For film enthusiasts there doesn't seem to be anything better than tuning into their favourite flick complete with all the interactive wonders that DVD media has to offer. And while the technology has encountered initial shortcomings, such as the failure of the popular DVD release of The Matrix in Sept. '99 to play back successfully on several DVD players, the public is embracing the new format.
Capacitors are passive devices that store and release electrons.
Other passive devices include resistors and inductors. Active components are devices that have intrinsic properties that can be dynamically altered, usually by activating a controlling terminal, such as a gate, a grid or a base. So diodes, FET's, vacuum tubes and bipolar transistors are examples of active devices. They recently announced a clock driver chip that may provide optical digital playback with the kind of stability and performance only now available from a hard drive. Interestingly, they are stressing the mainstream here.