Using MLP Lossless from Dolby Laboratories, DVD-Audio discs can store up to six channels of 24-bit/96 kHz audio, including a separate low-frequency bass channel. Compare that to two channels of 16-bit/44.1 kHz sound from CDs. For stereo buffs, a DVD-Audio disc can alternatively hold two channels of 24-bit/192 kHz audio, for stereo recordings that match or exceed the quality of any music audio format previously available (Fig. 1).
Fig 1: DVD-Audio offers more channels, bandwidth, and dynamic range than CD.
DVD-Audio discs can also add a visual element to your music. The discs can carry picture galleries, lyrics, linear notes, or any combination of still images, animation, and text. Producers and artists can even add audio commentary, like that found on many DVD-Video discs. And, as with DVD-Video, each DVD-Audio disc can also contain full-motion video, with accompanying Dolby Digital sound in up to 5.1 channels (Fig. 2 and Fig 3).
Fig 2: Many discs offer both stereo and surround sound mixes.
Fig 3: Some discs include biographical information, technical notes, etc.
DVD-Audio Is Compatible with Any Audio System
To get the full benefit of DVD-Audio, you'll need a DVD-Audio player, of course, and you'll also need a receiver or a preamp/processor with a six-channel (or 5.1-channel) analog input to accept the six-channel output of the DVD-Audio player.
If you just have a stereo system, you can still get many of the advantages of DVD-Audio. Producers can create a special stereo mix of the 5.1-channel MLP Lossless track, or they can rely on the dynamic downmixing function, which lets producers specify how the existing 5.1-channel mix is downmixed to two channels. The producer can change the downmix from song to song, or even within the same song. You get much better sound than you would from a CD, and you can upgrade to 5.1-channel system when you're ready.
Even if you don't have a DVD-Audio player, you can still listen to most DVD-Audio discs on any DVD-Video player. DVD-Audio discs can include compatibility audio tracks in a "video zone" allowing them to play on a DVD-Video player. These tracks can employ full 5.1-channel Dolby Digital, or stereo PCM audio that sounds as good or better than CDs. This means you can start enjoying your DVD-Audio collection right away, even before you get a DVD-Audio player.
It's Not Just Audio
Most DVD-Audio players can also play DVD-Video discs, so you don't need two separate players. They have Dolby Digital decoders built in too, so you can get full 5.1-channel Dolby Digital sound even if your receiver doesn't have Dolby Digital. All DVD-Audio players also have digital audio outputs for connecting them to Dolby Digital receivers and preamp/processors, and they have the same video outputs that you'll find on a DVD-Video player. And, of course, all DVD-Audio players can play regular CDs too.
How to Connect a DVD-Audio Player to Your System
If you have a receiver or preamp/processor with a six-channel input, just connect the DVD-Audio player's six analog audio outputs to the receiver's six-channel input. Then connect a video cable to your receiver, or straight to your TV if you wish (Fig. 4).
Fig 4: Six-channel audio from DVD-A player to receiver and video to television.
If your current system's not DVD-Audio-ready (i.e., it doesn't have a six-channel input), you can still use your DVD-Audio player just like any other DVD-Video player until you're ready to upgrade. Simply connect a digital audio cable from the DVD-Audio player to your Dolby Digital receiver (if you have a Pro Logic receiver, use two analog audio cables), and run a video line to your receiver or TV set (Fig. 5).
Fig 5: Dolby Digital audio from DVD-A player to receiver and video to television.
If you want to get into DVD-Audio right away but you don't have a surround sound system, just plug it straight into your stereo system until you upgrade. You can even plug a DVD-Audio player straight into any TV that has audio/video inputs.
Fig 6: Two-channel audio from DVD-A player into headphones.
You can also enjoy DVD-Audio sound through headphones. Choose any stereo track or a downmix of the 5.1-channel track. Even better, if you have a receiver or a DVD player that includes Dolby Headphone processing, and your DVD-Audio disc includes Dolby Digital compatibility tracks, you can enjoy the effect of full 5.1-channel sound from any ordinary set of headphones (Fig. 6).
Optimizing the Performance of Your DVD-Audio Player
If your DVD-Audio player offers bass management, you'll need to tell your DVD-Audio player how many speakers you're using, and what size they are, just as you would when setting up a Dolby Digital receiver. The player has an on-screen step-by-step menu to help you (Fig. 7).
Fig 7: DVD-Audio players offer on-screen Bass Management capability.
You'll also need to perform the same setup steps you would with a DVD-Video player: telling the player if your TV has a 4:3 (standard) or 16:9 (widescreen) aspect ratio, and selecting bitstream or PCM output if you're using the player's digital output. (Select the bitstream output if you use the DVD-Audio player's digital output to feed a Dolby Digital receiver.)
Ever wish your home audio system could sound as good as a live musical performance? That it could envelop you in sound the way a concert hall does? That it could sound as forceful as a rock drummer, or as subtle as the whisper of a flautist's breath? Now it can, with DVD-Audio.
DVD-Audio is an advanced resolution, multichannel music format-the most technically sophisticated audio delivery format ever created. It combines DVD technology with MLP Lossless from Dolby Laboratories to give you music with full 5.1-channel surround sound and fidelity that's dramatically better than what you get from a CD.
DVD-Audio with MLP Lossless is truly the ultimate audio format, with the advanced resolution audiophiles demand, and the convenience and compatibility that casual listeners expect. With DVD-Audio, anyone who owns a DVD player can enjoy recorded music that feels better than ever before-with all the dynamics, depth, and power of a live performance.
