It happened with 8-track tapes and vinyl records. Now it won't be long before thrift-store bins will bulge with video cassettes of Austin Powers alongside the Carpenters' Close to You . DVD packs a big punch One DVD packs as much multimedia muscle as 23 CD-ROMs. That means an entire feature-length film will fit on one disc. A DVD movie's sharp picture and rich color make its quality about twice as good as that of a videotape.
Many new computers come with DVD drives already installed.
If you want to install a DVD drive into your computer, you will need to buy an internal or external DVD drive and a decoder card to go inside your computer. There are kits available that come with both the drive and the card, such as Creative's DxR2 or DxR3. Most kits and cards will require you to install drivers from a CD that is included. Cinemaster 1.2 card, which is included with Dell XPS series computers. If your system doesn't have room for a new drive, you might choose to replace your CD-ROM drive with a DVD drive.