Thursday, February 14, 2008

DVD players

DVD players

A DVD looks like a CD but can hold both audio and video data It does this in a compressed format that the DVD Player then decodes to turn into a video signal The greater storage capacity of a DVD means that as well as the audio data you would get on a CD you also get a fulllength movie and extra data like subtitles index information and special features on the one disc
Film studios keen to protect release dates price differentials and the amount of information given in certain markets originally imposed a constraint on DVD Players by restricting which countries DVDs play in All prerecorded DVDs have one of six regional codes and regionlocked DVD Players can only play DVDs from the same region.In addition to regional format variation DVD formats can vary in other ways Common formats are DVDR DVD R DVDRW DVD RW and DVD Ram Not all DVD players can handle all the formats so it is worth checking before you buy which format it is that you will most likely use
Multidisc playersIf youre going to use your DVD player and associated sound system to play your CDs think about a multidisc player Sometimes referred to as DVD Jukeboxes they can store multiple DVDs or CDs
DVD audioAny DVD player will play CDs but some will play newer types of audio disc DVDAudio or SACD which offer better sound quality than a standard CD Only more expensive DVD players and hifi equipment are compatible with these discs
Digital surround soundUtilizes the information on the DVD to provide sound quality almost equal to cinema sound This is accomplished by converting the audio track into signals for each individual speaker usually five speakers and one subwoofer used for low frequency effect Dolby Digital and DTS are two popular surround sound formats
VCD playbackA popular movie format in Asia Video CDs or VCDs are cheaper and lower quality than DVDs They are stored on standard CDs which means they do not have room for extra features Many DVD players also play VCD Playback movies
Display photosCertain DVD players can also display digital photographs on your TV These must be stored on a compatible disc
ResumeIf you are going to view your discs repeatedly the ability to resume where you left off can save a lot of searching Multidisc resume means that the player will remember where to start on up to 30 discs
Bookmarks allow you to store favourite scenes or places in a disc More expensive players allow you to store bookmarks for several discs and remember them even if the disc is removed
ConnectionsThe connections between your DVD player and your TV and stereo can make a huge difference to the quality of the sound and picture These are the connections to think about
Component videoDVDs are encoded in component video If you have a TV with component video input buy a DVD Player with component video output Then connect the player and the TV with a threewire component video cable Before buying a player with component video output make sure you understand the subtle difference between component progressive and component interlaced Svideo connectionThis is the next best thing to component video and is an option on DVD Players that do not have component output and TVs that do not have component input You may need a separate cable for this but the picture difference should be worth it SCART leadsA common form of connection used in the UK is the SCART lead This handles both audio and video signals SCART connections are common on DVD players and newer TVs Gold plated SCART leads give a better connection A SCART connection will give you a better picture than SVideo and is close to component standard SCART cables are not usually included with players Analog RCA connectionsAvailable on almost all DVD Players this connection while not producing results quite as good as others will give you better pictures than your old VCR and importantly will connect DVD players to older televisions that dont have SCART connections Audio connectorsDVD players especially the more expensive models can have many audio outputs Outputs can include phono digital coaxial and digital optical If you are connecting to a separate hifi system this can be a very important feature
Progressive scanThe newest buzzword is progressive scan in the DVD Player market and while more expensive players include it it cant actually be used unless you have a digital TV With it your picture can be refreshed 60 times per second which makes for a sharper almost flicker free picture and is better than anything delivered by the alternative interlaced scanning method

No comments: