Standards
`
`Editor: Peiya Liu
`Siemens Corporate Research
`
`DVD-Video:
`Multimedia for the Masses
`
`Jim Taylor
`
`DVD—which stands for nothing, Digital Video
`
`Disc, or Digital Versatile Disc, depending on
`whom you ask—is the next generation of optical
`disc storage technology. It’s essentially a bigger,
`faster compact disc that can hold video as well as
`audio and computer data. DVD aims to encompass
`home entertainment, computers, and business
`information with a single digital format, eventu-
`ally replacing audio CD, videotape, laser disc, CD-
`ROM, and perhaps even video game cartridges.
`DVD has widespread—and unprecedented—
`support from all major electronics companies, all
`major computer hardware companies, and most
`major movie and music studios, which says much
`for its chances of success.
`The DVD Consortium, composed of 10 com-
`panies (Hitachi, JVC, Matsushita, Mitsubishi,
`Philips, Pioneer, Sony, Thomson, Time Warner,
`and Toshiba) developed DVD. Originally two
`competing formats existed: the Multimedia Com-
`pact Disc (MMCD) format backed by Sony,
`Philips, and others; and the Super Disc (SD) for-
`mat backed by Toshiba, Matsushita, Time Warn-
`er, and others. A group of computer companies
`led by IBM insisted that DVD proponents agree on
`a single standard. The combined DVD format,
`announced in September of 1995, avoided a con-
`fusing and costly repeat of the VHS versus Beta-
`Max videotape battle or the quadraphonic sound
`
`Table 1. DVD recordable formats.
`
`Availability Date
`Recordability
`Format
`10/97
`Record once
`DVD-R 1.0
`8/99
`Record once
`DVD-R 1.9
`6/98
`Rewritable
`DVD-RAM 1.0
`Estimated mid-2000
`Rewritable
`DVD-RAM 2.0
`Early 2000
`Rewritable
`DVD-RW
`10/99
`Rewritable
`DVD+RW 1.0
`Estimated early 2001
`Rewritable
`DVD+RW 2.0
`R=record, RAM=random access memory, RW=rewritable (or read/write).
`
`86
`
`1070-986X/99/$10.00 © 1999 IEEE
`
`battle of the 1970s. After developing the specifi-
`cations and standards, the Consortium changed
`its name to the DVD Forum and opened up mem-
`bership. At the end of 1998 the DVD Forum had
`about 200 member companies.
`Unlike CD-ROM, which is a data storage for-
`mat kludged from a digital audio format, DVD
`was built, from the ground up, as a complete fam-
`ily of formats based on a digital data storage foun-
`dation. DVD-ROM holds computer data read by a
`DVD-ROM drive hooked up to a computer. DVD-
`Video (often simply called DVD) is an application
`built on top of DVD-ROM. DVD-Video holds
`video programs played in a DVD player hooked
`up to a TV. The difference between DVD-ROM
`and DVD-Video resembles that between CD-ROM
`and audio CD, including the important point that
`DVD-Video discs can be played in computers. In
`addition to DVD-Video, which was introduced
`with DVD-ROM in late 1996, there exists an (as
`yet) unreleased DVD-Audio format, finalized in
`February of 1999. DVD-ROM also includes record-
`able variations (DVD-R, DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, and
`DVD+RW), some not yet available, and some sub-
`ject to sibling rivalry. That is, some competing for-
`mats are incompatible. See Table 1.
`Most of the DVD format is proprietary to the
`DVD Forum. The official DVD specification books
`are available from Toshiba by signing a nondisclo-
`sure agreement and paying a $5,000 fee. Some por-
`tions of the DVD specification that specify physical
`disc characteristics were submitted to ECMA for
`standardization and can be downloaded for free at
`http://www.ecma.ch. Table 2 shows the capacities
`of each DVD type. The basic DVD-ROM format is
`covered in ECMA-267 and ECMA-268, DVD-R in
`ECMA-279, DVD-RAM in ECMA-272 and ECMA-
`273, and DVD+RW in ECMA-274. The UDF file sys-
`tem specification used by all DVD formats is
`available from the Optical Storage Technology Asso-
`ciation at http://www.osta.org. For standards used
`in DVD see the sidebar (page 88).
`
`
`Page 00001
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`Apple Exhibit 1045
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`

`

`Table 2. DVD capacities.
