD With Eight Languages
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DENVER, COLORADO, U.S.A., Newsbytes via Individual Inc. : Lumivision Corporation
has released the first digital versatile disc (DVD) movie to use all eight sound tracks
available to the Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound format. The 40-minute movie, "Africa:
The Serengeti," uses the tracks to let viewers select an audio voice-over in any of eight
languages.
The firm said the movie is the first of several scheduled for release soon.
In addition to a menued choice of languages, the viewer can choose to see the film
subtitled in a choice of languages. The captions include descriptive closed captioning
for the hearing impaired.
"Africa: The Serengeti" is available in English, Bavarian, Castilian Spanish, Catalan
Spanish, French, Japanese, Korean and Mandarin Chinese.
Gary Sky, Lumivision public relations manager, told Newsbytes about the technology
used to put several language choices onto the same DVD: "We crammed all the digitized
information onto a disc the same size as a regular audio CD- ROM because DVD tracks
are closer together and the digitized information divots, or 'pits,' are a lot smaller and
closer together."
While a DVD system will play regular audio CDs, a DVD player is required to view
DVDs. But, he said, any DVD player can play the new DVD multi-language movies -- the
sound quality is all that suffers. Although the same size as regular CDs, DVDs hold
seven times the data. Each DVD can hold a full-length movie with surround sound, up to
eight language tracks and a higher image quality than VHS tapes. Lumivision DVDs play
on a NTSC-standard DVD player or on DVD drive- equipped PC or Macintosh
computers.
"Dolby 5.1 just means the system has five speakers and a sub- woofer -- a center
speaker, left and right front speakers, left and right back speakers and the point-1 is the
sub-woofer that gives the real heavy bass tones," he said. Using a lesser DVD player
would sacrifice sound quality, but this DVD would still play.
Sky added, "Almost all new computers are being released with DVD-ROM readers that
can read DVDs and regular CDs. Because DVD can store information in double layers,
on both sides, computer software manufacturers are starting to put information onto
DVD, with up to eight hours of play on a single disc. "
Sky said Lumivision was the first company to release DVDs in the Western Hemisphere.
"We were the first to release DVD outside Japan," he said, and added: "We beat
everyone else by about two weeks."
He said movie-making Lumivision has been in the laser disc business for the past ten
years, so it was "natural for us to follow the progression to CD and DVD."
Sky said the firm's next movie for Imax will be "Mystery of the Maya, " in English,
French, Spanish, Japanese and Mandarin Chinese.
A third Imax production, "Ring of Fire," will be out soon, also in five languages.
Sky said Imax productions are in large square format, not wide-screen: " Imax movies are
usually done for places like the Museum of Natural History. " He added, "Imax's first film
was at the World's Fair in Vancouver, Canada, at the first geometric dome, using three
cameras to give the full effects of sensurround -- a sense of space and motion because
of the 70 millimeter (mm) film format."
"Africa: The Serengeti" retails for $29.95.
Lumivision's Web site is at lumivision.com .
Reported by Newsbytes News Network: newsbytes.com .
(19980127/Press & Reader Contact: Gary Sky, Lumivision Corporation, 303-446- 0400)
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