Pioneer’s DVD: Built for Classroom Use
DVD players are quickly becoming standard appliances on college campuses as
more and more instructors recognize the versatility of these machines. Unlike
a DVD player designed for home entertainment use, the professional-quality DVD
player is loaded with features that ensure that it will withstand frequent use
and abuse.
The teacher-friendly DVD-V7400 is Pioneer’s rugged workhorse for classrooms
and lecture hall presentations. Compact and lightweight, it offers a variety
of features that make it appropriate for campus use. The 10-lb. unit fits easily
onto a small cart, leaving plenty of room for other appliances. All major functions
can be accessed via a newly designed wireless remote or optional wired remote.
Alternatively, the player’s PS2 port allows educators to navigate using
a mouse and keyboard plugged directly into the front of the unit. Users can
also connect the player to a computer for interactive multimedia presentations.
The DVD-V7400’s video blackboard feature works as a highlighting tool.
Users can type text, create drawings, or place graphics right on top of the
video displayed on the monitor without permanently transferring the highlights
to the disk. The player thus becomes an interactive blackboard for spontaneously
demonstrating and pointing to specific concepts on the screen.
Pioneer has loaded the player with barcode features designed to facilitate
lecture hall use. The optional barcode reader enables teachers and students
to scan preprinted barcodes from any print materials accompanying DVD-Video
disks. Once scanned, the codes can be used to read images right off the disk.
The barcode stack/command stack feature allows users to save video play lists
for automatic recall and display. Using this feature, an instructor teaching
several sections of the same course can store into memory each day’s presentation,
saving class preparation time. It is even possible to set the player to play
up to 24 different events in one week, all controlled through the weekly on/off
timer. This feature makes it easy for an entire department to share one DVD
player. Separately available Bar N’Coder Software allows instructors to
create and print barcodes for any DVD disc, customizing the disc for individual
needs.
The DVD-V7400 plays multiple disc formats, including video CD, CD-DA, DVD-Video,
and DVD Hybrid, and multiple disk media, including CD-R, CD-RW, and DVD-R. Other
features included in the DVD-V7400 are playback memory (bookmarking function),
scan, slow motion, on-screen menu, and chapter preview/digest. The player has
component video output terminals, two composite video outputs, S-video connector,
and RF output. A headphone jack with volume control is included as well. To
ensure its tough reliability, the player features a brushless spindle motor
combined with a heat and dust-resistant enclosure. Pioneer guarantees the player
with a one-year warranty on parts and labor. It boasts a mean time between failures
of 37,000 hours at a 100 percent duty cycle.
For more information on Pioneer’s DVD-V7400 player, visit www.pioneerelectronics.com.
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Digital Video 101
The basic technology
behind the DVD player is essentially the same for every model, because
every model is based on the DVD 1.0 standard specification. Every DVD
player outputs audio and video to a television, computer, or audio device
from a DVD disc, which looks like a compact disc. All players include
basic features such as layer switching, subtitles, camera angles, the
ability to read multiple languages, and parental controls. Beyond that,
however, a multitude of features are available and vary from model to
model, affecting cost and performance.
Consumer-oriented
models, on the lower end of the price scale, tend to offer fewer features
and less robust performance. Education buyers who need a rugged machine
that will withstand years of constant use should choose an industrial
or professional-level player that offers high-performance, a good warranty,
and features that make classroom use easy and convenient. Component video
improves the image quality over S-video or composite video. Having ports
in the front of the machine for mouse, keyboard, and other attachments
simplifies set up for harried instructors or A/V staff. Barcode features
are useful classroom tools for those using a DVD disc that comes with
a manual or supplemental guide. Some DVD players can store and play on
demand several discs (hundreds, even); with this feature, several instructors
can share one player, load it with the necessary discs, and display the
content as needed without having to restock the player for each person’s
lecture.
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