Home » DVD FAQ

Contents

• [0] Where can I get the DVD FAQ?
  • [0.1] Has the DVD FAQ been translated into other languages?
  • [0.2] This FAQ is too long and technical. Is there a simpler version?
  • [0.3] Is this FAQ any good? Who wrote it? How do I know it's accurate?
  • [0.4] How big is this thing?
• [1] General DVD
  • [1.1] What is DVD?
  • [1.2] What are the features of DVD-Video?
  • [1.3] What's the quality of DVD-Video?
  • [1.4] What are the disadvantages of DVD?
  • [1.5] What DVD players and drives are available?
    • [1.5.1] Which player should I buy?
  • [1.6] What DVD titles are available?
    • [1.6.1] Where can I read reviews of DVDs?
    • [1.6.2] How do I find out when a movie or TV show will be available on DVD?
    • [1.6.3] Why isn't my favorite movie on DVD?
    • [1.6.4] How can I find DVDs with specific features or characteristics?
    • [1.6.5] Why do some rental stores and retailers not carry widescreen DVDs?
  • [1.7] How much do players and drives cost?
  • [1.8] How much do discs cost?
  • [1.9] How is DVD doing? Where can I get statistics?
  • [1.10] What are "regional codes," "country codes," or "zone locks"?
  • [1.11] What are the copy protection issues?
  • [1.12] What about music on DVD: DVD-Audio and SACD?
    • [1.12.1] What's the difference between DVD-Audio discs and DVD-Music discs?
  • [1.13] Which studios support DVD?
  • [1.14] Can DVD record from TV/VCR/etc?
  • [1.15] What happens if I scratch the disc? Aren't discs too fragile to be rented?
  • [1.16] VHS is good enough, why should I care about DVD?
  • [1.17] Is the packaging different from CD?
  • [1.18] What's a dual-layer disc? Will it work in all players?
  • [1.19] Is DVD-Video a worldwide standard? Does it work with NTSC, PAL, and SECAM?
  • [1.20] What about animation on DVD? Doesn't it compress poorly?
  • [1.21] Why do some discs require side flipping? Can't DVDs hold four hours per side?
  • [1.22] Why is the picture squished, making things look too skinny?
  • [1.23] Do all videos use Dolby Digital (AC-3)? Do they all have 5.1 channels?
  • [1.24] Can DVDs have "laser rot"?
  • [1.25] Which titles are pan & scan only? Why?
  • [1.26] How do I make the subtitles on my Pioneer player go away?
  • [1.27] Why does playback sometimes freeze for a second?
  • [1.28] The disc says Dolby Digital. Why do I get 2-channel surround audio?
  • [1.29] Why doesn't the repeat A-B feature work on some discs?
  • [1.30] What's the difference between first, second, and third generation DVD?
  • [1.31] What's a hybrid DVD?
  • [1.32] What's the deal with DTS and DVD?
  • [1.33] Why is the picture black and white?
  • [1.34] Why are both sides fullscreen when one side is supposed to be widescreen?
  • [1.35] Why are the audio and video out of sync?
  • [1.36] Why does the picture alternate between light and dark?
  • [1.37] How do I find "Easter eggs" and other hidden features?
  • [1.38] How do I get rid of the black bars at the top and bottom?
  • [1.39] How should I clean and care for DVDs?
  • [1.40] What's a progressive DVD player?
  • [1.41] Why doesn't disc X work in player Y?
  • [1.42] How do the parental control and multi-ratings features work?
  • [1.43] Which discs include multiple camera angles?
  • [1.44] Is it ok to put labels or magnetic strips on DVDs?
  • [1.45] What's the difference between Closed Captions and subtitles?
  • [1.46] What do the "D" codes on region 2 DVDs mean?
  • [1.47] What's firmware and why would I need to upgrade it?
  • [1.48] Are there discs to help me test, optimize, or show off my audio/video system?
  • [1.49] What do Sensormatic and Checkpoint mean?
  • [1.50] What are Superbit, Infinifilm, and other variations of DVD?
  • [1.51] I don't know the parental control password for my player. What do I do?
  • [1.52] Can my DVD player get a virus?
• [2] DVD's relationship to other products and technologies
  • [2.1] Will DVD replace VCRs?
  • [2.2] Will DVD replace CD?
  • [2.3] Can CD-R writers create DVDs?
  • [2.4] Is CD compatible with DVD?
    • [2.4.1] Is CD audio (CD-DA) compatible with DVD?
    • [2.4.2] Is CD-ROM compatible with DVD-ROM?
    • [2.4.3] Is CD-R compatible with DVD?
    • [2.4.4] Is CD-RW compatible with DVD?
    • [2.4.5] Is Video CD compatible with DVD?
    • [2.4.6] Is Super Video CD compatible with DVD?
    • [2.4.7] Is Picture CD or Photo CD compatible with DVD?
    • [2.4.8] Is CD-i compatible with DVD?
    • [2.4.9] Is Enhanced CD compatible with DVD?
    • [2.4.10] Is CD+G compatible with DVD?
    • [2.4.11] Is CDV compatible with DVD?
    • [2.4.12] Is MP3 compatible with DVD?
    • [2.4.13] Is HDCD compatible with DVD?
  • [2.5] Is laserdisc compatible with DVD?
  • [2.6] Will DVD replace laserdisc?
  • [2.7] How does DVD compare to laserdisc?
  • [2.8] Can I modify or upgrade my laserdisc player to play DVD?
  • [2.9] Does DVD support HDTV (DTV)? Will HDTV make DVD obsolete?
  • [2.10] What is Divx?
  • [2.11] How can I record from DVD to videotape?
