Since its introduction in the autumn of 1996, DVD has been growing at an astronomical rate. By far the most successful launch ever of a consumer electronics format, the adoption of DVD has outpaced that of CD, VHS, and LaserDisc. At the same time, the format is on-target to surpass the Compact Disc as the dominant optical storage format on new personal computing platforms by 2002. With its unique ability to bridge the consumer electronics and computing industries, DVD will become the standard physical delivery medium for digital video, audio and data. Additionally, DVD’s ability to integrate with the Internet will enable powerful synergy between the rich media experience of DVD and the immediacy and interactivity of the Web.
With the finalization of the DVD-Audio specification, DVD is now a family encompassing six closely-related formats: DVD-ROM, DVD-Video, DVDAudio, DVD-Recordable (DVD-R), DVD-Random Access Memory (DVDRAM), and DVD-Rewritable (DVD-RW). While DVD-Video was the first of the DVD formats to grab the attention of consumers, DVD-ROM has found ready acceptance in the personal computing market, and the more recently introduced DVD-RAM format is also catching on. DVD-R, meanwhile, has established itself as an attractive medium for professional applications such as presentations and kiosks.
With both DVD-Audio and DVD-RW debuting at the consumer level in 2000, the future looks bright for DVD’s continued growth. As a medium for storing and playing back digital video and audio information, DVD is unprecedented in its flexibility and its possibilities. In the coming years we may find that DVD becomes an alternative to tape for video and audio recording in the home, as well as in professional production environments.
If you are interested in creating content for DVD, or simply wondering what DVD has to offer, this book will give you insight into the DVD format, its history and technical details, as well as an illustration of real-world DVD production processes. Whether you are a video professional, an audio mastering engineer, or a content publisher, sooner or later DVD will likely be a part of your business. With that in mind, we hope you will find the following both informative and helpful.