High Definition DVD: A Primer

High Definition DVD: A Primer

by: Kenny Hemphill

High definition DVD, also known as HDDVD (which actually stands for High Density DVD), is one of two competing high definition storage formats the other being Bluray (http://www.thehdtvtuner.com). The need for a new, high capacity storage format, has been primarily brought about by the rapid rise in popularity of HDTV in Japan and the US. HDTV has much higher bandwidth than either NTSC or regular DVD discs, so in order to record programs from HDDVD higher capacity discs, of at least 30GB, are required.

High definition video is also being used increasingly to make Hollywood movies as it offers comparable quality to film at much less cost. Therefore, the studios plan to release future movies on one or both high definition formats.

HDDVD was developed by Toshiba and NEC and has the support of the DVD Forum, along with a number of Hollywood studios. Currently those studios which have announced support for HDDVD are; Universal Studios, Paramount Studios, Warner Bros., and New Line Cinema. It has a capacity of 15GB for singlesided discs and 30Gb for doublesided. It doesn’t need a caddy or cartridge and the cover layer is the same thickness as current DVD discs, 0.6mm. The numerical aperture of the optical pickup head is also the same as DVD, 0.65mm.

Because of its similarities to current DVD, high definition DVD is cheaper to manufacture than Bluray, because it doesn’t need big changes in the production line setup. Both HDDVD and Bluray have backward compatibility with existing DVDV discs. That is that current DVDs will play in HDDVD player, although new high definition DVD won’t play in older DVD players.

High definition DVD currently supports a number of compression formats, including MPEG2, VC1 (based on Microsoft’s Windows Media 9), and H.264 which is based on MPEG4 and will be supported by the next version of Apple’s QuickTime software, which will be included with Mac OS X Tiger.

About The Author

Kenny Hemphill is the editor and publisher of The HDTV Tuner (http://www.thehdtvtuner.com) a guide to the kit, the technology and the programming on HDTV.

This article was posted on February 14

by Kenny Hemphill

Is DVD Storage An Attractive Alternative For Your

Is DVD Storage An Attractive Alternative For Your Computer Backup?

by: Per Strandberg

If you have a computer for home use or for your business and don’t take comprehensive backup for full protection then you are in the dangerzone. Maybe you do not take any backup at all.

You can find in Windows a basic backup utility which are installed during the installation.

I should say for all Windows…,but in fact it is not included during the installation of Windows XP Home Edition.

It is as if Microsoft thinks that data protection is not necessary for home computers and computers used by small businesses.

It is true that hard drives are becoming less prone to hard disk crashes.

But, if you consider not only hard disk crashes, but also virus infection, theft plus other treats, then you realize the importance of implementing a fullproof backup strategy for your computer.

Today many computers are equipped with a DVD burner, yet most do not use it to manage their vital data backup. The amount of data you can store on a single DVD is several Giga Byte.

There are many types of backup you can make.

Here are the steps that I take myself to fully secure my data against data loss:

1. Disk image backup.

I use a disk image backup software and make a complete image backup of the disk on consecutive DVDs.

I also create an emergency rescue CD.

If I have a hard disk crash I’ll use this emergency CD to boot from.

But, first I have to install and setup a new hard disk that is working.

Then I can recreate the data directly back from this backup stored on the DVDs.

This work is made fast and without the need to spend time installing both the operation system and the backup software.

Everything is instead copied directly into the hard disk from the DVD’s.

2. Full hard disk backup.

I also use a data backup software and create a full backup of the hard disk on consecutive DVD’s.

This is a standard disk backup. With this backup Iกm able to restore any files and/or folders.

I can also move the data to another computer.

3. Regular scheduled backup of files and folder.

Here I use the same software product I use for the full disk backup. I make with this software regular schedule backups of the files and folders I work with.

In my case they include My Documents, Outlook emails and other files that are modified over time.

I do this by keeping a permanent rewritable DVD inside the DVD burner.

