The World Trade Center was ablaze with gunfire and explosions yesterday.
Danny Glover was strafed, Tom Hanks shell-shocked and giant alien bugs destroyed anything they wanted.
But the shrapnel, though it seemed realistic, never actually penetrated beyond the screens of the high definition television sets. The bomb bursts were digitally recorded and played back over a variety of the latest VCD and DVD formats, the product category that is the main feature of the current Taitronics Exhibition, which started yesterday.
The latest advance came from Panasonic, which showed off its DVD-RAM drive for personal computers. Panasonic installed the prototype device into a computer tower, just like a CD-ROM drive.
Since the drive is RAM (random access memory) instead of ROM (read only memory), it can be used to record as well as play. What's more, the DVD format -- at 4.7 gigabytes -- allows for much larger storage capacity. Between one and four hours of video can be stored, depending on the recording quality.
Panasonic displayed its DVD-RAM alongside several other Japanese prototypes belonging to members of the DVD Forum.
The organization was started several years ago by 10 Japanese makers of consumer electronics, including Toshiba, Panasonic, JVC, Pioneer and Hitachi, though now it has more than 220 members.
The group's purpose is to create standardized formats for DVD players, guaranteeing universal compatibility.
The DVD Forum was also at the trade show to promote DVD-RW machines, which can play, record and re-record digital video discs. The devices may one day replace VCRs, industry officials hope.
"The RW format book will be published at the end of this month," said Masaki Mikura of Toshiba. "Almost everything has been worked out."
In conjunction with Taitronics, the DVD Forum is holding a conference on formatting and other industry concerns.
Yesterday was the second occasion in which the DVD Forum was held in Taipei as a self-sponsored event, marking the rapid growth of Taiwan's DVD industry. DVDs and peripherals were awarded their own section for the first time at Taipei's biannual electronics expo.
In addition to big international names, more than 40 local exhibitors are displaying all kinds of discs, VCD and DVD players, recorders, components and peripherals.
Of the five local DVD player manufacturers at the current trade show, all offered hybrid products, all were attempting to market under their own brand names and at least two had entered the DVD market within the past six months.
Esonic was the exhibitor with the greatest experience, having manufactured DVD players for the last two years. The company also has four years under its belt making VCD players.
Esonic's products include both traditional and portable DVD players.
"Portable DVD players will make up 10 to 13 percent of the global DVD market this year," said Charming Su, Esonic's chief of international sales.
Esonic's portable sets are about the size of a set-top cable box, and folding screens make them easy to carry. Plugs allow for compatibility with other electronics devices, such as Sony's Playstation consoles. The sets are powered by rechargable batteries.
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