Name	Alec
Type	sexi|usage Standard Definition video Standard definition sound PS2 Xbox Xbox 360 games
Capacity	4.7 GB (single-sided, single-layer – common)8.5–8.7 GB (single-sided, double-layer)9.4 GB (double-sided, single-layer)17.08 GB (double-sided, double-layer – rare)
Read	650 nm laser, 10.5 Mbit/s (1×)
Write	10.5 Mbit/s (1×)
Standard	DVD Forum's DVD Books and DVD+RW Alliance specifications
Owners/creators	Sony, Panasonic, Samsung, Toshiba, Philips }}

A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions.

Pre-recorded DVDs are mass-produced using molding machines that physically stamp data onto the DVD. Such discs are known as DVD-ROM, because data can only be read and not written nor erased. Blank recordable DVDs (DVD-R and DVD+R) can be recorded once using optical disc recording technologies and supported by optical disc drives and DVD recorders and then function as a DVD-ROM. Rewritable DVDs (DVD-RW, DVD+RW, and DVD-RAM) can be recorded and erased multiple times.

DVDs are used in DVD-Video consumer digital video format and in DVD-Audio consumer digital audio format, as well as for authoring AVCHD discs. DVDs containing other types of information may be referred to as DVD data discs.

History

Before the advent of DVD and Blu-ray, the Video CD (abbreviated as VCD, and also known as View CD, Compact Disc digital video) became the first format for distributing digitally encoded films on standard 120 mm optical discs. (its predecessor CD Video used analog video encoding). VCD was on the market in 1993. In the same year, two new optical disc storage formats were being developed. One was the Multimedia Compact Disc (MMCD), backed by Philips and Sony, and the other was the Super Density (SD) disc, supported by Toshiba, Time Warner, Matsushita Electric, Hitachi, Mitsubishi Electric, Pioneer, Thomson, and JVC.

Representatives of the SD camp approached IBM, asking for advice on the file system to use for their disc as well as seeking support for their format for storing computer data. Alan E. Bell, a researcher from IBM's Almaden Research Center got that request and also learned of the MMCD development project. Wary of being caught in a repeat of the costly videotape format war between VHS and Betamax in the 1980s, he convened a group of computer industry experts, including representatives from Apple, Microsoft, Sun, Dell, and many others. This group was referred to as the Technical Working Group, or TWG.

The TWG voted to boycott both formats unless the two camps agreed on a single, converged standard. Lou Gerstner, president of IBM, was recruited to apply pressure on the executives of the warring factions. Eventually, the computer companies won the day, and a single format, now called DVD, was agreed upon. The TWG also collaborated with the Optical Storage Technology Association (OSTA) on the use of their implementation of the ISO-13346 file system (known as Universal Disc Format) for use on the new DVDs.

Philips and Sony decided it was in their best interest to avoid another format war over their Multimedia Compact Disc, and agreed to unify with companies backing the Super Density Disc to release a single format with technologies from both. The specification was mostly similar to Toshiba and Matsushita's Super Density Disc, except for the dual-layer option (MMCD was single-sided and optionally dual-layer, whereas SD was single-layer but optionally double-sided) and EFMPlus modulation.

EFMPlus was chosen because of its great resilience to disc damage, such as scratches and fingerprints. EFMPlus, created by Kees Immink (who also designed EFM), is 6% less efficient than the modulation technique originally used by Toshiba, which resulted in a capacity of 4.7 GB, as opposed to the original 5 GB. The result was the DVD specification, finalized for the DVD movie player and DVD-ROM computer applications in December 1995.

The DVD Video format was first introduced by Toshiba in Japan in November 1996, in the United States in March 1997 (test marketed), in Europe in October 1998, and in Australia in February 1999.

In May 1997, the DVD Consortium was replaced by the DVD Forum, which is open to all other companies.

Specifications

DVD specifications created and updated by the DVD Forum are published as so-called ''DVD Books'' (e.g. DVD-ROM Book, DVD-Audio Book, DVD-Video Book, DVD-R Book, DVD-RW Book, DVD-RAM Book, DVD-AR Book, DVD-VR Book, etc.).

Some specifications for mechanical, physical and optical characteristics of DVD optical discs can be downloaded as ''freely available standards'' from the ISO website. Also, the DVD+RW Alliance publishes competing DVD specifications such as DVD+R, DVD+R DL, DVD+RW or DVD+RW DL. These DVD formats are also ISO standards.

Some of DVD specifications (e.g. for DVD-Video) are not publicly available and can be obtained only from the DVD Format/Logo Licensing Corporation for a fee of US $5000. Every subscriber must sign a non-disclosure agreement as certain information in the DVD Book is proprietary and confidential.

Etymology

The official DVD charter documents specify that the basis of the DVD name stems from the term "digital versatile disc". Usage in the present day varies, with ''Digital Versatile Disc'', ''Digital Video Disc'', and ''DVD'' being the most common.

''DVD'' was originally used as an initialism for the unofficial term ''digital videodisk''.

A newsgroup FAQ written by Jim Taylor (a prominent figure in the industry) claims that four years later, in 1999, the DVD Forum stated that the format name was simply the three letters "DVD" and did not stand for anything.

The DVD Forum website has a section called "DVD Primer" in which the answer to the question, "What does DVD mean?" reads, "The keyword is 'versatile.' Digital Versatile Discs provide superb video, audio and data storage and access—all on one disc."

Identification (MID)

The DVD is made of a spiral groove read or written starting at the center. The form of the groove encodes unalterable identification data known as Media Identification Code (MID). The MID contains data such as the manufacturer and model, byte capacity, allowed data rates (also known as speed), etc.

Design

As a movie delivery medium

DVD was adopted by movie and home entertainment distributors to replace the ubiquitous VHS tape as the primary means of distributing films to consumers in the home entertainment marketplace. DVD was chosen for its superior ability to reproduce moving pictures and sound, for its superior durability, and for its interactivity. Interactivity had proven to be a feature which consumers, especially collectors, favored when the movie studios had released their films on laser disk. When the price point for a laser disk at approximately $100 per disk moved to $20 per disk at retail, this luxury feature became available for mass consumption. Simultaneously, the movie studios decided to change their home entertainment release model from a rental model to a for purchase model, and large numbers of dvds were sold.

At the same time, a demand for interactive design talent and services was created. Movies in the past had uniquely designed title sequences. Suddenly every movie being released required information architecture and interactive design components that matched the film's tone and were at the quality level that Hollywood demanded for its product.

New DVD releases are released weekly by all major studios. DVDs are typically released on Tuesdays of every week. With the advent of Blu-ray releases, studios now rely on both Blu-ray and DVDs to supplement their revenue for a particular movie.

As an interactive medium

DVD as a format had two qualities at the time that were not available in any other interactive medium: 1. Enough capacity and speed to provide high quality, full motion video and sound, and 2. low cost delivery mechanism provided by consumer products retailers who quickly moved to sell their players for under $200 and eventually for under $50 at retail. In addition, the medium itself was small enough and light enough to mail using general first class postage. Almost overnight, this created a new business opportunity and model for business innovators like Netflix to re-invent the home entertainment distribution model. It also opened up the opportunity for business and product information to be inexpensively provided on full motion video through direct mail.

Capacity

!rowspan="2" style="text-align:right;">1 style="text-align:right;" style="text-align:right;" style="text-align:right;" style="text-align:right;" style="text-align:right;" style="text-align:right;" style="text-align:right;" style="text-align:right;"

+ Capacity and nomenclature<	SS = single-sided, DS = double-sided, SL = single-layer, DL = dual-layer	Designation	Layers(total) !!rowspan="2"	Diameter(cm) !!colspan="2"| Capacity
(Gigabyte	GB) !!align=right| (GiB)
DVD-1	SS SL		|	8	1.46	1.36
DVD-2	SS DL	style="text-align:right;"	1	2 ||	8	2.66	2.47
DVD-3	DS SL	style="text-align:right;"	2	2 ||	8	2.92	2.72
DVD-4	DS DL	style="text-align:right;"	2	4 ||	8	5.32	4.95
DVD-5	SS SL	style="text-align:right;"	1	1 ||	12	4.70	4.37
DVD-9	SS DL	style="text-align:right;"	1	2 ||	12	8.54	7.95
DVD-10	DS SL	style="text-align:right;"	2	2 ||	12	9.40	8.75
DVD-14<		DS SL+DL	style="text-align:right;">2	3 ||	12	13.24	12.33 <
DVD-18	DS DL	style="text-align:right;">2	4 ||	12	17.08	15.90

!rowspan="2" 1 SS SL (2.0) SS SL SS SL SS SL DS SL DS SL DS SL DS SL SS SL DS SL SS SL (1.0) SS SL (2.0) DS SL (1.0) DS SL (2.0)

+ Capacity and nomenclature of (re)writable discs	Designation	Layers(total) !!rowspan="2"	Diameter(cm) !!colspan="2"| Capacity
(Gigabyte		GB) !!align=right| (GiB)
DVD-R	SS SL (1.0)	|	1	12	3.95	3.68
DVD-R	|	1	1	12	4.70	4.37
DVD-RW	|	1	1	12	4.70	4.37
DVD+R	|	1	1	12	4.70	4.37
DVD+RW	|	1	1	12	4.70	4.37
DVD-R	|	2	2	12	9.40	8.75
DVD-RW	|	2	2	12	9.40	8.75
DVD+R	|	2	2	12	9.40	8.75
DVD+RW	|	2	2	12	9.40	8.75
DVD-RAM	|	1	1	8	1.46	1.36*
DVD-RAM	|	2	2	8	2.65	2.47*
DVD-RAM	|	1	1	12	2.58	2.40
DVD-RAM	|	1	1	12	4.70	4.37
DVD-RAM	|	2	2	12	5.16	4.80
DVD-RAM	|	2	2	12	9.40	8.75*

The basic types of DVD (12 cm diameter, single-sided or homogeneous double-sided) are referred to by a rough approximation of their capacity in gigabytes. In draft versions of the specification, DVD-5 indeed held five gigabytes, but some parameters were changed later on as explained above, so the capacity decreased. Other formats, those with 8 cm diameter and hybrid variants, acquired similar numeric names with even larger deviation.

The 12 cm type is a standard DVD, and the 8 cm variety is known as a MiniDVD. These are the same sizes as a standard CD and a mini-CD, respectively. The capacity by surface (MiB/cm²) varies from 6.92 MiB/cm² in the DVD-1 to 18.0 MiB/cm² in the DVD-18.

As with hard disk drives, in the DVD realm, gigabyte and the symbol GB are usually used in the SI sense (i.e., 10⁹, or 1,000,000,000 bytes). For distinction, gibibyte (with symbol GiB) is used (i.e., 1024³ (2³⁰), or 1,073,741,824 bytes).

Each DVD sector contains 2,418 bytes of data, 2,048 bytes of which are user data. There is a small difference in storage space between ''+'' and ''-'' (hyphen) formats:

Bytes 2,298,496 2,295,104 4,171,712 4,173,824

+ Capacity differences of writable DVD formats	Type	Sectors	|	kB	MB	GB	KiB	MiB	GiB
DVD-R SL	|	4,707,319,808	4,707,319.808	4,707.320	4.707	4,596,992	4,489.250	4.384
DVD+R SL	|	4,700,372,992	4,700,372.992	4,700.373	4.700	4,590,208	4,482.625	4.378
DVD-R DL	|	8,543,666,176	8,543,666.176	8,543.666	8.544	8,343,424	8,147.875	7.957
DVD+R DL	|	8,547,991,552	8,547,991.552	8,547.992	8.548	8,347,648	8,152.000	7.961

Technology

DVD uses 650 nm wavelength laser diode light as opposed to 780 nm for CD. This permits a smaller pit to be etched on the media surface compared to CDs (0.74 µm for DVD versus 1.6 µm for CD), allowing in part for DVD's increased storage capacity.

