High Tech Demystification – Part 2

Alright, now that you know more on disc formats, you may be interested in understanding what it means when they say what you can do on the discs: 

DVD authoring
DVD authoring is the name of the process of creating a DVD that can be played on a DVD player. Depending on how advanced a DVD authoring software is, it will grant users with more or less choice on the layout and functions available in their DVD menus. Click here to check out how to author DVDs with CyberLink PowerProducer, and find out what Wikipedia has to say.

DVD menu
A DVD menu is the interface through which viewers can choose the content they want to see on a DVD. It is usually the first thing you will see when you insert a DVD in your player.

Capturing
Video capture means digitizing analog video to a computer from an outside source, such as a VCR or TV signal, or transferring digital content (say from a digital TV card or camcorder) to a file format. Capturing is one of two first step necessary to create a personal movie, the other option being importing existing video files from your PC’s hard drive. CyberLink’s PowerProducer and PowerDirector offer video capture, as well as more features for video editing enthusiasts.

For more details, you can also read Wikipedia’s entry at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_capture

High Tech Demystification – Part 1

When I joined CyberLink a few weeks ago I knew there would be a lot of nodding on my part at things uttered to me which I did not understand, and that my first serious task would lie in becoming less of a dummy in multimedia technology.

After a bit of investigation I have found out more and it felt good, but better yet was that it didn’t even require much time or effort to understand what it all was.

So for all the people out there who just bought a great computer with a bunch of applications that talk about “authoring” on “BD” or “HD DVD” – fret not, for you too shall know what these things mean. And the best part is, you’ll be able to make cool stuff in no time! But once you get hooked, your friends may not understand the things you say anymore!

So please, read on, find out what these words/names/acronyms mean, and, above all, have fun!

Next Generation Discs

Several formats are likely to become the successors of the DVD format, among which:
 
· Blu-ray Discs are capable of storing larger quantities of data than DVDs, thanks to the shorter wavelength of the laser that reads / writes this type of disc. The name Blu-ray is derived from the color of the laser that reads/writes (hint: it’s red for DVDs). A single layer Blu-ray Disc can store 25 GB, and 50 GB for a dual layer.

· HD DVD stores 15 GB on single layer and 30 GB on dual layer. The latest news I found at the DVD Forum (they’re big people) talk about a single-sided triple-layer disc storing 51 GB. The large capacities are also due to the short wavelength of the laser used to read / write the discs. The letters stand for High-Definition Digital Versatile Disc.

To learn more on these two formats, please read
http://www.cyberlink.com/english/support/bdhd_support/index.jsp