`
`Gigabytes
`Sides/Layers
`Format
`4.38 (4.7)
`Single side/single layer
`DVD-5
`7.95 (8.6)
`Single side/dual layer
`DVD-9
`8.75 (9.4)
`Double side/single layer
`DVD-10
`12.3 (13.2)
`Double side/mixed layer*
`DVD-14
`15.9 (17.1)
`Double side/dual layer
`DVD-18
`3.68 (4.0)
`Single side/single layer**
`DVD-R 1.0
`4.38 (4.7)
`Single side/single layer**
`DVD-R 2.0
`2.40 (2.6)
`DVD-RAM 1.0 Single side/single layer**
`4.38 (4.7)
`DVD-RAM 2.0 Single side/single layer**
`4.38 (4.7)
`DVD-RW
`Single side/single layer**
`2.79 (3.0)
`DVD+RW
`Single side/single layer**
`*Single layer on one side, dual layer on the other.
`**All recordable formats allow dual-sided discs, effectively doubling the capacity.
`
`x CD
`6.9
`12.5
`13.8
`19.4
`25.0
`5.8
`6.9
`3.8
`6.9
`6.9
`4.4
`
`Typical
`Hours
`2.2
`4.0
`4.5
`6.5
`8.0
`1.8
`2.2
`1.2
`2.2
`2.2
`1.4
`
`Minimum to
`Maximum Hours
`1.0 to 9.0
`1.9 to 16.5
`2.1 to 18.1
`2.9 to 25.6
`3.8 to 33.0
`0.9 to 7.6
`1.0 to 9.0
`0.6 to 4.9
`1.0 to 9.0
`1.0 to 9.0
`0.6 to 5.4
`
`July–September 1999
`
`87
`
`More than movies
`Unlike CD-ROM drives, which took hold in
`computers largely because of the success of CD
`audio format, DVD-ROM drives are quickly
`becoming a standard item on computers, already
`outselling home DVD players by a factor of ten.
`Ironically, the much smaller market of home
`DVD-Video players has a much larger selection of
`titles, mostly Hollywood movies, than does the
`computer market.
`Although movies occupy the limelight of the
`DVD phenomenon, the DVD-Video format is
`capable of much more. Because the discs play on
`home players as well as a wide variety of DVD-
`equipped computers, the DVD-Video standard
`provides a compelling interactive multimedia for-
`mat. DVD-Video was primarily designed for
`movies, but its feature set, though rudimentary,
`allows for surprisingly sophisticated products.
`Savvy developers, such as DVant Digital, have
`shown that more than 95 percent of some PC-
`based interactive video-game features can be
`duplicated on DVD-Video discs that work on the
`simplest home DVD-Video players.
`
`DVD-Video
`DVD-Video requires that content be authored
`in a specific way. The constraints of DVD-Video,
`as opposed to the wide-open anarchy of DVD-
`ROM, allow the standardization of inexpensive
`DVD-Video players. Specialized DVD-Video
`authoring systems are needed to multiplex audio,
`video, graphics, control data, and navigation data
`into custom .VOB and .IFO files that are stored in
`a VIDEO_TS directory at the root of the disc.
`
`DVD-Video data structures
`DVD-Video data organization structure repre-
`sents the physical location of data on the disc. Since
`data may be shared among different titles and pro-
`grams, logical data structures overlay the physical
`structure. The logical structures contain navigation
`information and determine the presentation order
`of information, independent of the physical order.
`
`Physical data structure
`The physical data structure determines how
`data is organized and placed on the disc. The stan-
`dard specifies storing data sequentially, in a phys-
`ically contiguous order. The primary physical
`block is a video title set (VTS), which contains
`internal information about the title, followed by
`video object sets. The video object set structures
`are broken into 1-megabyte chunks that are stored
`as .VOB files on the disc. The first video object set
`may be an optional menu, followed by video
`object sets that contain the actual title content.
`Quite often, a video title set contains only one
`title. A title refers to the logical construct (a movie,
`an episode, a collection of songs, and so on).
`The main menu (the title menu) is called the
`video manager (VMG) and is a special case of a
`video title set. If present, this menu is the first thing
`the viewer sees after inserting the disc. Alternately,
`a special autoplay piece (called a first-play program
`chain or PGC) automatically begins playback.
