1. How to choose the DVD Player that fits your need?
2. How DVD Player works?
3. Types of DVD Players
4. What is Progressive Scan?
5. File formats
6. Outputs
7. Problem Solutions
8. Additional Considerations

1. How to choose the DVD Player that fits your need?
Since its launch, DVD player has revolutionized movie viewing at home. It delivers a far better picture to VHS tape and even boasts the same digital surround sound systems as the top cinemas. Suffice to say, a DVD player or recorder is an essential part of any home entertainment system. The variety of different DVD Players is so great, with over 130 different players in the market that starting to research them is a gigantic task. As you’ll find out, having a comprehensive knowledge of the characteristics of so huge number of DVD players can be indispensable.

Every DVD player, whether or not it’s expensive, will play DVD video discs and audio CDs. Spending more will get you better overall quality and features. For example, budget players may not have RGB-enabled Scart plugs or component outputs, preventing you from enjoying the maximum picture quality. You may also need to spend more to ensure that your DVD player has digital video connections. Pricier players will also support the DVD-Audio and SACD music formats, although you’ll need a good hi-fi system to actually hear their benefits.

As for detailed benefits that different DVD players offer, you need to know a bit about different technology DVD players. Please read the information below to learn more.

2. How A DVD Player Works?

A DVD player emits a laser beam onto the surface of the disc which enables it to read/decode the data. A DVD player decodes the video and transforms it into a standard composite video signal. The player also decodes the audio stream and sends it to a Dolby decoder, where it is amplified and sent to the speakers. The DVD drive consists of a drive motor to spin the disc, a laser and lens system that helps to focus the laser on the bumps and read them and a tracking system that ensures the laser is on the right spiral track.

3. Types of DVD Players

Single disc DVD Player: This is the standard DVD player that can play only one disc at a time. This player is usually connected to the television.

DVD Player with Screen: This is the portable variety of DVD players. They come with LCD screens up to 10-inch diagonal attached that make them convenient to watch movies almost anywhere. Some are transportable units but do not come with built-in or attached screens.

Multi-disc DVD Player: This type of DVD player also referred to as DVD Jukeboxes can store from 2 to 3 to 30 to even 403 discs at a time. This is ideal for those who intend to use their players to play their CDs.

Portable DVD Player: Portable DVD players can offer quality sound and picture for the mobile traveler.

Multi Regional DVD Players: DVD-Video disc contain one or more region codes, which denotes the area of the world where it can be distributed and played back. This helps motion picture studios to control or restrict the many aspects of a movies release, including the content, data and price. All pre-recorded DVDs have one of six regional codes and region-locked DVD Players can only play DVDs from the region that it is permitted/tuned to play. A multi regional DVD player can play DVDs from any region allowing for a widest range of DVDs.

Know more about DVD Region Lock

DVD Region Lock is technology on DVD players that prevents those who live in one region from successfully viewing a DVD movie that was produced and distributed for a different region. Although you could purchase a DVD movie in the United States and mail it to someone in China ten months before the DVD is released there, the DVD will not play on the recipient Zone 6 DVD player.

That means if you only view DVDs produced for the region you live in, knowing which DVD player software can handle which regional codes is unimportant. But if you ever purchase and view DVDs across regions it is wise to keep current on region coding methods because industry standards change. You want to make sure that your DVD discs and your DVD players always match so that you can view movies trouble-free. Those who frequently purchase across regions often attempt to overcome this viewing problem with Code Free DVD players. Code Free players are DVD players that have been altered to bypass the Region Lock restriction. In response to their popularity, the movie industry has created a new secure layer of coding called RCE (Regional Code Enhancement). RCE prevents some of the latest Region 1 DVD releases from playing on Code-Free DVD players. Even if you use a Code-Free DVD player you still may run into problems playing DVDs that have been produced for Japan or Great Britain. These countries often use unique standards, such as NTSC (National Television Standards Committee), PAL (Phase Alternating Line) and SECAM (Sequential Color Memory). These standards dictate differing display lines-per-resolution than those of Region 1.

