In order to function, most DVD players must be connected to a television set. However, there are some small portable devices that have an LCD screen attached.
The features of DVD players can vary. Most DVD players have the following set of standard features: choice of language, automatic selection of video scenes, audio tracks, subtitle tracks, and menus special effects playback such as - freeze, step, slow, fast, and scan. You also have the option of programming them yourself. You can play back selected sections in a desired sequence. You can also randomly play and repeat play.
DVD players can provide PCM stereo and Dolby Digital audio output. Some players can also recognize and output DTS Digital Surround audio tracks. Some can also play back audio compact discs (CDs) and MP3 format CDs and DVDs.
DVD players are also very adaptable. Many films are offered in their original aspect ratio 16:9 ratio. You can tell your player what type of TV you have and it will play back the movie accordingly. If you have a normal 4:3 set, you can watch movies in the standard aspect ratio or letterboxed. Thus making your view more pleasant.
DVD players have Audio and Video Inputs and Outputs. These works as your connections to other components. Video outputs and their audio counterparts are desirable because they allow you more versatility in signal switching of multiple VCR and DVD players. Depending on how you hook up your Audio and Video system, either the TV or your Audio and Video receiver can be used for video switching.
Most DVD players also feature Chapter Numbers. These numbers are recorded on the discs and are used to indicate sections or chapters. Movies are similarly divided into distinct sections. For example, a symphony with four movements will have four tracks.
Again, most DVD players have a built-in Dolby Digital decoder. This is the next step beyond Dolby Pro Logic, offering 5.1 channels of sound. In the Dolby Pro Logic mode, sound comes from the front left and right speakers, the center speaker, and the rear speakers. Using Dolby Digital, the rear channel is now stereo and a separate channel is included for the subwoofer. In other words, you are getting full stereo surround.
To dealing with couch potato children, parents need a Parental Lock-Out or Channel Block facility. All DVD players let you control what your children watch. By accessing the on-screen menu system, you can set specific viewing levels for the player. You can override these controls by punching in a special code that you, as the parent, devise. These controls are designed to help parents manage their children's viewing time.
A DVD looks like a CD but can hold both audio and video data. It does this in a compressed format that the DVD Player then decodes to turn into a video signal. The greater storage capacity of a DVD means that as well as the audio data you would get on a CD, you also get a full-length movie and extra data like subtitles, index information and special features on the one disc.
Key features of DVD Players Multi-region players Film studios, keen to protect release dates, price differentials and the amount of information given in certain markets, originally imposed a constraint on DVD Players by restricting which countries DVDs play in. All pre-recorded DVDs have one of six regional codes and region-locked DVD Players can only play DVDs from the same region.
DVD types In addition to regional format variation, DVD formats can vary in other ways. Common formats are DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW and DVD Ram. Not all DVD players can handle all the formats - so it is worth checking before you buy which format it is that you will most likely use.
Multi-disc players If you're going to use your DVD player and associated sound system to play your CDs think about a multi-disc player. Sometimes referred to as DVD Jukeboxes they can store multiple DVDs or CDs.
DVD audio Any DVD player will play CDs but some will play newer types of audio disc (DVD-Audio or SA-CD) which offer better sound quality than a standard CD. Only more expensive DVD players and hi-fi equipment are compatible with these discs.
Digital surround sound Utilizes the information on the DVD to provide sound quality almost equal to cinema sound. This is accomplished by converting the audio track into signals for each individual speaker - usually five speakers and one sub-woofer used for low frequency effect. Dolby Digital and DTS are two popular surround sound formats.
VCD playback A popular movie format in Asia, Video CDs or VCDs are cheaper and lower quality than DVDs. They are stored on standard CDs, which means they do not have room for extra features. Many DVD players also play VCD Playback movies.
Display photos Certain DVD players can also display digital photographs on your TV. These must be stored on a compatible disc.
Resume If you are going to view your discs repeatedly, the ability to resume where you left off can save a lot of searching. Multi-disc resume means that the player will remember where to start on up to 30 discs.
Bookmarking Bookmarks allow you to store favourite scenes or places in a disc. More expensive players allow you to store bookmarks for several discs and remember them even if the disc is removed.
Connections
Component video DVDs are encoded in component video. If you have a TV with component video input, buy a DVD Player with component video output. Then connect the player and the TV with a three-wire component video cable. Before buying a player with component video output make sure you understand the subtle difference between component progressive and component interlaced.
S-video connection This is the next best thing to component video and is an option on DVD Players that do not have component output and TVs that do not have component input. You may need a separate cable for this but the picture difference should be worth it.
SCART leads A common form of connection used in the UK is the SCART lead. This handles both audio and video signals. SCART connections are common on DVD players and newer TVs. Gold plated SCART leads give a better connection. A SCART connection will give you a better picture than S-Video and is close to component standard. SCART cables are not usually included with players.
Analog RCA connections Available on almost all DVD Players this connection, while not producing results quite as good as others, will give you better pictures than your old VCR and, importantly, will connect DVD players to older televisions that don't have SCART connections.
Audio connectors DVD players, especially the more expensive models, can have many audio outputs. Outputs can include phono, digital coaxial and digital optical. If you are connecting to a separate hi-fi system this can be a very important feature.
Progressive scan The newest buzzword is progressive scan in the DVD Player market and while more expensive players include it, it can't actually be used unless you have a digital TV. With it your picture can be refreshed 60 times per second which makes for a sharper, almost flicker free picture and is better than anything delivered by the alternative interlaced scanning method.
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