Not every team has access to that technology yet. Perhaps in a few years, but it is an unfair advantage at the moment. It's just like the reason for doing video output became standard after 98 - prior to late 99/early 2000, CD-Rs were not standard. They cost upwards of 600 bucks, while a cheap video output card could go for 150.
Not to mention the fact that for chairmans, teams already have to create videos, so that video editing technology is pretty standard for most teams. Granted teams with access to better video output and editing technology had an unfair advantage, but video editing equipment at that time was more standard than CD-Rs.
Another thing to take a look at is the 2001 animation reel. If you watch the interviews, last year they used a complex database for scoring. I would imagine that this year they will be linking the AVI files to the database, making access to each animation and scoring much easier. So rather than create AVI files from tapes, all they have to do is copy them from the CDs. If you sent a DVD with menu features and stuff, they would have to rip it into an AVI, thereby defeating the whole "Burn to CD" requirement.
Besides, who really wants to go through 500+ DVD menus creating 500+ AVI files from them?
Good luck all, and Happy Animating!
-Robby O
FIRSTanimators Moderator
oshortwan@hotmail.com