You can choose subtitles in several languages, and some disks even offer a choice of soundtracks dubbed into different languages. DVD seems destined to replace tape for prerecorded videos. Ultimately, DVD will also become the home-recording medium of choice, but another dispute over formats is holding up development of machines that can both play and record. You can also use a computer's DVD drive to view movies, though I'm not sure why you'd want to. I tried movies in the DVD drive of a Toshiba Infinia 7231, and while it offered all the nifty features of stand-alone models, the display is a big problem.
Computer monitors are too small, and movies tend to appear dim and murky.
Some computers can send DVD output to a television set, but because signals can be sent only for limited distances through cables, the devices must be in close proximity. Games have also been advanced as a great DVD application, but here, too, the outlook is as murky as a movie on a computer monitor. True, DVD makes it possible to create video-rich games using live action, but such games are almost as expensive to produce as movies. And in a market segment where profits have been elusive, developers aren't rushing to make huge investments in these new products. More likely candidates for early DVD use are, not surprisingly, applications that use huge amounts of information.