What are the audio details?

When DVD was first released in 1996 there was no defined DVD-Audio format, although the audio capabilities of the DVD-Video format far surpass CD-ROM. The DVD-Audio 1.0 specification has been finalized and will be released in October of 1998. [3.6.1] DVD-Audio details LPCM is mandatory, with up to 6 channels at sample rates of 48/96/192 kHz (also 44.1/88.2/176.4 kHz) and sample sizes of 16/20/24 bits. This allows theoretical frequency response of up to 96 kHz and dynamic range of up to 144 dB. Multichannel PCM will be downmixable by the player, although at 192 and 176.4 kHz only two channels are available. The maximum data rate is 9.6 Mbps. The WG4 decided to include lossless compression (it's about time!), and on August 5, 1998 approved Meridian's MLP (Meridian Lossless Packing) scheme, already licensed by Dolby. MLP will allow playing times of about 74 to 135 minutes of 6-channel 96kHz/24-bit audio on a single layer (compared to 45 minutes without packing). Two-channel 192kHz/24- ...  more

The DVD-Audio format is not yet specified. The following details are for audio tracks on DVD-Video. Some DVD manufacturers such as Pioneer are developing audio-only players using the DVD-Video format. A disc can have up to 8 audio tracks (streams). Each track can be in one of three formats: • Dolby Digital (AC-3): 1 to 5.1 channels • MPEG-2 audio: 1 to 5.1 or 7.1 channels • PCM: 1 to 8 channels. Two additional optional formats are supported: DTS and SDDS. Both require external decoders. The ".1" refers to a low-frequency effects (LFE) channel that connects to a subwoofer. All five audio formats support karaoke mode, which has two channels for stereo (L and R) plus an optional melody channel (M) and two optional vocal channels (V1 and V2). Discs containing 525/60 (NTSC) video must use PCM or Dolby Digital on at least one track. Discs containing 625/50 (PAL) video must use PCM or MPEG-2 audio on at least one track. Additional tracks may be in any format. Many MPEG-2 discs include Dolby ...  more

DVD comes in two home-entertainment flavors: DVD-Video and DVD-Audio. Each supports high-definition multichannel audio, but DVD-Audio includes higher-quality PCM audio. [3.6.1] Details of DVD-Audio and SACD LPCM is mandatory in DVD-Audio discs, with up to 6 channels at sample rates of 48/96/192 kHz (also 44.1/88.2/176.4 kHz) and sample sizes of 16/20/24 bits. This allows theoretical frequency response of up to 96 kHz and dynamic range of up to 144 dB. Multichannel PCM is downmixable by the player, although at 192 and 176.4 kHz only two channels are available. Sampling rates and sizes can vary for different channels by using a predefined set of groups. The maximum data rate is 9.6 Mbps. The DVD Forum's Working Group for audio (WG4) decided to include lossless compression, and on August 5, 1998 approved Meridian 's MLP (Meridian Lossless Packing) scheme, licensed by Dolby. MLP removes redundancy from the signal to achieve a compression ratio of about 2:1 while allowing the PCM signal ...  more

The DVD-Audio format is not yet specified. The International Steering Committee announced it expects to have a final draft specification by December 1997. This means DVD-Audio products may show up around 1999. The following details are for audio tracks on DVD-Video. Some DVD manufacturers such as Pioneer are developing audio-only players using the DVD-Video format. A disc can have up to 8 audio tracks (streams). Each track can be in one of three formats: • Dolby Digital (formerly AC-3): 1 to 5.1 channels • MPEG-2 audio: 1 to 5.1 or 7.1 channels • PCM: 1 to 8 channels. Two additional optional formats are supported: DTS and SDDS. Both require external decoders. The ".1" refers to a low-frequency effects (LFE) channel that connects to a subwoofer. This channel carries an emphasized bass audio signal. All five audio formats support karaoke mode, which has two channels for stereo (L and R) plus an optional melody channel (M) and two optional vocal channels (V1 and V2). Discs containing ...  more

The DVD-Audio format is not yet specified. These details are for audio tracks on DVD-Video. A disc can have up to 8 audio tracks (streams). Each track can be in one of three formats: - Dolby Digital (AC-3): 1 to 5.1 channels - MPEG-2 audio: 1 to 7.1 channels - LPCM: 1 to 8 channels. This is extensible in the future to other formats such as DTS or Sony SDDS/DSD. The ".1" refers to a low-frequency effects (LFE) channel that connects to a subwoofer. All three audio formats support karaoke mode, which has two channels for stereo (L and R) plus an optional melody channel (M) and two optional vocal channels (V1 and V2). Discs containing 525/60 (NTSC) video must use LPCM or Dolby Digital on at least one track. Discs containing 625/50 (PAL) video must use LPCM or MPEG-2 audio on at least one track. Additional tracks may be in any format. For stereo output, all players will do a downmix from 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound (if present) to Dolby Pro Logic stereo. Both Dolby Digital and MPEG support ...  more

There are two home-entertainment flavors of DVD: DVD-Video and DVD-Audio. Each supports high-definition multichannel audio. DVD-Audio includes higher-quality PCM audio. [3.6.1] DVD-Audio details LPCM is mandatory, with up to 6 channels at sample rates of 48/96/192 kHz (also 44.1/88.2/176.4 kHz) and sample sizes of 16/20/24 bits. This allows theoretical frequency response of up to 96 kHz and dynamic range of up to 144 dB. Multichannel PCM is downmixable by the player, although at 192 and 176.4 kHz only two channels are available. Sampling rates and sizes can vary for different channels by using a predefined set of groups. The maximum data rate is 9.6 Mbps. The WG4 decided to include lossless compression (it's about time!), and on August 5, 1998 approved Meridian's MLP (Meridian Lossless Packing) scheme, already licensed by Dolby. MLP removes redundancy from the signal to achieve a compression ratio of about 2:1 while allowing the PCM signal to be completely recreated by the MLP ...  more

• [3.6.1] Details of DVD-Audio and SACD • [3.6.2] Audio details of DVD-Video  more

DVD comes in two home-entertainment flavors: DVD-Video and DVD-Audio. Each supports high-definition multichannel audio, but DVD-Audio includes higher-quality PCM audio.  more

There are two home-entertainment flavors of DVD: DVD-Video and DVD-Audio. Each supports high-definition multichannel audio. DVD-Audio includes higher-quality PCM audio.  more

The DVD-Audio format is not yet specified. The January 1998 WG4 draft indicates that LPCM will be mandatory, with up to 8 channels at sample rates of 48/96/192 kHz (also 44.1/88.2/176.4 kHz) and sample sizes of 16/20/24 bits. Multichannel PCM will be downmixable by the player. All other audio formats of DVD-Video (described below) will be optional. Sony and Philips are promoting a competing format based on DSD. See 1.12 for more info. The following details are for audio tracks on DVD-Video. Some DVD manufacturers such as Pioneer are developing audio-only players using the DVD-Video format. A disc can have up to 8 audio tracks (streams). Each track can be in one of three formats: • Dolby Digital (formerly AC-3): 1 to 5.1 channels • MPEG-2 audio: 1 to 5.1 or 7.1 channel • PCM: 1 to 8 channels. Two additional optional formats are provided: DTS and SDDS. Both require external decoders and are not supported by all players. The ".  more