DVD the new frontier

DVD was launched last year to mass public indifference. Now it is everywhere, on newspaper ads and in shop windows, and sales are taking off.

It seems rather churlish to ask, what on earth is it? Kulwinder Singh Rai puts you out of your misery

Well, go on then, what is DVD? So glad you asked. The initials stand for Digital Versatile Disc. They look just like regular CDs from the outside but they can actually store seven times as much data around 4.7Gb, to be precise (enough for an average movie). The plan is for DVD players to replace CD players in the home while DVD-Rom drives replace CD-Rom drives in your computer. Great... I have to ditch my old CDs and CD-Roms. What's the good news? Calm yourself. All DVD players are backwards compatible so they play regular audio CDs and CD-Roms, too. If you're a movie fan, however, you're really going to want DVD videos. These deliver killer audio and video quality and even the smallest capacity disc can contain any movie under 133 minutes (about 94 per cent of everything that comes out of Hollywood). I can watch movies on a PC? Yup. As long as you've got an MPEG-2 decoder card in your PC as well as a DVD-Rom drive (a kit of the two costs around GBP 150), you should be able to watch and listen to movies, though games and reference titles are expected to be more popular for the PC. If the idea of watching flicks on a 15in screen doesn't appeal, get a standalone DVD player for your TV: good ones cost between GBP 200 and GBP 500. Define killer audio and video quality Via a TV you'll get double the horizontal picture resolution of standard VHS tapes (ie, razor- sharp pictures), plus multi-channel Dolby Digital sound on the majority of discs, as heard in your local fleapit. Crikey ...and DVDs are interactive, too. Depending on how imaginative the film studios have been, you can find all sorts of extra information: star biographies, how the film was made, outtakes that didn't make it into the film. Also, you can select any scene you like, have up to eight different language soundtracks on the same disc, subtitles in up to 32 languages, multi- angle viewing. Cor What's more, the film studios are also now beginning to release discs with extra interactive content specifically for DVD- Rom owners. This autumn, Warner Home Video's release of You've Got Mail, starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, will have embedded links to a website with information about the film and stars - click on the screen and the DVD will fire up your modem automatically. Bet the discs cost a bomb Wrong again. DVD software prices in stores generally vary between GBP 15.99 and GBP 19.99. Buy over the Internet and you can generally get discs for between GBP 12.99 and GBP 17.99 - not far off the price of prerecorded VHS videos and audio CDs. Is there anything worth seeing? Yes, but still not enough. There are about 400 titles in the UK, with 1,000-plus due by Christmas, though the Americans have a far greater choice. The film people eventually want to release all new retail DVD titles the same day they become available to rent on VHS. So can I play US-sourced DVDs on my PC? Officially no. Unofficially yes. The Regional Coding copyright protection system is meant to stop you playing discs not intended for Europe. If you are sufficiently technical, and so inclined, there are hacks on the Internet that let you get past it. And US DVD Videos are a cinch to get hold of over the Net. Hmm, I suppose I'd need a degree in microelectronics to set up a DVD-Rom drive for my PC? It's no harder than installing a CD-Rom. You'll need a spare PCI slot in your computer for your decoder card but that's about it. Standalone DVD players are even easier as UK versions come with Scart sockets, the same ones you find on the back of VCRs. And if I want an all-singing, all-dancing home cinema system? For the full monty, you'll also need a Dolby Digital amplifier or receiver (they start at around GBP 400) plus a five-speaker surround sound system, preferably with a subwoofer. This will work with either a DVD player or a DVD-Rom drive, but with the latter you'll need a digital output on your decoder card to get access to Dolby Digital sound. An understanding partner usually helps, too. One last question - can I record on DVD? Not yet. Recordable DVD for the home will hit the shops in about 2002 though DVD-Ram (the write-once PC equivalent) is available now for around GBP 400. So can you tell me how to programme my video? I knew you were just showing a polite interest. No. Please No. Pick of the DVDs Best value DVD player Toshiba SD2109; GBP 300. The exterior styling is really dull but this unassuming-looking deck, just released, produces some of the best pictures and sound you'll see from DVD - certainly at this price. A real revelation. Best DVD movie Armageddon. Justifiably the bestselling DVD movie in the UK, made for digital, which transforms the everyday tale of Bruce Willis blowing up an earthbound asteroid. Amazing detail. Storming Dolby Digital soundtrack. Best DVD-Rom/Decoder packages Creative Labs Encore 6x/DXR3; GBP 149. To play movies on PC, you have to buy the DVD drive and card. Creative was one of the first companies to get involved with DVD-Rom and this is an excellent package from one of top names in video cards, with top picture quality and one of the speediest drives around. KS Rai

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