Enter home theatre

DVD has brought about a distinctive and visible difference to the way we view movies

The leap from VHS format to DVD brought about a fundamental difference in picture quality, and the DVD has taken off like no other music or video format before it.

Its durability is one factor contributing to its incredible popularity. As an optical storage medium, discs have a long-lasting life as it is immune to play-induced degradation.

The digital format also ensures superior picture colour, clarity and exceptional surround sound. Additionally, it can store up to 14 times the amount of information that can be stored on a compact disc.

As the key component of the home theatre system, the DVD is constantly undergoing technological advancements to make it even more attractive to the consumer.

For instance, Korean giant LG's new Super Multi DVD recorder, RCS 7700, is compatible with all storage standards - DVD±R/DVD±RW and DVD-RAM - to maximise user convenience and eliminates limitations in recording formats.

It enables recording on DVD+R double-layer discs, allowing recording 11 hours of video data, which is approximately twice the capacity of existing products.

The RCS-7700 recorder also enables copying from DVD to VCR or vice versa, and its 8-in-2 multi memory-card slots allow a direct link to eight memory cards including memory stick, secure digital (SD) card, multimedia card (MMC) and picture card to play stored photos (JPEG), music (MP3/WMA), DivX and other files.

It also has an IEEE1394 input that allows easy linkages to digital camcorders to copy and edit in DVD and VCR.

Also launching at Gitex this year is Panasonic's range of DIGA DVD recorders with the flagship DMR-EH80V acting as a 4-in-1 multifunctional recorder.

Equipped with a 200-GB hard disk drive (HDD), this model is a multi-functional, integrated VHS VCR/DVD recorder enabling one-touch 6-way dubbing among hard disk drive, DVD and VHS sources.

An SD card slot adds a fourth source - the SD Memory Card.

Main features of the new DVDs are unmatched recording and playback flexibility with lightning-fast response in start-up and recording. The DVDs also feature a built-in DV terminal, built-in SD card slot and SD viewer for JPEG images.

Users can enjoy quick, easy networking and file sharing between the DMR-EH80V and many personal computers, digital still and video cameras, Panasonic's VIERA line of plasma displays, and other SD-enabled A/V devices.

Currently with high-definition set to be the next big thing in entertainment, the introduction of the high-definition versatile disc (HVD) next month by Vinverth assumes great significance.

According to Sajan Joseph George, Director Sales, Jupiter Electronics LLC, Dubai, "The HVD is closest to the movie experience in terms of picture quality, clarity and representation of vivid details."

This drastic technological enhancement of HVD is evident from a comparison of the pixel rate of a movie negative, which stands at 2048x1735, he says.

"On a VCD, the pixel rate is only 320x240 while it is 725x576 for a DVD. On the other hand, the Vinverth HVD offers a 1920x1080 resolution that is twice as good as the DVD and almost comparable to that of the cinema."

Additionally, being a single-sided, double-layered disc, the HVD cannot be copied, says George.

"This serves as a deterrent to piracy and supports the rights of the moviemakers. Vinverth has now gained exclusive rights to distribute Indian movies in HVD format to consumers in the Middle East, India and Africa."

Enthusiasts of Bollywood and south Indian movies can therefore look forward to endless hours of cinematic-like entertainment right in their own home, as the DVD progresses to its next and inevitable step up the digital revolution ladder.