1.5 What DVD players and drives are available?
Description
This article is from the DVD Formats FAQ, by jtfrog@usa.net (Jim Taylor) with numerous contributions by others.
1.5 What DVD players and drives are available?
Some manufacturers originally announced that DVD players would be available
as early as the middle of 1996. These predictions were woefully optimistic.
Delivery was initially held up for "political" reasons of copy protection
demanded by movie studios, but was later delayed by lack of titles. The
first players appeared in Japan in November, 1996, followed by U.S. players
in March, 1997. Players slowly trickled in to other regions. Now, over two
years after the initial launch, over a hundred models of DVD players are
available from dozens of electronics companies. Prices for the first
players were $1000 and up. By the middle of 1999, players were available
for under $200 at discount retailers.
See section 6.2 for a list of companies that provide DVD players.
Fujitsu supposedly released the first DVD-ROM-equipped computer on Nov. 6
in Japan. Toshiba released a DVD-ROM-equipped computer and a DVD-ROM drive
in Japan in early 1997 (moved back from December which was moved back from
November). DVD-ROM drives from Toshiba, Pioneer, Panasonic, Hitachi, and
Sony began appearing in sample quantities as early as January 1997, but
none were to be available before May. The first upgrade kits (combination
DVD-ROM drive and decoder hardware) became available from Creative Labs,
Hi-Val, and Diamond Multimedia in April and May of 1997.
Today, every major PC manufacturer has models that include DVD-ROM drives.
The price difference from the same system with a CD-ROM drive ranges from
$30 to $200 (laptops have more expensive drives). Upgrade kits for older
computers are available for $100 to $700 from Creative Labs, DynaTek, E4
(Elecede), Hi-Val, Leadtek, Margi Systems (for laptops), Media Forte,
Pacific Digital, Sigma Designs, Sony, STB Systems, Toshiba, Utobia, and
others. For more information about DVDs on computers, including writable
DVD drives, see section 4.
Note: If you buy a player or drive from outside your country (e.g., a
Japanese player for use in the US) you may not be able to play
region-locked discs on it. (See 1.10.)
More information:
* UK DVD FAQ and uk.media.dvd FAQ.
* aus.dvd (Australia/New Zealand/region 4 player info)
* WebShopper report on DVD-ROM drives (Sep 16, 1998)
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