I then rotate a number of DVD’s for this purpose so I can keep copies away from the computer.

Whenever I install important new programs from the Internet or I make other major changes to my system I’ll also create a new disk image backup and a full hard disk backup.

You should use a DVD burner that is built for rewritable DVDs.

Unfortunately there are several competing DVD standards on the market.

The DVDR, DVDR and DVDRAM standards supports DVDs which only can be written to once and can’t be reused and those standards should be avoided.

The DVD player should instead support at least one rewritable DVDs standard.

Either DVDRW or DVD+RW.

Conclusion:

I use regular schedule backup to backup the data files I work with on a daily basis.

I’ll make a disk image backup so that in case of a hard disk failure I will be back in business fast.

I also create a full disk backup so that I will be able to restore individual files or folders. It makes it also possible to move the data to another computer.

Copyright 2005 Per Strandberg

About The Author

Per Strandberg specializing in data security and data storage and have a site about data backup technology

at ==> http://www.databackupandstorage.com

Discover more about DVD storage

at ==> http://www.databackupandstorage.com/dvdbackupandcopy.html

Learn more about how to backup from Windows

at ==> http://www.databackupandstorage.com/windowbackup.html

This article was posted on February 04

by Per Strandberg

Is a DVD VCR Recorder Right For You?

Is a DVD VCR Recorder Right For You?

by: Kenny Hemphill

A DVD VCR recorder may, at first sight, seem like an ugly combo of old technology with new. However, there are many advantages to be had from a DVD VCR recorder, also known as DVD VHS recorder or DVD VCR combo recorder.

The first and most obvious advantage is that it provides an easy way to copy your old VHS tapes to DVD and thus preserve them for much longer than they would last on a VHS tape. Just stick the tap and blank DVD into the machine, press a button and, bingo, you’re ropey old VHS tapes can be consigned to the trash, to be replaced by a shiny, new DVD disc.

Saving space is another advantage of having a DVD VCR recorder. Many people like to keep hold of old VHS tapes for all sorts of reasons, but having a DVD recorder and a VCR takes up space, plug sockets, and adds to the jungle of wires behind the TV.

However, itกs not all good news. A DVD VCR recorder has one distinct disadvantage over having two separate units and its one that affects every area where technology combines multiple functions into one device. Put simply, if your VCR breaks, youกve lost your DVD recorder to. And vice versa. Whereas, if you had separate VHS and DVD machines, when one breaks and you need to send it off to be repaired, you still have the other.

If this potential problem doesn’t put you off, and you decide a DVD VHS recorder is right for you, there are a number of things you should look out for. If possible go for a device, like Panasonicกs DVD VCR recorder (http://www.masterdvd.com/panasonicdvddvsrecorder.html), which records to DVDRAM as well as DVDR or DVD+R. This allows you to timeshift your DVD recording, meaning you can watch the start of a program while still recording the end of it, or pause and rewind live TV. Timeshifting is incredibly useful and will change the way you watch TV.

You should also look for a device which plays back DVDs using progressive scan. This means that rather than splitting each frame into two fields and displaying each one alternately, the entire frame is shown on screen at the same time. This improves the quality of the picture when watching DVD players.

If you have lots of VHS tapes that you want to carry on watching or want to record to DVD, itกs possible that a DVD VCR recorder could be right for you.

About The Author

Kenny Hemphill is the editor and publisher of Master DVD (http://www.masterdvd.com), a website which provides information, articles, and tutorials on issues and products related to recordable DVD.

This article was posted on November 04, 2004

by Kenny Hemphill

Toshiba Wins Hollywood Support for the HD DVD form

Toshiba Wins Hollywood Support for the HD DVD format

by: Iulia Pascanu

What led them to this choice, as all four studios stated separately, is better performance for the price and copyright protection.

The other standard in competition, the Bluray disc, unconditionally backed by Sony Pictures Entertainment, is also counting on support from Metro Goldwyn Mayer and Twentieth Century Fox. The latter has recently joined the BluRay Disc Association Board.