In comparison, Blu-ray Disc, the successor to the DVD format, uses a wavelength of 405 nm, and one dual-layer disc has a 50 GB storage capacity.

Writing speeds for DVD were 1×, that is, 1,385 kB/s (1,353 KiB/s), in the first drives and media models. More recent models, at 18× or 20×, have 18 or 20 times that speed. Note that for CD drives, 1× means 153.6 kB/s (150 KiB/s), about one-ninth as swift.

1.32 2.64 3.17 3.43 5.28 7.93 10.57 13.21 15.85 21.13 23.78 26.42 29.06 31.70

+ DVD drive speeds	Drive speed	Data rate	~Write time (min)
(Mbit/s) !! (MB/s) !! (MiB/s)	! SL !! DL
! 1×	11.08	1.39	|	57	103
2×	22.16	2.77	|	28	51
2.4×	26.59	3.32	|	24	43
2.6×	28.81	3.60	|	22	40
4×	44.32	5.54	|	14	26
6×	66.48	8.31	|	9	17
8×	88.64	11.08	|	7	13
10×	110.80	13.85	|	6	10
12×	132.96	16.62	|	5	9
16×	177.28	22.16	|	4	6
18×	199.44	24.93	|	3	6
20×	221.60	27.70	|	3	5
22×	243.76	30.47	|	3	5
24×	265.92	33.24	|	2	4

Internal mechanism of a drive

This mechanism is shown right side up; the disc would sit on top of it. The laser and optical system scans the underside of the disc.

With reference to the photo, just to the right of image center is the disc spin motor, a gray cylinder, with its gray centering hub and black resilient drive ring on top. A clamp (not in the photo, retained in the drive's cover), pulled down by a magnet, clamps the disc when this mechanism rises, after the disc tray stops moving inward. This motor has an external rotor – every visible part of it spins.

The gray metal chassis is shock-mounted at its four corners to reduce sensitivity to external shocks, and to reduce drive noise when running fast. The soft shock mount grommets are just below the brass-colored washers at the four corners (the left one is obscured). Running through those grommets are screws to fasten them to the black plastic frame that's underneath.

Two parallel precision guide rods that run between upper left and lower right in the photo carry the "sled", the moving optical read-write head. As shown, this "sled" is close to, or at the position where it reads or writes at the edge of the disc.

A dark gray disc with two holes on opposite sides has a blue lens surrounded by silver-colored metal. This is the lens that's closest to the disc; it serves to both read and write by focusing the laser light to a very small spot. It is likely that this disc rotates half a turn to position a different set of optics (the other "hole") for CDs vs. DVDs.

Under the disc is an ingenious actuator comprising permanent magnets and coils that move the lens up and down to maintain focus on the data layer. As well, the actuator moves the lens slightly toward and away from the spin-motor spindle to keep the spot on track. Both focus and tracking are relatively quite fast and very precise. The same actuator rotates the lens mount half a turn as described.

To select tracks (or files) as well as advancing the "sled" during continuous read or write operations, a stepping motor rotates a coarse-pitch leadscrew to move the "sled" throughout its total travel range. The motor, itself, is the gray cylinder just to the left of the most-distant shock mount; its shaft is parallel to the support rods. The leadscrew, itself, is the rod with evenly-spaced darker details; these are the helical groove that engages a pin on the "sled".

The irregular orange material is flexible etched copper foil supported by thin sheet plastic; these are "flexible printed circuits" that connect everything to the electronics (which is not shown).

DVD recordable and rewritable

HP initially developed recordable DVD media from the need to store data for backup and transport.

DVD recordables are now also used for consumer audio and video recording. Three formats were developed: DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW (plus), and DVD-RAM. DVD-R is available in two formats, General (650 nm) and Authoring (635 nm), where Authoring discs may be recorded with encrypted content but General discs may not.

Although most DVD writers can nowadays write the DVD+R/RW and DVD-R/RW formats (usually denoted by "DVD±RW" and/or the existence of both the DVD Forum logo and the DVD+RW Alliance logo), the "plus" and the "dash" formats use different writing specifications. Most DVD readers and players will play both kinds of discs, although older models can have trouble with the "plus" variants.

Some first generation DVD players would cause damage to DVD±R/RW/DL when attempting to read them.

== Dual-layer recording == Dual-layer recording (sometimes also known as double-layer recording) allows DVD-R and DVD+R discs to store significantly more data—up to 8.54 gigabytes per disc, compared with 4.7 gigabytes for single-layer discs. Along with this, DVD-DLs have slower write speeds as compared to ordinary DVDs and when played on a DVD player a slight transition can sometimes be seen between the layers. DVD-R DL was developed for the DVD Forum by Pioneer Corporation; DVD+R DL was developed for the DVD+RW Alliance by Philips and Mitsubishi Kagaku Media (MKM).

A dual-layer disc differs from its usual DVD counterpart by employing a second physical layer within the disc itself. The drive with dual-layer capability accesses the second layer by shining the laser through the first semitransparent layer. In some DVD players, the layer change can exhibit a noticeable pause, up to several seconds. This caused some viewers to worry that their dual-layer discs were damaged or defective, with the end result that studios began listing a standard message explaining the dual-layer pausing effect on all dual-layer disc packaging.

DVD recordable discs supporting this technology are backward-compatible with some existing DVD players and DVD-ROM drives. Many current DVD recorders support dual-layer technology, and the price is now comparable to that of single-layer drives, although the blank media remain more expensive. The recording speeds reached by dual-layer media are still well below those of single-layer media.

There are two modes for dual-layer orientation. With ''Parallel Track Path'' (PTP), used on DVD-ROM, both layers start at the inside diameter (ID) and end at the outside diameter (OD) with the lead-out. With ''Opposite Track Path'' (OTP), used on many Digital Video Discs, the lower layer starts at the ID and the upper layer starts at the OD, where the other layer ends; they share one lead-in and one lead-out.

DVD-Video

DVD-Video is a standard for storing and distributing video/audio content on DVD media. The format went on sale in Japan on November 1, 1996, in the United States on March 1, 1997, in Europe on October 1, 1998 and in Australia on February 1, 1999. DVD-Video became the dominant form of home video distribution in Japan when it first went on sale in 1996, but did not become the dominant form of home video distribution in the United States until June 15, 2003, when weekly DVD-Video in the United States rentals began outnumbering weekly VHS cassette rentals, reflecting the rapid adoption rate of the technology in the U.S. marketplace. Currently, DVD-Video is the dominant form of home video distribution worldwide, although in Japan it was surpassed by Blu-ray Disc when Blu-ray first went on sale in Japan on March 31, 2006.

Security

Content Scramble System (CSS) is a Digital Rights Management (DRM) and encryption system employed on almost all commercially produced DVD-video discs. CSS utilizes a proprietary 40-bit stream cipher algorithm. The system was introduced around 1996 and was first compromised in 1999.

The purpose of CSS is twofold:

# CSS prevents byte-for-byte copies of an MPEG (digital video) stream from being playable since such copies do not include the keys that are hidden on the lead-in area of the restricted DVD. # CSS provides a reason for manufacturers to make their devices compliant with an industry-controlled standard, since CSS scrambled discs cannot in principle be played on noncompliant devices; anyone wishing to build compliant devices must obtain a license, which contains the requirement that the rest of the DRM system (region codes, Macrovision, and user operation prohibition) be implemented.

While most CSS-decrypting software is used to play DVD videos, other pieces of software (such as DVD Decrypter, AnyDVD, DVD43, Smartripper, and DVD Shrink) can copy a DVD to a hard drive and remove Macrovision, CSS encryption, region codes and user operation prohibition.

Consumer restrictions

The rise of filesharing and "piracy" has prompted many copyright holders to display notices on DVD packaging or displayed on screen when the content is played that warn consumers of the illegality of certain uses of the DVD. It is commonplace to include a 90 second advert warning that most forms of copying the contents are illegal. Many DVDs prevent skipping past or fast-forwarding through this warning.

Arrangements for renting and lending differ by geography. In the U.S., the right to re-sell, rent, or lend out bought DVDs is protected by the first-sale doctrine under the Copyright Act of 1976. In Europe, rental and lending rights are more limited, under a 1992 European Directive that gives copyright holders broader powers to restrict the commercial renting and public lending of DVD copies of their work.

DVD-Audio

DVD-Audio is a format for delivering high fidelity audio content on a DVD. It offers many channel configuration options (from mono to 5.1 surround sound) at various sampling frequencies (up to 24-bits/192 kHz versus CDDA's 16-bits/44.1 kHz). Compared with the CD format, the much higher-capacity DVD format enables the inclusion of considerably more music (with respect to total running time and quantity of songs) and/or far higher audio quality (reflected by higher sampling rates and greater sample resolution, and/or additional channels for spatial sound reproduction).

Despite DVD-Audio's superior technical specifications, there is debate as to whether the resulting audio enhancements are distinguishable in typical listening environments. DVD-Audio currently forms a niche market, probably due to the very sort of format war with rival standard SACD that DVD-Video avoided.

Security

DVD-Audio discs employ a DRM mechanism, called Content Protection for Prerecorded Media (CPPM), developed by the 4C group (IBM, Intel, Matsushita, and Toshiba).

Although CPPM was supposed to be much harder to crack than DVD-Video's CSS, it too was eventually cracked in 2007 with the release of the ''dvdcpxm'' tool. The subsequent release of the libdvdcpxm library (which is based on dvdcpxm) allowed for the development of open source DVD-Audio players and ripping software, such as DVD-Audio Explorer. As a result, making 1:1 copies of DVD-Audio discs is now possible with relative ease, much like DVD-Video discs.

Improvements and succession

HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc

In 2006, two new formats called HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc were released as the successor to DVD. HD DVD competed successfully with Blu-ray Disc in the format war of 2006–2008. A dual layer HD DVD can store up to 30GB and a dual layer Blu-ray disc can hold up to 50GB.

However, unlike previous format changes, e.g., audio tape to Compact Disc or VHS videotape to DVD, there is no immediate indication that production of the standard DVD will gradually wind down, as they still dominate, with around 75% of video sales and approximately one billion DVD player sales worldwide as of 3 April 2011. In fact, experts claim that the DVD will remain the dominant medium for at least another five years as Blu-ray technology is still in its introductory phase, write and read speeds being poor as well as the fact of necessary hardware being expensive and not readily available.

Consumers initially were also slow to adopt Blu-ray due to the cost. By 2009, 85% of stores were selling Blu-ray Discs. A high-definition television and appropriate connection cables are also required to take advantage of Blu-ray disc. Some analysts suggest that the biggest obstacle to replacing DVD is due to its installed base; a large majority of consumers are satisfied with DVDs. The DVD succeeded because it offered a compelling alternative to VHS. In addition, Blu-ray players are designed to be backward-compatible, allowing older DVDs to be played since the media are physically identical; this differed from the change from vinyl to CD and from tape to DVD, which involved a complete change in physical medium. it is still commonplace for major releases to be issued in "combo pack" format, including both a DVD and a Blu-ray disc (as well as, in many cases, a third disc with an authorized digital copy). Also, some multi-disc sets use Blu-ray for the main feature, but DVDs for supplementary features (examples of this include the ''Harry Potter'' "Ultimate Edition" collections, the 2009 re-release of the 1967 ''The Prisoner'' TV series, and a 2007 collection related to ''Blade Runner''). Another reason cited (July 2011) for the slower transition to Blu-ray from DVD is the necessity of and confusion over "firmware updates" and needing an internet connection to perform updates.