  • [2.12] Will high-definition DVD or 720p DVD make current players and discs obsolete?
  • [2.13] What effect will FMD have on DVD?
  • [2.14] How does MPEG-4 affect DVD?
  • [2.15] What's WebDVD?
  • [2.16] What's a Nuon player?
  • [2.17] What effect will D-VHS have on DVD?
• [3] DVD technical details
  • [3.1] What are the outputs of a DVD player?
  • [3.2] How do I hook up a DVD player?
    • [3.2.1] Will I have problems connecting my VCR between my TV and my DVD player?
    • [3.2.2] Why is the audio or video bad?
  • [3.3] What are the sizes and capacities of DVD?
    • [3.3.1] When did double-sided, dual-layer discs (DVD-18) become available?
  • [3.4] What are the video details?
    • [3.4.1] What does "lines of resolution" mean?
  • [3.5] What's widescreen? How do the aspect ratios work?
  • [3.6] What are the audio details?
    • [3.6.1] Details of DVD-Audio and SACD
    • [3.6.2] Audio details of DVD-Video
    • [3.6.3] Can you explain this Dolby Digital, Dolby Surround, Dolby Pro Logic, DTS stuff in plain English?
    • [3.6.4] Why is the audio level from my DVD player so low?
    • [3.6.5] Why is the dialog hard to hear?
  • [3.7] How do the interactive features work?
  • [3.8] What is the difference between interlaced and progressive video?
  • [3.9] What is edge enhancement?
  • [3.10] Does DVD work with barcodes?
  • [3.11] What is BCA or NBCA?
  • [3.12] How long do DVDs last?
  • [3.13] What about the HD-DVD and blue laser formats?
• [4] DVD and computers
  • [4.1] Can I play DVD movies on my computer?
    • [4.1.1] Can I play DVD-Audio discs on my computer?
  • [4.2] What are the features and speeds of DVD-ROM drives?
    • [4.2.1] What is the audio output connector on a DVD drive for?
  • [4.3] What about recordable DVD: DVD-R, DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, and DVD+R?
    • [4.3.1] Is it true there are compatibility problems with recordable DVD formats?
    • [4.3.2] DVD-R
    • [4.3.3] DVD-RW
    • [4.3.4] DVD-RAM
      • [4.3.4.1] How do I remove a DVD-RAM type 2 disc from the cartridge?
    • [4.3.5] DVD+RW and DVD+R
    • [4.3.6] Which recordable DVD format should I buy?
    • [4.3.7] Other recordable optical formats
    • [4.3.8] How long does DVD recording take?
    • [4.3.9] Which color of recordable DVD is best?
    • [4.3.10] When will dual-layer recordable DVDs be available?
    • [4.3.11] What does 2x, 4x, 16x, and so on mean on recordable discs, and which one should I use?
  • [4.4] Why can't I take a screenshot of DVD video? Why do I get a pink or black square?
  • [4.5] Why can't I play movies copied to my hard drive?
  • [4.6] Why do I have problems playing DVDs on my computer?
  • [4.7] Can I stream DVD over a network or the Internet?
  • [4.8] What is DeCSS?
  • [4.9] How do I play DVD video in HTML, PowerPoint, Director, VB, etc.?
  • [4.10] What are .IFO, .VOB, and .AOB files? How can I play them?
  • [4.11] How do I get the Microsoft Windows DVD player application to run?
  • [4.12] I upgraded to Windows XP, why did my DVD software stop working?
  • [4.13] How can I rip audio from a DVD to play as MP3 or burn to a CD?
• [5] DVD production
  • [5.1] How much does it cost to produce a DVD? Isn't it more expensive than videotape, laserdisc, and CD-ROM?
  • [5.2] What DVD-ROM formatting tools are available?
  • [5.3] What DVD production tools are available?
    • [5.3.1] Video encoding tools
    • [5.3.2] Audio encoding tools
    • [5.3.3] Other production tools
    • [5.3.4] Other production services
  • [5.4] What DVD authoring systems are available?
  • [5.5] Who can produce a DVD for me?
  • [5.6] What testing/verification services and tools are available?
  • [5.7] Can I put DVD-Video content on a CD-R or CD-RW?
  • [5.8] How do I copy my home videos/movies/slides to DVD?
  • [5.9] How can I copy a DVD?
    • [5.9.1] What's with those "Copy any DVD" e-mails?
  • [5.10] How do I get a job making DVDs?
  • [5.11] Where can I get DVD training?
  • [5.12] How can I sell DVDs that I made?
  • [5.13] How do I put a PowerPoint presentation on DVD?
• [6] Miscellaneous
  • [6.1] Who invented DVD and who owns it? Whom to contact for specifications and licensing?
  • [6.2] Who is making or supporting DVD products?
    • [6.2.1] Consumer electronics
    • [6.2.2] Studios, video publishers, and distributors
    • [6.2.3] Hardware and computer components
    • [6.2.4] Computer software titles on DVD-ROM
  • [6.3] Where can I buy (or rent) DVDs and players?
    • [6.3.1] Where can I buy blank recordable DVDs?
  • [6.4] Where can I get more information about DVD?
    • [6.4.1] A few of the top DVD info sites
    • [6.4.2] DVD utilities and region-free information
    • [6.4.3] Information and discussion groups for DVD authors
    • [6.4.4] DVD info for specific regions
    • [6.4.5] DVD info in other languages
    • [6.4.6] Books about DVD
  • [6.5] What's new with DVD technology?
• [7] Leftovers
  • [7.1] Unanswered questions
  • [7.2] Notation and units
  • [7.3] Acknowledgmen