The Bluray disc has more world leading electronics companies that support it: Sony, LG Electronics, Matsushita (Panasonic), Mitsubishi, Samsung, Sharp, TDK, Philips, Pioneer, Hitachi. Also, computer giants Dell and Hewlett Packard.

The HD DVD standard is developed by Toshiba, Sanyo and NEC, under the endorsement of the DVD Forum.

Both HD DVD and Bluray standards use the same wavelength bluelasers that permit data storage on the disc at a higher density. This enhances the disc capacity and allows the recording of high definition video on DVD support.

Wining the support of the big Hollywood movie studios is most important in the DVD format battle. Up to this moment, the four studios that gave their endorsement to HD DVD technology represent 45% of the DVD prerecorded movie market.

The launch of DVD players in the HD DVD format is expected for the last quarter of 2005.

About The Author

Iulia Pascanu writes for http://www.dvdrecorders.ws/ where you can find a complete DVD recorders shopping guide. Please feel free to use this article in your Newsletter or on your website. If you use this article, please include the resource box and send a brief message to let me know where it appeared: mailto:[email protected].

This article was posted on March 30

by Iulia Pascanu

Hone Your Edge, Stay Focused

Hone Your Edge, Stay Focused

by: Duane Gordon

A common hazard faced by new entrepreneurs is a lack of faith in the power of their offer. Many business people lose focus because they are worried they wont generate enough cash flow from their core product. They attract potential customers with outstanding expertise but then muddy the water by trying to sell anything those customers want, regardless of how it fits into their business plan. This is confusing, both for the customer, who doesnt really know what type of business you have, and for yourself. Heres how to stay on track.
Many business people lose focus because theyre worried they cant generate enough cash flow from a small group of products or services. You attract potential customers with your outstanding expertise but then muddy the water by offering anything those customers want, regardless of how it fits into your business plan. You lose focus. If you dont focus, you wont have the knowledge you need to help your customer. You need to solve problems and offer a complete solution. You can only do that well in your area of expertise.
Losing focus sets you up for failure. If you cant solve your customers problems, your business wont earn a reputation as a good resource. This applies to any type of business. Imagine that you offer computer accounting services. You are an excellent accountant; you have a good reputation and an excellent rapport with your customers. If your customer needs a new computer, chances are they will ask you if you sell computers. Lose focus and you may be tempted to say yes. After all, you know computers… you use them all the time for your computer accounting business.
However, while you may use computers in your business, you are not necessarily an expert in the computer retail business. You may not know the best wholesalers. Youre not equipped to deal with repairs. You probably wont make money selling the computer after you invest all the time necessary to learn how to do it properly, and the time you invest takes time away from your already successful business. Whats worse is that a customer dissatisfied with your service wont tell other people not to buy a computer from you, shell tell them not to deal with you at all.
If you lose focus and try to be all things to all people, you will not be as successful as you could be in any business. Successful businesspeople tell you to focus on what you do best. Master your business and give your customers value. If your customer comes to you looking for something that is not part of your core business, refer her to someone else. In fact, you could even make a deal with another Web site and have them refer customers to you as well.
Affiliate programs do exactly that. In the end, you serve your customers better and they will continue to value your advice, your products and services. There are ways to offer more products and services to your customers and increase your cash flow without losing your focus or diluting your brand. Lets look at a concrete example.
MarieLynn and I were talking about a new business she wants to set up. MarieLynn is interested in mobile entertainment systems. In fact, shes looking for a DVD player for her car. She often travels by car with her husband and daughter, visiting family in other cities. Her daughter is now old enough to ask the dreaded question, กAre we there yet?ก She thinks it would be interesting to get a VCR or DVD player for her car to keep her daughter (and husband!) quiet and entertained.
Doing some research, she quickly realized there was a business opportunity here. Buying a car that has a DVD player included costs about $10,000 more than average because they tend to be luxury models. Thats a bit expensive for a DVD player! She looked for places that sell kits for DVD players, much like the kits you can get for car stereos. She found there were very few stores that would add a DVD player to a car, and she couldnt find any กdoityourselfก kits on the market. She was sure other people were having the same problem.
As we discussed it, I agreed this was a perfect business opportunity! I pointed out that this was a highpriced, highmargin product with relatively low shipping costs. We base our business strategy on establishing relationships with our customers and we can do that best with fewer customers. After all, were not trying to be a WalMart or a Dollar Store.
It had the advantage of being a product that requiring a good deal of expertise. Which DVD player is best? Which models fit in which vehicles? There was even potential for information products like plans for customizing older vehicles to accept a DVD player.
Imagine the longterm potential for offering DVD movies that play well to a traveling audience. MarieLynn will be able to warn her customers about movies with car crashes and highspeed chases that may give the driver a nervous breakdown, and she can recommend movies that keep her own daughter occupied. Moreover, whom do you think her customers will come back to when they change vehicles? As we talked, we both became excited about the possibilities.
I was convinced กDVD Players for Your Carก could be a perfect application of the Ride the Wave philosophy. Then MarieLynn also told me her research showed her that mobile and wireless networking products were selling well now. Everyone wants an alwayson Internet connection, and more and more people have multiple computers in their house that they want to network without drilling holes and running wires.
She was thinking about starting a business selling mobile and wireless networking technology and she would include the กDVD Players for Your Carก business with it. After all, there isnt any type of device more mobile than a car, is there? She was worried she might not sell enough car DVD players to make a profit and mobile networking was a highend market and there werent many people doing it. She was also worried that she might not have the expertise people were looking for when it came to DVD players… after all, she didnt even have one in her car yet. She was still shopping!
Theres a good chance many of you will have the same experience, though not necessarily with DVD players and mobile networking products. You will have doubts about your idea and doubts about your expertise. You will worry that you wont make enough sales of one product and youll be tempted to add other products to your online store. Ill tell you the same thing I told Marie Lynn.
Dont lose focus! The กDVD Player for Your Carก idea is excellent. It would only get lost in a กMobile and Wireless Networkingก Web site.
Remember: Your brand, your business name and its reputation, is your most valuable asset. Your must build and protect your brand over anything else. Your brand will be the true secret of your success and the source of the longterm security of your business and your income. Think of your brand as your position in the hearts and minds of your customers. Where are you in the hearts and minds of your customers? Remember your business strategy and you have every chance of success. Its easy to get distracted and lose your focus. Stay on track!