This situation can be best compared to the changeover from 78 rpm shellac recordings to 45 rpm and 33⅓ rpm vinyl recordings; because the medium used for the earlier format was virtually the same as the latter version (a disc on a turntable, played using a needle), phonographs continued to be built to play obsolete 78s for decades after the format was discontinued. Manufacturers continue to release standard DVD titles , and the format remains the preferred one for the release of older television programs and films, with some programs such as ''Star Trek: The Original Series'' needing to be re-scanned to produce a high definition version from the original film recordings (certain special effects were also updated in order to be better received in high-definition viewing). In the case of ''Doctor Who'', a series primarily produced on standard definition videotape between 1963 and 1989, BBC Video reportedly intends to continue issuing DVD-format releases of that series until at least November 2013 (since there would be very little increase in visual quality from upconverting the standard definition videotape masters to high definition).

Holographic Versatile Disc

The Holographic Versatile Disc (HVD) is an optical disc technology that may one day hold up to 6 terabytes of information, although the current maximum is 500 GB. It employs a technique known as collinear holography.

5D DVD

The 5D DVD, being developed in the Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia, uses a multilaser system to encode and read data on multiple layers. Technology could be compatible with current DVD disc-drive technology. Disc capacities are estimated at up to 10 terabytes, and the technology could be commercially ready by 2019.

Use as backup medium

Durability of DVDs is measured by how long the data may be read from the disc, assuming compatible devices exist that can read it: that is, how long the disc can be stored until data is lost. Five factors affect durability: sealing method, reflective layer, organic dye makeup, where it was manufactured, and storage practices.

The longevity of the ability to read from a DVD+R or DVD-R is largely dependent on manufacturing quality, ranging from 2 to 15 years, and is believed to be an unreliable medium for backup unless great care is taken for storage conditions and handling.

According to the Optical Storage Technology Association (OSTA), "manufacturers claim life spans ranging from 30 to 100 years for DVD, DVD-R and DVD+R discs and up to 30 years for DVD-RW, DVD+RW and DVD-RAM".

See also

Book type

Digital video recorder (DVR)

Disk drive performance characteristics

DVD authoring

DVD region code

DVD TV game

Evita (first film to be released on DVD)

IFO, BUP and VOB

Professional Disc

VCD

References

Further reading

External links

DVD at the Open Directory Project

Dual Layer Explained – Informational Guide to the Dual Layer Recording Process

DVD Frequently Asked Questions (and Answers)

DVD Burning and Ripping: A Primer, A Glossary

YouTube: Segment from 1997 Toshiba DVD demo disc – Technical information about the then-new DVD format, from "DVD Gallery," an in-store demonstration disc from Toshiba.

Category:DVD Category:Audio storage Category:Computer storage media Category:Consumer electronics Category:Joint ventures Category:Video storage Category:120 mm discs Category:1995 introductions

af:DVD als:DVD ar:دي في دي ast:DVD az:DVD bn:ডিভিডি bs:DVD bg:DVD ca:DVD cs:DVD cy:DVD da:Dvd de:DVD et:DVD el:DVD es:DVD eo:DVD eu:DVD fa:دی‌وی‌دی fr:DVD fy:DVD gl:DVD ko:DVD hy:DVD hi:DVD hr:DVD io:DVD id:DVD ia:DVD is:Mynddiskur it:DVD he:DVD pam:DVD ka:დვდ la:Discus versatilis digitalis lv:DVD lt:DVD hu:DVD mk:Дигитален видео диск ml:ഡിജിറ്റൽ വെർസറ്റൈൽ ഡിസ്ക് mr:डीव्हीडी ms:DVD nah:Vīdeocaquizcopīnalōni nl:Dvd ne:डि भी डि ja:DVD no:DVD nn:DVD pnb:ڈی وی ڈی pl:DVD pt:DVD ro:DVD qu:Ñit'isqa ñawra phiruru ru:DVD sq:DVD scn:DVD simple:DVD sk:DVD sl:DVD so:DVD sr:DVD sh:DVD fi:DVD sv:DVD tl:DVD ta:இறுவட்டு th:ดีวีดี tg:DVD tr:DVD uk:DVD ur:رقمی منظری قرص vi:DVD yo:DVD zh-yue:DVD zh:DVD

Name	Jeremy Clarkson
Birth name	Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson
Birth date	April 11, 1960
Birth place	Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England, UK
Residence	Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, EnglandLangness, Isle of Man
Other names	''Jezza''
Notable works	See below
Networth	£2.7 million (estimated).
Salary	£2 million (estimated).
Height
Known for
Education	Repton SchoolHill House School, Doncaster
Employer
Occupation	Author, writer, journalist, broadcaster, talk show host
Home town	Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England
Years active	1988–present
Spouse	(divorced)
Children	3
Parents	Shirley and Eddie Clarkson
Website	topgear.com }}

Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson (born 11 April 1960) is an English broadcaster, journalist and writer who specialises in motoring. He is best known for his role on the BBC TV show ''Top Gear'' along with co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May. He also writes weekly columns for ''The Sunday Times'' and ''The Sun''.

From a career as a local journalist in Northern England, Clarkson rose to public prominence as a presenter of the original format of ''Top Gear'' in 1988. Since the mid-1990s Clarkson has become a recognised public personality, regularly appearing on British television presenting his own shows and appearing as a guest on other shows. As well as motoring, Clarkson has produced programmes and books on subjects such as history and engineering. From 1998 to 2000 he also hosted his own chat show, ''Clarkson''.

His opinionated but humorous tongue-in-cheek writing and presenting style has often generated much public reaction to his viewpoints. His actions both privately and as a ''Top Gear'' presenter have also sometimes resulted in criticism from the media, politicians, pressure groups and the public.

Despite the criticism levelled against him, Clarkson has also generated a significant following from the public at large, being credited as a major factor in the resurgence of ''Top Gear'' as one of the most popular shows on the BBC.

Personal life

Clarkson was born in Doncaster, South Yorkshire (West Riding at the time of his birth), to teacher Shirley Gabrielle Ward and travelling salesman Edward Grenville "Eddie" Clarkson; his parents ran a business selling tea cosies. They put the young Jeremy Clarkson's name down in advance for a number of private schools with no idea how they were going to pay the fees, until at the last moment, when he was 13, they made two Paddington Bear stuffed toys for each of their children. These proved so popular that they started selling them through the business with sufficient success to be able to pay the fees for Clarkson to attend Hill House School, Doncaster and later Repton School. By his own account, he was expelled from Repton School for "drinking, smoking and generally making a nuisance of himself."

Clarkson played the role of a public schoolboy, Taplin, in a BBC radio Children's Hour serial adaptation of Anthony Buckeridge's ''Jennings'' novels until his voice broke.

Clarkson suffered from testicular torsion as a teenager and has since become a patron of several charities raising awareness of this condition.

Clarkson is twice-married. His first marriage was in September 1989 to Alexandra James (now Hall). This marriage was short-lived, and in May 1993 he married his manager, Frances Cain (daughter of VC recipient Robert Henry Cain) in Fulham. The couple currently live in the town of Chipping Norton, situated in the Cotswolds, with their three children. Known for buying him car-related gifts, for Christmas 2007 Clarkson's wife bought him a Mercedes-Benz 600.

Clarkson's fondness for wearing jeans has been blamed by some for the decline in sales of denim in the mid 1990s, particularly Levi's, because of their being associated with middle aged men, the so-called 'Jeremy Clarkson effect'. After fashion gurus Trinny and Susannah labelled Clarkson's dress sense as that of a market trader, he was persuaded to appear on their fashion makeover show ''What Not to Wear'' in order to avoid being considered for their all-time worst dressed winner award. Their attempts at restyling Clarkson were however all rebuffed, and Clarkson stated he would rather eat his own hair than appear on the show again.

For an episode of the first series of the BBC's ''Who Do You Think You Are?'' broadcast in November 2004, Clarkson was invited to investigate his family history. It included the story of his great-great-great grandfather John Kilner (1792–1857), who invented the Kilner jar: a container for preserved fruit.

Clarkson is reportedly a big fan of the rock band Genesis and attended the band‘s reunion concert at Twickenham Stadium in 2007. He also provided sleeve notes for the reissue of the album ''Selling England by the Pound'' as part of the ''Genesis 1970–1975'' box set.

Clarkson has been involved in a protracted legal dispute about access to a "permissive path" across the grounds of his second home on the Isle of Man since 2005, after reports that dogs had attacked and killed sheep on the property. He eventually lost the dispute after the Isle of Man government started a public enquiry and was told to re-open the footpath in May 2010. The case is currently being brought before the High Court.

Clarkson is also an avid birdwatcher. His favorite bird noted as being the Peregrine Falcon.

Career

Writing career

Clarkson's first job was as a travelling salesman for his parents' business selling Paddington Bear toys. He later trained as a journalist with the ''Rotherham Advertiser'', before also writing for the ''Rochdale Observer'', ''Wolverhampton Express and Star'', ''Lincolnshire Life'' and the Associated Kent Newspapers.

In 1984 Clarkson formed the Motoring Press Agency (MPA), in which, with fellow motoring journalist Jonathan Gill, he would conduct road tests for local newspapers and automotive magazines. This developed into pieces for publications such as ''Performance Car''. He has regularly written for ''Top Gear'' magazine since its launch in 1993.

Clarkson went on to writing articles for a diverse spectrum of readers through regular columns in both the mass-market tabloid newspaper ''The Sun'', and for the more 'up market' broadsheet newspaper ''The Sunday Times''. The ''Times'' columns are republished in The Weekend Australian newspaper. He also writes for the Toronto Star-Wheels Section.

In addition to newsprint, Clarkson has written books about cars and several other, humorous, titles. Many of his books are aggregated collections of articles that he has written for ''The Sunday Times''.

Television

Clarkson's first major television role came as one of the presenters on the British motoring programme ''Top Gear'', from 27 October 1988 to 3 February 2000, in the programme's original format, and then again from 20 October 2002, when it was relaunched in a new format after a brief period off the air. He is credited with co-presenters James May and Richard Hammond as turning ''Top Gear'' into the most-watched TV show on BBC Two, rebroadcast to over 100 countries around the world. While closely associated with presenting motoring shows through the original ''Top Gear'' and Motorworld, by the late 1990s Clarkson had diversified into presenting programmes on other topics, beginning as presenter of the UK version of ''Robot Wars''. At the same time his television presence also branched out into appearances on a number of other shows, both as guest and guest host. From 1998 for three years he had his own talk show, ''Clarkson'', hosting 27 half-hour episodes aired in the United Kingdom between November 1998 and December 2000, and featured guest interviews with musicians, politicians and television personalities. In his television career, Clarkson went on to present a number of documentaries focused on non-motoring themes such as history and engineering, although the motoring shows and videos continued. Alongside his stand-alone shows, many often mirror the format of his newspaper columns and books, combining his love of driving and motoring journalism, with the examination and expression of his other views on the world, such as in ''Jeremy Clarkson's Motorworld'', ''Jeremy Clarkson's Car Years'' and ''Jeremy Clarkson Meets the Neighbours''.

