But, will it play? DVD prices drop, authoring tools abound, yet confusion reigns.(digital video...

The year 2001 saw tremendous progress in the development of DVDs as a realistic option for creating video productions on desktop computers. By the end of the year, DVD burners had dropped in price to under $500, DVD media had fallen to under $10 a disc, and a wide variety of authoring tools had become available, starting as low as $50.

But, while DVD-authoring capability is starting to be bundled into computer systems, and DVD-based set-top video recorders and camcorders are entering the market, the fundamental question about DVD formats--and compatibility--still remain