`Data at the video object set (VOBS) level
`includes attributes for video, audio, and subpic-
`ture. The language of audio and subpictures can
`be identified with ISO 639 codes and also as com-
`mentary, simplified audio, and so forth.
`
`
`Page 00002
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`

`

`Standards
`
`DVD-ROM standards
`z File system: OSTA Universal Disc Format Specifi-
`cation: 1996 (Appendix 6.9) “OSTA UDF Com-
`pliant Domain” of ISO/IEC 13346: 1995 Volume
`and file structure of write-once and rewritable
`media using nonsequential recording for infor-
`mation interchange. (Note: ECMA 167, 2d edi-
`tion, 1994, is equivalent to ISO/IEC 13346:1995.)
`
`z File system: ISO 9660:1988 Information pro-
`cessing—Volume and file structure of CD-ROM
`for information interchange (Note: Equivalent
`to ECMA 119, 2d edition, 1987.)
`
`z Device interface: SFF 8090 ATAPI/SCSI (Mt. Fuji)
`
`z Physical connection
`—ANSI X3.131-1994: Information Systems:
`Small Computer Systems Interface-2 (SCSI-2)
`—ANSI X3.277-1996: Information Technology:
`SCSI-3 Fast-20
`—ANSI X3.221-1994: Information Systems: AT
`Attachment
`Interface
`for Disc Drives
`(EIDE/ATA)
`—ANSI X3.279-1996: Information Technology:
`AT Attachment Interface with Extensions
`(ATA-2)
`
`DVD-Video standards: Video content
`z MPEG-1 video: ISO/IEC 11172-2: 1993 Infor-
`mation technology—Coding of moving pic-
`tures and associated audio for digital storage
`media at up to about 1.5 Mbps—Part 2: Video
`
`z MPEG-2 video:
`ISO/IEC 13818-2: 1996 Infor-
`mation technology—Generic coding of moving
`pictures and associated audio information:
`Video (ITU-T H.262)
`
`z NTSC video
`—SMPTE 170M-1994 Television: Composite
`Analog Video Signal—NTSC for Studio
`Applications
`—ITU-R BT.470-4 Television Systems
`
`z PAL video: ITU-R BT.470-4 Television Systems
`
`z Source video: ITU-R BT.601-5 Studio encoding
`parameters of digital television for standard 4:3
`and wide-screen 16:9 aspect ratios
`
`z PAL wide-screen signaling
`—ETS 300 294 Edition 2:1995-12 Television
`Systems;
`625-Line
`Television: Wide-Screen Signaling (WSS)
`—ITU-R BT.1119-1 Wide-screen signaling for
`broadcasting. Signaling for wide-screen and
`other enhanced television parameters
`
`z NTSC wide-screen signaling and analog copy
`generation management system (CGMS-A)
`—EIAJ CPX-1204
`—IEC 1880 (amends EIA-608)
`
`z PAL analog copy generation management system
`(CGMS-A): ITU-R BT.1119-1 Wide-screen sig-
`naling for broadcasting. Signaling for wide-screen
`and other enhanced television parameters
`
`z Film/camera mode: ETS 300 294 Edition 2:
`1995-12
`
`DVD-Video standards: Audio content
`z Dolby Digital audio: AC-3 (ATSC A/52 1995)
`and ITU 11-3/25
`
`z MPEG-1 audio: ISO/IEC 11172-3: 1993 Infor-
`mation technology—Coding of moving pic-
`tures and associated audio for digital storage
`media at up to about 1.5 Mbps—Part 3: Audio
`
`z MPEG-2 audio: ISO/IEC 13818-3: 1995 Infor-
`mation technology—Generic coding of moving
`pictures and associated audio information—
`Part 3: Audio
`
`z Digital audio interface
`—IEC 958 (1989-02) Digital audio interface
`(Type II: Consumer)
`—IEC 958-2 (1994-07) Digital audio interface—
`Part 2: Software information delivery mode
`—IEC 1937 (draft as of 1997) (also ATSC A/52
`Annex B: AC-3 Data Stream in IEC 958
`Interface)
`
`z Optical digital audio: EIAJ CP-340
`
`z Recording codes: ISO 3901: 1986 Documenta-
`tion—International Standard Recording Code
`(ISRC)
`
`Standards
`
`IEEE MultiMedia
`
`88
`
`
`Page 00003
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`

`July–September 1999
`
`89
`
`Each video object set consists of one or more
`video objects. The granularity of the video object
`level groups or interleaves blocks for seamless
`branching and camera angles. A video object
`makes up part or all of an MPEG-2 program stream.