Clarkson's views are often showcased on television shows. In 1997 Clarkson appeared on the light hearted comedy show ''Room 101'', in which a guest nominates things they hate in life to be consigned to nothingness. Clarkson despatched caravans, houseflies, the sitcom ''Last Of The Summer Wine'', the mentality within golf clubs, and vegetarians. His public persona has seen him make several appearances on the prime time talk shows ''Parkinson'' and ''Friday Night with Jonathan Ross'' since 2002. By 2003 his persona was deemed to fit the mould for the series ''Grumpy Old Men'', in which middle-aged men talk about any aspects of modern life which irritate them. Since the topical news panel show ''Have I Got News for You'' dismissed regular host Angus Deayton in October 2002, Clarkson has become one of the most regularly used guest hosts on the show in a role which attracts a sideways look at current affairs. On a more serious platform, Clarkson has appeared as a panellist on the political current affairs television show ''Question Time'' twice since 2003.

In 2007 Clarkson won the National Television Awards' Special Recognition Award. Also in 2007, it was reported that Clarkson earned £1 million a year for his role as a ''Top Gear'' presenter, and a further £1.7 million from books, DVDs and newspaper columns.

In 2007, Clarkson and co-presenter James May were the first people to reach the magnetic North Pole in a car, chronicled in a ''Top Gear'' polar special. Clarkson more recently sustained minor injuries to his legs, back and hand in an intentional high-speed head-on collision with a brick wall while making the 12th series of ''Top Gear''.

Persona

Clarkson is in favour of personal freedom and very much against government regulation, stating that government should "build park benches and that is it. They should leave us alone." He has a particular contempt for the Health and Safety Executive. He has often criticised the Labour Governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, especially the 'ban' culture, frequently fixating on the bans on smoking and 2004 ban on fox hunting.

Clarkson is often politically incorrect. He often comments on the media-perceived social issues of the day such as the fear of challenging adolescent youths, known as 'hoodies'. In 2007 Clarkson was cleared of allegations of assaulting a hoodie while visiting Central Milton Keynes, after Thames Valley Police said that if anything, he had been the victim. In the five-part series ''Jeremy Clarkson Meets the Neighbours'' he travelled around Europe in a Jaguar E-Type, examining (and in some cases reinforcing) his stereotypes of other countries.

As a motoring journalist, he is frequently critical of government initiatives such as the London congestion charge or proposals on road charging. He is also frequently scornful of caravanners and cyclists. He has often singled out John Prescott the former Transport Minister, and Stephen Joseph the head of the public transport pressure group Transport 2000 for ridicule.

Clarkson is unsympathetic to the green movement and has little respect for groups such as Greenpeace—he believes that the "eco-mentalists" are a by-product of the "old trade unionists and CND lesbians" who had found a more relevant cause— but "loves the destination" of environmentalism and believes that people should quietly strive to be more eco-friendly. Clarkson has unorthodox views regarding global warming: although he believes that higher temperatures are not necessarily negative and that anthropogenic carbon dioxide production has a negligible effect on the global climate, but is aware of the negative potential consequences of global warming, saying "let's just stop and think for a moment what the consequences might be. Switzerland loses its skiing resorts? The beach in Miami is washed away? North Carolina gets knocked over by a hurricane? Anything bothering you yet?"

In an attempt to prove the press and public furore over the 2007 UK child benefit data scandal was a fuss about nothing, he published his own bank account number and sort code, together with instructions on how to find out his address, in ''The Sun'' newspaper, expecting nobody to be able to remove money from his account. He later discovered that someone had been able to set up a monthly direct debit for £500 to Diabetes UK, and this person's identity was protected from the bank under the Data Protection Act 1998.

Clarkson has been highly critical of the United States and more recently President Barack Obama. In an article after Obama was sworn into office, Clarkson wrote (in reference to over 308,000,000 Americans) "they have got it into their heads that Barack Obama is actually a blend of Jesus, Mother Teresa and Martin Luther King." Clarkson has also been very critical of the Special Relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom. He referred to America as the United States of Total Paranoia, commenting that one needs a permit to do everything except for purchasing firearms.

Whilst Clarkson states such views in his columns and in public appearances, his public persona does not necessarily represent his personal views, as he acknowledged whilst interviewing Alastair Campbell saying "I don't believe what I write, any more than you (Alastair Campbell) believe what you say"

Clarkson has been described as a "skilful propagandist for the motoring lobby" by ''The Economist'' and a "dazzling hero of political incorrectness" by the ''Daily Mirror''. With a forthright and sometimes deadpan delivery, Clarkson is said to thrive on the notoriety his public comments bring, and has risen to the level of the bête noire of the various groups who disagree with his views. On the Channel 4 organised viewer poll, for the ''100 Worst Britons We Love to Hate'' programme, Clarkson polled in 66th place. By 2005, Clarkson was perceived by the press to have upset so many people and groups, ''The Independent'' put him on trial for various 'crimes', declaring him guilty on most counts.

Responses to Clarkson's comments are often directed personally, with derogatory comments about residents of Norfolk leading to some residents organising a "We hate Jeremy Clarkson" club. In ''The Guardian's'' 2007 'Media 100' list, which lists the top 100 most "powerful people in the [media] industry", based on cultural, economic and political influence in the UK, Clarkson was listed as a new entrant at 74th. Some critics even attribute Clarkson's actions and views as being influential enough to be responsible for the closure of Rover and the Luton manufacturing plant of Vauxhall. Clarkson's comments about Rover prompted workers to hang an "Anti-Clarkson Campaign" banner outside the defunct Longbridge plant in its last days.

The BBC often plays down his comments as ultimately not having the weight they are ascribed. In 2007 they described Clarkson as "Not a man given to considered opinion", and in response to an official complaint another BBC spokeswoman once said: "Jeremy's colourful comments are always entertaining, but they are his own comments and not those of the BBC. More often than not they are said with a twinkle in his eye." Some of his opponents state they take the view he is a man that should be ignored. Kevin Clinton, head of Road Safety at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has stated "We don't take what he says too seriously and hopefully other people don't either."

On his chat show, ''Clarkson'', he caused upset to the Welsh by placing a 3D plastic map of Wales into a microwave oven and switching it on. He later defended this by saying, "I put Wales in there because Scotland wouldn't fit."

His views on the environment once precipitated a small demonstration at the 2005 award ceremony for his honorary degree from Oxford Brookes University, when Clarkson was pied by road protester Rebecca Lush. Clarkson took this incident in good humour, responding 'good shot' and subsequently referring to Lush as "Banana girl". Clarkson has spoken in support of hydrogen cars as a solution.

In 2008 an internet petition was posted on the Prime Minister's Number 10 website to "Make Jeremy Clarkson Prime Minister". By the time it closed, it had attracted 49,446 signatures. An opposing petition posted on the same site set to "Never, Ever Make Jeremy Clarkson Prime Minister" attracted 87 signatures. Clarkson later commented he would be a rubbish Prime Minister as he is always contradicting himself in his columns. In their official response to the petition, Number 10 agreed with Clarkson's comments.

In a 2008 poll of 5,000 female members of an online dating website, Clarkson came third in a poll of MISAs—Men I Secretly Adore—behind Jonathan Ross and Phillip Schofield. Characteristically, Clarkson was upset not to have come top.

In response to the reactions he gets, Clarkson has stated "I enjoy this back and forth, it makes the world go round but it is just opinion" and "I don't have any influence over what people do, I really don't. It makes no difference what I say. ''Top Gear'' is just fluff. It's just entertainment – people don't listen to me." On the opinion that his views are influential enough to topple car companies, he has argued that he has proof that he has had no influence. "When I said that the Ford Orion was the worst car ever it went on to become a best-selling car."

Clarkson was ranked 50th on Motor Trend Magazine's Power List for 2011, its list of the fifty most influential figures in the automotive industry.

Military interests

Clarkson has a keen interest in the British Armed Forces several of his DVDs and television shows have featured a military theme, whether it be flying in military jets or several Clarkson focused ''Top Gear'' spots having a military theme such as Clarkson escaping a tank in a Range Rover, an Apache helicopter shooting at a Lotus, a platoon of Irish Guardsmen shooting at a Porsche and Mercedes, or using a Ford Fiesta as a Royal Marine landing craft. Clarkson visited British troops in Baghdad in October 2005.

Clarkson presented a programme looking at recipients of the Victoria Cross, in particular focusing on his father-in-law, Robert Henry Cain, who received a VC for actions during the Battle of Arnhem in World War II.

In 2007 Clarkson wrote and presented ''Jeremy Clarkson: Greatest Raid of All Time'', a documentary about the World War II Operation Chariot, a 1942 Commando raid on the docks of Saint-Nazaire in occupied France. At the end of 2007 Clarkson became a patron of Help for Heroes, a charity aiming to raise money to provide better facilities to wounded British servicemen. His effort led to the 2007 Christmas appeal in ''The Sunday Times'' supporting Help for Heroes.

Clarkson borrowed a Lightning (serial XM172), an RAF supersonic jet fighter of the Cold War era, which was temporarily placed in his garden and documented on his TV show Speed.

Engineering interests

Clarkson is passionate about engineering, especially pioneering work. In ''Inventions That Changed the World'' Clarkson showcased the invention of the gun, computer, jet engine, telephone and television. He has previously criticised the engineering feats of the 20th century as merely improvements on the truly innovative inventions of the Industrial Revolution. He cites the lack of any source of alternative power for cars, other than by "small explosions". In ''Great Britons'', as part of a public poll to find the greatest historical Briton, Clarkson was the chief supporter for Isambard Kingdom Brunel, a prominent engineer during the Industrial Revolution credited with numerous innovations. Despite this, he also has a passion for many modern examples of engineering. In ''Speed'' and ''Extreme Machines'' Clarkson rides and showcases numerous vehicles and machinery. Clarkson was awarded an honorary degree from Brunel University on 12 September 2003, partly because of his work in popularising engineering, and partly because of his advocacy of Brunel.

In his book, ''I Know You Got Soul'' he describes many machines that he believes possess a soul. He cited the Concorde crash as his inspiration, feeling a sadness for the demise of the machine as well as the passengers. Clarkson was a passenger on the last BA Concorde flight on 24 October 2003. Paraphrasing Neil Armstrong he described the retirement of the fleet as "This is one small step for a man, but one huge leap backwards for mankind", and that the challenge of building Concorde had been a greater human feat than landing a man on the Moon.

His known passion for single- or two-passenger high-velocity transport led to his brief acquisition of an English Electric Lightning F1A jet fighter XM172, which was installed in the front garden of his country home. The Lightning was subsequently removed on the orders of the local council, which "wouldn't believe my claim that it was a leaf blower", according to Clarkson on a Tiscali Motoring webchat. In fact, the whole affair was set up for his programme ''Speed'', and the Lightning is now back serving as gate guardian at Wycombe Air Park (formerly RAF Booker).

In a ''Top Gear'' episode, Clarkson drove the Bugatti Veyron in a race across Europe against a Cessna private aeroplane. The Veyron was an £850,000 technology demonstrator project built by Volkswagen to become the fastest production car, but a practical road car at the same time. In building such an ambitious machine, Clarkson described the project as "a triumph for lunacy over common sense, a triumph for man over nature and a triumph for Volkswagen over absolutely every other car maker in the world." After winning the race, Clarkson announced that "It's quite a hollow victory really, because I've got to go for the rest of my life knowing that I'll never own that car. I'll never experience that power again."

