| A DVD player is a device for playing discs produced | | | | and AOL Time Warner) as well as for MPEG-2 |
| under the DVD Video standard. Most hardware DVD | | | | licenses. To avoid these fees, China has developed |
| players have to be connected to a television set; there | | | | the EVD standard as an intended successor of DVD; |
| are also some small portable devices which have an | | | | as of 2004, EVD players were only being sold in China. |
| LCD screen attached. A DVD player has to complete | | | | Software DVD players are programs that allow users |
| these tasks: | | | | to view DVD videos on a computer with a DVD-ROM |
| Read a DVD disc in ISO - UDF version 1.2 format | | | | drive. Some examples are the VLC media player and |
| optionally decrypt the data with either CSS and/or | | | | MPlayer (both free software), as well as WinDVD, |
| Macrovision | | | | PowerDVD and DVD Player. [1]. |
| decode the MPEG-2 video stream with a maximum of | | | | Successors |
| 10 Mbit/s (peak) or 8 Mbit/s (continuous) | | | | There are two successors to the DVD player: the HD |
| decode sound in MP2, PCM or AC-3 format and | | | | DVD player and the Blu-ray Disc player. Neither format |
| output (with optional AC-3 to stereo downsampling) on | | | | is dominant over the other in terms of consumer |
| stereo connector, optical or electric digital connector | | | | adoption as of January 2007. |
| output a video signal, either an analog one (in PAL, | | | | Portable DVD Player (commonly abbreviated as |
| SECAM or NTSC format) on the composite, s-video, | | | | P.D.P.'s) is the name given to any portable device that |
| or component video connectors, or a digital one on the | | | | plays DVDs. Most PDPs have an LCD screen |
| DVI or HDMI connectors | | | | attached to them. The most common PDP screen |
| Most DVD players also allow users to play audio CDs | | | | size is 7", although some are as large as 12". |
| (CDDA, MP3, etc.) and Video CDs (VCD) and include | | | | Price Range |
| a home cinema decoder (i.e. Dolby Digital, Digital | | | | Prices of portable DVD players vary depending on the |
| Theatre Systems (DTS)). Some newer devices also | | | | screen. They usually retail for about $80-200 USD. It |
| play videos in the MPEG-4 ASP video compression | | | | was invented so that people could bring it anywhere |
| format (such as DivX) popular on the Internet. | | | | they go with out a fuss. |
| As of 2005, retail prices for such a device, depending | | | | Screen Quality |
| on its optional features (such as digital sound or video | | | | The biggest complaint users have is the current video |
| output), start between 30 and 80 USD/euros. They | | | | quality of the LCD screens. Many believe new |
| are usually cheaper than VCRs. | | | | technologies are being developed including portable |
| By far the largest producer of DVD players is China; in | | | | HD-DVD players and portable Blu-Ray players that |
| 2002 they produced 30 million players, more than 70% | | | | would have High Definition screens attached to them. |
| of the world output. These producers have to pay | | | | The biggest challenge is to put the same High-Def |
| about US$20 per player in license fees, to the patent | | | | quality images one could find on a 50" screen onto a |
| holders of the DVD technology (Sony, Philips, Toshiba | | | | smaller screen. |