In the relatively short period since the problem of compressing digital bitstreams was

solved by the various MPEG systems, the whole scenario of home entertainment has
changed; digital transmission and storage of high quality sound and vision signals is now
commonplace. Analogue delivery and processing remains only to maintain compatibility
between the established systems and the new ones, whose growth has been phenomenal,
fed by mass production, world markets and low hardware prices, the latter especially in
the realms of processing power and memory capacity. The world now runs on 'silicon',
which has enhanced virtually every aspect of life in the half-century or so since semi
conducting properties were discovered. Magnetic tape recording is being supplanted by
optical and magnetic disc storage systems with higher packing density and faster access
times; a single broadcast TV programme can be made to occupy a fraction of the
spectrum-space required for its analogue equivalent, the effect of which is now a very
wide choice of channels; interactive TV has come to fruition, thanks to wideband cable
and 'phone lines. High quality pictures and cinema-standard sound come from digital
video discs; and the 'home-movie' enthusiast can shoot better-quality footage than his TV
can cope with - and edit it without any loss of quality in an inexpensive home Pc. It's
become possible to replicate the cinema experience at home, with relatively high-
definition programme sources and large wide viewing screens, complemented by multi-
channel surround sound.
DVD
DVD stands for Digital Versatile Disk, and its technology is based on two themes: a
relatively old (1982) one embodied in audio CD players for the basic mechanics and the
laser/optical record/playback system; and a fairly new one, the MPEG-2 data
compression concept, for its digital signal-processing heart. Although it has the capability
to record many forms of data (hence the 'Versatile' nomen) it's primarily used for
entertainment the storage of movies.

DV disk
The DV disk is 12 cm in diameter, the same as an audio CD, but consists of two 0.6mm-
thick disks stuck together back-to-back, giving resistance to warping. Either or both sides
can carry data, and it's possible to have two layers per side to give a maximum capacity
of 17GB, enough to play over 8 hours of programme; a single-side, single-layer disc
offers 2 hours 13 minutes playing time, sufficient for most movies. The construction of a
dual layer double-sided disc is shown in Figure 1.1. Its outer track (layer 0) is translucent,
and the laser lens which reads it has the ability to focus on either layer as required. Track
pitch and pit length/spacing are smaller than in a CD to enhance capacity: the
specification for a DVD is given in Table 27.1. This calls for a very small focused light
spot and short laser-beam wavelength, of 1.1 micron and 640 nm respectively, compared
with 1.7 micron and 780 nm for CD players. Tracking and focus requirements are also

Figure 1.1 Multi- Layer DVD disk: here there are two tracks on each side
'tighter' for the DVD laser assembly, met by greater
precision in the optics and mechanics, and by 'high-
definition' servo electronics.
Optics
The operating principles of a DVD laser assembly are
similar to those of a CD player, with which many readers
will be familiar. To permit use with both CD and DVD
media the optics must be 'switched' by either a rotating
plate containing two lenses or a dual-focus lens whose
center is hologramatic so that the CD data is captured at
lens-center and DVD data over the whole of it, numerical
aperture ratings 0.38 and 0.6 respectively. The general
layout of a typical DVD pickup assembly is shown in
Figure 1.2. The laser diode on the right emits a constant-
brightness beam (regulated by the photosensor, left of
center in the diagram) via the reflector mirror to a collimator lens, used to bring the