Cars

Ownership

Clarkson and his family own or have owned: Ford Escort RS Cosworth

Mercedes-Benz CLK 63 AMG Black Edition

Toyota Land Cruiser Amazon Volvo XC90

Caterham Seven R400

Range Rover TDV8 Vogue SE Lotus Elise 111S Mercedes-Benz 600 Grosser

In addition to the many cars he has owned, as a motoring journalist Clarkson regularly has car companies deliver a choice of cars to his driveway for testing.

Clarkson wanted to purchase the Ford GT after admiring its inspiration, the Ford GT40 race cars of the 1960s. Clarkson was able to secure a place on the shortlist for the few cars that would be imported to Britain to official customers, only through knowing Ford's head of PR through a previous job. After waiting years and facing an increased price, he found many technical problems with the car. After "the most miserable month's motoring possible," he returned it to Ford for a full refund. After a short period, including asking ''Top Gear'' fans for advice over the Internet, he bought back his GT. He called it "the most unreliable car ever made", owing to never being able to complete a return journey with it. In 2006 Clarkson ordered a Gallardo Spyder and sold the Ford GT to make way for it. In August 2008 he sold the Gallardo because "idiots in Peugeots kept trying to race [him] in it" [Jeremy Clarkson - "The Italian Job" DVD]. In October, he also announced he sold his Volvo XC90. But in January 2009, in a review of the car printed in The Times, he said, "I’ve just bought my third Volvo XC90 in a row and the simple fact is this: it takes six children to school in the morning."

Likes

Clarkson often enthuses about whether a car gives you the proper "driving experience". He enthuses about needing to feel the front wheels connected to your fingers through the steering wheel. His preferred cars need to stir a passion and exhibit a 'soul', and look good, such as his preferred sportscar marque, Ferrari. Clarkson is often seen to be more than willing to accept several other flaws in a car such as practicality, build quality, reliability, if the basic criteria of performance and styling are deemed to have been met.. Clarkson seems to be an admirer of any car that delivers a performance and features for less money than traditionally known 'superior' marques, such as the Subaru Impreza, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, and Holden Monaro (marketed in the UK under the Vauxhall brand). He is also known for liking the Noble M12. However, sometimes his liking of cars is more in respect because they do not possess this 'soul' although it is portrayed in the TV show as a legitimate love. It was like that with the Nissan GTR. He said that it's great but 'sometimes I'd like it to go down the front of my trousers and have a little rummage' implying the GTR's lack of 'soul' and excitement.

Despite not liking Rover or Vauxhall, Clarkson does have an affection for the 'British' marques of Jaguar and Aston Martin, but has previously described this success as being down to the combination of British ingenuity with foreign funding, management and marketing. Clarkson often applies national stereotypes to cars, i.e. German cars are well built but too serious, Italian cars are stylish but temperamental, Japanese cars are hi-tech but soulless, and the present intermixing of nationalities in the global car industry becomes a source of comment.

Clarkson has a particular fondness for Alfa Romeos, and has owned several. He contends that "you cannot be a true petrolhead until you've owned one... it's like having really great sex that leaves you with an embarrassing itch." In his book ''I Know You Got Soul'' the Alfa Romeo 166 was one of only three cars classified as having that "special something". Clarkson quotably called the Brera, Alfa's latest sports car, "Cameron Diaz on wheels". Despite his love for Alfa Romeos, he was very critical of the company's supercar, the 8C Competizione. In both ''Top Gear'' and his 2009 video special ''Thriller'', Clarkson had no doubts about the car's beauty, but panned the poorly-designed suspension, comparing it to a Ford Mustang.

Clarkson has had mixed views on the Porsche 911 sports cars, feeling them to have uninspiring styling. He is also not a fan of the rear-engined flat six layout, feeling it a fundamentally flawed design. He has, however, often complimented the technical aspects and practicalities of many Porsches, over say the equivalent Ferrari of the time. In reviewing a 2003 Porsche 911 GT3 though, Clarkson conceded that Porsche had finally overcome the natural tendency of a Porsche mechanical layout to lose the grip in the rear tyres in a bend, and stated it was the first Porsche he had ever seriously considered buying. Clarkson also praised Porsche's supercar, the Carrera GT, in an October 2004 episode of ''Top Gear'', and even commented that it's one of the most beautiful cars he has ever driven. Clarkson has also expressed fondness for late-model V8 Holdens, available in the UK rebadged as Vauxhalls. Of the Monaro VXR he said, "It's like they had a picture of me on their desk and said [Australian accent] 'Let's build that bloke a car!'" and "I can't believe it... I've fallen in love... with a Vauxhall!" Clarkson suffered two slipped discs that he attributed to driving this car he described as being "back-breakingly marvellous".

Dislikes

Clarkson often derides any car that in his view might be bought by a Premier League footballer such as Wayne Rooney. Clarkson will often pick faults in the trim or build quality in any car he dislikes. He will also use his substantial frame to criticise any model with inadequate front or rear leg room or head room, and to criticise the throttle or brake pedal positions. Clarkson is also not a great fan of technological gadgetry where it detracts from or seeks to control the experience of driving, commenting that the only saving grace of the increasingly hi-tech BMW M5 was that in M mode all gadgetry was switched off, and it subsequently still retained the performance characteristics of historical M5s. He has frequently criticised the Mercedes-Benz practice of releasing a model and option list to suit every conceivable customer demand.

One of Clarkson's most infamous dislikes was of the British car brand Rover, the last major British owned and built car manufacturer. This view stretched back to the company's time as part of British Leyland. Describing the history of the company up to its last flagship model, the Rover 75, he stated "Never in the field of human endeavour has so much been done, so badly, by so many." In the latter years of the company Clarkson blamed the "uncool" brand image as being more of a hindrance to sales than any faults with the cars. On its demise, Clarkson stated "I cannot even get teary and emotional about the demise of the company itself – though I do feel sorry for the workforce."

Clarkson is also well known for his criticism of Vauxhalls and has described Vauxhall's parent company, General Motors, as a "pensions and healthcare" company which sees the "car making side of the business as an expensive loss-making nuisance". In spite of this, he has expressed approval of several recent Vauxhall models including the VXR models, the Monaro and Maloo, (both originally Australian Holdens) and the Zafira people carrier. Clarkson has expressed particular disdain of the Vauxhall Vectra, describing it as "One of my least favourite cars in the world. I've always hated it because I've always felt it was designed in a coffee break by people who couldn't care less about cars" and "one of the worst chassis I've ever come across". After a Top Gear piece by Clarkson for its launch in 1995, described by ''The Independent'' as "not doing [GM] any favours", Vauxhall complained to the BBC and announced, "We can take criticism but this piece was totally unbalanced."

Clarkson is known for destroying his most hated cars in various ways, including crushing a Yugo with a tank, catapulting a Nissan Sunny with a trebuchet, dropping a Porsche 911 onto a caravan (after plunging a piano onto the bonnet and dousing it in hydrochloric acid, amongst other things), getting a Land Rover and a box labelled "CND" to destroy a Citroën 2CV, allowing his American friend "Billy Bob" to destroy a Toyota Prius by shooting it with an arsenal of weaponry, shooting a Chevrolet Corvette with a helicopter gunship, dismantling a Buick Park Avenue with a bulldozer, or tearing a Lada Riva in half. In an episode of ''Top Gear'', Clarkson bought a Maserati Biturbo just to drop a skip on it to show how much the model ruined Maserati's reputation. In ''Jeremy Clarkson: Heaven and Hell'' (2005), he bought a brand-new Perodua Kelisa, proceeded to attack it with a sledgehammer, tore it apart with a heavy weight while being suspended in mid-air and finally blew it up.

Controversy

Clarkson's comments and actions have sometimes resulted in complaints from viewers, car companies, and national governments.

Offensive remarks

In October 1998 Hyundai complained to the BBC about what they described as "bigoted and racist" comments he made at the Birmingham Motor Show, where he was reported as saying that the people working on the Hyundai stand had "eaten a dog" and that the designer of the Hyundai XG had probably eaten a spaniel for his lunch. Clarkson also allegedly referred to those working on the BMW stand as "Nazis", although BMW said they would not be complaining. In a later incident during a ''Top Gear'' episode broadcast on 13 November 2005, Clarkson, while talking about a Mini design that might be "quintessentially German", made a mock Nazi salute, and made references to the Hitler regime and the German invasion of Poland by setting the GPS system to Poland.

In April 2007 he was criticised in the Malaysian parliament for having described one of their cars, the Perodua Kelisa, as the worst in the world, built "in jungles by people who wear leaves for shoes". A Malaysian government minister countered, pointing out that no complaints had been received from UK customers who had bought the car.

While in Australia, Clarkson made disparaging remarks aimed at Gordon Brown, in February 2009, calling him a "one-eyed Scottish idiot" and accused him of lying. These comments were widely condemned by the Royal National Institute of Blind People and also Scottish politicians who requested that he should be taken off air. Furthermore, the comments were condemned as racist. He subsequently provided a qualified apology for remarks regarding Brown's "personal appearance".

In July 2009 though, Clarkson made another indignant remark about the British Prime Minister during a warm-up while recording a ''Top Gear'' show, apparently describing Brown as "a silly cunt". Although several newspapers reported that he had subsequently argued with BBC 2 controller Janice Hadlow, who was present at the recording, the BBC denied that he had been given a "dressing down". John Whittingdale, Conservative chair of the Culture Select Committee remarked: "Many people will find that offensive, many people will find that word in particular very offensive [...] I am surprised he felt it appropriate to use it."

On 6 July 2010 Clarkson reportedly angered gay rights campaigners after he made a remark on Top Gear that did not get aired on the 4 July's episode. But guest Alastair Campbell wrote about it on twitter. Clarkson apparently said he "Demanded the right not to get bummed". The BBC later said that they cut this remark out as they had to "Cut Down" the interview as it was too long to fit into the show.

Road safety

Clarkson readily discusses high speed driving on public roads, and criticises road safety campaigns involving cameras and speed bumps. In 2002 a Welsh Assembly Member Alun Pugh wrote to BBC director general Greg Dyke to complain about Clarkson's comments that he believed encouraged people to use Welsh roads as a high speed test track. A BBC spokesman said that suggestions Clarkson had encouraged speeding were "nonsense". Clarkson has also made similar comments about driving in Lincolnshire. As of 2004 Clarkson was reported as having a clean licence. In a November 2005 ''Times'' article, Clarkson wrote on the Bugatti Veyron, "On a recent drive across Europe I desperately wanted to reach the top speed but I ran out of road when the needle hit 240mph", and "From the wheel of a Veyron, France is the size of a small coconut. I cannot tell you how fast I crossed it the other day. Because you simply wouldn’t believe me." In 2007 the celebrity lawyer Nick 'Mr. Loophole' Freeman got a charge against Clarkson of driving at 86 mph in a 50 mph zone on the A40 road in London dropped, on the basis that the driver of the car loaned to Clarkson from Alfa Romeo could not be ascertained. In 2008 the BBC faced calls to sack Clarkson after he claimed in a talk at the Hay Festival to have been given a speeding ticket for driving at 186 mph on the A1203 Limehouse Link road in London. At the same talk he stated he had "never been pulled over for speed while working on ''Top Gear''. I don't drive very fast." The reported version of events by the ''Daily Mail'' were disputed by a BBC spokesman.

