DVD or Digital Video Disc
DVD was the latest digital laser disc developed and marketed by Philips and Sony, with Panasonic and Toshiba, in the wake of their success with the CD-Compact Disc.Basically using similar technology, they managed to increase the storage capacity to 4.7 GB on a 12 cm disc, same dimension as the CD, enough to hold entire films at a good quality compression rate.
DVD became the consumer digital video format and was launched by the movie and home entertainment business to replace the ubiquitous VHS tape as the primary means of distributing films to consumers in the home entertainment marketplace.
Very soon, consumers were able to use their DVD recorders to record their own material on DVDs too, using them as the did with VHS tape to record television programmes.
Blank recordable DVD discs: DVD-R and DVD+R can be recorded once;
Rewritable DVD discs:(DVD-RW and DVD+RW, can be recorded and erased multiple times like a tape.
Multilingual Keep Case
DVDs are packaged in a keep cases or poly-boxes, measuring 190 mm high and and 135 mm wide, with a spine of 15 mm. These cases are made of soft plastic with a transparent outer jacket and a cover sleeve of 273 mm × 183 mm inside it. They used to include a booklet insert with some information about the films and the company, measuring a maximum of 120mm × 180mm.DVDs come in a plastic box that looks and sits on a shelf like a thin book, to differentiate them from CDs.
A great characteristic of DVD is that they are multilingual. The film on the disc can have dubbing in several languages. It can also offer subtitles in various languages too. So it is useful to follow a story in its original version- like English- and have subtitles -even in English too- to help understand the plot. A really great way to learn a language whilst enjoying a good movie.
The back cover will usually give details of the languages and subtitles available.
There used to be a booklet inside the front flap of the box - a bit like CD albums - with details about the film and the company. Not any more, probably because those are now on the DVD itself and small savings can be made.
In some countries like the UK, where British consumers do not tolerate other languages (funny that!), they always had to wait for as full English version to be sold. None of that foreign rubbish please.But in Brussels, we used to get DVD films in the supermarket weeks before the UK, and it did not matter what language the cover was writtgen in, as long as we could enjoy the film in our chosen language.
And video on demand will let you, for a fee, stream the film or video live to view, but not keep.
And these services become also available for your wide screen super duper smart TV.
No need to go to a video shop any more, nor buy DVDs on line, just get a download/streaming service.
It is impossible to list all the possibilities the services, the connections, the recordings, downloads, streamings and all you can do. You will have to work out what you want, and what is available in your area. Good luck.
RemeMber: on line services can be very painful: easy to subsribe, niot so easy when things do not wotk as intended; they will impose some restrictions: make sure you understand the conditions!
And there are many examples fortunately, a few of them below:
Record and duplicate
Several DVD machines were and still are on offer for the enthusiast:- simple players-recorders: very simple functions to play any standard commercial DVD and record from any video source, like TV on a DVD
- dual machine : VHS + DVD: to record on either or duplicate your own VHS to DVD, but do not expect more than the quality of the VHS original; but handy to archive your own material on a newer better format; and you can record on
- or to duplicate from DVD to the VHS tape, and you will end up with low quality: not an obvious function.
- dual machine: Hard Disk + DVD: to record on either and duplicate from the one to the other; great functions as the Hard Disk allows quite a bit of editing/selection of scenes and you can burn the end result on a DVD R for keeps.
- and later model also have a USB port so that you can do all of the above and dump the recording on a USB stick and take it anywhere.
- computers and similar devices: machines with dual DVD drives can do all sorts of manipulations and processing, like editing your own videos or slide shows and burn a DVD or simply make a DVD compilations with photos, videos, music, there is no limit!
On line services
Progressively, DVD are replace by full digital on line services. You can contract a Web provider, download films and videos to your computer, tablet, etc. keep it for a limited time, view it and that's it.And video on demand will let you, for a fee, stream the film or video live to view, but not keep.
And these services become also available for your wide screen super duper smart TV.
No need to go to a video shop any more, nor buy DVDs on line, just get a download/streaming service.
It is impossible to list all the possibilities the services, the connections, the recordings, downloads, streamings and all you can do. You will have to work out what you want, and what is available in your area. Good luck.
RemeMber: on line services can be very painful: easy to subsribe, niot so easy when things do not wotk as intended; they will impose some restrictions: make sure you understand the conditions!
My own DVDs
My pride and joy is a 5 box set of Reginal Perrin and an omnibus edition of the book by David Nobbs (see above) and my great joy is when I can find a DVD and the book that inspired the film.
And there are many examples fortunately, a few of them below:
- Chocolat, film with Johnny Depp and Judy Dench - book by Joanne Harris
- The girl with the pearl earring - book by Tracey Chevalier
- Many Graham Greene novels have been made into films
