German videos and DVDs offer an excellent opportunity to hear real German. DVDs offer the additional advantage of language selection and being able to turn the English subtitles on or off. When buying German DVDs or videos, you should be aware of video standards (PAL or NTSC), DVD regional codes (Europe vs North America) and language options (dubbed, subtitled, etc.).
DVD or VHS?
The answer is easy: DVD. A German movie on DVD is much better than the same film on VHS. With DVD you have more language and subtitle options and the picture quality is far superior. It is also easier to repeat or select film segments and scenes. I only watch VHS video when there is no DVD version available. DVD is the future, VHS is the past.
Video Standards: PAL and NTSC
The world is divided into three main television/video standards: NTSC, PAL and SECAM. Videos intended for the US or Canada are in the NTSC standard. The Germans invented the PAL video standard used in most of Europe, the UK, and Australia. Normal DVD players and VCRs only work with one system. There are multisystem machines available, but they cost more.
DVD Region Codes
With the advent of the DVD format, along came a new way to divide up the video world. Purely for marketing reasons, the studios and DVD-makers created six world regions. A Region 1 DVD only works on a Region 1 DVD player (North America) and not on a Region 2 player (Europe) or in other regions. DVDs played on a computer can avoid this problem - up to a point.
Video Pitfalls
When shopping for German films on video, be aware of potential problems. For instance, videos (and even some DVDs!) of older classic films in the public domain are sometimes of low quality. Stick to reputable brands and sources. Sometimes a very low price isn't the best buy. Cheap videos may have: (1) Fuzzy or murky images, (2) subtitles difficult to read, (3) inferior low-speed recording.
German Movies on Video
Few German films on video - usually only big hits or classics - ever make it into the English-language market. For every "Das Boot" or "Lola rennt" there are hundreds of films only available in the German market (including Hollywood films in German). If you have a suitable player or computer, you can watch DVDs or videos from Germany. Our videostore only carries products for use in North America, but we also offer links to Amazon.de and other German DVD sources.