Question about DVDs?!

[Akaz1976]

When buying DVDs, what factors should one consider? What are region codings? Do all DVDs have same qulaity of sound and picture? what are 'promo' DVDs? What do 'unrated' DVDs mean?

Akaz

 

[kami]

Anything you buy in North America will be Region 1, so don't worry about the regions.

All DVDs do NOT have the same picture and sound quality. As a general rule I will not buy any Pan&Scan (non-anamorphic widescreen) titles because the picture quality sucks. Most movies (except for really old ones) will come in Dolby Digital 5.1...some of them also come in DTS flavors which is much better sound quality but you need a receiver that can decode DTS.

Unrated DVDs mean there are probably extra scenes added in on top of the original theatrical release, and those extra scenes are unrated (PG13, R, etc.).

 

[GTaudiophile]

Usually you have no choice as to the DVD's region code. For example, only region #1 DVDs are sold in the US I think. You'd have to be careful if you went to Europe and bought a region #2 DVD with the intention of bringing it back to the US, however. Keep in mind that there are hacks for making your DVD-ROM and/or DVD software region-free.

When I buy a DVD, I don't pay much attention to the extras. I just buy a movie that I really like. Some DVDs have a lot more extras than other. "Terminator 2: The Ultimate Edition" has like 3 versions of the movie on one disc and an additional fourth version that is an "easter egg" (hidden extra).

Also, some DVDs are encoded better than others. Take "The Princess Bride" or "Chariots of Fire" as examples. These are movies I have on VHS and considered buying on DVD. I went to Amazon.com and read the customer reviews on these DVDs and found out that the publishers did not really remaster the movie with improved audio or video, so I saw no real advantage in buying the DVD. Other movies, like "Terminator 2: UE" were remastered quite extensively, and that particular film was a good buy for me.

When it comes to sound, most new DVDs offer at least the choice of Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Stereo. Others offer DTS or Dolby Digital EX. You can listen to Dolby Stereo on anything, but you need a Dolby Digital/DTS decoder to take advantage of Dolby 5.1 and DTS unless you are using a software-based decoder on your computer, which downmixes the audio to 2, 2.1, or 4.1 channels.

 

[Akaz1976]

I got Creative Labs/Cambridge Soundworks DTT 5.1 spks and Creative Labs SB Live! Value ver2. I should be able to hear dolby digital sound right?

Akaz

 

[Bluga]

Are you talking about DVD or DVD-ROM?

I bought a Pioneer 16X DVD-ROM and it has can read ALL regions. Ofcourse if you buy DVD in North America it will be region1.