DVD Demystified 3rd Edition includes a DVD that demonstrates almost every feature of the DVD-Video format. It also has extras for computers. The disc was produced at TPS and authored by Song-Yi Liu at Deluxe using Sonic Scenarist 3. Raleigh Stewart created the cutting-edge menus. Thanks also to Rohit Marble and Randy Berg at Deluxe. The disc is not region coded. The video format is NTSC, which will play in almost any player worldwide. The DVD Demystified disc was carefully authored in full compliance of the DVD-Video specification with few considerations for player deficiencies. Therefore, it will reveal flaws in many DVD players. See the Gotcha! list below for details. | Go to the DVD Demystified WebDVD page for complete interactive control of the disc. There's also a PDF file of barcode pages you can print out to control the disc with a Pioneer industrial player (DVD-V7400, DVD-V7200 or DVD-V7300) and a barcode reader.
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| AIX Media Group | Brahms Piano Quartet (multichannel digital audio) |
| American Society of Cinematographers | The Last Supper Aspect Ratio Demo |
| Atomboy Filmworks | Drive (2 angles) Live Atom |
| Broadcast DVD | Motorsports (3 angles, 2 audio tracks) |
| Dolby Laboratories | Dolby Digital Aurora Trailer Dolby Digital Rain Trailer Dolby Digital Train Trailer Dolby Digital Canyon Trailer Dolby Digital Egypt Trailer Dolby Digital City Trailer Dolby Digital Game Trailer Dolby Headphone Demo |
| DTS | DTS Digital Experience Trailer DTS Sonic Landscape Trailer The Eagles: New York Minute Music Video |
| DVD International and Alpha DVD | Mars: The Red Planet More Tales of the City Naxos Musical Journeys Stargaze |
| Gnome Digital | Recipe 4 DVD (introduction to DVD authoring) |
| Henninger Multimedia | Seized at Sea: Situation Critical |
| Joe Kane Productions | Swelltone Test Sequence Video Essentials excerpts |
| Library DVD | DVD Disc of all Trades (introduction to DVD technology) |
| Lucasfilm THX | THX Grand Trailer THX TEX Trailer THX TEX 2: Moo Can Trailer (Surround EX) THX Optimode (test sequences) |
| Microsoft WHQL and Microsoft Studios | Robit (9 angles) Return To Kelseyville (anamorphic) Windows Media Technologies Trailer (anamorphic and letterbox) Race Car (anamorphic test) X Parade (frame drop test) Mixed Mode (progressive/interlaced test) Subpicture Palette (subpicture color test) |
| Mill Reef Entertainment | Coral Sea Dreaming excerpt (parental lock) EarthLight images (slideshow tests) |
| Ovation Software | AVIA excerpts |
| Slingshot Entertainment | Alaska: Spirit of the Wild (IMAX) excerpts |
| TPS | Conversation on a Bridge (seamless multistory branching; 3 alternate endings) |
| TRW, Comchoice, and CVC | National Missile Defense (animation, anamorphic) |
| Videodiscovery | Telescope Mirror Lab (English and Spanish audio) |
| Zuma Digital | Design Reel |
| Other goodies | Karaoke (Jim's home video from D8
camcorder tapes: The Youngest DVD Diva) Animated subpictures Compression samples (1 Mbps to 9.9 Mbps MPEG-1, Half-D1, and MPEG-2) Jim's video test patterns Random number tests Slideshow tests Region code check Parental lock demo Inverse telecine on/off test Meet the Authors Jacket pictures Text data (names of titles and chapters) |
| Cinema Craft | Cinema Craft Encoder demo [Windows] |
| Heuris | MPEG Power Professional Tutorial [Windows and Mac] |
| WebDVD connections [Windows] | |
| InterVideo | WinDVD trial version (DVD player software) [Windows] |
| Snell & Wilcox | Mosalina trial version (MPEG video quality analysis software) [Windows] |
| SpinWare | PortaNet demo (encrypted content) [Windows] iControl demo (WebDVD) [Windows] |
| Widescreen Review | Widescreen DVD Movie Guide (database) [Windows] |
| Other goodies | Video test pattern source files [Windows and Mac] DVD time/capacity calculation spreadsheet [Windows and Mac] DVD bit budget spreadsheet [Windows and Mac] Download time calculator [Windows and Mac] DVD FAQ [Windows and Mac] |
Type: Dual-Layer (DVD9)
Track Path: Parallel (PTP)
File system: ISO9660/UDF Bridge (ISO 9660 Level 3, no Joliet extensions)
Jacket Pictures: present
Text Extensions: present
Macrovision (APS): not present
CGMS Protection: not present
CSS Encryption: not present
Region Coding: All Regions (0x40)
Number of VTSes: 36
Number of Titles: 95
Language Units:
VTS #16: 8 (English, Spanish, Chinese, French, German, Greek, Japanese, Swedish)
VMG and all other VTSes: 1 (English)
The following DVD player flaws and incompatibilities have been reported by users of the DVD Demystified disc (second edition). These are all due to deficiencies of players, not to errors on the disc. (The disc has been verified spec-compliant by three different verification programs.) This aside, some DVD Demystified discs end up being damaged by rough handling of the book. If the disc doesn't play in your player, try it in a different player.
Please let Jim know of any other problems not listed. There's more information on DVD player incompatibilities in section 1.41 of the DVD FAQ.
| Marantz DV2100 | Can't play the disc. (Not verified.) |
| Mitsui | Numerous errors in subtitle tests. |
| Philips ProDVD 170 (old firmware) | Can't play the disc. (Get new firmware.) |
| RCA P5215 | Can't play the disc. |
| Philips DVD 701, 711, 750, 751, 761, 755, 865, 931, 940, 950, 951, 955, 957 | Can't play the disc unless the player has upgraded firmware (contact Philips tech support). |
| Philips DVD 860 | Can't play MPEG-1 section. |
| Pioneer DVD 414 | Can't play the disc. (Not verified.) |
| Pioneer DVD 515 | Can't play the disc. |
| Pioneer DVD 717 | A few reported problems, but usually works. |
| Pioneer DVL-909 | Can't play the disc. (Not verified.) |
Info about the old disc from the first edition is here.