ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 848 / C&RL N ew s ■ N o v e m b e r 1999 THE W A Y I SEE IT DVD The new library video format? by Gary Bravy D VD— D igital V ideo D isk— h a s b e c o m e th e n e w e n te rta in m e n t b u z zw o rd . N ew s­ p a p e rs a n d m ag a zin e s a re filled w ith ar a n d a d v ertisem e n ts a b o u t th e form at, s e e m ­ ingly im plying th at th e ‘-in ch VHS ta p e for­ m at (th e sta n d a rd in m a n y libraries) is e sse n ­ tially d o o m e d to o b so le sc en c e. W hile DVD h a s m a n y a d v a n ta g e s fo r se ri­ o u s film lovers, w h a t, if any, u n iq u e c h a ra c ­ teristics o f th e fo rm a t w ill b e s u ita b le fo r li­ b ra ry a n d e d u c a tio n a l p u rp o s e s ? 1 P ro m ise s o f greatly im p ro v e d v id e o re so lu tio n a n d m ul­ tip le c h a n n e ls o f s o u n d a re c erta in ly in te r­ esting; h o w e v e r, th e criteria b y w h ic h librar­ ia n s a n d e d u c a to rs e v a lu a te v id e o fo rm ats a re d iffe re n t from th o s e th a t d e a l w ith th e o p tim a l p re s e n ta tio n o f th e a tric a l films. A lthough VHS is lo o k e d d o w n u p o n by v id e o purists, it d o e s offer so m e s tro n g a d v a n ­ tages: th e form at is in ex p e n siv e, relatively d u ­ rable, a n d b o th so ftw a re a n d h a rd w a re are w id e ly available. W hile VHS vid eo is n o t o f terribly h igh q ual­ ity, in m an y situations th at lim itation is n o t a d e tra ctio n from th e training a n d e d u ca tio n a l properties o f th e form at. B ecause VHS h as b e e n th e sta n d a rd fo r so m e tim e, h u g e a m o u n ts o f softw are fo r b o th e d u c a tio n a n d e n te rta in m e n t a re available. D V D ’s fe atu re s DVD is a digital form at th at lo o k s like a CD; th e c o m p u te r v e rsio n o f DVD is re fe rre d to as ti DVD-ROM.2 (This article will b e prim arily c o n ­ c e rn e d w ith DVD u s e d in a “se t to p ” o r “v iew ­ clesi ng s ta tio n ” c ontext, m u c h in th e w a y that c u r­ re n t VHS c assettes a re u se d .) DVD c a n s to re a b o u t tw o h o u rs o f h igh- q u a lity v id e o . S o u n d c a n b e e n c o d e d in t h e ­ a te r fo rm a ts w ith s ta n d a rd s te re o s o u n d a n d a v a rie ty o f o th e r form ats. D iscs c a n b e ei­ th e r o n e - o r tw o -sid e d .3 B e c a u s e th e fo rm a t is digital, it d o e s n o t n e e d to b e u s e d in a strictly lin e a r m a n n e r; w ith a p p ro p ria te p r o ­ g ra m in g , a s o m e w h a t in te ra c tiv e a m b ia n c e c a n b e c re a te d .4 F o r e d u c a t i o n a l a p p l i c a t i o n s , o n e o f D V D ’s m o r e in tr ig u in g f e a t u r e s is t h e p o ­ te n tia l to p r e s e n t m u ltip le v ie w s o f a s c e n e . F o r s o m e m a te ria l, t h e a b ility to s e e a p r o ­ c e s s o r o b j e c t fro m v a r io u s a s p e c t s a n d t h e e n h a n c e d v i d e o q u a lity o f D V D m a y b e e s p e c i a l l y a p p e a li n g . Finally, b e c a u s e th e fo rm at is n e w , it c o u ld v e ry w e ll b e u s e d in w a y s th a t a re h a rd to v isu a liz e a t this p o in t. Sim ply a s a