About The Author

Feel free to reprint this article on your Web site or in your electronic or printed publication. If you wish to edit the article for length or style, please contact me prior to publishing. When publishing the article, simply include the short กabout the authorก byline as shown.
Duane Gordon is a personal eBusiness Coach and Author of กRIDE THE WAVE, How to Succeed in the Next eBusiness Waveก Learn to turn your passion into a successful Internet business. http://www.ridethewaveonline.com/default.asp?a=1223&t=0022WSAR4A10001&d=surfsup/

This article was posted on July 26, 2004

by Duane Gordon

Expert Guide to DVD Camcorders

Expert Guide to DVD Camcorders

by: Kennny Hemphill

Thinking about a mini DVD camcorder? You’re not alone, itกs a rapidly growing sector of the camcorder market, with Hitachi, Sony and Panasonic all making more than one mini dvd camcorder.

These camcorders differ from regular digital video cameras in one important way they record video onto mini DVD discs, rather than DV tape. This has a number of advantages. DVD discs are more robust than tape and won’t get chewed up in the camera. Although this is thankfully a rare occurance, it scares me every time I here a strange noise coming from my camcorder, so itกs with bearing in mind.

The second advantage is that DVD discs are random access, compared to tape on which everything is recorded sequentially. This means that thereกs no need to rewind and fast forward to find the clip you’re after, just select it from the menu. Some cameras even allow you to perform basic editing functions oncamera. An additional sidebenefit is that a mini DVD camcorder doesn’t have tape heads to get worn or dirty as happens in regular mini DVD cameras.

