TO: All NDA Contractors of DVD Specifications for Read-Only Disc

DVD Format Verification Lab.
Tokyo (Toshiba) Laboratory
Tokyo (Sony) Laboratory
Osaka (Matsushita) Laboratory

Dear Sirs,

We are pleased to inform you that DVD related market has had full-blown star-up. The number of disc titles is now 165 titles, including the one that is to be released shortly. And also a DVD player line-up has been reinforced since some companies have released additional DVD players.

You have taken favorable reactions and response on Verification News File No. 001, we would like to express our hearty thanks to you for your cooperation.

On releasing DVD Format Verification News No. 002, your comments or/and feed-back is very much appreciated.

Enclosed are Application form for DVD Verification Service and Verification Tools Order sheet that have been described in our DVD Format Verification News File No. 001.

We would be much obliged if you, NDA Contractors of DVD Specifications for Read-Only Disc would kindly make the most use of them.

Thank you very much for your cooperation in advance.

Sincerely,
Chairman of DVD Technical Coordination Group,
Toshiba Corporation,
DVD Division,
Hisashi Yamada

It is already 5 months since DVD Video Player and DVD Video Disc have been released. Some users are very much impressed by the superior picture quality and sound quality of DVD Video Player and DVD Video Disc.

Among those positive comments, we have negative ones as well, which we think they require some improvements. For your reference, let us provide you with those negative ones for the companies that are working on the development on DVD related products.

1. Sometimes "SKIP", "FF" and/or "REW" does not function.

Disc is produced in a manner that the pictures, which disc producers would not like users to miss, have forbidden mark for skipping. Therefore, it has been produced in such a way that you have no random skip. Since the concept of the forbidden mark is not understood by users, it is considered as player malfunction .

On producing discs, it is desireable to minimize those warnings for copy protection. A comment is provided that without the standardization of forbidden mark of each manufacture, activities for user enlightenment will not be proceeded smoothly.

As for the recommended forbidden mark, it is now under discussion.

It will be announced in the next DVD Format Verification News File No. 003.

2. TITLE SEARCH, and MENU SEARH do not function.

Some discs enable you to go back to menu picture only with RETURN KEY. Therefore, users misunderstand that something is wrong with disc or player.

It is common for DVD Video Disc to go back to menu picture with "TITLE KEY" or "MENU KEY". It might be better not to go back to menu picture with "RETURN KEY", which is a common operation for Video CD.

Here, we have shown you two comments from our users, as described above. If you, NDA Contractors of DVD Specifications for Read-Only Disc have problems concerning DVD Video Player or DVD Video Disc, your suggestions or comments will be greatly appreciated. We will employ your suggestions or comments in this newsletter as DVD USER'S VOICE.

Supplemental information that is to be considered for design of DVD related products is described here.

1. Notes on "Sill Picture" that "sequence end code" is employed.

In case that commercially available DVD Player is used, unexpected reaction might occur while you have playback operation with those discs described below.

Although it has not been specified in the Specifications, please note that the following requirements are to be met on producing DVD Video Disc.

(1) Notes on multi "Still Picture" structure VOBU whose continuous display valid has more than 2VOBU Video data.

Available Audio data (including silent audio signal) is to be set so that it can be continuously played back during display valid of "Still Picture.

" Availability flag in PGC_AST_CTLT shall be set to Enable.

(2) Notes on setting Cell Still or PGC Still for one cell that has multi VOBU structure. " sequence _ end _ code " is not be used for the second last cell VOBU.

Measures for avoiding those problems described above for authoring.

* Still picture menu picture (Note 1) 1 cell and 1 VOBU structure.

* Multi page menu (Note 2) Each still picture(page) has 1Cell and 1VOBU structure and each Cell is to be set Cell Still.

* Slide show (Note 3) Set Available audio stream. In case that display time of Still Picture is included in 2.2 seconds of Cell end, be sure to set display setting time of Still Picture should be set before Cell end.

(Note 1) Presentation data that has one piece of Still Picture structure with no Audio Data.
(Note 2) Menu which has multi Still Picture.
(Note 3) Presentation Data including Still Picture ( Excluding Still Picture, and Multi page menu)

2. Notes on more than 2 Cell structure PGC

In case that PGC has more than 2 Cell structure, all the Cells in the PGC shall have more thin VOBU structure. Or, where there is only one VOBU Cell Structure (in a "PGC," including more than 2 Cell structure, be sure to set non-seamless contact between the "Cell and its preceeding "Cell".

3. Items to enforce reserved region of Sector Head all-out.

For non-scrambled disc, be sure to set Reserved region of sector head to "0". Problems, for instance, you will not be able to read data from DVD-ROM, might occur in case of non-DVD compliant specifications.

4. Supplemental description on "Source Picture" TV Screen Display Position and Its Size.

In response to the indefinite definition for "Source Picture" TV screen display position and its size, the following information is supplied after we have made inquiry of DVD Format Development Group.

For the NDA Contractors of DVD Specifications for Read -Only Disc, those information is to be distributed separately as appendix of DVD Book.

Display size and position are described below in case that Resolution of "Source Picture" is 704 x 480 (576), 352 x 480 (576 ), and 352 x 240 (288).

* Since display position and size of Source Picture of Resolution 352 x 480 (576), and 352 x 240 (288) have not been standardized for the current commercially available DVD Video Plays, it is advisable not to use them.

5. Correction and apology for the wrong description of Supplemental Test Disc Verification Manual

Please accept our apology for the wrong description of Supplemental Test Disc Verification Manual.

The following are the corrected one.

(1) Page 5

Shinji Ramunita Structure chart

(2) Page 7

"Skip Key" operation during Verification 1-3 drive playback

Forward Skip enables you to jump to the beginning of next song.

One press Backward Skip enables you to go back to the beginning of song that you are playing.

Twice press Backward Skip enables you to go back to the previous song that you are playing, however, the third song, "Kimino Sobaniiru" has seamless multi-angle, therefore, it is "3 Cell " structure that has a few second "Cell" between the songs.

Although the above information is described in manual, it is a little bit different from the other songs in operations.

(3) Page 12

Verification 1-9 Position where Ramunita mark is displayed.

The specified position is not "T18C14 " but "T18C15.

(4) Page 18

(Verification 2-1, Operation (2), (4)

* If you have the operation described above, while you have playback fifth song, " I want your Love", it enables you to jump to "Introduction" (T2C1).

* If you have the operation described above while you have playback ninth song,"Just One World", it enables you to jump to the begnning, "Good Times" (T9C1).

Information mentioned above is described in manual, however, some players prohibit those operations.

Those operations dependent on player design concept defined in Specifications, both of them are DVD Format compliant operations.

(5) Page 22 / Verification 2-4 operation (4), Page 23 Verification 2-5 operation (3)

Numeric Key enables you to choose the song( instructions of song) which you want when a player has Numeric Key (10Key).

It is described in manual, however, way for choosing "Numeric Key" is different depending on players.

(Eg.) 10 Key Direct Choice, 10 Key + ENTER Button etc.

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