diverging beam into a parallel light ray. At the objective lens the beam is sharply focused
on the disk's pit-track; focus is controlled by the servo system in which the lens itself is
moved up and down, while tracking is governed by a second electro-mechanical servo,
moving the lens sideways, to keep the beam centered on the spiral pit-track. The whole
shooting- match is gradually moved from the center to the periphery of the disk by a
'sled', 'feed' or radial drive motor as readout progresses.
The pick-up device, again using a technique refined from CD practice, is a
precision bank of four photodiodes mounted in the photo-detector block shown at the
bottom of Figure 1.2, and in detail in Figure 1.3, where the action of focus detection is
depicted. At optimum focus all four photodiodes are equally illuminated by disk reflected
light. If the light spot is blurred because the lens is too near the disk the effect of
astigmatism concentrates an ellipse of light on diodes A and C. Defocusing due to too
great a distance from the lens to the disk blurs the spot into 3JI ellipse embracing diodes
Band D, whose combined outputs push down the focus error Sign in the op-amp shown at
the bottom of the diagram.
The error signal is amplified and fed moving-coil assembly containing the objective lens.
Tracking control is also effected via the photodetector, which monitors the timing of the
pulses arriving at photodiodes A+C and B+D in a phase detector whose +d. c. output
'steers' the objective lens to keep the light-spot centered on the pit-track being read. In the
longer term it also drives the traverse (sled/feed/radial) motor to move the whole optical
assembly gradually across the disk surface.
DVD mechanics
The disk is rotated by a spindle motor whose speed varies throughout the programme,
fast at the beginning (inner tracks) and slower at the periphery to maintain a constant
scanning velocity of approximately 4 meters/see, representing a read- Out data rate of
about 4.7kb per second. We shall see later how this is used for digital video data
recovery. The disk speed is governed by a third servo system and paced by the off-disk
data rate in a system similar to the head drum motor control Systems. Single-disk players
have a loading mechanism identical to that used in CD players, while multi-disk types
have a loading tray or stacker, again following the conventions of audio CD machines.
Their actions are governed by loading motors, limit- and trip-switches hooked to the
Control microcomputer in the same way as the mode-switches and FL-mechanics of the
VCRs. Sometimes the position- sensors take the form of Optcouplers, theoretically more
reliable than mechanical-contact devices. The servos and system-control sections of a
DVD player have much in common with those of CD players and video decks, but with
additional facilities for track/chapter selection, focal-point Switching, sub- and main
'story' choice etc, while the mechanics are subject to all the failings and foibles (inducing
the need for cleaning and lubrication) of their longer-established cousins.
Data-and signal processing
We have seen how the output from the quad photodetector in Figure 1.2 is made
to drive the focus and tracking servos by differential use of the signals from opposing
pairs of diode light sensors. The combined output of all four photodiodes conveys the
data containing the programme material, at this stage as a train of pulses, corresponding
to the light reflected from the disk - modulated in fact, by the pattern of light-reflected
and light-diffused or scattered at the surface of the pit-track. The r.f. signal, 8/16
modulated for DVD, contains MPEG-2 compressed data for vision, sound and
'housekeeping' in variable bit-rate form, ranging from about 1Mb/ sec for simple or
virtually-still pictures to 10Mb/ sec for complex or fast-moving ones. The average bit rate
is about 3.5Mb/sec. without compression just four minutes of 'raw' replay time would be
available. Figure 1.4 is a much-simplified block diagram of the DVD-player, with the
disk and its attendant electrics and mechanics at the top left. The photodiodes' output
(RF) passes into the RFAMP chip IC502 where it is amplified and equalized for passage
to IC503 which performs servo and control functions, feeding back to IC505, primarily a
motor- and coil-driver serving the mechanism chassis. The control chip is IC601, which
interfaces and co-ordinates all sections of the player while interpreting and executing the
commands from the disk and from the user, the latter entering via the remote control link
Or the front panel keys shown at bottom left on the diagram.
Programme data takes the RF-DVD route near the top of the diagram to IC20 1,
data processor. Here the carrier is sliced and 8/16 demodulated, then used to drive a VCO
in which a synchronous clock pulse train is generated to pace the spindle motor and
provide a reference feed for the following data-processing chip. Error-correction is also
performed inside IC201, yielding a MPEG-2 program stream on an 8-line data bus which
leads to IC207, data processor. Here the programme stream is decrypted to produce
video, audio and control/housekeeping packets sequentially: they are conveyed to the
MPEG-2 decoder IC304, the heart of the player. In conjunction with the 16M SDRAM
memory (bottom center of diagram) this chip assembles the sound and vision data in the
correct order and decompresses it. Image functions like aspect-ratio conversion zooming,
pan/scan, fast-forward and rewind are also performed inside IC304, instructed along the
control bus by the processor MPU, IC601
The reconstituted digital video/audio data proceeds along an 8-bit bus (diagram
bottom center) to IC30, video processor, wherein the audio and video data are separated,
the latter next being added to the OSD (On Screen Display) feed from generator IC303.
Sub-video is also added here, and the audio specified by the user, e.g. MPEG, PCM, AC-
3 etc., selected under instruction from the control chip. IC301 calculates the luminance
and color-difference values for all the pixels in the picture, converts them to PAL or
NTSC video data in the form of an 8-bit Y/Cb/ Cr datastream, and passes them, together
with riming and clock pulses, to IC306, video encoder. The main functions of IC306 are
data-interpolation and D-A conversion. Emerging from this chip are four analogue
signals: the composite video one with which we are so familiar; and R, G and B signals
which can pass out of the player directly, or be matrixed into color-difference and Y/C
(S-link) waveforms for interfacing with the TV or monitor.
The sound signals are very important in a DVD player, especially where it forms
part of a home cinema setup, and the disk can carry up to eight audio streams, typically in
different languages, and a variety of surround-sound protocols, primarily Dolby 5.1,
Returning to the block diagram of Figure4.1, the sound data emerges from the video
processor IC30 I to enter a parallel-to-serial converter, IC902, in the center of the
diagram. It uses the 256k S-RAM IC903 as a temporary store- house while assembling a
serial stream of data for onward passage to Dolby decoder chip IC901, wherein the Dolby
AC-3/5.l audio signals are derived in the form of bitstreams. They go directly to the rear
panel optical and co-ax digital- out sockets for decoding in a separate Dolby surround
amplifier system; and to IC905, containing the D-A converters which recover analogue
audio signals for passage out of the player via phono sockets and (sometimes, as here) a
SCART port. Also applied to the SCART socket.

