DVD Demystified

What’s Wrong with DVD
laserdisc covers. Liner notes are also limited, but this shortcoming can be
compensated for by including still pictures, short clips, and other material
in video form on the disc itself.
False Alarms
Most DVD movie packages include security tags inserted at the factory. The
added cost of these security measures is easily offset by a reduction in
shoplifting costs, but a minor side effect is that when discs are purchased in
a store that has not implemented security, the tags are not deactivated.
Unsuspecting shoppers may get a rude surprise when they walk into
another store and set off an alarm.
No Bar-Code Standard
One of the most powerful features of laserdisc players used in training and
education is bar codes. Printed bar codes are scanned using a wand that
sends commands to the player via the infrared remote interface, telling it to
search to a specific picture or play a certain segment. A simple player
becomes a powerful interactive presentation tool when combined with a
bar-code reader. Bar codes can be added to textbooks, charts, posters, lesson
outlines, storybooks, workbooks, and much more, enhancing them with
quick access to pictures and movies.
Some industrial/educational DVD players from companies such as Pioneer
and Philips support bar-code readers, but the lack of standardized support
for bar-code readers, even as add-ons, ultimately denies the advantages
to average player owners.
No External Control Standard
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Most consumer laserdisc players include an external control connector, and
all industrial laserdisc players include a serial port for connection to a computer.
An entire genre of multimedia evolved during the 1980s using
laserdisc players to add sound and video to computer software. Admittedly,
this is less important today as the multimedia features of computers