all_about_DVD

FAQ: 

 DVD

A CD-shaped disc that can hold about 10 times the data.

DVD is mainly used to store video.

DVD is a optical disc storage technology. DVD is essentially a bigger, faster CD that can hold cinema-like video, better-than-CD audio, still photos, and computer data. DVD aims to encompass home entertainment, computers, and business information with a single digital format. It has replaced laserdisc, is well on the way to replacing videotape and video game cartridges, and could eventually replace audio CD and CD-ROM. DVD has widespread support from all major electronics companies, all major computer hardware companies, and all major movie and music studios. With this unprecedented support, DVD became the most successful consumer electronics product of all time in less than three years of its introduction. In 2003, six years after introduction, there were over 250 million DVD playback devices worldwide, counting DVD players, DVD PCs, and DVD game consoles. This was more than half the numbers of VCRs, setting DVD up to become the new standard for video publishing.
It's important to understand the difference between the physical formats (such as DVD-ROM and DVD-R) and the application formats (such as DVD-Video and DVD-Audio). DVD-ROM is the base format that holds data. DVD-Video (often simply called DVD) defines how video programs such as movies are stored on disc and played in a DVD-Video player or a DVD computer. The difference is similar to that between CD-ROM and Audio CD. DVD-ROM includes recordable variations: DVD-R/RW, DVD-RAM, and DVD+R/RW. The application formats include DVD-Video, DVD-Video Recording (DVD-VR), DVD+RW Video Recording (DVD+VR), DVD-Audio Recording (AVA-AR), DVD Stream Recording, DVD-Audio, and Super Audio CD (SACD). There are also special application formats for game consoles such as Sony PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Xbox.
The original acronym came from "digital video disc." Some members of the DVD Forum tried to express that DVD goes far beyond video by retrofitting the painfully contorted phrase "digital versatile disc," but this has never been officially accepted by the DVD Forum as a whole. The DVD Forum decreed in 1999 that DVD, as an international standard, is simply three letters.

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A version of DVD on which data can be recorded once.

A version of DVD on which data can be recorded once. Non-official standard by the "DVD-Alliance" (HP, Philips, Sony, Ricoh etc). Uses dye sublimation recording technology.
Likely to become the main standard surpassing DVD-R/RW. (RW=ReWritable).

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Used mainly to store data, in some recorders also used for video.

DVD-RAM - A version of DVD on which data can be recorded more than once. Uses phase-change recording technology.

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Official standard by the DVD-Forum. RW is for rewritable.

Also known as DVD-R/W or DVD-ER, this re-writable format is playable on many DVD players.

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Super Video CD – CD-Format that uses MPEG2-Video.
It's playable on Computers and most low cost DVD-players

Super Video CD, mainly used in Asian countries. Uses MPEG2 Video and therefore much better image quality - LaserDisc-like and also offers High quality surround sound. Furthermore it can take advantage of hardware decoders and there are players for many operating systems. However there are lots of - mostly Asian made low-end - DVD player that can play SVCD and other than SVCD player which are not sold in the US and Europe you can only play SVCDs on your computer. Video is MPEG2 at up to 2600kbit/s and audio MPEG1 audio layer 2 up to 224kbit/s. MPEG2 multichannel audio is also possible, but most players will only output 2 channels and those that will pass through 5.1 audio still require that you have an mpeg2 multichannel capable receiver.

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