DVD-Audio A Big Hit at CES

Super-quality audio disc format wows CES visitors

27-Jan-04

DVD-Audio, the super-quality audio/video disc thatís fast becoming the latest big thing to rock the world of consumer audio, was a big hit at the recent International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, with a strong presence all over the show. The Dolby booth, which featured a new Acura TL ñ the first of a whole series of production vehicles from several manufacturers to be fitted with DVD-Audio players at the factory ñ and the adjacent Meridian Audio booth, which included an expansive display of titles, players and technology, were popular venues for audio dealers, audio enthusiasts and members of the press. All were eager to find out more about this rapidly-growing format that offers the highest quality surround and stereo music available, along with slide shows, lyrics and music videos ñ all for the price of a CD. In the nearby Alexis Hotel, Mark Waldrep of AIX Records was demonstrating the companyís popular line of new surround-sound performances to packed houses. AIX recordings are dual sided, with both full videos of the performances as well as multiple surround-sound mixes, including on-stage and audience mix selections. And like virtually all DVD-Audio discs, they will play on any system bearing the ëDVDí logo, though they give best sound performance on DVD-Audio/Video players, which include the majority of new DVD players coming on to the market. Meridian developed MLP, a core technology in the DVD-Audio format, and the Meridian display area, crowded with visitors throughout the 4-day event, held pride of place at the heart of the Convention Centerís South Hall. The exhibit was co-sponsored by Panasonic and supported by other members of the DVD-Audio Council (www.dvd-audio.org), the umbrella organization of software and hardware manufacturers formed to help promote the format to the industry and to consumers. The booth featured displays of just a few of the nearly 700 titles now available in the format. Three towering three-sided displays made an impressive scene, including the latest in new releases and remixed catalog titles. Continuous demonstrations on Meridian equipment and Panasonic plasma displays featured the latest DVD-Audio releases from artists such as Santana, Linkin Park, Bjork, Donald Fagen, Shania Twain, Gordon Goodwinís Big Phat Band, and Sting, as well as world-class classical material, with every musical genre well-represented. All the major record companies bar one, and a significant number of smaller labels, are backing the format for its superb quality (the PCM digital audio technology used is preferred by engineers and producers, as it is identical to that employed in the studio, providing a direct link from the artist to listeners at home) as well as DVD-Audioís ability to include video, still images and text in addition to its robust content protection. The DVD-Audio display, backed by a huge archway in the shape of a silver disc, also included examples of the over 160 different models of DVD-Audio player currently on the market, from Panasonic, Yamaha, Pioneer, Denon and more than 30 other manufacturers, with prices ranging from $90 to $20,000. Over ten million stand-alone DVD-Audio players have been sold to date, plus two million PC-based players such as the Creative Labs Audigy 2 sound card and InterVideoís WinDVD software player, both of which were also featured at the booth. The over 12 million players already in the market outstrip the sales of competing audio formats by a dozen times. Alongside, a display of DVD-Audio authoring software, which allows musicians to create their own DVD-Audio disks for as little as $99, was provided by Minnetonka Software Inc. ìIt was an excellent show both for Meridian and for DVD-Audio,î said Richard Elen, Meridianís Creative Services director, who coordinated the companyís DVD-A display. ìWe were thrilled by the enormous level of interest in the DVD-Audio exhibit. There was a constant stream of visitors, and it was evident that the format is already well-known and accepted as the natural successor to the Compact Disc,î he said. ìMany visitors were eager to buy titles to add to their collections.î Elen noted that on-line sources now carried an excellent range of titles ñ a list is available at www.dvd-audio.org ñ while regular record dealers were also stocking a rapidly increasing selection. A Tower Records outlet in Vegas visited during the show, for example, included several browsers full of DVD-Audio disks, where a year ago they would have been hard to find ñ and the number of available titles has grown significantly over the past year. ìDVD-Audio is a true super-quality multimedia format,î Elen said, ìwith the highest quality stereo and surround sound available, plus slide shows, lyrics, and music videos, along with the kind of extras weíre used to seeing on regular DVD-Video, like ëmaking ofí documentaries and interviews,î he said. ìThereís no doubt about it ñ the DVD-Audio format has arrived,î he concluded. 

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http://www.dvd-audio.org