As the resident DVD expert (self appointed!) on the list I would have
to say that, if you're into film (something I think we can all claim
to be on this list) then yes, they are worthwhile. To answer the
specific questions:
Picture quality is (generally) the best there is. However, it is very
much dependent on the quality of the mastering. This is pretty much a
two-fold process :- Firstly the source material has to be of good
quality. In the case of the recent Carlton DVDs it would seem that the
source material was of poor quality, as they used the original VHS
masters rather than a brand new digital transfer (unlike Criterion's
TRS - that was a brand new transfer supervised by Jack Cardiff).
Secondly, the DVD itself must be mastered correctly. Because DVD uses
compression, recording only changes in the image rather than each
individual frame, it is important a good job is done here. Grainy
black and white stock plays havoc with compression because so much of
the image is changing every frame. A decent DVD author will get around
this by increasing the sampling rate of the master (something they
also do for busy frames from, for example, action sequences) and
decreasing it for other sections of the movie due to space limitations
(a single sided DVD can hold about 4 hours of averagely compressed
video, running at the maximum bit rate would yield just half that).
All this naturally costs money and because movie companies try to make
a profit it means that often quality is compromised. The exception
here is Criterion which adopts the business model whereby they do a
couple of less than worthy blockbuster special editions (e.g.
Armageddon, The Rock) which in turn subsidise the interesting stuff
like TRS, Thirty Nine Steps, and The Third Man. Other companies are
also known for taking care with their back catalogue, Warner Brothers
in particular. Similarly, Buena Vista are notorious for shabby,
overpriced product
Examples of good DVD authoring:
- The Red Shoes
- American Graffiti
- Das Boot
- The Matrix
Examples of bad DVD authoring:
- The Kubrick Collection
- Carlton's edition of TRS and ACT
- Double Indemnity (a case study of how not to master B&W content)
To move onto your other questions, yes there are non-film DVDs. There
is a lot of music content coming out now (concert footage, classic
albums with their music videos, that sort of thing). There have even
been DVD singles (by Carl Cox and Bjork). Expect to see a lot of
classical stuff come out with full surround sound (anyone remember
quadrphonia from the 70's). Sport titles are starting to come out, and
the BBC are about to dive in with interesting documentary stuff like
"The Planets" and "Walking with Dinosaurs". There is also a fair bit
of "special interest" material coming out like "The Lover's Guide" :-)
In terms of cost you are looking at about £250 for a good quality
region-free machine which will enable you to play DVDs from both the
US/Canada and Europe/Japan. Providing that your TV is fairly modern
you should have no problems dealing with the different video
standards, and some players actually convert from one to the other
anyway.
The next step up from this is to add a Dolby Digital sound system for
the full surround sound experience. Entry level here is about £250
as well. This is obviously not very important for good old mono but is
well worth the money if you watch modern films (and not just "Things
Exploding" type films - the audio mix on Dolby Digital is much
clearer, which benefits even Woody Allen films)
From here on in it starts getting very expensive and very nerdy - you
could quite easily spend the price of a new family car on a home
cinema setup - I know someone who did! Its debatable whether all this
expense actually delivers a better experience, but try and force a
Ferrari driver to drive a Skoda and see what happens (they both get
you where you want to go, but you don't get your mates asking if they
can drive the Skoda)
Personally I have the following set-up:
Pioneer
525 DVD player 300 region-free
Wharfedale 750 DVD player 180 region-free (only available from Tescos)
Creative Labs
DxR2 computer CD-ROM drive and decoder card region-free
(no longer available)
Mitsubishi CT21AV 21-inch Dolby ProLogic 4:3 TV
(no longer available but cost £400 approximately 2 years ago).
This is a true multi standard TV which accepts NTSC, SECAM, and PAL
and converts between the three, has an RGB input via one of the SCART
sockets and also has a 16:9 widescreen mode which is of some benefit
when watching 16:9 encoded anamorphic DVDs
(for an explanation of all these terms and more see the
Home Cinema and Entertainment section of the FAQ)
Videologic
Digitheatre Dolby Digital speaker and amp combo
- £200 from computer retailers.
This is a full Dolby Digital speaker, decoding, and amplification
solution which is ideal for small rooms.
It consists of five speakers
(centre, front left, front right, rear left, rear right),
a subwoofer (for bass output),
an amplifier, and a decoder which accepts the digital bitstream
from a DVD player.
It will decode all types of DVD soundtrack except the audiophile
(and poorly supported) DTS format, although a product revision
available in Spring 2000 will add this capability.
You also have the ability to route stereo signals from your TV or
VCR to it, enabling you to enjoy Dolby ProLogic encoded stereo
broadcasts and VHS tapes.
This is an unbeatable introduction to the joys of home cinema sound
and is the one component of my home cinema solution that I do not
foresee upgrading in the near future - in order to better it I would
need to spend in the region of £1000 on an amplifier and
speaker setup.
As to DVDs themselves you are looking at 15-20 quid for most titles,
whether you buy them retail or from the States. Like most other
things, DVDs are more expensive in the UK, but this is balanced by
having to pay postage and possibly customs charges from the States
If you have any further questions feel free to ask me off-list, as
this is more than a little off-topic. I'll be pleased to help - the
whole DVD thing is a little complex and as you've probably noticed I
spent far too much time trawling the net for info when I made my
purchasing decision this time last year!
Remainder of FAQ Section 2
