D-THEATER by JVC

DVD Obsolete???

A new video format, termed D-Theater appears to have conquered the interest of some of the lads in Hollywood due to its "anti-copy" qualities, and quality that’s two times superior to DVD… but for some of the majors, this format has no future. The "good old" video cassette ain’t dead yet mate… it’s in fact waiting in the wings preparing its revenge against DVD with a new format called D-VHS HS or D-Theater created by JVC, who were originally behind the creation of video cassettes in the first place. The benefits of a D-Theater cassette mainly lie in the fact that the magnetic support would be impossible to pirate.



The development of this new mode is in fact a hefty argument for the US Cinema industry, which is welcoming the new format with open arms. Universal Studios, Twentieth Century Fox, Dreamworks and Artisan Entertainment, four of the biggest studios in Hollywood, have announced their support of the new standard. It should be added that in the year 2002, they’ll be releasing some of their biggest titles in D-Theater format. The question remains as to whether the new equipment will first be targeted towards the Americans…

An Uncopiable Media

The D-Theater format is an evolution of D-VHS developed by JVC in 1998 which permits the user to record digital audio/video data on a magnetic tape. In addition, JVC and Panasonic have now jointly developed a scrambling system which is aimed at protecting against any copies, as explained by the companies in a press release.



Better than DVD?

After measurements made in the lab, it turns out that the quality of an image in D-VHS is double that of DVD. D-Theater has a resolution of more than 1000 lines horizontal, as opposed to 500 for DVD and 240 for standard VHS. D-VHS also allows the user, as with classic VHS, to record TV programmes as well as other video data. In addition, for the same bulk as a VHS cassette, a D-VHS cassette can hold up to 7 hours of high definition video and up to 50 hours in VHS standard.

This new format also has its critics who retain their trust in DVD… "From the beginning, we think this format is already obsolete before arriving on the market," , declared Warner Home Video Head, Marsha King to the Los Angeles Times… "It’s really a stupid idea", concluded, for his part, Ben Feingold, President of the digital division of Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment Studios…*1
Another factor is that D-Theater by JVC is commercialised at a price of 2400 euros in the USA. It’s also worth mentioning that the price of the cassettes is pretty prohibitive… around 30 or 40 dollars (34 à 46 euros)...

*1 Source Zdnet.fr