`A video object consists of one or more cells.
`The smallest addressable chunk, a cell is a group
`of pictures or audio blocks. A cell can be as short
`as a second or as long as a movie. Cell IDs depend
`on the video object in which they reside, so a cell
`can be uniquely identified by its cell ID and video
`object ID. Note that the player may need to get
`additional presentation information about the cell
`from the program chain (discussed later).
`Each cell is further divided into video object
`units (VOBUs). In spite of its name, a video object
`unit doesn’t always contain video. An integer
`number of video fields, a video object unit lasts
`from 0.4 to 1 second, unless last in a cell, in which
`case it can be up to 1.2 seconds long. Analog pro-
`tection system (APS) data, stored at the video
`object unit level, specifies if analog protection
`(Macrovision) is off or if it’s one of three types:
`AGC (automatic gain control), AGC + 2-line Col-
`orstripe, or AGC + 4-line Colorstripe. The analog
`protection system data tells the Macrovision cir-
`cuitry in the player when to turn on.
`Finally, at the bottom of the heap, video
`object units break into packs of packets. The for-
`mat of packs and packets complies with the MPEG
`standard. Packs include system clock reference
`information for timing and synchronization. Each
`packet identifies which stream it belongs to and
`carries a chunk of data for that stream. Packs are
`stored in recording order, interleaved according
`to the different streams multiplexed together. Dif-
`ferent packs contain data for navigation, video,
`audio, and subpicture.
`
`Logical data structure
`The presentation data structure overlays the
`physical data structure. The top level is made up
`of titles. Each title contains up to 999 program
`chains. A program chain contains 0 to 99 pro-
`grams (PGs), which are ordered collections of
`pointers to cells. The physical data and the logical
`presentation data structure converge at the cell
`level. The program chain links cells together and
`indicates the order in which to play the programs
`and cells. Programs within a program chain can
`be flagged for sequential play, random play (ran-
`domly selected and repeatable), or shuffle play
`(played in random order without repeats). More
`than one program chain may use individual cells
`
`making parental management and seamless
`branching possible: different program chains
`define different sequences through mostly the
`same material. The presentation data structure
`includes additional groupings within levels.
`The groupings provide additional organization
`and include leading and/or trailing information,
`such as a set of commands to execute just before
`or just after displaying a video sequence. Group-
`ings include parental blocks, used for parental
`management; angle blocks for multiple camera
`angles; interleaved blocks for seamless branching;
`and so on.
`The part of titles (PTT) construct is commonly
`called a chapter. Think of a part of title as a mark-
`er or branch point, not a container. For a multi-
`program-chain title, the user may take different
`paths from program chain to program chain, so
`“chapter 2” via one path might include different
`program chains than “chapter 2” via another path.
`DVD data streams also contain control infor-
`mation such as video display format (NTSC—
`National Television System Committee—or
`PAL—Phase-Alternate Line), aspect ratio, lan-
`guage, audio and subpicture selection, and moral
`codes for parental management. They also con-
`tain search and navigation information for ran-
`dom access, trick play modes (fast forward and fast
`reverse), menus, and so on.
`
`DVD-Video features
`The DVD-Video specification provides the fol-
`lowing features.
`
`z More than two hours of variable bit-rate
`MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 MP@ML (main profile at
`main level) digital video (over four hours per
`side when using dual layers). The average video
`data rate is usually 4 Mbps, with a maximum
`of 9.8 Mbps. DVD doesn’t allow MPEG-2 pro-
`gressive sequences, but frames can still be
`stored in progressive format. This allows inter-
`lace encoding of progressive source material,
`such as film, for proper display on a television
`monitor (including 2-3 pulldown performed by
`the player, where the first frame of a film frame
`pair is repeated as two video fields, while the
`second film frame repeats as three video fields).
`The progressive source material can also be
`woven back together for an improved picture
`on progressive displays.
`
`z Support for wide-screen movies on standard or
`wide-screen TVs (4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios).
`
`
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`

`Video can be anamorphically compressed on a
`disc for improved resolution on wide-screen dis-
`plays. Players can automatically letterbox—fit
`the full width of video to the display and cover
`the gaps at the top and bottom with black bars—
`the anamorphic video for standard 4:3 monitors.
