DVD-Audio Copy Protection Schemes Threaten DVD-Video Compatibility

While the DVD Forumís Working Group 4 excluded such lossy compression algorithms as DTS Digital Surround and Dolby Digital in developing Version 1.0 of the DVD-Audio standard, both Dolby and DTS will be able to be written in the ìvideoî portion of a DVD-Audio disc, for playback on DVD-Video players and the ìuniversalî audio/video players of the future (see Widescreen Review Issue 29). (Even though the WG-4 stated last March that Dolby Digtial and DTS Digital Surround, and Sonyís Direct Stream Digital would indeed be included in Version 1.0 as ìoptionalî audio algorithms in the DVD-Audio standard besides the ìvideoî portion of the disc.) Version 1.0 deals solely with ìtransparentî audio carriers, namely PCM and Meridian Lossless Packing (MLP), a lossless compression algorithm that will enable 96kHz/24-bit multichannel sound to fit on a 4.7GB DVD-Audio disc.But now there is a concern that the present DVD-Video install base may not be able to even play the ìvideoî portion of a DVD-Audio disc, because of the new copy protection schemes DVD-Audio will implement. When asked if DVD-Audioís copy protection measures would prohibit a DVD-Audio discís playback on existing DVD-Video players, WG-4 spokesman Robert Finger, who represents Matsushita Electric Corporation (Panasonic), stated that he could not say, as the working group still does not know exactly what copy protection the format will embody.