Home Video & DVD

Get the home video & DVD information about setting up the right technology for you and your family here at HowStuffWorks. Read about Blu-ray technology, DVRs, TiVo, Netflix and more.

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Soon you'll have to stop borrowing your best friend's mom's cousin's account and get your own. But how does Netflix know you're freeloading?

By Allison Troutner

Are you ready to break free from Netflix? We'll tell you exactly how.

By Jeremy Glass

Some videos you love to hate. And hate on. The dubious winner of the "most-disliked" title has been in the top spot for three years and counting.

By Alia Hoyt

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Between the greenish images and the audio glitches, hardly anyone looks or sounds good on video chat. But there are some simple techniques to make you seem more like the star you are.

By Nathan Chandler

Many of us assumed the VHS video cassette player was already a thing of the past. Now it’s officially being laid to rest.

By Chris Opfer

Chromecast is a tiny TV dongle that promises to bring you streaming media controlled via your mobile device. Can it compete with the rest of the streaming media market?

By Chris Pollette & Bernadette Johnson

DVD players are exceptionally precise pieces of equipment. See how DVD players work, including information on DVD drives, outputs and more.

By Gayle A. Alleman

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So you're having a rager and thought playing movies on the side of the house would be awesome. You're going to need an LCD projector.

By Robert Lamb

Your DVD disc got scratched and you want to know how to fix it. This article will tell you how to fix a scratched DVD disc.

By HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

If you know how to expand your DVR size you'll be able to store more programs on it. This article will teach you how to expand your DVR size.

By HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

You'd like to learn how to record videos in low lit areas. This article will give you tips about how to record videos in low lit areas.

By HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

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Learn how to connect a DVD player to your TV and view movies in the comfort of your own living room with our handy tips.

By HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

You'd like to learn how to connect a RF modulator to your old TV set so that you can watch DVDs on it. Learn about how to connect a RF modulator in this article.

By HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

You can run out of DVR space faster than you think. Learn about hooking up your DVD player to a DVR to record in this article.

By HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

In 1997, TiVo promised its customers that they wouldn't have to worry about television schedules or learn to program their VCRs. Learn how the typical TiVo set works and what services TiVo provides.

By Jonathan Strickland

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The Netflix red envelope has become a staple in the home entertainment market. How did this DVD and streaming entertainment service get started, and what's next?

By Tracy V. Wilson & Stephanie Crawford

Digital video recorders may be the future of television. If you've heard the DVR catchphrase -- "Pause live TV!" -- you may be wondering just how this is accomplished. Learn all about digital video recorders.

By Jonathan Strickland, James Bickers & HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

Most of us don't even consider the possibility of viewing our cable TV, DVR or DVD player when we're away from home, but with a Slingbox, you can do just that.

By Julia Layton

The EZ-D DVD is a disc that automatically blanks itself after a certain period of time. It's a movie rental that takes late fees and return trips to the video store out of the picture. Check out the science at work.

By Tom Harris

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Even though the storage capacity of a DVD is huge, the uncompressed video data of a full-length movie would never fit on a DVD. In order to fit a movie on a DVD, you need video compression.

If you recently got a DVD player you might be wondering what all those connectors on the back are for. Don't worry, you don't have to use them all -- a lot of the connectors are actually redundant.

It wasn't too long ago that VHS tapes dominated the home video market, but now, DVDs have all but wiped them out. Learn how a DVD player reads a disc, see what to look for when buying a player, and read up on a little DVD history.

By Gayle A. Alleman

How do VHS tapes prevent you from bootlegging a copy of a movie? Find out here!

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How can six hours of video fit on a $2 tape? What happens after you slide that tape into the slot? The VCR may be yesterday’s tech, but it's still a mechanical marvel. Take a look inside!

By Marshall Brain