Rose Li asked:


Like all electronic products, features for portable players are also full of jargon. As a reseller of portable DVD players it is important for you to understand these clearly for two reasons:

* Savvy consumers knows and understand electronics and are looking for an equally adept seller

* Novices need help understanding which product is right for them

Here is a list of terms which should help you go from zero knowledge to expert in no time:

** Disc Formats **

CD: Short for Compact Disc Read Only Memory (CD-ROM), is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer.

CD-R: A CD-R (recordable) allows for content to be written once and read many times. This type of disc stores all types of media files.

CD-RW: This is a rewritable medium that allows for content to be written many times and read many times. The CD-RW can also be used to store different formats of content.

VCD: Also known as Video Compact Disc is a format for storing video on CDs, and is not dissimilar to a VCR in that you cannot skip chapters or view rich data, just fast forward and rewind.

SVCD: This stands for Super Video Compact Disk. This is a successor to the VCD and was meant to challenge the DVD format. Quality and storage capacity is superior to a VCD, but lower than the DVD.

DVD: Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Discs. They look like CDs but store six times more data and can display video in chapters.

DVD RW/ DVD+RW/ DVD-RW: These three terms essentially mean the same thing. These are rewritable DVDs. They can be rewritten close to a thousand times, making them very useful as backup media. The + and – and competing standards, though it is generally accepted that + is superior and therefore the industry standard for rewritable disks.

** Media Formats **

MPEG 1, 2, 3 & 4: These are compression standards for audio and video set by the Moving Pictures Export Group. The numerals refer to versions with MPEG 1 being the 1st and MPEG 4 being the latest. These standards apply across all transmission and distribution platforms.

MP4: This is another name of the MPEG 4-Part 14 standard created by the Moving Pictures Expert Group standards. This standard specifies compression for both video and audio. Commercially a number of manufacturers use MP4 on products that can playback both audio and video. However, this is misleading as MP4 products must be able to playback files with the extension .mp4.

WMA: Windows Media Audio is an audio data compression standard developed by Microsoft.

DiVX: This is a compression technique that converts lengthy video sequences into smaller parts without loosing too much detail. It uses the MPEG-4 compression standard.

XVID: The opposite of DiVX, is a compression technique and a direct competitor for DiVX. It also does video compression based on the MPEG-4 standard. The difference between the two is DiVX is proprietary while XVID is distributed under Gnu or is free to use.

MP3: Designed by the Moving Pictures Expert Group, this is a standard for audio files compression.

JPEG: This is a compression standard for photographs and is used by most digital cameras. Having this lets the user playback pictures from the camera on the portable DVD screen.

** External Ports **

AV In: Audio/Video input point to connect external devices like a video cam direct to the player

AV Out: Audio/Video output point for connecting DVD player to home TV, car system etc.

VGA Out: Video Graphics Array port, first introduced in computers now popular in portable devices, used to connect to LCD displays among others.

USB: Universal Serial Bus is one of the most common interface devices on a variety of platforms from computing to audio/video. With the USB you can hook up a whole host of devices to the DVD Player including mobile phones, laptops, computers, mp3 and MP4 players etc.

SD/MMC/MS Card Reader: Secure Digital/Multimedia Card and Memory Stick are all types of flash memory used in portable electronic devices from MP3/MP4 players, digital cameras, camcorders, mobile phones etc. A card reader for these devices ensures content on them can be played on the DVD player.

HDMI: High-Definition Multimedia Interface is an audio/video interface for transmitting uncompressed digital data.

It is the digital alternative to analog standards such as:

* RF

* Coaxial cable

* Composite video

* S-Video

* SCART

* Component video

* D-Terminal

* VGA

HDMI connects digital audio/video sources such as set-top boxes, Blu-ray Disc players, personal computers (PCs), video game consoles (such as the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360), and AV receivers to compatible digital audio devices, computer monitors, and digital televisions

S-Video: Separate Video is an analog video signal that carries the video data as two separate signals, lumen (luminance) and chroma (color).

This differs from composite video which carries picture information as a single lower-quality signal, and component video which carries picture information as three separate higher-quality signals. S-Video carries standard definition video (typically at 480i or 576i resolution), but does not carry audio on the same cable.

** TV Encoders **

PAL: Phase Alternating Line is an analog color encoding system used in broadcast television is large parts of the world. DVDs with PAL encoding will only play on players that can decode this signal.

SECAM: Developed in France, it is an analog color encoding system for broadcast television. It is primarily used in France, parts of Eastern Europe some former French colonies.

NTSC: Developed in the USA, it is an analog color encoding system for broadcast television. Primarily used in the US.

DVB: Digital Video Broadcasting is (or will be) the industry standard for digital video in many countries around the world. It is used for satellite, terrestrial and digital terrestrial for portables (including mobile broadcasts).

ATSC: Advanced Television Systems Committee standard defines a digital broadcast standard for the US, Canada, Mexico and one or two other territories.

** Miscellaneous Terms **

Aspect Ratio: Aspect ratio is the fractional relation of the width of a video image compared to its height. The two most common aspect ratios in home video are 4:3 (also known as 4×3, 1.33:1, or standard) and 16:9.

Signal to Noise Ratio: Signal-to-noise ratio compares the level of a desired signal (such as music) to the level of background noise. The higher the ratio, the less obtrusive the background noise is.

Screen resolution: This refers to the number of rows and columns of pixels in the LCD display. So a screen with 800×600 resolution means it has 800 rows of pixels and 600 columns.

Bit rate: Bit rate is a measure of the rate of information content in a video stream. It is quantified using the bit per second (bit/s or bps) unit or Megabits per second (Mbit/s). A higher bit rate allows better video quality.

