DVD-A7: A brand new digital audio format is about to descend on the masses, and it comes in the form of the new "DVD-Audio", or "DVD-A" standard.
DVD-Audio Come Home via Panasonic's DVD-A7 Player
To put it succinctly, new DVD-A discs are encoded with up to six channels of surround sound music, but do not necessarily include any sort of video display. Instead of a movie, new DVD-A discs are intended to eventually replace the aging CD format.
Panasonic displayed their first DVD-A player at CES, which has just recently become available from the company at the retail level.
The DVD-A7 offers up to a 192kHz-sampling rate when used in normal two channel stereo mode, and up to a 96kHz-sampling rate when used in multi-channel surround sound mode. The DVD-A7's dynamic range checks in at 144dB (versus a normal CD player's lower 96dB rating) and the player offers built in Dolby Digital 5.1/DTS decoders.
DVD Audio Playback Time
Even though DVD-A discs might not contain any video, Panasonic's DVD-A7 player is fully capable of playing both regular audio CDs and normal DVD movies, which eliminates the need for a separate DVD-A player AND a standard DVD player.
For an estimated MSRP of $999 the DVD-A7 brings multiple DVD format support to the home.
Sharky Extreme Opinion: What DVD movies brought to consumers in terms of overall quality improvements versus VHS tape, DVD-A discs improve upon standard CD audio to a similar degree.
It's going to be awhile before we see Mariah Carey or The Backstreet Boy's newest CD on a DVD-A disc however, and the pricing on these surround sound DVD-A version discs has yet to be disclosed.
Worse still, the multi-channel surround sound support at the disc level is not guaranteed, meaning that a Mariah Carey DVD-A disc doesn't have to support Dolby Digital 5.1 or DTS surround sound out of the box. These more limited discs will only be playable in the traditional two-channel stereo mode and should be in the minority.
It's nice to see the evolution of digital audio music becoming clear, and surround sound audio is never a bad thing, whether it's applied to movie soundtracks or Top 40 music artists. It will be interesting to see how the music industry's top producers showcase their artist's musical talents via the flexibility of Dolby Digital 5.1/DTS Surround Sound.