Background
When the format was originally launched, DVD stood for
"Digital Versatile Disk", but use with the meaning "Digital
Video Disk" has been increasing (largely I suspect through
the world's most powerful force, natural ignorance).
A Web search on AltaVista under "Digital Versatile Disk"
and "Digital Video Disk" reveals:
"Versatile" - UK 326 pages; World 3,381 pages
"Video"-UK 137 pages; World 2,987 pages
On this week's University Challenge, Jeremy Paxman (the
world's second most powerful force) clearly implied that both
answers are acceptable. A recent Radio4 quiz accepted
"Digital Video Disk" as a correct answer.
It is true that the DVD format has been used mainly so far for
commercial videos, but as DVD drives become cheaper, and
begin to replace CD-ROM drives in desktop computers, we
shall inevitably start seeing the format used for
audio/data/video/multimedia as the original concept and
name implies.
I have recently seen librarians comparing the take-up in their
libraries of "DVDs" with "Videos". I am always careful to
compare "DVD Videos" with "VHS Videos".
Question:
Has any organisation or professional group which cares
about these tedious matters, come up with a positive
recommendation about how libraries should use and interpret
this terminology in catalogue records, statistical stock
returns and library publicity?
Peter Marshall
Project Development Librarian
Bexley Council
Tel: +44 (0)20 8320 4135
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