fo r m a t, DVD is a flexible a n d m u ltid im e n sio n a l p r o d ­ u c t w ith a w e s o m e te c h n ic a l a n d c rea tiv e p o ­ ten tia l b e y o n d a n y th in g VHS c a n offer.5 N ev­ e rth e le s s DVD m a y n o t b e c o m e th e sta n d a rd fo rm a t fo r th e n e x t d e c a d e . S h o u ld lib ra rie s co n tin u e to purch ase VH S m aterial? A lth o u g h DVD is e x tre m e ly intriguing, its p o s­ sibilities at this p o in t as a v id e o fo rm a t for About the author Gary Bravy is th e m edia/reference lib ra ria n a t G eorgetow n University Law C enter Library, e-m ail: bravy@ wpgate.law3. georgetown.edu C&RL N e w s ■ N o v e m b e r 1999 / 849 5. F o r s o m e in d ic a tio n o f th e p o te n tia l o f DVD u sin g a fu ll-fe atu re d p la y e r see: R obert A. S tarrett, “P io n e e r D V D -V 7200 In d u stria l D V D -V ideo P la y er” E M e d ia P ro fessio n a l 12 (M arch 1999): 33. ■ ( “A d v o c a c y 1 0 1 … ” c o n ti n u e d fro m , p a g e 8 4 6 ) S ta y in v o lv e d R e m e m b e r th a t libraries d o n o t e x ist in a n iso ­ la te d w o rld , so fo llo w im p o rta n t legislative, political, e c o n o m ic , a n d c u ltu ral m o v e m e n ts to s e e h o w th e y m ig h t affect y o u a n d y o u r library. ALA a n d y o u r sta te a n d local library a s s o ­ c iations c a n se rv e as im p o rta n t s o u rc e s o f in ­ fo rm a tio n a n d a ssista n c e o n a d v o c a c y issues. D o n ’t h e sita te to c o n ta c t them . ALA’s ALAWON se rv e s as a n e x c e lle n t re s o u rc e fo r legislative concerns a n d as a source for advocacy training. T o c o n t a c t A L A W O N , g o t o h t t p : / / w w w .a la .o rg /w a s h o ff/a la w o n . A d v o c ac y is n o t just a n a ction; it is a skill th a t p e o p le le a rn o v e r tim e. P ractice y o u r a d ­ v o c a c y techniques: learn w h a t advocacy m eth ­ o d s w o rk best w ith y o u r personality a n d w ithin y o u r oiganization. M ake it y o u r business to stay in business: p ro m o te yourself a n d y o u r library! N otes 1. E liz ab e th E. B in g h am , “L ibrary A d v o ­ c a c y ,” LLA B u lle tin 58 (fall 1995): 86. 2. Else F re e m a n Finch, “A rchival Advocacy: R eflections o n M yths a n d R ealities,” A r c h iv a l Issues 20 (1995): 115-127. 3. J o h n N. Berry, III, “It’s T im e to A d v o c ate L ibrarians,” Library J o u r n a l (S e p t . 1,1996): 106. 4. B in g h am , “L ibrary A d v o c ac y ,” 86. 5. J a n e L. C rocker, “M arketing, P u b lic Rela­ tio n s a n d th e A c ad e m ic Library,” N e w Jersey Libraries ( s u m m e r 1994): 6 -9 . 6. R ae H e lto n a n d Stuart E srock, S. “P osi­ tio n in g a n d M a rketing A cad e m ic Libraries to S tu d e n ts,” M a rk e tin g L ib ra ry Services: MLS 12 (A pr./M ay 1998): 3 -5 . 7. D ouglas M. Ferner, “Social C ontact in the Academ y: An Indirect Route to Collegiality,” The Librarian in the University: Essays o n M em bership in th e A c a d e m ic C o m m u n ity (M etuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1990), 147-152. 