The Evolution Of Home Movie Equipment

Movie viewing at home has come a long way from the old days when movies where only available on VHS, or even BETA. Many younger people who have grown up in a world of the latest technologies probably don’t even know what a VHS, or Beta system looks like. One can look at the Sony BDP-CX960 Blu-ray DVD MegaChanger to realize how far technology has come. Another older technology that most people now days don’t even remember, are 8 track tapes, or even audio cassettes. They are obsolete now because of several flaws, tapes got worn out for one. This usually happened because of the other problem, having to rewind the tape. These are just a couple examples of the problems that this format had.

Unbelievably, there was a predecessor to the modern DVD or Blu-Ray player. It was called the Laser Disc Player. This was probably the prototype for all of the different DVD, CD, and computer disc that we take for granted now. It was a disc made from the same kinds of materials, but because the technology back then was extremely primitive, the disc itself was about 11-12 inches in diameter, and was around 1/8th of an inch thick. The disc player was about the same size as modern slim line DVD players seen today.

There were some major problems with these players. The discs that used were large and hard to store in a safe environment. They were loud. Because the technology needed to create a movie disc was so expensive, there were not that many selections. The first movie in laser disc to come out was Star Trek, The Motion Picture. For it’s time, these laser discs had the sharpest picture, the best stereo sound, and put every thing else available to shame.

These days it seems that DVD and Blu-Ray players are all over the market, getting smaller and smaller in size, but putting out the same kinds of features that larger models had just a few years ago. While some people have switched over to Blu-Ray, the movies for these systems are much higher than regular disc movies, so the DVD player continues to be popular. They can have all the bells and whistles, as well as multiple DVD disc changes, such as Sony BDP-CX960. You can now take all of your DVDs and put them in the changer so whenever you want to watch a movie all you have to do is turn on the machine and have it find the movie you’re looking for.

This has lots of different features and functions available, such as being able to program selections of music or movies remotely, with a 400-disc capacity, and a separate slot if you want to play a rented movie, for easy insertion and removal. A good example of this equipment would be the like the BDP-CX960. These systems have full HD quality, JP/24 PX, and other standard features, too. Regular DVD video is converted into what is nearly HD quality, with HDMI ports. Some of the better systems even have sound systems that utilize Dolby TrueHD sound.

When buying DVD disc changers, make sure you are getting the most for your money. You should think about how many movies it can store at one time, what range of features it offers, and how easy it is to program. What’s the uses of having a lot of features if you can’t figure out how to use them? It should also have easy to follow instructions for all the different input and out put ports are for, so you can set it up without the need of a professional.

Because these units require a lot of power to operate properly, another thing you should be watchful for is the energy rating. You want the highest EnergyStar qualification as possible, since this will be the most energy efficient.