DVD for Rent
1 A pay-for-play system for video DVD will emerge by summer as an alternative, and possibly a competitor, to the DVD format currently available.
2 The new system, called Digital Video Express (Divx), operates like a DVD player, except for the specially coded discs. These will cost $5 for initial viewing over a 48-hour period and can be viewed again for additional fees and even purchased for unlimited viewing.
3 Divx combines the service of a video rental (出租的) store with the operation of a pay-per-view "IV channel. Unlike a rented videotape, though, the Divx disc needn't be returned. Customers can retain the disc for replay in the future at an additional fee, or simply throw it away.
4 Subsequent plays, or the purchase of unlimited-viewing rights, are billed to the customer's Divx account and charged to a credit card. The player's built-in memory keeps track of all Divx plays, and sends this information by toll-free phone modem (調制解調器) to the Divx record-keeping centre. Each Divx disc and player has a unique identification code, so the system knows which discs have been played and where.
5 Some Divx discs could be converted for unlimited play at a price likely to be lower than buying a conventional DVD. Others, called Divx Gold, would be sold from the beginning for unlimited play without further charge. Although conventional DVDs will run in a Divx player, conventional DVD players will lack the decoding (解碼) and communications ability to play Divx discs. Divx players will be offered by Panasonic, RCA, and Zenith.
6 About 100 discs will be available initially from Disney, Dreamworks, Paramount, and Universal, growing to 500 titles within a year. Other film makers have yet to adopt the Divx system, which is owned by retailer Circuit City, the 350-store electronics chain that bankrolled (提供資金)its development.
1 Paragraph 2 .
2 Paragraph 3 .
3 Paragraph 4 .
4 Paragraph 5 .
A Booming Business of Circuit City
B Superior Quality of Conventional DVD Discs
C The New System Called Divx
D Unlimited Play of Divx Discs
E Disc-play Tracking and Billing Systems
F Two Functions Combined
5 The Divx disc is different from the rented videotape in that once offered, the Divx disc .
6 Every Divx disc has a special code so that the rental shop can identify which disc .
7 If converted for unlimited use, the Divx disc .
8 The conventional DVD player cannot play any Divx disc because the disc .
A will not be taken back by the shop
B is specially coded
C is bankrolled by Panasonic, etc
D is likely to be cheaper than the conventional DVD disc
E has been played and where
F is owned by retailer Circuit City
【參考答案】
1. C 2. F 3. E 4. D
5. A 6. E 7. D 8. B