8. E lizabeth Esteve-Coll, “M arketing a n d th e A cadem ic Library,” M a rk e tin g Strategies f o r th e A c a d e m i c L ib r a r y ( C a m b rid g e , E n g la n d : Li­ b ra ry A sso c ia tio n , C o lle g e s o f F u rth e r a n d H ig h e r E d u c a tio n G ro u p , 1985): 3. ■ e d u c a tio n a l p u rp o s e s a re g e n era lly u n te s te d a n d u n k n o w n . W hile this article is lim ited to c o n sid e ra tio n o f th e u s e o f DVD in a se t to p situation, th at lim itation m a y b e unrealistic, p a r­ ticularly as m o re e x p e rie n c e is g a in e d w ith u sin g it. L ibraries a n d m e d ia c e n te rs m a y find, at least u ntil th e m id d le o r e n d o f th e n e x t d e ­ cade, th a t th e y h a v e a v a rie ty o f fo rm ats avail­ able, s o m e o f w h ic h m a y b e c o m p u te r-b a s e d (w ith VHS c o n tin u in g to p lay a n im p o rta n t role fo r m a n y p ro g ra m s ), w h ile DVD w ill b e u s e d to p ro v id e interactivity, m u ltip le v iew s, a n d h ig h e r re so lu tio n fo r th o se p ro g ra m s th a t n e e d th o se qualities. It m ay w ell b e that th e in cre ased capa b ilitie s o f te c h n o lo g y c o u ld le a d to a situ­ a tio n w h e r e th e re is n o sta n d a rd form at. T h e d e fin itio n o f a v id e o m a y a lso e v o lv e from th a t o f a lin e a r p ro g ra m v ie w e d th ro u g h a p la y e r w ith v e ry lim ite d m a n ip u la tiv e c a p a ­ bilities to a m u c h b r o a d e r d e fin itio n e m b ra c ­ ing m u ltim o d a l a n d m u ltim e d ia c o n c e p ts. G iv e n th e ra p id p a c e o f te c h n o lo g y , p re ­ dicting th e fu tu re o f v id e o in libraries is s p e c u ­ lative at best. T h e re h a s b e e n n o th in g to in d i­ c ate that, at lea st fo r th e n e x t five y e a rs o r p o ssib ly longer, DVD w ill m a k e th e VHS for­ m at o b so le te . L ibrary a n d m e d ia p ro fe ssio n a ls c a n c o n tin u e to p u rc h a s e m ate ria ls in th e VHS fo rm at w ith o u t fear. In th e lo n g term , v id e o will b e c o m e a p rim arily digital m ed iu m ; al­ m o st su re ly DVD in s o m e fo rm w ill p la y a p a rt in this transition. N otes 1. O n e o f th e p rim a ry re a s o n s fo r d e v e lo p ­ ing DVD w a s to a llo w h o m e v id e o u s e rs to tak e a d v a n ta g e o f th e i n d e p e n d e n t s u rro u n d - a n d lo w -fre q u e n c y effects [LFE] c h a n n e ls avail­ a b le in th ea tric al s o u n d form ats. 2. T h e re a re a lso “h y b rid ” d isk s th a t c a n b e u s e d in b o th c o m p u te rs a n d p lay e rs a s w e ll as a p ro je c te d D V D -audio form at. A v e rsio n w ill p ro b a b ly b e d e v e lo p e d th a t is fully c o m p a t­ ible w ith th e n e w h ig h d e fin itio n (HD TV ) sta n ­ d a rd . T h e fo rm a t is still evolving. 3. Additional technical information a bout DVD can b e fo u n d at DVD Frequently A nsw ered Q ues­ tions at http://w w w .videodiscovery.com /vdyw eb/ d v d /dvdfaq.htm l. 4. T h a t interactivity d o e s n o t n e ce ssa rily c o m e easily, s e e Philip D e L a n d e a n d “S h a d o a n R e b o rn ,” E M e d ia P r o fe s s io n a l 12 (J a n u a ry 1999): 51. http://www.videodiscovery.com/vdyweb/ http://www.ala.org/washoff/alawon 850 / C&RL N e w s ■ N o v e m b e r 1999