Subject: Re: Recordable DVD's and lack of PVR
From: Elliot Bain <[email-masked]>
To: Multiple recipients of list <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 13 Apr 1996 16:49:14 -0700

David Barchas wrote:
> 
> I just had a thought...
> 
> The New DVD thingy that is going to be coming out in the summer is not going
> to be recordable.  SO this makes me wonder why the hell anyone would get it?
> Aside from that, there is mention that there will re-recordable dvd's in the
> future.  Anyone know what time frame is considered "the future?"
> 
> This sparked an idea...
> 
> If there are going to be re-recordable dvd's then there really would be no
> reason for having a PVR anymore.  The reason is because you could do single
> frame recording onto the dvd, right?  Each frame of the "movie" would have a
> specific address on the dvd, so then you could write each frame to the disk
> on one right after the other.  Is there any reason why this couldn't be done?
> Aside from the special software that would be required and maybe a simpler
> controller card than the PVR.  Now you have an almost D1 master which you can
> spew off tapes from.
> 
> I am mentioning this because of the NAB talk, and it does have to do with LW,
> sorta.
> 
> Dave Barchas

DVD will be taking a dual track approach for its introduction. There will be 
consumer units for home entertainment, with movie and audio content, and then 
there will be computer units with multi-media content. At some point, down the 
road, there will probably be an attempt at "convergence", bringing the two 
usages into one package.

As for recordable DVD, you've got to understand Japan, Inc. in order to see why 
it will be a while before this exists. In a nutshell, they've got to milk the 
initial technology, play-only, before they obsolete it and get you to buy a new 
machine. I'm not prescient enough to know what 'a while' is, but it will 
probably be after most of the early adopters have their first DVD players.

Once r/w DVD machines are available, the sky's the limit on what you could do 
with it.

Quality is another matter, tho. IMHO, MPEG just isn't good enough for regular 
video work. A side-by-side viewing of the same clips from DVD and Laserdisc, 
shows that there are plenty of MPEG artifacts generated by DVD in 
complicated scenes with lots of motion.

-- 
Elliot Bain
Laurell Creative Services
614.459.4404