Piers Morgan feud

From 2000 to 2006 Clarkson had a public feud with Piers Morgan, which began when Morgan published pictures of Clarkson kissing his BBC producer, Elaine Bedell.

On the final Concorde flight, Clarkson threw a glass of water over Morgan during an argument. In March 2004 at the British Press Awards, he swore at Morgan and punched him before being restrained by security; Morgan says it has left him with a scar above his left eyebrow. In 2006 Morgan revealed that the feud was over, saying "There should always be a moment when you finally down cudgels, kiss and make up." Clarkson also mentioned that despite not getting on with Morgan, he can at least be in the same room as him at the same time.

Activities on ''Top Gear''

In 2004 the BBC apologised unreservedly and paid £250 in compensation to a Somerset parish council, after Clarkson damaged a 30-year-old horse-chestnut tree by driving into it to test the strength of a Toyota Hilux. In December 2006 the BBC complaints department upheld the complaint of four ''Top Gear'' viewers that Clarkson had used the phrase "ginger beer" (rhyming slang for "queer") in a derogatory manner, when Clarkson picked up on and agreed with an audience member's description of the Daihatsu Copen as being a bit "gay". The ''Top Gear: Polar Special'' was criticised by the BBC Trust for glamorising drink driving in a scene showing Clarkson and James May in a vehicle, despite Clarkson saying to the camera "Don't write in to complain about us drinking and driving, because we're sailing!" (As they were on top of frozen water.) They stated the scene "was not editorially justified" despite occurring outside the jurisdiction of any drink driving laws.

In November 2008 Clarkson attracted over 500 complaints to the BBC when he joked about lorry drivers murdering prostitutes. The BBC stated the comment was a comic rebuttal of a common misconception about lorry drivers and was within the viewer's expectation of Clarkson's ''Top Gear'' persona. Chris Mole, the Member of Parliament for Ipswich, where five prostitutes were murdered in 2006, wrote a "strongly worded" letter to BBC Director-General Mark Thompson, demanding that Clarkson be sacked. Clarkson dismissed Mole's comments in his ''Sunday Times'' column the following weekend, writing, "There are more important things to worry about than what some balding and irrelevant middle-aged man might have said on a crappy BBC2 motoring show." On the next ''Top Gear'' programme, Clarkson appeared sincerely apologetic and stated "It has been all over the news and the internet and after many complaints I feel I must apologise." However, instead of apologising for his comments, he went on to say "I'm sorry I didn't put the [Porsche] 911's time on the board last week" (after he set it on fire in the previous week's show), much to the studio audience's amusement. Andrew Tinkler, chief executive of the Eddie Stobart Group, a major trucking company, stated that "They were just having a laugh. It’s the 21st century, let’s get our sense of humour in line."

In an episode aired after the watershed on 1 August 2010, Clarkson described a ''Ferrari F430 Speciale'' as "speciale needs". He said the car owned by co-presenter James May looked "like a simpleton". Media regulator Ofcom investigated after receiving two complaints, and found that the comments "were capable of causing offence" but did not censure the BBC.

Filmography

Presenter

{|class=wikitable |-

! Year !! Title |- | 1988–2000 || ''Top Gear'' (1977) |- | 1995–96 || ''Jeremy Clarkson's Motorworld'' |- | 1996 || ''Clarkson: Unleashed On Cars'' |- | 1997 || ''Apocalypse Clarkson'' |- | 1997 || ''Jeremy Clarkson's: Extreme Machines'' |- | 1998 || ''The Most Outrageous Jeremy Clarkson Video In The World...Ever!'' |- | 1998 || ''Robot Wars'' |- | 1999 || ''Jeremy Clarkson: Head To Head'' |- | 1998–2000 || ''Clarkson (chat show)'' |- | 2000 || ''Jeremy Clarkson: At Full Throttle'' |- | 2000 || ''Clarkson's Car Years'' |- | 2001 || ''Clarkson's Top 100 Cars'' |- | 2001 || ''Speed'' |- | 2001 || ''You Don't Want To Do That'' |- | 2002 || ''Clarkson: No Limits'' |- | 2002 – present|| ''Top Gear (2002)'' |- | 2002 || ''Jeremy Clarkson Meets The Neighbours'' |- | 2003 || ''Clarkson: Shootout'' |- | 2003 || ''The Victoria Cross: For Valour'' |- | 2004 || ''Clarkson: Hot Metal'' |- | 2004 || ''Inventions That Changed the World'' |- | 2005 || ''Clarkson: Heaven And Hell'' |- | 2006 || ''Clarkson: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly'' |- | 2007 || ''Clarkson: Supercar Showdown'' |- | 2007 || ''Jeremy Clarkson: The Greatest Raid of All Time'' |- | 2008 || ''Clarkson: Thriller'' |- | 2009 || ''Clarkson: Duel'' |- | 2010 || ''Clarkson: The Italian Job'' |}

Other roles

{|class=wikitable |-

! Year !! Title !! Role |- | 1993 || ''Mr Blobby's Christmas (Music Video) || Guest |- | 1997 || ''Room 101'' || Guest |- | 1997 || ''The Mrs Merton Show'' || Guest |- | 2002 || ''100 Greatest Britons'' || Guest |- | 2002 || ''Have I Got News for You'' || Guest Host |- | 2002 || ''Friday Night with Jonathan Ross'' || Guest |- | 2003 || ''Patrick Kielty Almost Live'' || Guest |- | 2003 || ''Parkinson'' || Guest |- | 2003 || ''Question Time'' || Participant |- | 2003 || ''Grumpy Old Men'' || Participant |- | 2004 || ''Call My Bluff'' || Participant |- | 2004 || ''QI'' || Participant |- | 2004 || ''Who Do You Think You Are?'' || Participant |- | 2005 || ''Top of the Pops'' || Guest Host |- | 2006 || ''Cars'' || Voice Artist of Harv in UK Version. |- | 2006 || ''Never Mind the Buzzcocks'' || Guest Host |- | 2006 || ''The F Word || Participant |- | 2008 || ''The One Show'' || Guest |- | 2008 || ''Have I Got News for You'' || Guest Host |- | 2009 || ''The Chris Moyles Show'' || Guest |- | 2009 || ''Love the Beast'' || Guest |- | 2009 || ''8 out of 10 Cats'' || Guest |- | 2009 || ''Have I Got News For You'' || Guest |- | 2010 || ''Have I Got News For You'' || Guest Host |- | 2010 || ''QI'' || Participant |}

Videos/DVDs

Running Series

# Clarkson – Unleashed On Cars (1996, VCI Video, VHS/DVD). # Apocalypse Clarkson (1997, VCI Video, VHS/DVD). # The Most Outrageous Jeremy Clarkson Video In The World...Ever! (1998, VCI Video, VHS/DVD). # Clarkson – Head To Head (1999, VCI Video, VHS/DVD). # Clarkson – At Full Throttle (2000, VCI Video, VHS/DVD). # Clarkson's Top 100 Cars (2001, VCI Video, VHS/DVD). # Clarkson – No Limits (2002, VCI Video, VHS/DVD). # Clarkson – Shoot Out (2003, VCI Video, VHS/DVD). # Clarkson – Hot Metal (2004, VCI Video, VHS/DVD). # Clarkson – Heaven & Hell (2005, 2|Entertain, DVD). # Clarkson – The Good, The Bad And The Ugly (2006, 2|Entertain, DVD). # Clarkson – Supercar Showdown (2007, 2|Entertain, DVD). # Clarkson – Supercar Showdown – Behind The Scenes (2007, 2|Entertain, DVD). # Clarkson – Thriller (2008, 2|Entertain, DVD). # Clarkson - Thriller - Behind The Scenes (2008, 2|Entertain, DVD). # Clarkson – Duel (2009, 2|Entertain, DVD). # Clarkson – Duel – Behind The Scenes (2009, 2|Entertain, DVD). # Clarkson – The Italian Job (2010, 2|Entertain, DVD).

Voice-Over Compilations

# Jeremy Clarkson's Motorsport Mayhem (1995, Arison International, VHS/DVD). # Jeremy Clarkson's More Motorsport Mayhem (1996, Arison International, VHS).

Television Compilations

# Jeremy Clarkson's Motorworld (1996, BBC Video, VHS). # Jeremy Clarkson's Extreme Machines (1997, BBC Video, VHS). # Jeremy Clarkson's Speed (2001, BBC Video, VHS). # The Jeremy Clarkson Collection (2008, 2|Entertain, DVD).

Bibliography

{| class=wikitable |-

! Book !! Publisher !! Year |- | Jeremy Clarkson's Motorworld || BBC Books Penguin Books || 1996 Reprinted 2004 |- | Clarkson On Cars || Virgin Books Penguin Books || 1996 Reprinted 2004 |- | Clarkson's Hot 100 || Virgin Books Carlton Books || 1997 Reprinted 1998 |- | Planet Dagenham || Andre Deustch Carlton Books || 1998 Reprinted 2006 |- | Born To Be Riled || BBC Books Penguin Books || 1999 Reprinted 2007 |- | Jeremy Clarkson On Ferrari || Lancaster Books Salamander Books || 2000 Reprinted 2001 |- | The World According To Clarkson || Icon Books Penguin Books || 2004 Reprinted 2005 |- | I Know You Got Soul || Micheal Joseph Penguin Books || 2005 Reprinted 2006 |- | And Another Thing... || Micheal Joseph Penguin Books || 2006 Reprinted 2007 |- | Don't Stop Me Now!! || Micheal Joseph Penguin Books || 2007 Reprinted 2008 |- | For Crying Out Loud! || Micheal Joseph Penguin Books || 2008 Reprinted 2009 |- | Driven To Distraction || Micheal Joseph Penguin Books || 2009 Reprinted 2010 |- | How Hard Can It Be? || Micheal Joseph Penguin Books || 2010 Reprinted 2010 |}

Two books containing the best columns from previous publications, entitled "The Collected Thoughts Of Clarkson" and "Never Played Golf" were issued by Top Gear Magazine, in 2003 and 2004 respectively.

