Introduction
First let me say that I’ll try to be objective. DVD is an impressive technology and it is difficult not be so enamored that one loses objectivity. DVD actually stands for nothing, but the most common term used is digital versatile disk. (DVD is a “name” owned by the DVD Consortium.) Is it basically a soup-ed up CD? No. It was developed from the ground up as a multimedia system. “System” means you’ll need both a DVD-ROM player and a good quality MPEG-2 interface card. Both are reviewed in this article. And the prices for the DVD player have been dropping faster than RAM. One reason is that the availability of software is still rather limited, although you can rent a DVD movie at your local Blockbuster store. For more traditional compu ter applications, a writeable DVD unit is a must. (Caution: like regular writeable CDs, the standards are not yet firm.) However, for very large amounts of data/information such as national yellow pages, parts catalogs, financial data, real estate listin gs, etc., it can’t be beat. The clarity and detail along with superior sound are key features and this system proves it. Even at the tested resolution of VGA (640x480 at 16,000 colors), at full screen it was noticeably clearer than a TV. No rewinding, al most a dozen foreign language selections and subtitles (an option) on the DVD disk, and you can simply jump to any part of the disk effortlessly. For example, a single-sided disk holds up to a 133-minute movie, including 3-D sound. This would also make a very impressive and a complete business presentation. A typical DVD disk will hold up to 4.7 gigs of data, which is about seven times the capacity of a regular CD disk. This unit, like all others, is backwardly compatible to even single speed audio CDs. Microsoft Windows does not yet provide good support for DVD. Windows 98 and NT 5.0 will provide full support. The primary reason for the quality of both the video and audio is that all is digital - no analogs are permitted!
The DVD-ROM
The OEM player tested is a Pioneer model DVD-U01, with a SCSI-2 interface. (OEM means that the unit is not available at your local retailer’s as sent for evaluation. This unit would be sent to a computer assembler who might provide enhancements, if any, and put their name on the system.) It is also av ailable in an EIDE version (ATAPI). It couldn’t be simpler to install. Just set three jumpers on the back of the unit, plug in the SCSI cable and that’s it. Just remember, SCSI can be easy to install, but follow instructions carefully. This caddyless uni t fits into a standard 5-1/4” slot in your case. Instructions are minimal, since there is little to the setup. I did have a few questions, which were answered quickly by Pioneer’s technical support staff. A little of the technical stuff, then off to what I actually observed. The unit will read all the common formats from a single speed audio CD to the newest single, dual layer disk, but not a writeable or recordable disk. That’s another story. The average access (not random seek) time is 150ms for a CD and 200ms for a DVD disk. This translates into about 2.7MB/second of data coming off the DVD disk. I didn’t include random seek tests since DVD disks are assumed to have all the files contiguous and therefore “randomness” is not a particularly useful fig ure. (For more specifics on test results, please refer to the Chart.) This unit scored a 1490 on the High-End Disk WinMark97® WinBench97® test. “High-End” means just that - CAD/3D, image editing, workstations, etc. That is quite good since the test bed was the minimum recommended - a Pentium 133.
Separate from the DVD is an MPEG-2 interface card - you will still need a sound card to connect to the DVD. Since the interface card does most of the software work, shop carefully. The card’s software provided a simple, VCR-like menu. Place the disk in t he caddy, click on the control interface and you’ll be presented with one or more “master” files in which you’ll find the actual playable files. Pioneer sent a demo disk with about four minutes of everything from 007’s GoldenEye and Van Halen Live to a b eautiful tour of Europe. The other two DVD samplers sent by the interface board people didn’t work with this player - a software problem with Win95’s MCI files.
What about what you see…hear? Well, a distinguished job on both counts, but no brass ring. The player worked properly, but the software needs some work. I thought it was too difficult to adjust the video for the various resolutions and too sentitive to t he scan rates. At VGA it worked flawlessly - excellent video and sound - clear, crisp, and full color. And the picture quality was, frankly, amazing. Again, this is because we are accustomed to seeing/hearing a mixture of analog and digital. Digital does n’t “wear” out. It’s as good the first time as the 100th time. At higher resolutions, the video was difficult to properly adjust and there was some frame overlap. At very high action speeds (e.g., 007), some frames were dropped. TV is about 30fpm (frames per minute). The average for this system was 23.3, in p art due to the minimum system configuration.
Using a more powerful CPU and better software, this would be an excellent system. For right now, without a pressing need, wait a while. For more info go to http://www.pioneer.com. Street price about $355.
The Interface Card
One of the strongest contenders in the MPEG player-board market is SigmaDesigns. Their board, REELMagic DVD Hollywood, is well-designed and comes with a brief operating manual and two disks: one disk for the drivers, etc. and the other for the VCR-type interface (called DVDStation). This navigation is simple and to the point, except for some adjustments. As I mentioned earlier, I think the border/placement adjustments to the video are more difficult than need be. Calls to technical support were direct and answered expertly. Different resolutions and refresh rates affect the size and placement of the active video windo w within the viewing screen. At full-screen - about 19” diagonal - the VGA video was clear and well-defined details, with full-color saturation. There are controls to select which language and/or subtitle (if available on the disk), aspect ratio (full fr ame or letterbox), and you can actually pan and scan the video presentation. The minimum system, period, is a Pentium 133, Win95 and a bus mastered IDE controller (if your player is an IDE). On another system I did listen to a system with Dolby AC-3 (or ProLogic) amplified speakers - six of them… better and cheaper than a theater. But that’s for the rich and famous. Install the board, connect between it to your regular video board and connect your monitor to the Hollywood board and that is it. To play t hrough your TV or VCR simply connect to the appropriate outlets on the board (both composite and S-video outlets are provided). In addition to the Dolby sound, PCM audio is also supported. The unit will play at full screen in the highest resolution: 1280 x1024. I tried it, but the test system handled it poorly; e.g., overlapped video and skipped frames. None of these should happen on a more powerful CPU system. To accomplish this, the board has both a DSP and complete MPGE-2 processing capacity, the late r being the more important. With a little more work on the software files and a more thorough manual, this could be a first choice. For more info go to: http://www.SigmaDesigns.com. Street price about $235.
Charles W. Evans is a HAL-PC member.
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