So, if your DVD player and your DVD movies do not always come from the same region, you may not be able to view your movies due to industry-implemented locks and differing national standards. So be alert when you purchase from the world marketplace, always check region codes before you purchase DVDs online.

4. What is Progressive Scan?

Progressive scanning or non-interlaced scanning is a method by which moving images are stored, transmitted or displayed by drawing the lines of each frame in a sequence. It is in essence a method used for painting images on a television screen where an entire single frame is painted / drawn every 1/60th of a second. It is used mainly in CRTs, computer monitors and high-end televisions. Progressive scanning presents images in greater detail on the screen and causes fewer flickers than in interlaced scanning. The television displays that are capable of progressive scanning are also capable of performing de-interlacing. This enables interlaced videos to be viewed on progressive scan TVs. Most DTVs and DVD videos are now enabled with progressive scan technology. Keep in mind that both the devices the DVD player and the display or TV must be progressive scan compatible, otherwise progressive scan technology will be futile.

5. File formats
Even though playing DVD movies is becoming more and more popular on home PCs, many individuals still play movies that are copied from disc to hard drive or are downloaded from the Internet. Companies also use these formats to send streaming audio and video ads, news and other data. Any time your computer accesses a data file even a DVD disc data file with your favorite movie the computer must use the correct format.

The format of any computer file appears as the final letters of the file name (following the dot). This end label allows your computer to access the correct program to open the file, only then can you watch the movie or play the sound file. Media formats are used to store every audio and visual file your computer reads. A file format is a way to encode information on a DVD/CD. DVD players may not play all compressed file formats. Therefore it is important to get yourself acquainted with different file formats available.

Here are some common file formats that are widely used:

ASF: Advance Streaming Format
This format was developed by Microsoft in 1995 to store streaming media online. ASF is flexible that it can store compressed (reduced in size) files as well. ASF files can be viewed while being downloaded. PowerDVD, WinDVD, CinePlayer Surround, Easy DVD Player, Super DVD Player, Magic DVD, and Zoom player will play this format.

AVI: Audio Video Interleave
This file format was developed by Microsoft to store audio and video data for simultaneous playback. The screen resolution for AVI is limited to 320X240 pixels with a bit-rate of 30 frames per second, this is slow and fuzzy, and so not efficient for viewing full screen or full motion video. AVI files are the most common audio/video formats on your PC.

Blue-ray and HD-DVD:
Blue-ray and HD-DVD are new rival formats that can deliver high-definition video on DVD-sized discs. Movies and the first few compatible players should also play standard DVDs, but no one knows if one format will outlive the other or whether both will co-exist. If you’re interested in connecting to either TV set , it will need to be HD-ready and have either a DVI or HDMI plug with support for HDCP.

DivX: named for its developer, DivXNetworks, Inc.
This format is a video codec. Video codec technology allows a standard 6 Gigabyte DVD to be compressed and stored onto a CD. With calm movie scenes, the difference in clarity between the DVD and CD versions will be minor. But when the scene includes a lot of action, the difference is clearly evident.

DVD Audio/SACD:
DVD Audio and SACD are new rival audio formats that deliver better quality sound than conventional CDs. They won’t work in normal CD players, but better DVD players often have the facility to play them. They can sound great, but be aware that there are not many discs available, and you’ll also need a very good hi-fi to hear the difference.

JPEG/JFIF:
It is the format most used for storing and transmitting photographs on the World Wide Web. The name JPEG stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group. Not many DVD players are capable of playing JPEG format images.

MP3: MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3
It is a popular digital audio encoding and compression format. In common usage, MP3 also refers to files of sound or music recordings stored in the MP3 format on computers. Most DVD players do play MP3 formats discs.