Footnotes

References

''Jeremy Clarkson's Motorworld'' (1996), ISBN 0-563-38730-0

''Clarkson on Cars: Writings and Rantings of the BBC's Top Motoring Correspondent'' (1996), ISBN 0-86369-964-2

''Clarkson's Hot 100'' (1997), ISBN 1-85227-730-0

''Jeremy Clarkson's Planet Dagenham: Drivestyles of the Rich and Famous'' (1998), ISBN 0-233-99335-5

''Born to Be Riled: The Collected Writings of Jeremy Clarkson'' (1999) (re-published 2007), ISBN 0-563-55146-1

''Jeremy Clarkson's Ultimate Ferrari'' (2001), ISBN 1-84065-358-2

''The World According To Clarkson'' (2004), ISBN 0-7181-4730-8

''Clarkson on Cars'' (2004), ISBN 0-14-101788-0

''I Know You Got Soul'' (2004), ISBN 0-7181-4729-4

''Motorworld'' (2004), ISBN 0-14-101787-2

''The World According to Clarkson 2: And Another Thing...'' (2006), ISBN 0-7181-4985-8

External links

Archive of Clarkson's ''Sunday Times'' columns

Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear

Category:Article Feedback Pilot Category:1960 births Category:Living people Category:Critics of the European Union Category:English writers Category:English journalists Category:English television presenters Category:Motoring journalists Category:Never Mind the Buzzcocks Category:Old Reptonians Category:People from Doncaster Category:The Sunday Times people Category:Top Gear Category:People educated at Hill House School, Doncaster

ar:جيرمي كلاركسون cs:Jeremy Clarkson da:Jeremy Clarkson de:Jeremy Clarkson et:Jeremy Clarkson es:Jeremy Clarkson fa:جرمی کلارکسون fr:Jeremy Clarkson gl:Jeremy Clarkson it:Jeremy Clarkson he:ג'רמי קלארקסון hu:Jeremy Clarkson ms:Jeremy Clarkson nl:Jeremy Clarkson ja:ジェレミー・クラークソン no:Jeremy Clarkson pl:Jeremy Clarkson pt:Jeremy Clarkson ro:Jeremy Clarkson ru:Кларксон, Джереми sq:Jeremy Clarkson simple:Jeremy Clarkson fi:Jeremy Clarkson sv:Jeremy Clarkson tr:Jeremy Clarkson vi:Jeremy Clarkson zh:杰里米·克拉克森

{{infobox musical artist| background	non_vocal_instrumentalist | instrument Guitar
name	Pat Metheny
born	August 12, 1954Lee's Summit. Missouri, United States
instrument	Electric guitar, acoustic guitar, guitar synthesizer
occupation	Musician, songwriter
genre	Jazz, jazz fusion, world fusion, post-bop, jazz-rock, crossover jazz
associated acts	Pat Metheny Group, Noa, The Orb, Steve Reich
label	ECM, Geffen, Nonesuch
notable instruments	Gibson ES-175 Ibanez PM20 Signature ModelIbanez PM100 Signature ModelIbanez PM35Roland GR-300Pikasso guitar
years active	1974–present
website	}}

Patrick Bruce "Pat" Metheny (pronounced ; born August 12, 1954) is an American jazz guitarist and composer.

One of the most successful and critically acclaimed jazz musicians to come to prominence in the 1970s and '80s, he is the leader of the Pat Metheny Group and is also involved in duets, solo works and other side projects. His style incorporates elements of progressive and contemporary jazz, post-bop, latin jazz and jazz fusion. Pat Metheny has three gold albums and 17 Grammy Awards. He is the brother of jazz flugelhornist and journalist Mike Metheny.

Biography

Metheny was born and raised in Lee's Summit, Missouri, a suburb southeast of Kansas City. Following his graduation from Lee's Summit High School, he briefly attended the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida in 1972, where he was quickly offered a teaching position. He then moved to Boston to take a teaching assistantship at the Berklee College of Music with jazz vibraphonist Gary Burton. He first made his name as a teenage prodigy under the wing of Burton. In the liner notes on the 2-disc Montgomery compilation ''Impressions: the Verve Jazz Sides'', Metheny is quoted as saying, "(Smokin' at the Half Note) is the absolute greatest jazz-guitar album ever made. It is also the record that taught me how to play."

The angular compositions, asymmetrical lines, relentless rhythmic drive, and deep blues feeling of Ornette Coleman's ''New York is Now'' (Blue Note) inspired Metheny to find his own direction. He has recorded Coleman compositions on a number of his records (starting with a medley of "Round Trip" and "Broadway Blues" on his debut ''Bright Size Life''); worked extensively with Coleman collaborators such as Charlie Haden, Dewey Redman, and Billy Higgins; and has even made a record, ''Song X'', with Coleman.

Metheny's playing (as well as his tone) also show significant influence by Jim Hall, Joe Diorio, Kenny Burrell, Joe Pass, and other classic jazz players. Metheny has often been quoted saying that he is as likely to name non-guitarists as significant stylistic influences as fellow guitar players, giving as examples players like Clifford Brown and John Coltrane. He has stated that Miles Davis' live album Four & More was hugely influential on his pursuit into jazz music. He has also admitted to being heavily influenced by The Beatles, going so far as to say that everything by The Beatles has impacted him as a musician. He has paid significant attention to the evolution of guitar playing across genres, however, and is familiar with the playing of notables from the likes of rocker Eddie Van Halen to Leo Kottke.

In particular, he has been influenced by Brazilian music--both the European-influenced jazz sound of the bossa nova and the intensely polyrhythmic Afro-Brazilian sounds of the country's northeast. Metheny made 3 albums on ECM with the Brazilian vocalist and percussionist Naná Vasconcelos in the early 1980s. He also lived in Brazil from the late 1980s to the early 1990s and performed with several local musicians such as Milton Nascimento and Toninho Horta. He also played with Antonio Carlos Jobim as a tribute, in a live performance in Carnegie Hall Salutes The Jazz Masters: Verve 50th Anniversary before Jobim’s passing away.

He is also a fan of several pop music artists, especially singer/songwriters including The Beatles; James Taylor (after whom he named the song "James" on ''Offramp''); Bruce Hornsby, Cheap Trick, Joni Mitchell, with whom he performed on her Shadows and Light (1980, Asylum/ Elektra) live tour. Metheny is also fond of Buckethead's music. He also worked with, sponsored or helped to make attractive recordings of unique singer/songwriters from all over the world such as Pedro Aznar (Argentina), David Bowie (UK), Silje Nergaard (Norway), Noa (Israel), and Anna Maria Jopek (Poland).

Two of Metheny's recordings, ''The Way Up'' and ''Orchestrion'', evidence the influence of American minimalist composer Steve Reich and utilize similar rhythmic figures structured around pulse. Reich's composition ''Electric Counterpoint'' was first recorded by Metheny and appears on the ''Different Trains'' CD released by Nonesuch Records in 1987.

The Metheny Brothers

Pat took part in recording some of the CDs by his older brother, trumpeter Mike Metheny, a talented jazz musician and a trumpet player based in Kansas City, Missouri, among them ''Day In - Night Out'' (1986) and more recently ''Close Enough for Love'' (2001). and

Bibliography

Discography

Early recognition

Chuck Lorre (producer of ''Two and a Half Men'' and ''The Big Bang Theory'') mentions Pat Metheny in his weekly 'vanity card' (shown briefly after the credits of the Season 1 Episode 12 episode of ''The Big Bang Theory'' entitled "The Jerusalem Duality"). To summarize, Chuck Lorre was a professional guitarist at the age of 22. He was invited to audit a jazz guitar class at the University of Miami, and his ego was crushed when Pat Metheny began to play. Chuck says that this experience played a part in shifting his focus toward television.

Awards

In 1995, Pat Metheny was granted the Miles Davis Award by the Montreal International Jazz Festival.

References

External links

The Pat Metheny homepage - biographies, discographies, discussion and songbook forums, tour dates, etc.

The most complete Pat Metheny discography with radio shows, promos a. o.

Pat Metheny entry at AllMusic.com

Pat Metheny profile, NNDB

Pat Metheny's guitar rig

Pat Metheny's artist file on the Montreal International Jazz Festival's website

Category:1954 births Category:Living people Category:People from Lee's Summit, Missouri Category:Article Feedback Pilot Category:Lead guitarists Category:American jazz guitarists Category:Jazz fusion guitarists Category:Post-bop guitarists Category:Berklee College of Music faculty Category:Grammy Award winners Category:University of Miami alumni Category:University of Miami faculty Category:Musicians from Missouri Category:ECM artists Category:Geffen Records artists Category:Nonesuch Records artists

cs:Pat Metheny da:Pat Metheny de:Pat Metheny es:Pat Metheny fr:Pat Metheny gl:Pat Metheny ko:팻 메시니 id:Pat Metheny it:Pat Metheny he:פט מתיני nl:Pat Metheny ja:パット・メセニー no:Pat Metheny nn:Pat Metheny pl:Pat Metheny pt:Pat Metheny ru:Мэтини, Патрик Брюс fi:Pat Metheny sv:Pat Metheny th:แพท เมธินี tr:Pat Metheny

name	Michael Manring
landscape	yes
background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
alias	Manthing
born	June 1960
origin	Washington, D.C., United States
instrument	Bass guitar
genre	Jazz, World
occupation	Musician
years active	1975–present
label	Windham Hill, Highstreet, Alchemy, Manthing
website	www.manthing.com
notable instruments	}}

Michael Manring (born June 1960 in Annapolis) is an American electric bassist from the San Francisco Bay Area, (Northern California).

Biography

Michael Manring was born as youngest of four children. His family lived in Norfolk, Virginia and moved to the suburbs of Washington, D.C in 1969. The Manrings were a very active family musically, providing a very fertile background for Michael's musical development. He and his brother Doug - a guitarist and drummer, later living a long time in Japan - formed a very active rhythm group still being at high school, venturing through jazz rock and fusion, playing rock classics at beer parties or pop standards in restaurants and at weddings.

Manring was a pupil of bassist Peter Princiotto from Spring Hill area, Virginia. He began to study at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts in the late 1970s, but canceled his studies in 1979 because of the heavy workload he already had, touring with several different bands like the Prog Rock band However. During his time at Berklee College he used every opportunity to play with very different musicians and bands. In the 1980s he studied and toured with Jaco Pastorius and began to develop his own style.

In addition to a long tenure in the 1980s as house bassist for Windham Hill Records, Manring has recorded with Spastic Ink, Alex Skolnick (in the bands Skol-Patrol and Attention Deficit, also featuring Tim Alexander from Primus), Larry Kassin, Tom Darter, Steve Morse, David Cullen, Alex de Grassi, Will Ackerman and many other noted musicians. He headlined his own band, Montreux, throughout the 1980s. He has been a member of Yo Miles!, Henry Kaiser and Wadada Leo Smith's Miles Davis tribute band, since its inception. 1994 Manring was polled ''Bassist Of The Year'' by the readers of ''Bass Player'' magazine. Manring's name is also tied with that of fingerstyle guitarist Michael Hedges, who was a dear friend and fellow musician. Manring toured extensively with Hedges and played on all Hedges albums except one. Manring is known as a humble and gracious live performer with a gift for improvisation with guest musicians.

Since 2005 Manring is member of the band DeMania with guitarist Alex de Grassi and percussionist Christopher Garcia.

Michael Manring remains active, touring the world for performances and clinics. He lives in Oakland, California.

Music and musical influences

Because of his association with the Windham Hill label Manring often was seen as a New Age musician. He doesn't see himself as belonging to a certain style or genre and often jokes about categorising his music. His album ''Thonk'' he termed for example "... the first New Age–Death metal–Fusion–album“.

Manring has a solid musical knowledge and uses the bass as a solo instrument usually in alternate tunings, with additional possibilities and patterns invoked on the fly with lever-activated de-tuners and bridges, somewhat like a pedal steel guitar. He wants to show that the electric bass can be used in a musically rich and expressive way. Manring occasionally plays on two (or even three or four) basses at the same time during live performances. Manring is also a composer of experimental music, mixing technology and fretless bass with the sounds of kitchen implements and cardboard boxes, evidenced on his "Book of Flame" solo album.

He is a technical virtuoso, generally using his bass in very different ways. Mostly he plays a fretless bass, which gives him ample possibilities to change tone and pitch just like on acoustic bass. Manring is rhythmically very versatile and often uses polyrhythms. He's said to do "... things on the electric bass that haven’t been done before, are nearly impossible, and (are) illegal in most states.". A very special technique used by Manring is the tuning change of single or several strings in the course of playing a piece.

