How do DVD-As sound in Dolby Digital 5.1? (1 Viewer)

[NickSo]

i dont have a DVDa player or SACD Player, so i cant play it in its norma format, but i understand that DVDAs have a standard Dolby Digital 5.1 track in them that can be played in normal DVD players and decoded by normal DD recievers. is this true? or is it just DOlby Digital (like 2.0?)

Also, how do they sound? A gripe of mine with CDs is that they have very weak bass in alot of them, but in some DVDs that contain music, the Audio tracks are AWESOME (The Matrix, Bring it On, Titan AE etc.) with nice bass and audio from the surrounds too. Is this what DVD-A in DD would sound like?

Thanks...

 

[Mikal Haydn]

I have Bjork's Vespertine and as i don't have a DVD-A player i had to listen to the DD track and it IS 5.1. There was no lack of bass and i actually had to turn the volume down slightly.

 

[Wes]

I also do not have a DVD-A player but have started buying DVD-A discs just because of the DD 5.1 and DTS also recorded on the DVD-A titles. I love backward compatible formats!

I have three discs as of now.

Blue Man Group DVD-A: I have only had it for a week or so but I find the DD 5.1 to sound louder and perhaps a little better than the DTS. It might be that just because its recorded louder that I perceive it to sound better I'm not quite sure yet! But the DD is incredible sounding, this DD track rates right up there with the best sounding DVD's to date and the bass is very strong. The recording places you on stage not in the audience.

Corrs "Out of the Blue": Again the DD 5.1 is a cool mix. This is the only option for this other than the DVD-A and the DD 2.0 Music video that is hidden on Title 2. This mix kind of places you up on stage with the group also.

Olivia Newton John: This is a DTS 5.1 with no DD DVD-A disc. It again sounds great but the usage of the center channel for main vocals and the gimmicky back ground singers usage of the surround channels on some tracks are too much for me. But over all it sounds great. This mix places you in the audience but there are some instruments and back ground singers lurking in the fans.

I am the type of listener that wants the mix to place me in the audience and place the main singer in the center of my theater up front (actually in the room) with the instruments spread also across the front stage. I have a feeling this is not the type of mixes we will see with multichannel sound. I think Prologic II will be the best way for me to achieve what I want out of music to be totally honest with you!

Hope this helps!

Wes

 

[NickSo]

Nice, so the majority of DVD-As come with a DD or DTS or both tracks on them... very coool... maybe ill pick up one or two soon...

 

[Seth Paxton]

Yes, Nick, that's been my experience (that they do have a DD 5.1 track or DTS track).
Plus there are so many DTS albums out now to which are not DVD-A obviously.
I have a few DVD-As and JVC DVD-A player going to a Denon 3801. They sound great, but I even enjoyed the DD 5.1 before I got the new player.
But some mixes are better than others. My favorite 5.1 remix comes from a non-DVDA disc though, the 7 Bridges Road remix that is an extra on Hell Freezes Over. Very interesting use of the 5.1 system which sounds great to me.
I've just started getting more into the DVD-A stuff so we will see how it goes after I have time to compare and try some more albums (have 5 right now, I think).

 

[NickSo]

YEah, i know about DTS CDs, but i cant find any of them in stores around my area (futureshop, HMV, Music World)...

DVDAs however i have seen.. I just wish there were more artists, more recent ones putting their music on DVDA... I might wanna check out the Barenaked Ladies one, MAROONED...

 

[Mike Frezon]

I just wish there were more artists, more recent ones putting their music on DVDA... I might wanna check out the Barenaked Ladies one, MAROONED...

Hi Nick! I am in same boat. No DVD-A player, but curious about how the DD 5.1 tracks would sound. I own only two DVD-As because I don't want to start buying music I'm not really interested in just to have the format. The two are:
Marooned - BNL. Awesome mix of the CD. Wish they would release others in the format...especially Gordon. It is true, the mix is all around you...really fills up the room with sound. An incredible experience. To me, it takes the music to the next level (up from stereo). And, speaking of taking the music to the next level.....the other DVD-A I own is...
American Beauty - Grateful Dead. Again, an awesome mix. this one contains a video interview with Mickey hart (who oversaw the re-mix). He admits to the new mix putting the listener "in the band" rather than in the audience. I love it. To have the music all around me is a neat experience. It makes the recording seem more like a "live" experience.
I'm not a Queen fan, but Night At The Opera (when it finally gets released) does seem like an intriguing choice for the format. I, too, wish more albums were being released in the format. Reminds me of the mid-eighties when you were always wondering what would be the next LP to be released on that new format, CD! Selection right now sucks! :frowning:

 

[Paul Boyle]

I agree that in my "pre-DVD-A player" days I thought that

DVD-A could not really improve much on the DD5.1 (or DTS) track but when I did get a DVD-A player I realised that it is so much better (e.g. the placement of the sound to each speaker is much more precise) Hotel California - my most recent purchase - is a classic example of how to do this right. It was no suprise to see the original producer of the album Bill Symzch - sorry if I mispelled that but U know who I mean - was heavily involved in the DVD-A ...

I love buying all the old classics on DVD-A but PLEASE can some current band realise what a market there is for this stuff and get something new released ... Paul