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Swanky DVD threatens an end to VHS, which just may be a good thing. A look at the pros and cons of the new format
by MICHAEL CITROME
When DVD hit North American store shelves in March 1997, it looked like a flash in the pan. Players were expensive, movie titles were few and people already had huge libraries of VHS tapes kicking around for almost 20 years.
Now, DVD seems to be turning into one of the biggest consumer--and industry--success stories. According to industry figures, more than eight million DVD players have been sold in North America, and that's not including DVD-ROM drives in home computers, which have the capability to play DVD movies.
DVD players, which premiered at over $1,000, can now be had for $150 or less. But watch out, cheaper players lack certain features--like a component video output for perfect quality, the capability to play recordable CDs full of MP3s, or Video CDs--offered on pricier models. Presently, no DVD player is able to record, so keep your VCR on-hand for recording television programs or presenting your camcorder blockbuster.
More than 25,000 DVD titles are available worldwide and the movie industry is hoping to push VHS right out of the consumer market.
Not that DVD is some cruel industry plot. It's a big improvement over VHS, with more than twice the image quality and better-than-CD sound--but it has as many advantages for vendors as it does for consumers.
Consumer savings
The hardware inside a DVD player is much simpler mechanically than a VCR. It's just a drive and a processor. VCRs have motors, gears and magnetic heads, many more parts than a DVD player.
Cheap to manufacture, DVDs are made just like Compact Discs. Cut a master, stamp the disc, and it's out the door. Making videotape is a complex process that involves spindles and huge bulk recording machines.
Since most new DVD releases are older titles that have already been available on video for years, people are more inclined to buy rather than rent them. So when a movie comes out, it's usually priced to own, at $25 or less. But now, even new movies on DVD are coming out priced to own, while the VHS versions will sell for $60 or more, priced for rental until the demand drops.
Industry cash cow
Cheap manufacturing and consumer dollars are turning DVD into a cash cow for the industry. The studios also like DVD because it's hard to copy--DVD recorders aren't really available to consumers and a copy-protection scheme called Macrovision defeats would-be VHS pirates, unless they invest in special hardware. But any copies wouldn't boast all of DVD's special features.
Region coding is another headache for movie buffs because it ensures that DVDs intended for sale in Europe or North America won't play in each other's machines. This reduces grey-market imports, but region-free players, which will play any DVD, are very popular. The bad news is that the DVD consortium has created region-proof discs that won't play in a region-free player. Mel Gibson's The Patriot is the first of these titles. Put it in your hacked player and get a blue screen. Busted.
But despite all these drawbacks, DVD is almost a dream come true for couch junkies. Suddenly the features of Laserdisc, long avoided for the high cost of both its hardware and software and its limited availability are available to anyone, even on a budget.
Big bonuses
A double-sided double-layered DVD can hold more than eight hours of video, with up to eight soundtracks and 32 subtitle tracks. Using these multiple soundtracks, DVDs can have director's commentaries, a feature previously limited to Laserdiscs.
Multi-Angle lets you switch between up to nine angles of view. First seen in porno discs, it's now commonly used in bonus features like switching between versions of a scene, or camera angles in a concert video. Random access to any time or index mark, and crystal-clear freeze frames also add to DVD's superiority.
Many DVDs are crammed full of bonus material, ranging from the theatrical trailer to cast interviews, ongoing director commentary, cut scenes and making-of featurettes. The Special Edition release of Kevin Smith's Dogma, due out in early spring, includes more than an hour of cut scenes, something that wouldn't be possible on any other medium.
If you're building up a DVD library, pre-ordering titles can save you a lot of money. Check out Future Shop's Web site at www.futureshop.ca for the lowest Canadian prices on the Web on most DVDs, and pre-order discounts of as much as $15-20. A great source for Asian DVDs, especially Hong Kong movies, is www.oneasia.com. The movies are region-free and prices go as low as $10.
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