DVD-Video: A Global Standard
The DVD-Video specification (currently version
1.12) was written and is now maintained by the DVD Forum working group
WG1, which comprises a number of task groups concerned with both read-only
and recordable disc formats. DVD-Video is now the fastest growing consumer
electronics technology of all time. Several thousand titles and millions
of players are now in use around the world, with annual sales of players
and discs doubling each year.
DVD-Video players were launched in Japan in
November 1996, in the USA in March 1997 and in Europe in 1998. Since then
DVD-Video has grown faster than any other consumer electronics format in
all these regions.
DVD-Video has started to replace VHS as the format
of choice for pre-recorded movies, both retail and rental. With the
introduction of recordable versions DVD-Video is now set to replace the
VHS for home video recording and playback of pre-recorded video. |