Equipment

Manring plays a custom bass by ''Zon Guitars'', the so-called ''Zon Hyperbass'', a very flexible instrument, which was developed by Joseph Zon and Manring. Special tuning pegs and a special bridge allow instantaneous tuning change of single strings as well as of all strings simultaneously by the action of several tiny levers, a system like that of the TransTrem guitar. The development of this special model was caused by Manring's use of open tunings. When Manring began changing tunings during pieces by turning the pegs while playing, he soon realised the limitations of this approach. First he tried to overcome these limitations by changing a normal Music Man Sting Ray Bass, but then began to develop the Hyperbass with Zon. The Hyperbass has Bartolini pickups for every string and four Fishman Transducer for the body signals of the instruments.

Apart from the Hyperbass, Manring uses a whole fleet of instruments. A listing at his website gives the following models:

Zon Legacy Elite Special fretless, aka "Bub"

Homemade Jazz Bass-style fretless

Zon Michael Manring Hyperbass

Zon Custom Fretless, aka "Junior" or "Son of Bub"

Larrivee 5-string fretless acoustic bass guitar

MusicMan Stingray fretless

Paroutaud Music Laboratories 5-string fretless ''Infinite Sustain'' prototype

PRS fretless

Riverhead Unicorn fretless

Riverhead Unicorn fretted bass

Zon prototype headless fretted bass, aka "Vinny"

Zon Legacy Elite 6-string fretless

Zon prototype Legacy 10-string bass (5 x 2).

Manring uses several bass amplifiers, among others the ''SWR Mo' Bass'' amp, a multi effect bass amp.

Discography

''collected from and

Original work

1986 ''Unusual Weather'' (Windham Hill)

1989 ''Toward the Center of the Night (Windham Hill)

1991 ''Drastic Measures'' (Windham Hill)

1994 ''Thonk'' (Highstreet)

1995 ''Up Close 21'' (Windham Hill / High Street Records / Boston Acoustic)

1998 ''The Book of Flame'' (Alchemy Records)

2005 ''Soliloquy'' (Manthing Music)

Collaborations

; with Michael Hedges

1981 ''Breakfast in the Field'' (Windham Hill)

1984 ''Aerial Boundaries'' (Windham Hill)

1986 ''Watching My Life Go By'' (Open Air)

1987 ''Live on the Double Planet'' (Windham Hill)

1990 ''Taproot'' (Windham Hill)

1996 ''Oracle'' (Windham Hill)

1999 ''Torched'' (Windham Hill)

2000 ''Michael Hedges – The Best of Michael Hedges'' (Windham Hill)

2001 ''Beyond Boundaries – Guitar Solos'' (Windham Hill)

2003 ''Platinum & Gold Collection'' (RCA Victor)

2006 ''Pure Michael Hedges'' (RCA)

; with Danny Heines

2001 ''What Worlds They Bring'' (Vadadisc)

; with Alex Skolnick

1997 ''The Skol-Patrol'' (Pluto-Bound)

; with Montreux

1985 ''Chiaroscuro'' (Windham Hill)

1987 ''Sign Language'' (Windham Hill)

1989 ''Let Them Say'' (Windham Hill)

; with John Gorka

1991 ''Jack’s Crows'' (High Street)

1992 ''Temporary Road'' (High Street)

1994 ''Out of the Valley'' (High Street)

1996 ''Between Five and Seven'' (High Street)

1998 ''After Yesterday'' (Red House)

2001 ''Company You Keep'' (Red House)

2006 ''Writing in the Margins'' (Red House)

; with Paolo Giordano

1994 ''Paolo Giordano'' (Step Musique/New Sounds)

2000 ''Kid in a Toy Shop'' (Step Musique/New Sounds)

; with Turtle String Island Quartet

1995 ''By the Fireside'' (Windham Hill)

; with Attention Deficit

1998 ''Attention Deficit'' (Magna Carta)

2001 ''The Idiot King'' (Magna Carta)

; with Jeff Loomis

2008 ''Zero Order Phase'' (Century Media)

; with Yo Miles

1998 ''Yo Miles!'' (Shanachie)

2004 ''Sky Garden'' (Cuneiform)

2005 ''Upriver'' (Cuneiform)

; with Sadhappy

1998 ''Good Day Bad Dream'' (Periscope Recordings)

2005 ''Outerspaces'' (Periscope Recordings)

; with Scott McGill und Vic Stevens

2001 ''Addition by Subtraction'' (Free Electric Sound)

2003 ''Controlled by Radar'' (Free Electric Sound)

2006 ''What We Do'' (Free Electric Sound)

; with Larry Kassin und Tom Darter

2001 ''Scatter'' (MKD Music)

; with David Cullen

2001 ''Equilibré'' (Solid Air Records)

; with Human Factor

2002 ''Human Factor'' (Human Factor)

; with At War With Self

2005 ''Torn Between Dimensions'' (Free Electric Sound)

; with DeMania

2006 ''DeMania'' (Tropo Records)

; with Jeff Dodd

2007 ''Falling Awake'' (Aesthetic Records)

; with Jeff Titus

2007 ''Wood Dragon'' (Musician101 Music)

2011 ''What We Don't Know'' (Jeff Titus Music)

; with Jim Matheos

1999 ''Away with Words''

; with Yves Carbonne and Dominique Di Piazza 2005 ''Carbonne - Di Piazza - Manring''

; with Justin King (as King West Manring Vamos)

2008 ''I-XII''

; with Sándor Szabó

2010 ''Inner Smile'' (Indie Europe/Zoom) (ASIN: B0035W8QIS)

Compilations

; Windham Hill compilations

1982 ''An Evening with Windham Hill Live'' (Windham Hill)

1985 ''Windham Hill – Winter '' (Windham Hill)

1985 ''Windham Hill Sampler '86 '' (Windham Hill)

1985 ''Windham Hill Sampler '85'' (Windham Hill)

1986 ''A Winter’s Solstice II'' (Windham Hill)

1989 ''Windham Hill Radio Sampler I'' (Windham Hill)

1990 ''Windham Hill – The First Ten Years '' (Windham Hill)

1990 ''A Winter’s Solstice III '' (Windham Hill)

1990 ''Restore the Shore'' (Windham Hill)

1991 ''Windham Hill Sampler '92 '' (Windham Hill)

1991 ''Windham Hill Guitar Sampler II'' (Windham Hill)

1993 ''A Winter’s Solstice IV'' (Windham Hill)

1995 ''Heal the Bay'' (Windham Hill)

1996 ''Sanctuary – 20 Years of Windham Hill'' (Windham Hill)

1996 ''Redbook Relaxers – Daybreak '' (Windham Hill)

1996 ''Redbook Relaxers – Dreamscape'' (Windham Hill)

1996 ''Carols of Christmas'' (Windham Hill)

1997 ''Summer Solstice – A Windham Hill Collection '' (Windham Hill)

1997 ''Redbook Relaxers – Lullabies '' (Windham Hill)

1997 ''Redbook Relaxers – Dinner Party '' (Windham Hill)

1997 ''Redbook Relaxers – Between Friends '' (Windham Hill)

1997 ''Redbook Relaxers – After Hours '' (Windham Hill)

1997 ''Redbook Relaxers – Piano Reflections '' (Windham Hill)

1998 ''Thanksgiving – A Windham Hill Collection '' (Windham Hill)

1998 ''Yoga Zone – Music for Yoga Practice '' (Windham Hill)

1998 ''Conversations with God II'' (Windham Hill)

1999 ''Sun Dance – Summer Solstice III'' (Windham Hill)

2000 ''Windham Hill Classics – Morning '' (Windham Hill)

2000 ''Windham Hill Classics – Journeys'' (Windham Hill)

2000 ''Windham Hill Classics – Harvest'' (Windham Hill)

2000 ''Windham Hill Classics – Angels'' (Windham Hill)

2000 ''The Mozart Variations'' (Windham Hill)

2002 ''Spirit of Life '' (Windham Hill)

2003 ''Windham Hill Chill II'' (Windham Hill)

2003 ''Prayer – A Windham Hill Collection'' (Windham Hill)

2003 ''Adagio – A Windham Hill Collection'' (Windham Hill)

2003 ''A Winter’s Solstice V'' (Windham Hill)

2003 ''A Windham Hill Wedding Album'' (Windham Hill)

2004 ''Winter Wonderland – A Windham Hill Collection '' (Windham Hill)

2004 ''Lullaby – A Windham Hill Collection '' (Windham Hill)

2005 ''A Quiet Revolution – 30 Years of Windham Hill'' (Windham Hill)

2005 ''Essential Winter’s Solstice '' (Windham Hill)

; BMG compilations

1997 ''Twilight Jazz'' (BMG)

1997 ''Meditation – Revive '' (BMG)

1997 ''Candlelight Moments – Romantic Moments '' (BMG)

1997 ''Candlelight Moments – Meditative Moments '' (BMG)

1998 ''Moonlight Reflections'' (BMG)

1998 ''Quiet Moods – Romantic Reflections '' (BMG)

1998 ''Quiet Moods – Meditative Moments '' (BMG)

2000 ''New Age Christmas'' (BMG)

2000 ''Awake'' (BMG)

2000 ''Yoga – Energy '' (BMG)

2000 ''Yoga – Balance Energy and Strength '' (BMG)

2001 ''Meditation – Relax Restore and Revive '' (BMG)

2002 ''Meditation – Renew '' (BMG)

2002 ''Meditation – Relax '' (BMG)

; other label's compilations

1994 ''We Sing to Open Ears'' (High Street Records)

1996 ''Different Mozart'' (Philips)

1997 ''Heritage'' (Polygram )

1997 ''A Very Green Christmas '' (Seventh Wave)

1999 ''Moonlight Moments '' (Columbia River)

1999 ''Soundscape – New Age Reflections'' (Delta/BMG)

1999 ''Bass Talk, Vol. 6 '' (Hot Wire)

1999 ''Bass Day '98'' (Hudson Music)

2000 ''Dreamscape'' (Delta)

2003 ''Guitar Harvest I'' (Solid Air)

2004 ''Healing Garden – The Art of Relaxation '' (Madacy)

2005 ''Brazil Duets'' (Adventure Music)

2006 "Woodsongs: An Acoustic Guitar Collection" (New Land Music)

2010 "The Quantum Activist Soundtrack" (Bluedot Productions)

DVD, video

1996 ''Bass Essentials'' (Hot Licks)

1998 ''The Artist’s Profile: Michael Manring'' (ecliptic productions)

1998 ''Bass Day '98'' DVD (Hudson Music)

2000 ''Michael Manring: Instructional Bass'' (Video, Hal Leonard)

2009 ''The Quantum Activist'' Documentary Soundtrack (Bluedot Productions)

References

External links

Official Michael Manring website

Ask Steve Lawson and Michael Manring forum at TalkBass.com

Solo Bass Night A recurring Bay Area, California solo bass show featuring Michael Manring

Official Peter Princiotto website

http://www.liraproductions.com/dmg/index.htm - the official DEMANIA site

Bassist Michael Manring, an Interview With Editor Jake Kot

Michael Manring: A Review of the May 2009 Portland OR Concert, 8/01/2009

Michael Manring Interview with Blogger Tommy Landry, 2011

Category:American bass guitarists Category:New Age musicians Category:Chamber jazz bass guitarists Category:Berklee College of Music alumni Category:Living people Category:1960 births Category:Windham Hill Records artists

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