[ale] Linux DVD

[aaron]

On Thursday 24 January 2002 22:27, you wrote:
> Has anyone seen the new "Superbits" branded DVD's?  I have started
> seeing them at Best Buy.  They say they have more data used for each
> frame so they have better quality.  Anyone know more?
>
> Chris Woodruff

I would be very suspicious that these "Stupor-bits" are simply [more] DVD 
marketroid hype. It is my understanding that, at present, there really is 
only one set of [proprietary and vaguely standardized] specifications for 
consumer DVD disks, data streams and encoding.

In those specs, the max data capacity of the disks is a fixed value, 
though the Rate at which that data can be read or written is Variable and 
directly affects quality, just like SP, LP and SLP/EP on a VHS deck. What 
that means is that the only definite controls over DVD quality are 1> how 
much program material you try to cram into the data space and 2> how much 
processing time you put into encoding that material to apply look ahead 
caching and all the other hacks that DVD uses to compensate for 
discarding most of the original information.

When an entire DVD is used to store 30 minutes of video program material, 
the data and compression rates are comparable to pro-sumer miniDV 
(~20Mbps), which is about as compressed as these technologies can really 
get without significant visible artifacts.

I expect the impending second generation X-DVD-Z (or whatever) will 
support 4 to 8 times the physical data density on the disks. When "XDVDZ" 
also supports quality real time recording at corespondingly higher data 
rates, it will be a wholly superior replacement to VHS and SVHS for 
storing motion picture length material and using for industrial 
production and home recording (at least in the opinion of this Videot 
Savante).

I'm just hoping that by then the controlling mega media corps also 
establish at least one definitive quality and evaluation reference for 
ANY of their compressed digital video and media formats.

As a foot note, I think the real convergence point of distribution 
bandwidth and source data compression will happen if/when the kind of 
fractal compression specifications encompassed in the MPEG-7 specs are 
achieved.

peace
(after justice)
aaron

>
> On Thu, 2002-01-24 at 18:26, aaron wrote:
> > On Thursday 24 January 2002 17:55, you wrote:
> > [snip]
> >
> > > Do I need any DVD's other than the only one I currently own, The
> > > Matrix?
> >
> > <grin>
> >
> > According to all the true DVD afficianados I have met, there are no
> > DVD's besides the the Matrix.
> >
> > They argue that this disk is the only motion pictuer that has yet
> > been mastered with the due diligence needed to offset the fact that,
> > in the 2hr DVD format, 80% of your original (video resolution) image
> > information is discarded. If the hype is accurate, hundreds of hours
> > of super computer time were used to squeeze every last pixel possible
> > onto the Matrix DVD.
> >
> > I can personally add that  the Matrix is the only DVD I have yet seen
> > that doesn't suffer horribly from the compression artifacts of the
> > Degraded Video Digitization format. Of course, that's just my
> > subjective view from two decades of professional experience
> > evaluating video quality in state of the art production facilities,
> > so take it for what it's worth.
> >
> > <\grin>

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