And thirdly, you can easily watch your home movies by removing the DVD from the camera and playing it in practically any DVD player.

However, there are negative factors to. The most siginificant one is that video is encoded as MPEG2 on a mini DVD camcorder, as opposed to DV format. This means that it needs specialist software to edit you can’t just use your regular video editing program (unless it specifically supports MPEG2). And if a Mac user you’re out of luck, as there are no MPEG2 editing applications for the Mac.

Also, mini DVD camcorders tend to cost more than similarly specified mini DV cameras. And the media is also more expensive. However, if you don’t intend editing your movies and don’t mind the extra cost, a mini dvd camcorder does offer extraordinary convenience.

© Kenny Hemphill 2004.

About The Author

Kenny Hemphill is the editor and publisher of Master DVD (http://www.masterdvd.com), a website which provides information, articles, and tutorials on issues and products related to recordable DVD.

This article was posted on November 16, 2004

by Kennny Hemphill

Walt Disney Announced to Support the BluRay Disc

Walt Disney Announced to Support the BluRay Disc Format

by: Iulia Pascanu

The beginning of this December, the major film company Walt Disney announced its intention to start releasing movies and other content on Bluray discs in North America, as soon as the newformat players become available there.

Walt Disney has a market share of 17.2 of Hollywoodกs prepackaged DVD sales.

Sony, one of the most active developers of the Bluray format, owns Columbia Pictures. MetroGoldwynMayer gives its tacit support to Bluray disc, as only recently it has been purchased by a group led by Sony.

With these going on, Bluray currently bets on 47% of the Hollywoodกs prerecorded DVD market. Thatกs slightly more than what the other competing format, HD DVD can count on, up to this moment: 45% coming with the support from Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, New Line Cinema and Warner Bros Studios.

Walt Disney was the last big player to make a decision and its announcement the beginning of this month, definitely split the newformat DVD market in two.

However, Sony still has to hold its breath. Disney said it will join Bluray Disc Association, and become part of the board of directors. But the Disney officials too, as the ones from the other film studios, agreed to nonexclusive deals.

This means they are free to work with other DVD format developers too, if they prove more competitive.

Bob Chapek, president of Disney™ Buena Vista Home Entertainment, also stated that they prefer avoiding a format battle that would only puzzle the consumer. Ultimately, he said our hope is the format developers themselves can find a way to unify so the next generation product is not complicated by multiple format launches

About The Author

Iulia Pascanu writes for http://www.dvdrecorders.ws/ where you can find a complete DVD recorders shopping guide. Please feel free to use this article in your Newsletter or on your website. If you use this article, please include the resource box and send a brief message to let me know where it appeared: mailto:[email protected].

This article was posted on March 30

by Iulia Pascanu

DVD Burning Tips

DVD Burning Tips

by: Jasmine Ong

CD and DVD Replication how it works.

CD and DVD replication is a process that works by creating discs from scratch. Not to be confused with duplication (the act of burning information onto readymade, commerciallyavailable blank CDRs and DVDRs), replication relies on the use of molds to produce actual discs that already contain digital data. It is the preferred and recommended mode of mass production for quantities in excess of 500 units.

Replication begins with a painstaking process called glass mastering. In this step, a laser is used to copy data onto a lightreactive glass plate. The plate’s photosensitive glaze reacts to the heat of the laser, thus etching several gigabytes worth of digital information for permanent storage.

The data encoded on the glass master comes in binary form, a series of 1s and 0s. While these 1s and 0s may seem like gobbledygook to the average human, it is the language that CD and DVD players understand. Once scored onto the plate via laser, binary information appears as very tiny depressions of varying depths, similar to the grooves on a vinyl record.

Since a glass master cannot be altered once it is completed, great care must be taken when preparing one. As a quality control measure, it has to be made in a clean room environment. Any defects or impurities on the glass master will definitely compromise the integrity and playability of the final CDs or DVDs.

