Last modified: January 18, 1997 6:00 AM PST

DVDs: New digital domain

Virtually unknown to many people is a new technology that could inspire a technological revolution all its own: the digital video disc. In this special report, NEWS.COM assesses whether the DVD will fulfill its promise.

Multimedia hits home in DVD By Alex Lash While similar in form and many functions to the compact disc, DVDs could change nearly all facets of home entertainment. But the future of this potential Next Big Thing will be determined by market conditions, consumer expectations, and the disparate industry concerns of hardware makers, Silicon Valley, and Hollywood. Media evolves, people adopt By Anthony Lazarus timeline Pick a platform: CDs, VCRs, or even TVs. Regardless of what state the art's in, there's always some other kind of media technology right around the corner that promises to take off. Sometimes it does. From dusk to disc By Jeff Quan infographic To the naked eye, the DVD is virtually undistinguishable from the CD. The difference? The equivalent of tons of space that can handle full-length feature films at superior quality, as well as full multimedia features. Here's how it works.

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