Because the most immediately impressive advances in digital video technology have been in the fields of sound and vision, movies have quickly become the prime beneficiary of the fledgling DVD format. But DVD, given enough attention, can be more than just a replacement for videotapes and laserdiscs. The format's generally untapped versatility—the "DVD" does stand for Digital Versatile Disc, after all—enables an impressive number of new and novel functions to be explored. Each disc can hold several hours of material, so several short features, each boasting alternate audio tracks and camera angles, can be squeezed onto one bargain-priced disc. Short Cinema Journal and Circuit are two ambitious outlets designed to showcase DVD's potential to move beyond films. Billed as DVD magazines, both Short and Circuit collect a variety of subjects for casual and curious perusal. Short is the better and more established of the two: Now on its fourth "issue," it collects short films linked thematically, with the new issue focusing on "Seduction." The selections are appropriately eclectic, with animation, music videos, short movies, and so on. Nothing on Short overstays its welcome, and clips such as the animation-festival favorite "Lily And Jim" and the touching Norwegian love story "Kom"—with inexplicable commentary from performance artist and porn star Annie Sprinkle—are pleasant enough. Perhaps because of its more glamorous subject matter, the first issue of Circuit, a music magazine, rarely rises above the pure publicity purposes of the dreaded video press kit. Interviews with Beck and R.E.M. are short and not very incisive, the kind of stuff that could have been lifted right out of MTV News. More interesting is the animated video for Liquid Liquid's resurrected classic "Cavern," complete with separate audio commentary by the band's Richard McGuire, and a segment dedicated to the soundtrack to Velvet Goldmine features some nice bits with soundtrack coordinator Paul Kimble and former Stooges guitarist Ron Ashton. Also included is a bit from the Guided By Voices documentary Watch Me Jumpstart and four different versions of The Cardigans' "My Favourite Game" video, as well as features on Cake and live footage from Grant Lee Buffalo. Not surprisingly, both Circuit and Short sneak in a few BMW ads—featuring great sound and picture!—but they're a whole lot more palatable than the average magazine insert or perfume ad.