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What is DVD?
A DVD is a 12cm disc, the same diameter as a CD, but slightly thicker. Unlike a CD, which can hold a maximum of 74 minutes of audio, a DVD can contain up to eight hours of near-broadcast quality video.

How does it work?
DVD is just a more advanced version of CD technology. In the same way that CDs hold audio information that is read by a laser and turned into music, DVDs contain highly compressed digital picture and sound data which is read by a laser, decompressed by advanced technology within the DVD player, and instantly turned into compulsive viewing on your TV.

Do I need a new TV to watch DVD?
Yes and No. You do need a television with a SCART socket or S-video hookup, or RCA-type inputs. If you have an older tv, without one of the above,  you may have to cable through your old vcr or a receiver like a home theater system. Just remember, though, the better your TV and audio system are, the more benefit you’ll get from DVD’s superior picture and sound quality. All dvd players can be outputted to a surround sound receiver or decoder to enjoy the full effect of digital surround sound. The more expensive players, second-tier players, have their own built-in surround sound decoders.

How long a film can you fit on a DVD?
The maximum playback times of the various DVD formats are as follows:

Single-sided, single layer 133 mins
Single-sided, dual layer 242 mins
Double-sided, single layer 266 mins
Double-sided, dual layer 484 mins

DVD vs Videotape. How long do they last?
Here’s a scary fact you may not know: Every time you watch a videotape, you destroy it.

Not totally, of course. But because of the way VHS works, the magnetic coating that holds the video information is degraded each time it passes through your video’s read heads. The more often you watch a tape, the worse the picture gets. If you’ve got young kids who want to watch television three times a day, the picture quality will soon look like it’s in a snowstorm.

On the other hand, you can play a DVD as many times as you like, and the picture will be the same the first time and the thousandth. So long as you don’t use them as coasters or play frisbee with them, DVDs are durable little devils. Treat them as you would a CD (in other words, no greasy thumbprints or fingernail scratches) and they’ll just keep going and going. Actually they do deteriorate, but very slowly as a result of oxidation, and nothing that you will notice for years to come

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Motion picture studios in the USA wanted to control the release of movies around the world using DVD region codes. Movies are released on DVD at different times around the world, typically America and Canada first, Australia and Japan 6 months later, and Europe 12 months after US release. In some instances, DVD movies are available for purchase in America and Canada before they are released in European cinemas. Due to the high quality of DVD and the movie release system used by Hollywood, 6 regions were establish to prevent people from watching Region 1 movies before they were released on Regions 2-6.

DVD Region Locking is a system used to control which DVD movies play on which DVD Players. The regions are broken down as follow:

Region 1 :USA & Canada
Region 2 :Mexico, Europe & Japan
Region 3 :The Orient (exc Japan)
Region 4 :Australia and New Zealand
Region 5 :Asia and Africa
Region 6 :China

How does this affect you the consumer?
This means that movies from Region 1 (USA & Canada) WILL NOT play on a DVD player manufactured for Regions 2-6. Effectively Region 1 discs play only on Region 1 DVD players, Region 2 discs play only on Region 2 DVD players and so on. All movies and dvd players offered at DVDshippers.com are Region 1 unless otherwise noted (codefree players are offered for sale).

What is a codefree or Multiregion DVD player?
With a codefree or multiregion player you can change the region of the player so that it will recognize discs from any region.  Most codefree or multiregional dvd players are modified by a technician after manufacture with the installation of a board and micro-chip(s),  Pioneer and Toshiba,  to allow the viewer to program his/her player to set it to the specific region of the disc they are trying to watch. Since setting of the region of the player is really done by the player's operating system software, there are sometimes hidden "Loopholes Menus" in the OS software that, if you know how to get into them, will allow you to change the region of the player so it will recognize all discs-- this is how regions are changed in the Mustek 300VG International dvd player. 

What are PAL, NTSC, and SECAM standards?

PAL, NTSC, and SECAM Standards refer to the mhz that a signal is recorded at or sent. In the USA, and other NTSC countries, we use a 60 mhz signal. Unless we travel abroad we don't come into contact with these other signals. In much of Europe and South America it's PAL or 50 mhz signal. France, Russia and a few other countries use SECAM. What this means is a DVD disc or videotape and TV must be of the same standards type to view properly. I.E. A PAL recorded dvd or videotape will not play properly on a USA-made NTSC TV- it will actually appear in b&w and will roll vertically uncontrollably. For the same reason, you can't take your USA made NTSC TV to Europe with you and watch their PAL TV signal.

Thus aside from being regionally coded,  DVDs are formatted for different TV systems. Most codefree dvd players can output both formats but cannot switch the format from PAL to NTSC or visa versa. But in order to watch both, with most modified multiregion players, your television must be capable of playing both PAL and NTSC formats (Multistandard TV) or the player must be connected to a signal converter (an exception to this is the Mustek 300VG which has an internal signal converter and allows output to any type TV- PAL discs will play on NTSC TV and visa versa).  We do sell Multi-Standard TVs that can display PAL, NTSC and SECAM formats.

We are working on stocking Standards Converters PAL to NTSC and NTSC to PAL- but so far all we have found are units selling for $500 or more, so for now we believe the Best Buy to be the Mustek 300VG for its features, quality, and price. 

Do I need to buy a codefree dvd player?
If you only intend to buy DVD movies from your home country, e.g. you live in the USA and have no intention of buying movies from other regions, then we suggest you buy your local region DVD player. (USA would be Region 1). 

If you wish to watch DVD movies from different countries then you may wish to look for a codefree DVD player. DVDshippers.com has the lowest prices on the Internet for codefree dvd players!

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