Because technology keeps getting better and better, the challenges to stay in step with recent advances continue to intensify. Drum Corps International elevated the at-home DCI experience in 2000 by offering the 2000 DCI World Championship on DVD. This widely acclaimed product raised the bar for future DCI product offerings, so it is important that we match or exceed expectations for the 2001 DVD. An unforeseen challenge has caused a delay in production. A change in how the product is packaged and the date it will be available is necessary.There are three factors that have contributed to the production challenges:* The lighting at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo was much brighter than what was experienced at the University of Maryland.* The artificial turf, especially the white lines, created extreme brightness in the video image compared to 2000.* The 2001 video production was all-digital from start to finish. In 2000, digital cameras were used, then processed through an analog truck then processed back to digital. All digital means every nuance of every detail makes it through to the final product.On its face, these three factors would seem positive, but when the images, now digital data, were encoded onto test DVDs, it turned out to be more information than we could encode at a reasonable quality on just two discs. This never seen before challenge stymied the same seasoned professionals that produced the DVD last year. The intent, by using an all-digital format, was to offer an even better video image than experienced on the 2000 DVD. That intended result will be realized only by changing the plan. The advice the DVD producer offered, after countless hours of research and testing, was to find a way to spread out the information, so that the bit rate used could increase, thus producing a higher quality image. In other words, place two corps on a disc instead of three corps on a disc. While this may seem to be an easy solution, all of the DVD authoring was done with two discs in mind. The DVD producers are committed to adjusting to the change as fast as their business will allow. Although the six corps will be presented on three discs instead of two, plus an added bonus track of America/O’Canada, all other aspects of this quality product remain intact. If all factors related to production, replication, packaging and shipping align; our hope is to still make delivery before the holidays. We will keep you informed on our website as to any updates.Drum Corps International apologizes for the delay and any inconvenience it may cause. We are confident that once the DVDs arrive you will be very pleased with our decision to delay for the sake of maintaining quality.THANK YOU for your patience and continued support!
- Marching Music's Major LeagueTM
