Final DVD audio specs due in June

Television Digest with Consumer Electronics, March 16, 1998

So said representatives last week of 6 companies supporting DVD Audio specs being finalized by Working Group-4 (WG-4) of DVD Forum, who said there's potential to sell 1.5 million DVD Audio players next year. Total represents 4% of CEMA-forecast 34.3 million CD players to be shipped in 1999. Projection doesn't include additional shipments of 10 million DVD Video players and DVD-ROM drives expected next year, 50% with DVD Audio capability.

Group of 6 companies consists of JVC, Panasonic, Pioneer, Samsung, Toshiba, Warner Music. They didn't project number of DVD Audio discs that could be sold next year. Group doesn't include WG-4 members Phillips and Sony, which are supporting alternative Direct Stream Digital (DSD)-based Super Audio CD system as extension of existing Redbook audio CD.

Although it's assumed that virtually all DVD Audio players will be capable of playing Redbook CDs, new DVD Audio music discs won't be playable in existing universe of CD players. Philips and Sony advocate "hybrid" disc containing one DSD high-density layer playable on new Super Audio CD hardware, while old CD players would play other Redbook layer. Despite their denials, Warner and others in rival camp argue that feasibility of hybrid disc production has yet to be proved. Until hybrid disc replication can be made viable, they say, DVD Audio players will support separate inventories of DVD Audio and Redbook music discs.

Warner Music Senior Vp-Technology Jordan Rost suggested that arguments waged on evils of carrying dual software inventories are "specious," particularly in fledgling period of new technology launches such as DVD Audio. Assuming conservatively that hybrid disc can be made for only $1 more than existing CD, Rost suggested it's unfair to charge CD consumers $1 premium for DVD Audio feature that 90% of shoppers won't have in fledgling year. Riskier alternative is eating extra $1 cost, he said: "What company spends a lot of money, buys a lot of new equipment, has more expensive manufacturing and charges the same as the old product?"

Group held demonstrations last week at Warner Music N.Y.C. hq using actual prototype players. Diversity of clips was intended to show flexibility of open system for 2-channel and multichannel audio and wide variety of sampling frequencies and word lengths, from 16 bit/48 kHz 6-channel selection to 24 bit/192 kHz stereo demonstration by Samsung. Companies said open system will support whatever "options" individual hardware manufacturers want to build into players, much as Redbook audio CD capability is built into DVD players at discretion of individual brands. They said open spec gives hardware company technical freedom to build DSD capability into DVD Audio player, assuming Philips and Sony will license it to do so. But they haven't indicated their licensing intentions, said Rost and Robert Finger, asst. gen. mgr., Matsushita Technology Development Center. Philips and Sony are expected to reveal specific Super Audio CD licensing terms at Tokyo meeting March 19.

Companies demonstrated "fold-down" control that would be embedded in disc drive operational switch between multichannel and 2-channel playback. Producer studio is "creatively obligated" to engineer either WG-4 specific 2-channel fold-down or its own discrete 2-channel mix. If user has selected "2-channel preference" on player, then system's "intelligent defaults" select 2nd option if there, first if it isn't. Two-channel preference is user-selectable from hardware menu; if not selected, player operates in multichannel mode. Using related "smart content" function, producer could program in parameters for "live hall" acoustics and other ambient effects. Fold-down controls were developed by Warner engineers with help of other WG-4 companies, but Warner representatives said it's premature to discuss patent or royalty implications.

"Digital interactive content" feature was demonstrated for value-added text, artist photos, display of lyrics. User could scroll through those to advance to that part of track, then repeat phrases. Feature also could accommodate "hidden" bonus track, using on-screen quiz to access it. Rost said that during 2 years of development, developers received many requests from music industry on building enhanced features into system - including some trivial ones that died. "Sophisticated" navigation would include Web site links for constantly updated artists tour schedules - primary use for playback in DVD-ROM drives of PCs.

Copy protection isn't in place yet. Solution won't be contained in Version 1.0 book, but will be modeled on work of multi-industry Copy Protection Technical Working Group.

Current DVD-Video players "functionally" could support DVD Audio now, Finger said, but not multichannel capabilities built into DVD Audio specs. Data transfer rate for DVD Audio was upgraded to 9.6 Mbps from 6.4 for DVD Video soundtrack. New system technically isn't capable of full 6 channels of 24 bit/96 kHz audio because it would operate at 10.1 Mbps data rate, exceeding 9.6 Mbps maximum, Finger said. Alternative is full 24 bit/96 kHz on 3 channels, 24 bit/48 kHz on remaining channels. He said it's doubtful whether maximum bandwidth would be needed on rear channels anyway.