MPEG: also named for its developer, Movie Picture Experts Group
MPEG is the name of the method used to compress the audio and video into bit stream tokens so that a movie will fit on a DVD.

MPEG-1 defines a framework for encoding moving video and audio, significantly reducing the amount of storage with minimal perceived differences in quality. The MPEG-1 video compression method uses previous frame information in order to reduce the amount of information the current frame requires. In addition, the audio encoding uses something called psychoacoustics - compression removes the high and low frequencies a normal human ear cannot hear. MPEG-1 files can be read on CD-ROMs, VCD players, or even DVD players.

MPEG-2 is not a successor to MPEG-1, but an addition. Both of these formats have their own purposes. MPEG-1 is a relatively low-resolution format currently used in VCDs and the web for short animated files. The MPEG-2 is a much higher resolution format, developed for digital television and can be played on most DVD players as well as on windows-based computers with CD-ROM drive and MPEG-2 playback codec.

MPEG-4 is the first network-based technology platform and is designed for streaming media across the World Wide Web, interactive graphics (such as videophones) and digital broadcast television. MPEG-4 is based on MPEG-1, MPEG-2 and Apple’s QuickTime technology. The compression in an MPEG-4 file is smaller than a JPEG or QuickTime file, allowing for more efficient storage and data transfer.

SVCD: Super Video Compact Disc
This format uses a bit-rate of 1500 to 2600 kilobits per second and has a screen resolution of 480X480 (NTSC standards) or 480X576 (PAL standards). SVCD produces a video quality greater than the video CD, its predecessor, and about equal to laser discs. With the advent of SVCD, you can store up to four channels of high quality audio as well as subtitles.

VCD: Video Compact Disk
This format uses a bit-rate of 1150 kilobits per second and has a screen resolution of 352X240 (NTSC standards) or (352X288 PAL standards). VCDs-videos on CD-can play movies at greater quality than VHS movies.

WMA: Windows Media Audio
Developed by Microsoft, WMA is a compressed audio file format and is a part of the windows media framework. Most DVD players support the playback of WMA files. WMA trails MP3 files in popularity and in the number of devices it is supported by.

WMV: Windows Media Video
Developed by Microsoft, WMV is part of the Windows media framework. WMV files are usually ASF files with a WMV extension. Microsoft is now introducing a High Definition format of WMV.

XVCD & XSVCD Extended Video Compact Disc, Extended Super Video Compact Disc
These are the same as their counterparts but allow for higher bit-rates and resolution capabilities. XVCD is comparable to MPEG-1; XSVCD is comparable to MPEG-2.

6. Outputs

Before purchasing a DVD Player you must check to see what kind of inputs your TV has and ensure that the DVD player is in conformance with it. Component video provides the best quality in sound and picture followed by S-video and thereafter composite video.

Composite-video outputs: Essentially a video connection, composite video outputs are used for sending and receiving analog signals between a television set and a VHS tape player, DVD player or a game console or any electronic device. It is often a yellow female RCA jack that is accompanied by two audio jack colored red and white. This transmission is done either directly or with the help of intermediate devices such as an amplifier or receiver. The quality of transmission is not as good as the S-video and component video outputs.

Component-video outputs: If your TV can support component-video output signals then it is advisable to purchase a DVD player with a component video output. DVD players with this output usually have three RCA jacks which are colored/coded green, blue, and red. This output provides better quality video signals to from the DVD player to the television. Usually only high-end TVs support this output. Component video outputs come in two type; progressive and interlaced.

S-video outputs: A separate video or S-Video output is an analog video signal that carries the video data as two separate signals, unlike composite video output which carries the entire set of signals in one package. S-Video connections are more common and provide very good picture quality.

Coaxial digital output and optical digital output: These outputs provide the highest-quality audio signals. They send the digital sound information to the receiver for decoding. You can use either one of these if you have a Dolby Digital receiver.

