Frank's Notes Editorial - DVD-Audio Quality Sound on Your Current Player Today!

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Site created 12/15/97.

page created: 10/6/99

DVD-Audio Quality
Sound on Your Current Player Today!

Hello all, and welcome to another area with thoughts and notes from The Digital Bits. I first must thank Bill for welcoming me, and allowing me to be a part of such a first-rate DVD website. I believe The Digital Bits is the best online. I know many folks check up on the site daily, or periodically to find out the latest DVD industry news, reviews, opinions, rumors and more. I have looked forward to reading this site every day for quite some time now, even before I knew much about Bill. Bill, Todd and Sarah have done a wonderful job at keeping us informed and they have managed to keep it fun as well.

So now my notes are now here for you too. I'm a musician who has been involved in many facets of the music industry. Being familiar with various high-end recording technologies is nice, but I really want to see and hear that same quality on store shelves for the music fans. The fans are the crux of the entertainment industry, and it's only fitting that they should have the opportunity to experience the best picture and sound quality at home. This is where my interest in DVD grew. DVD can not only offer clear and brilliant video for home entertainment, and larger, faster storage capacity for computers, but also astounding full-sounding audio.

Recorded audio can now be much cleaner and true. PCM technology offers more than twice the amplitude (or volume) of standard CD recordings, while also offering six discreet audio channels, which add more dynamics and realism to sound. It is now completely possible for you to enjoy recorded music, by simply closing your eyes and feeling like you're a part of the sound that surrounds you.

Recorded music has had many technological advancements, and DVD-Audio is definitely the next good thing to hit the masses. Unfortunately, there are always some innovative (might I say greedy) plans to offer "alternatives" or "options" to the consumer (and at this point, in comes Sony and Phillips). Now this is not going to be my DVD-Audio vs. SACD article yet, so all I will say is, "NO SACD! YES DVD-AUDIO!"

Soon, you will be able to listen to the standardized spec 1.0 on DVD-Audio for yourself. Until then, let me give you this tidbit of information you may or may not have: you can listen to excellent DVD-Audio quality sound right now, through the DVD video player you already own. There are two companies that are creating and selling 96/24 (96kHz sampling with 24 bit depth analog to digital conversion) music only DVD's. Those two labels are Chesky Records (at www.chesky.com) and Classic Records (at www.classicrecs.com). Note that Chesky refers to its 96/24 products as DVD Super Audio recordings (some with full-motion video as well), while Classic Records calls them D.A.D. recordings.

For those of you that already know about these discs, then you know how great they sound. I've heard music from both labels. Technically, we will not be able to play the new DVD-Audio (specification 1.0 certified) products on our current DVD players. These two companies have seen (or shall I say heard) the need for the superb audio quality that DVD can offer, and have gone ahead of the game, and produced some fantastic products that you should all be able to use today. The selection is a bit limited, but if you are a fan of good blues, jazz or cool mellow tunes, then you're in luck. The Chesky site gives the option for you to listen to some of their music via Real Audio and Windows Media Player, so you can see if any of the music is a style you like. I can't say for sure that these discs (from Classic or Chesky) can be played on ALL current players, so beware - there may be some minor technical difficulties from player to player. I do believe that the majority of players should handle them okay, but as one of the sites does have a list of compatible players, you would do well to check with them before ordering (and be mindful of their return policy).

In the upcoming weeks, I want to give you more information (and my own experience) in comparing the same music on regular CD and 96/24 DVD. For now, there are at last some opportunities for you to find out for yourself what the hoopla is all about. And none too soon - Panasonic/Technics has delayed the release of their first two DVD-Audio players from this October to early 2000 (if you are interested, Panasonic does a good job at explaining some benefits of DVD-Audio and comparisons to CD on their website). So these new 96/24 discs are just what the doctor ordered.

The actual spec that the DVD Forum approved, includes an even higher sampling rate: 192 kHz. I am expecting DVD-Audio to meet much of the hype by the time we see it on the shelves. However, there are still some hurdles along the way - some for which I'm anxiously awaiting solutions.

I want to thank all of you, who have sent me encouragement, review requests and "atta-boy" e-mails, regarding some of the DVD reviews I have completed. Please don't hesitate to let me know what your thoughts are on DVD-Audio or music on DVD in general. If you have any questions or comments, I welcome them too. Like most writers, my notes are strongly based on my opinions, but I don't mind hearing yours too.

DVD-Video is changing the way we watch movies at home, but DVD-Audio has yet to make its mark. I do believe that when true DVD-Audio finally hits, it will seriously change the music industry, slowly but surely. It's all a matter of time.

Regards,

Frank Ortiz
fortiz@thedigitalbits.com

Chesky's 96/24 sampler disc, and the
96/24 Glory Soundtrack available from Classic Records.

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