Here's some general DVD information you may find useful.

Regional Coding:

DVDLand only sells region 4 DVDs made for Australian DVD players.
Regional coding is security system used with DVDs to ensure that DVDs released and sold in one region will not play on DVD machines in other regions. This allows movie distributors to control the release dates of their films in various regions, as well as enabling discs to be produced that conform to different censorship laws, language and subtitle requirements. A region code is applied at the authoring stage of a DVD to ensure the disc will only play on those players distributed in the designated world region.

There are 6 regions throughout the world:

Region 1 - Canada, United States and its Territories
Region 2 - Japan, Europe, South Africa and the Middle East
Region 3 - Southeast Asia and East Asia
Region 4 - Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, Central and South America
Region 5 - Indian Subcontinent, Former Soviet Union and Africa
Region 6 - China
Region 0 / Region All - Compatible in all regions.

Aspect Ratio:

The proportion of width to height of a video transfer. The most common aspect ratio on DVD is 1.85:1 which means the image is 1.85 units wide and 1 unit high. The aspect ratio of a standard television is 1.33:1 and is often expressed as 4:3.

16x9 Enhanced (Anamorphic):

The image on VHS tapes and TV has traditionally been stored as a 4x3 shape.  Movies are generally recorded in widescreen to capture the entire scope of a film and to offer cinema audiences with an enhanced viewing experience. DVDs introduce this concept to Home Cinema. 16x9 Enhancement simply means that the image of the DVD is recorded as an image that is 16 units wide by 9 units high (hence 16x9 or 16:9) rather than the traditional 4x3.

When viewing an Anamorphic DVD on a standard TV, 2 things can occur depending on the DVD player's configuration. Firstly, the DVD player may convert the Anamorphic image into Letterbox format by shrinking it to fit in the screen and placing black bars on the top and bottom of the image. The other option is to retain the height of the transfer, but shrink the width to fit the television, this option is not desireable as it results in a 'squished' appearance.

Chapters (Scenes):

A DVD movie can be broken up into sections, like the chapters of a book, that can be accessed quickly and easily via the DVD menu or remote control.

Dolby Digital:

Dolby Digital is the standard DVD sound format.  This format may be referred to as "5.1" as it is offers up to 6 sound channels - 5 normal speakers (left, centre, right, left surround and right surround) plus a subwoofer. 

Dolby Digital EX 5.1:

This is an extended version of Dolby Digital 5.1 that utilises a 6.1 speaker setup. This format offers a central rear speaker.  

DTS:

Digital Theatre Systems is another six channel (5.1) sound format that requires more storage space on a disc than Dolby Digital and is able to operate at a higher bitrate. Most consider the audio quality superior to Dolby Digital. 

DTS ES 6.1:

In addition to the standard 5.1 channels, DTS ES provides a rear centre surround channel.   

DVD:

Did you know this stands for Digital Versatile Disc?

Interactive Menus:

An interactive menu is a series of screens (similar to a web site) that allows the viewer to navigate and select different features on a DVD disc. The menus are used for scene selections, video and audio setup and accessing special features. 

Letterbox:

The letterbox format is used to fit a widescreen movie into a standard 4:3 screen. This format involves shrinking the widescreen video transfer to fit into a 4x3 area and adding black panels above and below the image. 

Macrovision:

Macrovision is a copy-protection technique used to prevent the unathorised copying of DVDs.   It continuously adjusts the video signal level so that if the DVD is copied the brightness of the picture continuously fluctuates between light and dark, and the colour levels fluctuate between oversaturated and washed out. Macrovision "encoded" DVDs contain information that tells the DVD player to activate its internal macrovision circuitry to prevent copying.  Please note that it is ILLEGAL to copy any DVD without authorisation.  All DVDs on this website are orignal versions.

Multiple Video Tracks:

This is the ability to show different angles or versions of a scene. A DVD can contain up to 8 separate video streams. There are very few DVDs that currently utilise this feature.

NTSC:

National Television Systems Committee. The colour TV broadcast system used in the US, Canada and Japan. An NTSC picture is made up of 525 horizontal lines and has inferior picture quality in comparison to the PAL system.

Please note: All DVD players sold in PAL countries (Australia) play both NTSC & PAL discs, but your TV monitor must be NTSC compatible in order to view the picture in full colour. Please refer to your user manual or manufacturer to determine compatibility.

PAL:

Phase Alternating Line. The colour TV broadcast system used in Australia, UK & Europe. A PAL picture is made up of 625 horizontal lines and delivers a better quality picture than NTSC (sharper picture and better colours).

Please note: DVD players sold in NTSC countries (United States, Canada and Japan) may not be compatible with the PAL system, preventing playback. Your TV set will also need to be PAL compatible in order to view these DVDs in colour. Please refer to your user manual or manufacturer to determine compatibility.

Pan & Scan (Panning & Scanning):

One method of converting a widescreen movie to fit in a standard 4:3 television is known as letterboxing (described above) and the other method is Pan and Scan. This method involves choosing the most important part of each scene and then cropping the left and right edges of the scene to retain a fullscreen 4x3 image. This method results in a loss of some data and does not fully represent the film as it was intended to be portrayed by the director. 

Manga

Manga items are books and not DVDs. Whilst similar to Anime DVDs, Manga book item titles all end with the word 'book' to ensure there is no confusion.

Ultraviolet

Ultraviolet is available on some DVDs and Blu Rays. In addition to getting and keeping the DVD or Blu Ray, Ultraviolet allows you to also store your movie in the cloud or download to your device such as your iPhone, iPad, PC or Laptop at no extra charge.

Taking Care Of Your Discs:

A DVD consists of two sides glued together (each a mere 0.6 mm thick), therefore it can easily be damaged from bending and twisting. Severe scratches on a DVD can cause occasional playback problems.  

• Always handle a DVD more carefully than a CD including music DVDs
• Make contact only with the centre hole and the outside edge of the disc
• When removing a DVD from its case, press the button on the centre hub and push downward. Using your other hand, gently remove the disc by its outer edge. Never remove a DVD from its package simply by prying up the outer edge of the disc.
• Single-sided discs should be inserted into the player with titles/artwork facing up. Make sure the disc is seated properly inside the player before closing the tray.
• Clean disc only with a damp, non-abrasive, lint-free cloth. Do not use any harsh or abrasive chemicals or cleaning agents. Wipe the disc carefully in a straight line from the inside hole to the outer edge. Never use a circular motion when cleaning a disc.
• Do not stack your DVD discs. Always store the disc inside its protective case when not in use.
• Keep your DVDs away from extreme heat
• Keep your DVDs out of direct sunlight.

DVDLand is a fully Australian DVD store deliverying anywhere in Australia and overseas. With such a huge range of over 40,000 DVDs and Blu Rays there is plenty to choose from, all of which delivered fast from our Queensland base. We're proud to be a fully Australian store.