Q&A # 103 - February 16, 1999

Staff

Q I recently acquired the DTS DVD "Dances with Wolves" and found that it was on two discs rather than one. I thought that there was enough room on DVDs to put long movies all on one disc. Why did they make it this way?

A Two reasons. One is that with a movie that takes up both sides, the manufacturers can't print a nice logo of the movie on one side of the disc. This makes the disc rather unattractive, and it's also hard to tell which side is which. Secondly, carousel DVD players are starting to show up at the A/V stores now, and by putting two discs in the carousel, you can watch the entire long movie without having to turn a disc over. With a single disc, you would have to turn it over regardless of the type of player you have (thus, with a single disc player, you have to get up and open the player drawer no matter whether you have one two sided disc or two discs). So, having a long movie on two discs is actually advantageous. The discs are attractive with their logos, they are easily marked as to which is disc 1 and disc 2, and you can watch the film from start to finish without pausing to turn the disc over.

Q I just bought a Creative Labs PC-DVD Encore upgrade kit which has an AC-3 output. I don't have a digital receiver, but I have a Dolby Pro Logic receiver. Is there some sort of converter that I can buy to convert the AC-3 digital signal to just regular Dolby Pro Logic surround sound?

A You will have to use the two channel analog output of your sound card to one of the analog inputs on your Pro Logic receiver to get it in surround, but it will work without any adapter.

Q I have a Sony VPH1270Q Front Projector that I input RGB, S-Video, and Composite into. On dark scenes I get a horizontal black streaking problem that comes off of light objects. I can simulate the problem by changing the desktop of my RGB output to be all black and then when I move the mouse cursor around the horizontal black line moves with it. If I turn the BIAS way down on all three CRTs then the problem is not as bad but I can still notice it. Would you happen to know what is causing this problem and how I go about fixing it?

A It sounds like a DC-restoration problem. This is the ability to hold black at black. Try turning the contrast down a bit. Use Video Essentials to calibrate your projector and this problem will be minimized.

Q I was interested to see your back of the envelope calculation of the relative data sizes for HDTV, DVD, and 720P. However, DVD movies are presently stored as Progressive! HDTV 1080 is interlaced which represents half the relative required space for 1080p. Also note that 720P actually requires MORE storage space, not less than the 1080i signal.

A HDTV allows for 1080i and 720p, and one day 1080p. You are correct about the storage space for 720p. Anyone who has a chance to see 720p will realize that it is a superior format to 1080i. 1080i requires a projector that can scan at around 33 kHz while 720p requires that projector to work at 40 kHz. Note that even with a progressive format we can still see scan lines on a high end projector that is capable of scanning at a higher rate like the DWIN, Vidikron, and Runco products. The DWIN, for example, is happy running at 50 kHz.

Q I have been searching, on the net and through local retailers, for quite a while for a product that meets the specs of the Entech Director. I was extremely frustrated until I happened across your review. I very much appreciate it, and this is EXACTLY the product I was looking for.

One question: I just got a DVD player (Sony 7000) and my attempt to route it through my S-VHS VCR (as you mentioned, TVs today are VERY limiting with S-Video inputs) failed. I presume this is because of the Macrovision copy protection. Does the Entech Director differ from my VCR is some way, i.e., will it pass the signal through to the TV as if it were coming directly from the DVD player? I would love to buy this item if it will meet that need, if it will not be hampered by the DVD copy protection.

I also have an LD player and a satellite dish, so it is still inconvenient to be pulling plugs whenever I switch sources, but to justify the investment I'd need to be able to route the DVD in this manner. Your review mentioned no problems (a Sony DVD player was apparently used in testing).

A No, the Entech does not suffer from the macrovision copy protection. It is the VCR that scrambles the picture when it senses the macrovision associated with an incoming signal.

Q Is there a difference between "closed caption" and "subtitle" on a DVD? Is a special DVD player that supports closed captioning required to view closed caption (like LD players do)?

My "Fargo" DVD has a Language menu that includes the following options: - English - French - Spanish subtitle. Though the packaging states that English closed caption and Spanish subtitle are available, I can only view Spanish subtitle but not English. The subtitle button on the remote of my Pioneer DVL-9 only allows 1 subtitle (Spanish). I have also checked the player's and movie's onscreen menus and user manual but in vain. What's wong?

A Yes, subtitles and closed captioning are different. Closed captioning is always on with the source. If you want to see it, you must turn on closed-captioning on your TV to receive it in English. Subtitles usually just give you the dialog. There is also a new service that will give you a verbal description of the what is happening for those consumers who are blind. This is accessed in the SAP option from your remote control, just as you would turn on the closed captioning for the hearing impaired.

Q What is the official word on the forthcoming Sony DVP-S7700? I have heard that it will be essentially identical to the DVP-S7000, except with DTS output, true 24/96, and a relocation of the disc tray to the center of the player. However, I have heard from multiple sources, included a local authorized Sony dealer, that Sony tends to make the first product in a line of exceptional quality, and then the second generation lags. Also, the ship date has been pushed back, from the initial announcement at Hifi 98 that it would be available in mid-Fall, to late November, and now to January/February. Meanwhile, the price of the '7000 continues to fall. Given that the DVD audio standard has not yet been set, that DTS has not made major inroads into the DVD market, and that the build quality may not be up to the reference quality of the '7000, would it be a good idea to take advantage of the '7000's current low price, or should I wait for the '7700 and see?

A The 7700 is now available and at a higher price than the 7000. While the player does offer 24/96, it is only on the analog outputs, and it downconverts to 16/48 on its digital output for copyright issues. It hit the market the same time that the first batch of DTS DVDs came out. I am not sure how good the quality is on this unit. It is supposed to be 20% faster on access time but will not automatically find the 5.1 channel mix for you.

Q I understand that most DVD players use a lens to refocus the DVD laser when reading CDs, and that Sony uses a proprietary dual laser system, one laser for reading DVDs and one for reading CDs. From what I've heard, only Sony DVD players, with the dedicated CD laser, can read CD-R discs. I was wondering why this is. I assume it has something to do with the fact that a DVD laser wavelength is 650nm and the CD wavelength is 780nm, and I don't think you can change the wavelength of a laser beam simply by refocusing it with lenses. However, if they can read CDs, why can't they read CD-Rs? Does it have something to do with the color of the recording media in CD-Rs? Also, to your knowledge, are any other manufacturers going to have DVD players that can read CD-Rs? I've heard that people think that Philips might, being that they are deep in to the CD-R business.

A There are actually a couple of brands that have dual lasers for both. DVD-ROM drives need this capability if they are going to replace CD-ROM drives in PCs. One laser is visible and the other is not. I would imagine most CD-ROM drive manufacturers who want to move into the DVD/CD-R market will have these dual laser drives pretty soon.

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