A glass master is considered too delicate to be used for heavyduty and largescale disc production. Instead, it is used to create several sturdier, more durable metal molds called stampers.

In a process known as stamping or pressing, each stamper is injected with a transparent plastic substance called polycarbonate. The excess plastic is then removed, leaving an exact impression of the mold.

To make the polycarbonate disc suitable for playing, it is then finished with a coat of reflective material. Once the replication process is completed, the disc is finally ready for labeling and packaging.

Replication is considered to be superior to disc duplication. As such, it is regarded as the industry standard. This is because it offers greater consistency in production quality and disc playability than the burning process. In a sense, burning may be likened to photocopying while replication may be likened to cloning. Replicated discs are exact and faithful reproductions of their glass masters; duplicated discs, on the other hand, may differ from their source depending on the quality of the blank media used.

However, due to the complicated and tedious nature of CD and DVD replication, its turnaround or completion time is considerably longer than that of duplication. Depending on the number of copies, discs may be duplicated within a matter of minutes. In contrast, a batch of discs can take two to four weeks to replicate.

Replication is also best left to the experts. Owing to the need for clean rooms and special equipment, the startup expense and preparation can be costlier as well as resourceintensive. But in the long run, replication yields a lower perunitcost than disc burning.

For more information ond DVD duplication services, please visit http://www.easydvdburning.com/dvdduplication/index.html

About The Author

Jasmine Ong is a staff writer for http://www.easydvdburning.com a leading independent DVD software review website.

This article was posted on September 14

by Jasmine Ong

DVD ROMs

DVD ROMs

by: John Gibb

DVD CD ROMs have become predominantly the most used CD drive for desktop and notebook computers. They are very reliable and now come as a standard in most computers. If you are looking for a laptop then make sure it has a DVD ROM, this will give you extra speed for normal Cds, and you will be able to watch your favourite DVDs while you travel.
I often sit up late watching DVDs on my laptop after a hard working day.
If you are interested in Desktop computers, then the DVD drive will enable you to watch your favourite DVDs on your monitor. I currently have a 21inch monitor and a 5.1 computer surround kit. This brings DVDs to life and acts just like a home cinema system, however the quality is even better.
Most DVD ROMs will come in speeds ranging from 4 to 10 speed. This is more than adequate to watch the latest DVDs, play the latest games, and use and install the latest software. Normal CDs can only perform at a certain speed, and it is a lot lower than what the DVD ROM offers. I hope you have a better understanding of why DVD ROMs are now used more than a normal CD nowadays. It is basically all part of bringing a home entertainment system at the best quality closer to everyone.
This is one of the unique articles posted weekly on http://www.computerandprinterreviews.com.

About The Author

John Gibb is currently the webmaster of several guide websites. http://www.computerandprinterreviews.com is his latest addition.

This article was posted on July 25, 2004

by John Gibb

Encountering The Third Generation Of DVD Format

Encountering The Third Generation Of DVD Format

by: Dana Scripca

It won’t last too long until the third generation of DVD format to be unveiled. Your DVD player will play a wellperforming disc with highstorage capacity. The upcoming MediaTech Expo, Las Vegas, USA, will surely clarify this topical issue.

The upcoming MediaTech Expo May 10–12 in Las Vegas, USA will be a crucial moment in deciding what DVD format will be the succesor of the actual DVDs. It will be HDDVD? Or the Bluray Disk? Before the end of 2005, more likely in 2006, the standard format will be decided for good. The competition between the HDDVD and Bluray is in full swing now.

The overwhelming increase of portable DVD players led to a even higher rise of DVDs industry. In 2003, almost 4 billion prerecorded DVDs were produced. This number is calculated to increase to 7 billion in 2006. The same for recordable DVDs market: DVD±R, DVD±RW. While in 2003 just 908 million disks were produced, it is estimated a double growth rate in 2004 (and about 4 billion estimated in 2006).