,
Servicing DVD players
In spite of their complex data-processing circuits, servicing DVD players is not as
difficult as might be supposed at first, for several reasons: the mechanics and optics share
many characteristics with CD players, in which technicians are already experienced; most
of the problems which do arise are mechanical or simple-optical in nature; the chips and
other electronics are incredibly reliable; and many players have diagnostic readouts, most
useful in servicing, and even the capability to store data on intermittent faults. On the
debit side, the very low prices at which 'entry level' players sell precludes much repair,
e.g. replacement of laser units and large processing chips. Beginning with a complete
lack of action or response, the obvious starting-point is the power-supply section,
invariably of the chopper type. If the problem is not found there, move to the main
control processor chip with a d.c.-coupled oscilloscope and check for supply voltage
(generally +5V), reset pulse and clock oscillator(s) running. So long as the power supply
and the control chip are working, failure of part of the deck or loading system to respond
to the open-tray command, or to spin the disc, will usually be due to a mechanical
problem. If any motor or part of the mechanism is physically jammed the syscon section
shuts down the machine within a few seconds. Sometimes this is less obvious than may
be, where the control system 'pulses' various movers, waiting for a response as a
condition of continuing. Those with experience of VCRs and or CD players will have had
previous dealings with this sort of thing. If the disk is accepted and made to revolve, the
next action is a triple cycling of the focus coil and objective lens to latch onto the disk.
Failure to do so will again shut the show down, but the pulsing action, if present, gives
several clues to the cause of the trouble, which may be dirty optics, laser problems or a
fault with the disk itself. The first step here is to look, at the off-disk r.f. signal - as with
CD players - which is usually available at a prominent test-point. Figure 1.5 shows a
correct waveform. . Many strange problems which can arise in DVD players are due to
software corruption or a 'crashed' control microprocessor, the latter often cured by
interrupting the mains supply for a short while to get a reset, and the former by
reprogramming the software. For this it's essential to have the manufacturer's service
data, and maybe a workshop-based PC and interface. The service manual, too gives
details of the various service- and diagnostic routines built into the player and its resident
soft- and firmware, in terms of accessing and interpreting the indications and readouts.
Some of these require a special service' remote control handset, and some of them can
offer fault diagnosis down to component (or at least processor-chip) level. In any case
where the r.f. signal is low, start by cleaning the surface of the objective lens.

Dust or a dirt-film here can also have the effect of making the digital bitstream
'borderline' so that the picture intermittently freezes or breaks into pixilated squares; or is
disk-fussy, playing some correctly but corrupting the picture and/or sound on others.
Again examination of the off-disk r.f. carrier is revealing: a low-level 'fuzzy' waveform
may well indicate a worn-out laser, whose replacement (if economically justified) is little
more difficult than in a CD player. Many of the set-up adjustments are automatically
performed in a service routine by the control system - so long as the static-guarding
Shorting links have been removed from the laser assembly during its installation! In
Figure 1.4 the test point is the line marked RF at top left of the diagram.
In the presence of a good off-disk signal, picture and sound faults will be due to
problems in or downstream from the data processor chip, e.g. IC20 1 in Our diagram: the
correct action of the servos exonerates r.f. amplifier IC502 here. Further tests can be
made by trying replay of an audio CD, whose signal bypasses all the video processing
and the MPEG-2/Dolby AC3 circuitry. This also checks most of the actions of the
Control processor, mechanical deck/chassis and the signal links.
Failure of DVD picture and sound indicates a problem in the data and/or MPEG
processing sections. Before getting heavily involved in this one, check that the user-
software (via menu) is correctly set, and then run any service/diagnostic routine provided
or suggested by the player manufacturer. If this is not fruitful check that the I Cs in
question arc correctly powered, then use the service manual's block- Or circuit diagram to
identity the clock and control data (the latter typically 12C) pins on the processing chips,
here ICs 201, 207, 304 and - if only vision is affected- IC306. If these feeds are present
and correct the next stage is to look, with an oscilloscope or logic analyzer/probe, at the
data and then address lines, generally in 8-bit buses. Loss of audio in the presence of
pictures should lead to a check of the sound processing sections, here ICs 902, 901 and
904, bearing in mind the result of the previous test for audio-CD replay. Before doing
this, however, ensure that the user-software is correctly programmed for the disk in use
and the peripheral equipment to which the player is hooked; if it's set for DTS. for
instance, there will be no sound unless this is available from the disk being played.
More specific servicing information and faultfinding tips for individual makes and
models of DVD player are available in manufacturer's service manuals and in the
'common-fault' compilations produced by them.