`
`z Up to eight tracks of multichannel PCM (pulse
`code modulation), Dolby Digital, MPEG, or
`DTS (digital theater systems) audio (for multi-
`ple languages, commentaries, simplified dialog,
`and so forth). Tracks can be identified with lan-
`guage codes and selected by the viewer.
`
`z Up to 32 subpicture tracks. Subpictures are full-
`screen graphic overlays for subtitles, captions,
`karaoke, text effects, highlighting, pointers,
`and so forth.
`
`z Automatic, seamless branching of video (for
`multiple story lines or multiple ratings versions
`of a single movie on one disc). Parental con-
`trols can be configured for up to eight levels.
`
`z Up to nine camera angles. A unique feature that
`provides simultaneous, user-selectable video
`streams for variations of a movie, differences in
`time or place, views from different characters’
`eyes, different difficulty levels, isolation of an
`athlete or musician, various views of equip-
`ment in a training video, and much more.
`
`z On-screen menus, including codes for match-
`ing the menu language to the language setting
`of a player.
`
`z Interactive features based on a command lan-
`guage (registers, math operations, compar-
`isons, branching, and so forth).
`
`z Instant rewind and fast forward, including
`search by title, chapter, or that of timecode.
`
`z Durability (no wear occurs from playing, only
`from physical damage).
`
`Most discs don’t contain all features (multiple
`audio/subtitle tracks, seamless branching, or
`parental control, for example), as each feature
`must be specially authored.
`
`The appeal of DVD-Video
`DVD has many advantages over other media,
`including videotape, print, CD-ROM, and the
`
`Internet. Even compared to CD-ROM multimedia,
`DVD’s ability to carry large amounts of full-screen
`video makes it more compelling, more effective,
`and more entertaining. Benefits include
`
`z Low cost. DVD-Video’s production and repli-
`cation costs less than that of videotape. While
`a single DVD costs more to replicate than a sin-
`gle CD, DVDs are cheaper when you consider
`their larger capacity. One DVD-ROM can store
`the same amount of data as 20 or more CD-
`ROMs. Businesses spending millions of dollars
`on videotapes can reduce the cost of duplica-
`tion and inventory by at least a factor of four
`once DVD players become widespread.
`
`z Simple, inexpensive, and reliable distribu-
`tion. Five-inch discs are easier and cheaper to
`mail than tapes or books. Optical discs aren’t
`susceptible to damage from magnetic fields, X
`rays, or even cosmic rays, which can damage
`tapes or magnetic discs in transit.
`
`z Ubiquity. An apparent drawback to DVD—
`especially DVD-Video—is lack of an installed
`base of players. As DVD-ROM overtakes CD-
`ROM, it will greatly amplify the audience for
`DVD-based material. In the business world, the
`number of installations capable of playing
`DVD-Video will probably exceed the number
`of VCRs in late 1999 or early 2000.
`
`z High capacity. A dual-layer DVD-Video disc can
`hold more than four hours of video—more
`than 15 if compressed at videotape quality. Fif-
`teen hours of video requires three videocas-
`settes or takes more than 25 hours to transmit
`over the Internet with a high-speed T1 con-
`nection. A dual-layer disc can hold almost 300
`hours of stereo audio at close to CD quality.
`
`z Self-contained ease of use. The features of
`DVD-Video can provide instruction, tutorials,
`and pop-up help. A disc can start with a menu
`of programs, how-to sections, and background
`information. The viewer can select appropriate
`material, instantly repeat any piece, or jump
`from section to section.
`
`z Portability. A portable DVD-Video player—the
`size of a portable CD player—fits into a brief-
`case and hooks up to any television or video
`monitor. Future developments will include all-
`in-one units with an integrated LCD video
`
`Standards
`
`IEEE MultiMedia
`
`90
`
`
`Page 00005
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`July–September 1999
`
`91
`
`screen for small presentations and portable
`video projectors with built-in DVD-Video play-
`ers for large audiences. Notebook computers
`with DVD-ROM drives allow both DVD-Video
`and DVD-ROM multimedia presentations.
`
`z Desktop production. DVD will enable complete
`digital video production, from beginning to
`end, with inexpensive desktop equipment. A
`virtual video production studio on a desktop—
`a digital video camera, nonlinear video editing
`software, and a DVD recorder—will cost less
`than $10,000 by 2000.