Modulation/Demodulation: This is a method of transferring digital data stream and converting it into an analog stream.

FFT Pattern: FFT refers to Fast Fourier Transform which is the algorithm used to unscramble the digital signals broadcast by television stations and broadcasters.

A FFT pattern is used in DVB-T transmissions and usually refers to signals being modulated for 2048, 4096, or 8192 carriers (2k, 4k, 8k mode, respectively).

FEC: Forward Error Correction is a system sending extra data with transmissions so that the television stations can quickly establish the cause of errors and fix them.

NES/SNES: Nintendo Entertainment System/Super Nintendo Entertainment System. These are gaming consoles released by Nintendo in the early 1990s. Many third-party devices come with these built-in, including portable DVD players.

ESP Protection: Electronic Skip Protection basically ensures playback of audio/video is skip free especially when mobile…say in a car.

** But why do YOU have to know all this? **

The digital consumer is aware of the interoperability between various digital formats and is generally looking for products that can double up in more than one function.

For example: a portable DVD player with a big enough screen to play back stills from a digital camera might mean the consumer will prefer to spend less on a camera with a big screen and use the portable DVD player instead for viewing pictures.

This is possible with the addition of the SD/MMC/MS card reader.

Similarly most family vacations today have a camcorder as a must have. For these consumers the ability to playback home videos on a larger screen is a must have.

A portable DVD player that accepts multiple video formats including NTSC, PAL SECAM etc. makes it more useful.

The ability to receive multiple TV input signals is essential given the changes taking place in broadcast technology. With Digital TV broadcast signals replacing analog across the world, it is essential that the portable DVD player have the required inputs to play the different TV formats.

Gaming is another “nice to have” feature on a family vacation.

The ability to either plug into existing gaming systems or in fact have a built-in gamer goes a long way in making a sale.

By knowing what the terms mean you are a long way towards knowing who to aim particular portable DVD players at and what features to play up and which points to ignore.

So get out there today, start studying up improve your listings and start selling to a wider market. Your bank balance will love you for it.

Now you know what the terms mean start listing portable DVD player models that have the features your customers want. See them now at Chinavasion.com or paste this URL into your address bar:

Alden Jerry asked:

Music and movies enthrall many of us. To meet the needs of keen music and movie frenzy people, these DVD players act as treasure to their home entertainment. The players have the ability to play discs in both video and audio formats. Moreover, these players also allow the users to watch or listen to music on video CDs and audio CDs, respectively. The users can enjoy videos in almost all the formats including MPEG-4 and ASP. For endless entertainment, these devices need to be connected to a television set.

The portable DVD players are gaining momentum among the people, across the world. These devices are considered as the best alternative for entertainment. As a matter of fact, the amusement is inseparable aspect of our lives, as we constantly need to refresh and relax ourselves to overcome tiredness. Furthermore, it enhances the lifestyle. Among, various innovations in the technology such as computers, laptops, mobile phones and GPS devices, the most popular electronic system is the DVD player. These players provide high-quality pictures and ensure the user’s eye do not get affected during the viewing process.

The DVD players are regarded as the leader among varieties of music players, due to their top quality sound and picture quality. With each passing day, number of manufacturers are venturing into this arena to provide the music and movie lovers an entertaining widget for endless entertainment. Some of the top leading companies that have plunged into this domain are Sony, Toshiba, Samsung, LG and Videocon. With the stiff competition in the market, the users can enable their favorite gadget at affordable price.

These portable devices are selected on the basis of size, weight, playback formats, video or audio outputs, digital surround sound, battery back up, connectivity options as well as warranty period. The player with digital surround sound transports the viewer to a miniature virtual theater environment. To enjoy high quality sound in these players, one should purchase those players which comes with A/V receiver or built-in Dolby Digital decoder.

To streamline the search, one must check the portable dvd players on various Online stores. These Online sites provide the latest information on these gadgets. Moreover, for easy and best purchase, the users can compare the features and prices with other brand to avail top quality players

Matt Sharp asked:


The new Nokia n93 is a portable music player, a digital camera, and a 3g smart phone combined into one. It has something for everyone–for the music freaks, for the photography buffs, and for the Internet savvy.

N93 has got so many features that one finds oneself at a loss where to start. Let us first discuss the design of the phone. The phone’s twist-and-flip design allows the user to keep it in four different positions. You can keep it one position for taking photographs and shooting videos, and view the photos and the videos in another position. For calling you just have to fold open the phone. There are two displays: internal and external. The external screen is for displaying basic information like time, date, etc. the internal display is brilliant (TFT screen with 262K colours). The keypad has one-touch keys for the camera, zoom, and flash etc. making it easier for the users to use the phone. Save the weight of the phone, the design is immaculate.

The camera of the Virgin Mobile Nokia n93 is perhaps the best one to have been incorporated in a mobile phone till date. At 3.2 mega pixel (2048×1536 pixels), it is capable of taking high-resolution photographs. Other remarkable features of the embedded camera are Carl Zeiss lens, auto focus, macro mode, integrated flash, and auto exposure. These features could earlier be expected only in special digital cameras. It is a surprise therefore for many that Nokia has been able to incorporate these features into the camera of a Nokia phone.

The video recorder of the Nokia N93 is not far behind the camera when it comes to features. It allows you to shoot videos in the MPEG-4 or 3GP format. The resolution is good and the phone also allows you to shoot videos of up to 60 minutes duration. So you can now make your own movies with the phone and earn admiration for yourself! Coming to the music player, it supports a variety of file formats like MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC, and WMA. The sound output with the supplied stereo headphones is outstanding. The Virgin Mobile music player also supports play lists and equalizer. There is a stereo FM radio as well with visual radio support. No surprise, therefore, that some music freaks are going for the phone just for the music features.