What are the audio details?
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 2-
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 525/
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 to
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 D