This year edition, from Frankfurt, manufacturing technology for the third generation of optical storage media has been debated. More than 1,400 people joined 2004 edition. At upcoming 2005 edition, concepts for replication lines and single components for the manufacturing of HDDVD and Bluray Disc will be introduced. MediaTech Expo is the leading annual tradeshow for the media manufacturing industry.

As for these two vying formats, both use a blue laser (contrary to red laser for DVDs). The blue laser has a shorter wavelength leading to finer signal markings on the optical media. Moreover, a shorter wavelength, associated with advanced compression process, prompts a higher storage capacity. Whereas HDDVD holds 30 gigabytes, Bluray holds 50 gigabytes on a doublelayer disc.

Professional video industry is one of the most prosperous. Not surprisingly, engineers and manufacturing professionals, producers, video and audio professionals, web developers, broadcasters, directors, DVD authors, editors, graphic artists, gather on annual worldwide electronics and digital video exhibitions to learn the newly techniques, technologies, capabilities, advantages related to their industry. There are seven major exhibitions: DVExpo, Mediacast, DVD Europe, DVD Replication Exhibition, DVD Summit Midle East Asia, MediaTech, ProductionShow.

About The Author

Dana Scripca writes for http://www.allportabledvdplayers.com where you can find more information about portable DVD players

Please feel free to use this article in your Newsletter or on your website. If you use this article, please include the resource box and send a brief message to let me know where it appeared: mailto: [email protected].

This article was posted on November 15, 2004

by Dana Scripca

How To Quickly Fix Nagging DVD Drive Problems

How To Quickly Fix Nagging DVD Drive Problems

by: Otis F Cooper

You really enjoy those dvd movies and games and the last thing you need or want is to experience problems with your dvd drive.

To prepare for the possibility of having your dvd drive leaving you out in the cold one morning,we will dicuss problems that may cause dvd failure as well as the procedures you should take to correct these problems.

As with all drives,be sure to double check the failure. If the dvd drive will not read the dvd, try running another dvd in the drive. Make sure the dvd has no scratches and is clean.

Visually inspect the drive if the drive is external and if the drive is enternal,check the computer.Check to see if the computer has good ventilation to help keep it cool.Here are the common dvd problems with their solutions.

DVD DRIVE HAS NO POWER

First..For external drives that have no power,first check to see if anything or anyone has caused the power cord to become unplugged.Rule out the wall outlet by plugging in another device such as a radio and see if it plays.

Second…If youกve proven the wall outlet to be good,but you still don’t have power,check the surge protector for any signs of damage.If the surge protector is good,check the cord.

Third..If you’re certain the surge protector or wall outlet is providing power,double check the cord by plugging it in a few times.If no power is present,you will have to replace the cord or the drive itself.

Internal dvd drives receive their power from the connector from the power supply.Try another connector to the drive. if the internal dvd drive still does not receive power after using another connector,the drive is faulty.

DRIVE HAS POWER BUT TRAY WON’t OPEN

You may experience the tray failing to open.Should this happen,press the button a couple times to see if it will open.If the tray fail to open,reboot your computer and try to open the tray.

When rebooting the system,notice the monitor to see if the drive is recognized by the computer.Some systems will not display installed hardware during bootup.If this is the case,you will have to access your BIOS to check if the dvd drive is being registered.

You can also try the manual eject button on the drive to get it to open.Use something very small but firm to press in the pinhole in front of the drive to open the tray.

Shut the computer off and unplug it.Use something like a long paperclip to insert in the pinhole to open the tray. The tray may open a couple inches and you can grab it with your fingers to open it completely.

DRIVE IS NOT RECOGNIZED BY WINDOWS

Be sure the operating system is recognizing the drive by clicking on My Computer.Windows XP will show กdrives with removable storageก.If your drive is present, highlight the drive,right click and select properties.Click on properties and you should see ‘this drive is working properlyก.

If you see another message such as ‘this drive is not working properlyก,you may be able to update the device driver.If the drive is not present in My computer,reboot the computer and access the cmos setup.