`
`z Merged media. DVD bridges many different
`information sources. A single disc can contain
`all the information normally provided by
`such disparate sources as videotapes, newspa-
`pers, computer databases, audiotapes, printed
`directories, and information kiosks. Training
`videos can accompany printable manuals,
`product demonstrations can include spec
`sheets and order forms, databases can include
`Internet links for updated information, prod-
`uct catalogs can include video demonstra-
`tions, and so on.
`
`z Copyright protection. DVD-Video discs can
`contain Macrovision trigger bits to turn on the
`Macrovision circuitry that’s mandatory in
`every player (including computers). It can also
`embed Copy Generation Management System
`(CGMS) information in analog video output. It
`uses its own unique Contents Scramble System
`(CSS) encryption to prevent easy copying of
`movies as computer files.
`
`The disadvantages of DVD-Video
`Of course DVD isn’t perfect…
`
`z It will take years for the installed base to reach
`significant proportions. Even with the advan-
`tage of DVD PCs, DVD has a long way to go
`before it catches up with VCRs in the home.
`
`z The vagueness of specs and inadequate testing
`of players and discs has resulted in incompati-
`bilities. Some movie discs don’t function fully
`(or don’t play at all) on some players.
`
`z DVD can’t record video (yet). The recordable
`formats currently work only for computer data,
`not video, although the DVD Forum is devel-
`oping new recording specifications.
`
`z Regional management complicates DVD-
`Video. The DVD-Video specification divides
`the world into six geopolitical regions. Each
`player (including DVD-ROM drives) is identi-
`fied with a single region code. Discs can be
`coded to play only in specific regions.
`
`z DVD is not a true worldwide standard. In addi-
`tion to regions, the video must be encoded for
`playback on 525 scan lines/60 Hz (NTSC) or
`625 scan lines/50 Hz (PAL) displays. Very few
`NTSC players can’t play PAL discs, but fortu-
`nately PAL players can play NTSC discs and
`produce a signal that works on most modern
`PAL televisions.
`
`z DVD uses digital compression. Poorly com-
`pressed audio or video may be blocky, fuzzy,
`harsh, or vague.
`
`z DVD doesn’t fully support high-definition TV
`(HDTV). An interim digital format, it looks bet-
`ter on HDTVs than most any forms of prere-
`corded video, but first-generation DVD can’t
`carry high-definition signals.
`
`z Some DVD players and drives may not be able
`to read CD-Rs, because the organic dye used in
`CD-R media is essentially invisible to the wave-
`length of laser used by DVD.
`
`z Current DVD-Video players and DVD-ROM
`drives can’t read some recordable discs, speci-
`fically the DVD-RAM and DVD+RW formats.
`
`DVD-Audio: Waiting in the wings
`When DVD products first appeared in 1996, no
`DVD-Audio format existed, although the audio
`capabilities of DVD-Video far surpassed CD. The
`DVD Forum sought additional input from the
`music industry before defining the DVD-Audio
`format. The final DVD-Audio 1.0 specification was
`approved in February 1999 and released in March.
`The earliest possible release date for DVD-Audio
`products is late 1999 because of the slow process
`of selecting copy protection features (encryption
`and watermarking). The Recording Industry Asso-
`ciation of America’s (RIAA) Secure Digital Music
`Initiative (SDMI) could potentially push the intro-
`duction of DVD-Audio into 2000.
`DVD-Audio is a separate format from DVD-
`Video. DVD-Audio discs can be designed to work in
`DVD-Video players, but it’s possible to make a
`DVD-Audio disc that won’t play in a DVD-Video
`
`
`Page 00006
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`

`

`attractive sibling. Additional impetus may come
`from music labels promoting the format to take
`advantage of its copy protection features. In any
`case, the penetration of DVD-Audio will be much
`slower than DVD-Video, especially since the audio
`features of DVD-Video suffice for most needs.
`
`Hybrid DVD: A paradigm for our times
`One of the most interesting developments in
`the DVD world is the combination of DVD-Video
`and DVD-ROM content, typically with a pinch of
`Internet connectivity thrown in. Combining the
`power of high-quality video and audio with the
`timeliness and interactivity of the Internet fosters
`a new breed of multimedia products. PC-
`enhanced movies, video-enhanced PC titles, soft-
`ware that upgrades itself, and video from a DVD
`that can only be accessed via a Web site demon-
`strate a few of the interesting applications that
`result when DVD’s high bandwidth bolsters the
`Internet’s low bandwidth.
