DVD MP4

Our world is full of so much technology that didn't even exist a couple decades ago.  We have DVDs, MP4s, digital music, everything you can think of.  We truly live in a modern world.  Now, let us talk about some of these technologies as if we have no idea what they are.

DVD

Everyone knows what a DVD is.  If you don't, then you've been living under a rock for the past 15 years or so.  This is how people watch movies now instead of on VHS tapes.  Even DVDs will soon be a thing of the past as Blu Ray is now taking over with its hi-def movies.  However, DVDs are still the mainstream thing since Blu Ray is still fairly new and not everyone has it yet.

For people that haven't made the jump to Blu Ray, you probably should if you like watching movies at home.  If you have a hi def TV, then you will definitely want to invest in a Blu Ray disc player.  Movies look better than ever.  You'll never look at them the same after you experience a Blu Ray movie in your home.  The good news is that Blu Ray players are becoming less expensive, so more people can now afford them. 

Anyway, back to DVDs.  I still have to talk about them because that's what the name of this website is.  DVD stands for Digital Video Disc.  They were first invented back in 1995.  They look just like CDs, but they can store close to seven times more than a regular CD.  That means a lot more data and video.  Why can they store so much more?  Who knows.  It's a technology thing.

I'm not going to sit here and talk about all the technical aspects of DVDs and how they work because no one really cares about that.  The main use of DVDs is for movies.  Before DVDs, we had to watch movies on VHS tapes.  It was all we knew back then, so we didn't really realize just how crappy they were.  Some people even thought that they didn't notice a difference between DVD and VHS at the time.  Then they finally got a DVD player and they understood why DVDs were so much better.  The other good thing about DVDs is that they don't wear out over time.  VHS tapes would see their quality degrade after multiple uses.  DVDs stay the same as long as there are no serious scratches on the underside of the disc.  DVDs eventually became the most successful consumer product ever.

All movies on DVD have unique title screens.  This created a whole new industry, one devoted solely to creating these title and menu screens.  Bigger movies usually get bigger title screens and more interactive features.  There are studios in Hollywood that specialize in this type of work.

DVDs eventually led to the demise of VHS tapes.  You can still buy VCRs, but movies are no longer released on VHS.  It's all DVDs and Blu Rays now.  Netflix has also changed the way we get movies.  Video rental stores are becoming less prevalent now that we can get movies through the mail and even stream them straight to our computers and TVs over the internet.  The DVD has changed much about how we do home entertainment.

MP4

An MP3 player plays music, so that must mean that an MP4 player is all about video.  Such players exist on small sizes that fit in the palm of our hand.  A video iPod was considered an MP4.  You don't hear this term very often anymore because most smart phones now have video storage and playback capability.  You don't say you have an MP4 player, you say you have an iPhone or iPod touch or whatever cool new phone thing you have.

So MP4s play videos and stuff.  The MP3 is still more popular I guess.  People don't really use these terms much in the real world.  That's just how it is.  Files are files whether they are audio or video.  If you want an MP4 player, you are probably better off just getting a phone that has video capabilities.  You might actually be able to find a video device for a lot cheaper out there, though.  Anything attached to a phone means it's going to be more expensive.  The iPad is a good way to watch movies on a larger screen without having to have a phone plan.  You can also get smaller devices that you can hold in your hand to watch video with.  It's all about your preference.

Well now you know things about DVDs and MP4s that you probably already knew, so you can thank me for the refresher.  Now go out and buy a bunch of DVDs, watch them once and then have them collect dust on your living room shelf.