The Latest New Age DVD Players
A standard CD-Rom could only hold 700 MB of data. Later, CDs with more storage space were made, but they failed to attract the attention of the buyer. The additional storage space meant an increase from 50 to 60 MB, which wasn’t much considering the end user’s data requirement. Therefore, a new removable storage medium was required to meet the needs of consumers. DVD or Digital Video Disk technology simply transformed the whole concept of data storage. Computers played all forms of DVD with compatible players, but DVD players played only a select format.
What is a DVD player? Simply, it is a player or device that can play two different standards, DVD video and DVD audio. The player must be connected to the TV for viewing. Some devices come with mini LCD screens, which are a smaller counterpart to the TV.
New age DVD players succeeded the current generation of DVD media. Blu-ray disc player and HD DVD players are both trying to capture consumers with their enhanced quality and large storage space.
DVD players work with the MPEGII standard for video compression. For a standard VCD compression, the CODEC used was the MPEGI technology, also known as the MPEG format. 1 minute of video took up 10 MB of space. The MPEGII format supports a much higher bit rate to provide consistent quality for both video and audio.
New age DVD players support more formats like DivX, Xvid and x264. All are compression technologies that deliver sharper images at lower bit rates. Another compression that is catching on is the h264 standard, also known as MPEG IV part 10 with advanced video coding.
The new age DVD players are the ones that are capable of playing the next generation of DVDs. A standard single channel DVD can hold approximately 4.7 GB. However, a DVD can be dual channel or dual layer, the storage capacity can be up to 17 GB.
The latest in technology is HD DVD introduced by Toshiba. Media Control Gfk International reported that of the total number of next-generation storage media sold in 2007, 27 percent are HD DVD. So it’s obvious that new age DVD players are selling out fast to play these discs. The main problem in creating the next generation standard is the availability of two different media, Blu-Ray and HD DVD. Both Sony and Toshiba are trying to make their products the standard for the next generation.
This ongoing competition from manufacturers for up-to-date DVDs is creating a problem for new-age DVD players. When the format isn’t finalized, it’s not a good prospect to make a device, so manufacturers are looking at selling media to finalize their next step. Samsung, Sony, LG, Phillips, Sharp, and APEX are the most popular. All PS2, Xbox, PSP, GBA, PSX and other game consoles also support DVD playback. Sony Play Station 3 is also compatible with their latest Blu ray disc.