`Microsoft’s new Windows Media Player,
`released with Internet Explorer 5, will empower
`myriad new integrations of DVD and HTML.
`When the Windows Media Player object is embed-
`ded into an HTML page and controlled with script
`commands, the DVD video can play from the
`local DVD-ROM drive inside a Web browser win-
`dow. This opens up the world of custom DVD
`playback to anyone with HTML authoring skills.
`
`Whither DVD?
`In the very long term, the Internet will merge
`with cable TV, broadcast TV, radio, telephones,
`satellites, and eventually even newspapers and
`magazines. In other words, the Internet will take
`over the communications world. News, movies,
`music, advertising, education, games, financial
`transactions, e-mail, and most other forms of
`information will reach consumers via this giant
`network. Internet bandwidth, currently lagging
`far behind the load demanded of it, will
`eventually catch up—as did other systems such as
`intercontinental telephone networks and com-
`munications satellites. Discrete media such as
`DVD will then occupy niches such as software
`backup, archiving, time-shift taping, and movie
`collector’s editions. In the intervening years,
`DVD, in all its permutations and generations,
`promises to rank as the definitive medium for
`interactive multimedia, prerecorded audio-visual
`communication, and home entertainment. MM
`
`Readers may contact Taylor at jtfrog@usa.net.
`
`Standards
`
`Further Reading on DVD
`Jim Taylor, DVD Demystified, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, 1998.
`The Internet DVD FAQ, http://www.demystified.com.
`The DVD Forum Web site, http://www.dvdforum.com.
`EMedia Professional magazine, http://www.emedia.net.
`DVD Report newsletter, Knowledge Industry Publications, 701 Westchester
`Ave., White Plains, NY 10604-3098, 1.914.328.9157.
`DVD Publisher newsletter, Conner Media Assc., 231 Market Place #352, San
`Ramon, CA 94583, 1.925.735.3408.
`DVD Insider newsletter, http://www.dvdinsider.com.
`
`player. The DVD-Audio specification includes new
`formats and features, with content stored in a sepa-
`rate DVD-Audio zone on the disc (the AUDIO_TS
`directory) that DVD-Video players never access. It’s
`expected that shortly after DVD-Audio players
`appear, new universal DVD players will also support
`DVD-Video and DVD-Audio discs. In the mean-
`time, adding a Dolby Digital version of the audio
`tracks to the video zone of DVD-Audio discs will let
`them work in existing DVD-Video players and PCs.
`Linear pulse-code modulation (LPCM), the
`same encoding used for CD audio, is mandatory
`on DVD-Audio discs, with up to six channels at
`sample rates of 48, 96, 192 kHz (also 44.1, 88.2,
`176.4 kHz) and sample sizes of 16, 20, 24 bits. This
`allows a theoretical frequency response of up to
`96 kHz and dynamic range of up to 144 dB.
`Longer playing time with no audio degradation
`results from using the Meridian Lossless Packing
`(MLP) encoding scheme licensed by Dolby Labo-
`ratories. MLP allows playing times of 74 to 135
`minutes of six-channel 96-kHz, 24-bit audio on a
`single layer (compared to 45 minutes without
`packing). Two-channel 192-kHz, 24-bit playing
`times are 120 to 140 minutes (compared to 67
`minutes without packing).
`Other audio formats of DVD-Video (Dolby Dig-
`ital, MPEG audio, and DTS Digital Surround) are
`optional on DVD-Audio discs, although Dolby Dig-
`ital is required for audio content with associated
`video. A subset of DVD-Video features (no angles,
`no seamless branching, and so on) is allowed.
`DVD-Audio allows up to 16 still graphics per
`track, with a set of limited transitions. On-screen dis-
`plays can be used for synchronized lyrics and navi-
`gation menus. A special simplified navigation mode
`can be used on players without a video display.
`Unlike DVD-Video, DVD-Audio has no signifi-
`cant features or advantages that entice customers
`to adopt it. The eventual success of DVD-Audio
`will come from riding the coattails of its more
`
`IEEE MultiMedia
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