5.1 channel outputs: Dolby Digital, formerly known as AC-3, is a digital audio coding technique that decreases the amount of data required to produce high quality sound. Dolby Digital provides five full-bandwidth channels, front left, front right, center, surround left, and surround right, for true surround sound quality and one channel for a low frequency effect (LFE) also called the subwoofer. It is the audio standard for digital television. This multi-channel scheme is known as 5.1 channel output. The DVD player decodes the Dolby Digital signal and uses its own DAC to output an analog signal. DVD players with 5.1 channel outputs come equipped with Dolby Digital decoders.

Stereo outputs: These outputs carry only the stereo music signal. Ideal for hooking up to a TV that has only two speakers.

7. Problem Solutions

“I watch a lot of DVDs and listen to a lot CDs.”
Solution: Multi-disc changer.
Many DVD fans are satisfied with a single-disc player, but a multi-disc DVD changer gives you the same great picture and sound quality while expanding your entertainment options. DVD players are so good at playing music CDs that you’ll no longer need a separate CD player. And a multi-disc DVD changer lets you keep several discs “on deck”. Choose from carousel models that hold a handful of discs, or larger mega-changers with room for up to 400 discs. They also have handy memory and search functions that make it easy to find the disc you want. You can save a lot of shelf space by simply storing your CDs and DVDs in a mega-changer.

“I still have a lot of VHS tapes.”
Solution: DVD/VCR combo unit.
Combo players are perfect for people trying to bridge the gap between their VHS and DVD collections. At affordable prices, these popular 2-in-1 components offer all the familiar conveniences of a VCR, with the stunning movie and music quality of a DVD player. Use the timer to record TV shows to VHS, enjoy crystal-clear DVD movies, and then jam to your collection of audio CDs — all with one simple component. For more information, check out our DVD/VCR combo article.

“I want to archive my VHS tapes.”
Solution: DVD recorder.
DVD recorders offer convenient tape-free recording, along with all the functionality of a DVD player. Record your favorite sitcom at the touch of a button, or back up home movies on durable, high-quality DVDs. And with a variety of write-once and rewriteable formats available, it's easy to find the right disc for the right job. For more information on DVD recorders and recordable DVD formats, check out our DVD recorder shopping guide.

“I have a High-Definition TV.”
Solution: DVD player with video upconversion.
These players can upconvert DVD video to a resolution that more closely matches that of your HDTV. The signal remains digital as it travels through digital video connections to your compatible high-def TV for the cleanest possible transfer. (For more information, see "Digital Video and Upconversion" below.)
Another option is HD DVD. HD DVD is a new high-definition disc format designed to maximize the viewing experience available from today’s HDTVs. Some hard-core video fans are turning to high-resolution formats like HD DVD to take full advantage of their high-def television’s display capabilities. For more information, check out our article about HD DVD.

“I travel a lot.”
Solution: Portable DVD player.
Portable DVD players offer home entertainment on the go — perfect for frequent travelers, or those with young and impatient passengers on long family car trips. Compact and lightweight, a lot of portable players also offer dual headphone jacks, allowing more than one person to enjoy the show. In addition to rechargeable batteries, features like cigarette lighter power adapters and car mounting kits make some portable players very car-friendly.

8. Additional Considerations

Remote-control type: There are two types of remote controls made available: a dedicated remote which only controls the DVD player, and a multi-brand remote which can control other components, such as; VCRs and TVs.

Dimensions: When it comes to portability, dimensions of a DVD player become important. DVD players are generally 7” to 17” wide and weight up to 11 lbs.

Number of discs: This indicates the number of DVD discs the player can hold at any given point of time. If you frequently watch DVDs or watch movies or recordings in succession then it is advisable to go for an increased number of disc holding capacities. The number of discs that players can hold varies from 1 to 400.

Price: Prices of DVD players range from as low as $25 to above $500.

Warranty: Warranty offered varies and is in the range of 6 months to 3 years.

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