News

One of the great things about the DVD-Audio format is the sheer flexibility built into the standard: two-channel or multichannel (mixed for four, five, or six speakers), multiple resolutions, multiple encode/decode choices (MLP, Dolby Digital, DTS, PCM), and an assortment of special features, including video.

But that very panoply of playback options can easily confuse customers about what any specific disc might offer. Home-theater fans know all too well that there is no labeling consistency concerning widescreen formatting or even the type of surround-encoding on a disc.

If DTS Entertainment has its way, DVD-A fans will not have to endure a similar fate. The licenser, producer, and marketer of DVD-Audio and 5.1 Music Discs has announced the debut of the first DVD-A discs sporting an "Info Grid" intended to identify the special features authored into a DVD-A title.

The first DVD-A to feature the new labeling (pictured below) will be Sheila Nicholls' 2002 album Wake, slated for a November 5 release date. In direct response to the growing demand for a simple way to determine which features and technical specifications a DVD-A title possesses, DTS plans to have the Info Grid printed on the back cover of all future releases.

DTS says that each grid identifies the audio formats available on a disc, as well as the sample rates and bit depths for each format. The Info Grid should also clarify player-compatibility for each audio track, in addition to listing the extra features offered on each title. A DTS spokesperson adds, "This newly designed Info Grid organizes all of the pertinent data into an instantly accessible reference chart."