__NOTOC__ DVD (also known as "Digital Versatile Disc" or "Digital Video Disc") is an optical disc storage media format that can be used for data storage, including movies with high video and sound quality. DVDs resemble compact discs as their physical dimensions are the same (120 mm (4.72 inches) or occasionally 80 mm (3.15 inches) in diameter) but they are encoded in a different format and at a much higher density. The official DVD specification is maintained by the DVD Forum.

History

---

In the early 1990s two high density optical storage standards were being developed: one was the MultiMedia Compact Disc (MMCD), backed by Philips and Sony, and the other was the Super Density disc (SD), supported by Toshiba, Time-Warner, Matsushita Electric, Hitachi, Mitsubishi Electric, Pioneer, Thomson, and JVC. IBM's president, Lou Gerstner, acting as a matchmaker, led an effort to unite the two camps behind a single standard, anticipating a repeat of the costly format war between VHS and Betamax in the 1980s.

More on [ DVD ]

NPR Topics: Arts & Culture

Magazines Brings New Voices To Multicultural Experience
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:00:00 -0400
The growing racial and ethnic diversity of America has encouraged publishers to start magazines that address a new, multicultural generation of readers. In this month's Magazine Mavens, the creative forces behind three such publications discuss their vision — Lori Robinson, of Vida AfroLatina; Christopher Windham, of Human Nature and Navdeep Kathuria, of ABCD Lady.
Legendary 'Mom' Phylicia Rashad On Life in the Arts
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:00:00 -0400
Acclaimed actress Phylicia Rashad is perhaps best known for her role as Clair Huxtable in the groundbreaking hit sitcom, "The Cosby Show." Now, she's up for an Emmy award for her performance in the television production of "A Raisin in the Sun." Rashad speaks about her legendary work on stage and screen, the influence of the arts on African-American communities and the significance of playing "Mom."
'All My Children' Seeks Iraq War Vet
Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:32:00 -0400
It's a move that might be inspired by the Oscar-winning movie The Best Years of Our Lives. The popular daytime soap opera All My Children is looking for an Iraq war veteran to play the role of a, well, Iraq war veteran.

NYT > Arts

Fun on the Farm Down Home in Long Island City
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 03:07:13 -0000
This year, instead of the usual urban beach-themed décor, the courtyard at P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center has been transformed into an urban farm.
Film: Sex (and Love and Death): Woody’s World Steams Up
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 03:01:00 -0000
The racing erotic pulse of “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” is a development that has seldom been seen in Woody Allen’s work.
Art Review: Indian Modernism via an Eclectic and Elusive Artist
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 03:18:00 -0000
“Rhythms of India: The Art of Nandalal Bose (1882-1966)" delivers a significant piece of news: that modernism wasn’t a purely Western product sent out to a hungry and waiting world.

Arts & Culture

Traffic
Mon, 18 Aug 2008 04:00:00 -0000
On the face of it, traffic is a simple problem: too many cars occupy too little asphalt. But why does creating new roads induce more people to drive? Why does removing signs and markings seem to make roads safer? And why do countries with corrupt governments suffer more traffic fatalities . . .
The Theatre
Mon, 18 Aug 2008 04:00:00 -0000
OPENINGS AND PREVIEWS Please call the phone number listed with the theatre for timetables and ticket information. FELA! Bill T. Jones directs and choreographs a new musical about the Nigerian composer, performer, and political activist Fela Anikulapo Kuti. With a book by Jim Lewis and Jones and additional lyrics by . . .
The Forbidden World
Joan Acocella Mon, 18 Aug 2008 04:00:00 -0000
In 1600, Rome’s Campo de’ Fiori, now a nice plaza lined with cafés, was one of the city’s execution grounds, and on Ash Wednesday of that year Giordano Bruno, a philosopher and former priest accused of heresy by the Inquisition, was taken there and burned. The event was carefully timed . . .

Christian Science Monitor | Arts & Entertainment

Review: 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars'
Sat, 16 Aug 2008 01:00:00 -0500
New series of animated 'Star Wars' adventures retraces old ground with the same leaden dialogue as the originals.
Review: 'Henry Poole Is Here'
Sat, 16 Aug 2008 01:00:00 -0500
Some touching moments in this tale of a man who doesn't believe in miracles but desperately needs one.
Review: 'Tropic Thunder'
Sat, 16 Aug 2008 01:00:00 -0500
Daring satire pushes buttons as it parodies the moviemaking business.

Subscribe to Arts RSS feed