PROPOSAL NO.: 2001-08

DATE: May 7, 2001
REVISED:

NAME: Coding DVDs in Field 007 for Videorecordings in the MARC 21 Bibliographic and Holdings Formats

SOURCE: Library of Congress

SUMMARY: This paper proposes adding a byte for DVDs in field 007/04 for videorecordings to differentiate them from other videodiscs

KEYWORDS: DVDs (BD) (HD); Field 007/04 (Videorecordings) (BD) (HD); Videorecordings (BD) (HD)

RELATED:

STATUS/COMMENTS:

05/07/01 - Made available to the MARC 21 community for discussion.

06/16/01 - Results of the MARC Advisory Committee discussion - Approved as amended.
Participants felt that any indication of size should be eliminated from the codes' names. Code v will be "DVD" and code g "Laserdisc." They also agreed that the descriptions of codes v and g should be revised to reflect the differences between the encoding of DVDs and Laserdiscs. In response to questions about coding music and computer file DVDs, NDMSO will possibly follow up with a discussion paper for coding other types of DVDs for the midwinter meeting.

08/07/01 - Results of LC/NLC review - Agreed with the MARBI decisions.

PROPOSAL NO. 2001-08: Coding DVDs in Field 007 for Videorecordings

1. BACKGROUND

DVDs use optical disc storage. They are based on plastic, reflective discs, usually 4.7 inches in diameter, that provide more than two hours of high-quality digital video (a double-sided, dual-layer disc can hold eight hours of high-quality video, or 30 hours of VHS quality video). They are durable and resistant to magnetic or heat damage. DVDs are used predominately to hold films, sound recordings and digitally-stored information and are predicted to replace audio CDs, videotape, laserdiscs, CD-ROMs, and video game cartridges in the future. They currently have widespread support from the electronics, computer, music and movie industries.

There are two families of DVDs. One type holds digitally-stored information and includes recordable versions such as DVD-ROM or DVD-R. The other type specifies how video and sound are stored and played back by DVD players or DVD computers. These include DVD-Video (usually referred to as DVD), DVD-Audio, and DVD Stream Recording. In this paper, we will refer to "DVD-Video" as simply "DVD."

Field 007 (Physical description fixed field) for videorecordings contains special coded information about the physical characteristics of a videorecording. Position 007/04 (Videorecording format) is a one-character code that indicates the recording format for videotapes or videodiscs. The following codes are defined for this position:

007/04 - Videorecording format

a - Beta (½ in., videocassette)
b - VHS (½ in., videocassette)
c - U-matic (¾ in., videocassette)
d - EIAJ (½ in., reel)
e - Type C (1 in., reel)
f - Quadruplex (1 in. or 2 in., reel)
g - Laser optical (Reflective) videodisc
h - CED (Capacitance Electronic Disc) videodisc
i - Betacam (½ in., videocassette)
j - Betacam SP (½ in., videocassette)
k - Super-VHS (½ in., videocassette)
m - M-II (½ in., videocassette)
o - D-2 (¾ in., videocassette)
p - 8 mm.
q - Hi-8 mm.
u - Unknown
z - Other
| - No attempt to code

007/04 currently contains two different codes for videodiscs. Code h is used for CED (Capacitance Electronic Disc), a technology that was popular in the early 1980s. Code g indicates a laser optical videorecording system and is based on a grooveless, round, plastic disc, usually 12 inches in diameter, with a mirror-like surface on both sides on which video information is stored. In the past, code g has been used to code laserdiscs, which were popular in the early 1990s, but which are no longer being produced (although still being used). DVDs have also been coded g in position 007/04.

007/07 (Dimensions) contains a one-character code indicating the width of a videorecording. Because none of the defined values are applicable for DVDs and laserdiscs (which are measured in diameter), both have been coded z (Other). Although 007/07 is defined only for width information, it may be desirable to alter its definition in the future to code for both diameter and width so that the size of videodiscs may also be coded.

2. DISCUSSION

Although both laserdiscs and DVDs are coded g in position 007/04, they differ by several important factors. Laserdiscs are considered slower and noisier than DVDs. They must also be turned over, like LP recordings, to view entire films and cannot hold as much information as DVDs do. Laserdiscs also differ from DVDs by size: Laserdiscs are 12 inches in diameter and DVDs are usually 4.7 inches. For these reasons, laserdiscs and DVDs usually cannot be used by the same media players.

Because laserdiscs and DVDs are not compatible with each other, they should be coded differently in 007/04 to enhance both information retrieval and help in the accurate management of videodiscs. To differentiate DVDs from other videodiscs in coded form in MARC 21 records, it is proposed that code v be defined for DVDs in 007/04 (Videorecording format).

To make its meaning more specific, code g in 007/04 (Videorecording format) could also be renamed to apply to only 12 inch laserdiscs. It is thus proposed to rename code g, "Laser optical videodisc (12 in.)."

3. EXAMPLES

007	vd cvaizm
245	10	$aCasablanca$h[videorecording] / $cWarner Brothers Pictures presents a Hal B. Wallis production ; directed by Michael Curtiz ; screenplay by Julius J. and Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch.
538	##	$aDVD
		[DVD that is multicolored, contains sound and monaural playback channels]

4. PROPOSED CHANGES

In the MARC 21 Bibliographic and Holdings Formats:

• Define code v in position 007/04 for Videorecordings for DVDs. The code could be defined as:

  v - DVD (4.7 in.)
  Code v indicates a DVD, an optical disc storage. "DVD" originally stood for "Digital Video Disc" and then "Digital Versatile Disc," but now has no meaning. It is based on a plastic, reflective disc, usually 4.7 inches in diameter, that provides more than two hours of high-quality digital video. It is durable and not susceptible to magnetic or heat damage. Interactive features, such as menus, can be included on it.

• Rename code g in 007/04 for Videorecordings

  g - Laser optical videodisc (12 in.)

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