In the cmos setup,the dvd drive should be present.The drive may not be properly installed or one of the cables have become disconnected if the drive is missing

If you check the drive cables and are certain they are connected correctly,it may be that the data cable is faulty and the drive controller may be at fault.And we can’t overlook the fact that the drive itself may be bad.

DRIVE HAS POWER BUT WILL NOT READ DVD

First..try another dvd since a dirty or scratched dvd may not play.If the new dvd fail to play as well,check to see if the operating system is recognizing the drive

Click on My Computer and highlight the dvd drive.Right click and select properties.The statement ‘this device is working properlyก should be present.If not or you see another message,try to update the device driver.

In the My Computer screen,highlight the dvd drive,and select the Properties screen,select Drivers,and then select update device driver.

Another cause may be the Windows Registry is corrupt. You can use software utilities such as PC Bug Doctor to repair your registry. Download this free repair utility at http://www.pcbugdoctor.com/download.html.

To make a backup of your registry with Windows 98, just go to Start, select Run, enter scanregw and click OK. This will run Scanregw.exe.

Restore your registry in Windows 98 by typing scanreg / restore at the Dos Prompt.You can also use.Winrescue XP at http://www.superwin.com/index.htm is a neat little utility for backup and restore of Windows XP.

The dvd drive or writer is an awesome storage and data backup drive.Use it to the fullest to enjoy music,video, audio,and more.Understand everything about this drive before something goes wrong.

Should your audio die on you,check the dvd to be sure it is not dirty or damaged.Look at the audio cable for signs of looseness.Inspect this cable to be sure it is inserted in the connector completely and that is indeed inserted in the correct connector.

If you have a dvd drive,take the time to visit the support web site and download the latest device drivers or patches to keep your drive running at peak performance.

About The Author

Otis F. Cooper is solely dedicated to boosting the knowledge and confidence of every computer user that is serious about knowing computers.Use his informative articles and videos to understand every aspect about the PC. Read more about his formula for pc training at http://www.ultimatepcrepair.com

[email protected]

This article was posted on March 05, 2004

by Otis F Cooper

PowerPoint to DVD Creator

PowerPoint to DVD Creator

by: Lisa Janice

Microsoft PowerPoint has dramatically changed the way in which academic and business presentations are made. Suppose you need to create PowerPoint DVDs, aside from being very popular, the most common reasons that users want to burn PowerPoint slides to DVD are usability, portability, and storage. Since DVD is fast becoming the preferred video format for all kinds of consumer applications, as well as computer peripherals, saving ppts to DVD makes good sense for storing and sharing them with others. PCcreated DVDs can be shown on other PCs that support DVD or on consumer DVD players. (and, of course, create some for your own archiving and enjoyment).

Here I recommend presenters to use the PowerPoint DVD authoring and burning software. What I mean by this is that instead of simply packing their presentation to a CD or DVD and thereby needing to transfer or install it to another laptop in an emergency, burn a true DVD movie disc with most of your content and narration record, so that your boss or your friends can show it on a standard DVD player or leave it behind for a client or audience after the show.

The DVD movie disc can include an interactive menu linked to any video you want to present, and after you output your PowerPoint slides as still images (File > Save As and change the file type to BMP, JPG or TIF), you can import these into the DVD as slideshows. And with DVD/VCD, you can attach music and narration to accompany your slides show, which will really add to the ambience.

A disc burned correctly like that in a DVD burner will play through most consumer DVD drives and is easy to set up connected to a computer monitor or even a largescreen TV.

Many programs will enable you to create and burn such a PowerPoint DVD disc. At the low end thereกs ProDVDกs PowerPoint DVD Maker. If you want a more practical tool, I recommend Wondershare PPT2DVD (http://www.ppttodvd.com)

About The Author

Lisa Janice, teaches, trains and consults on business and professional presentations and eCommerce related matters.

This article was posted on August 23

by Lisa Janice