DVD-Audio News : Jan - Nov 2003.    2001    2002    CURRENT
November 4th, 2003
Cambridge Soundworks today launched a quartet of HTiB systems based around the AVS550
"DVD/Console" (their words) which includes DVD-Audio Playback, Dolby Pro Logic II Decoding,
Universal Learning Remote Control and 2 S-Video inputs among its features while providing 60 W per
channel for main L + R, rear L + R and center speakers. All four systems also feature the 150 W
BC851 subwoofer. What differentiates the four systems from each other is the speaker package
included with each model.
MegaTheater 505 : US $549.99 : 5 x MC50 speakers:
MegaTheater 510 : US $749.99 : 4 x MC100 speakers & 1 x MC150 speaker
MegaTheater 520 : US $949.99 : 2 x MC200 speakers : 1 x MC300 speaker : 2 x S200 speakers.
MegaTheater 530 : US $1,149.99 : 3 x MC300 speakers : 2 x S300 speakers.
(Both S200 and S300 rear speakers can be switched between Dipole mode (provides a diffuse
dispersion and is favored for Dolby Surround® recordings.) Bipole mode (retains the broad dispersion
of the Dipole mode, but adds a center focus for synthesized surround applications (e.g. DSP "hall" or
"stadium" modes) and many Dolby Digital® recordings) and Direct (monopole) mode for programs
featuring a larger amount of complex rear channel sound such as DVD-A, DTS and Dolby Digital®
recordings.)
Cambridge Soundworks

November 4th, 2003
As you may have noticed it has been quite some time since our last news update. This has been
due to me being very tight on time recently rather than by a great dearth of DVD-Audio news.
Recent snippets that we failed to bring you include the statement from The DVD-Audio Marketing
Council saying it's members would release almost 70 titles between then before the years end.

The 2004 Acura TL has featured in many publications in recent weeks with much being made of it
being the first standard production model to include a DVD-A compatible system (will not play DVD-V!)

Also widely mentioned has been the ongoing CD/DVD-A Flipper/Hybrid saga. Will they play in my
machines or not? Are they too thick? Apparently the DVD FORUM is currently against them but
WARNER may release them anyway or maybe they will choose the "DVD-A + CD" two disc package
they are using for the upcoming Flaming Lips title.
Like every aspect of the DVD-Audio format so far this "Hybrid" episode has dragged on and it's
resolution (sorry!) looks far off.
Personally if I wanted a CD I would buy one! I do not recall LPs or Cassettes being bundled with CDs
in the early days of that format.
If DVD-A had been properly handled from day one I believe it could be in a much better state than it is
now. I feel a rant coming on so I will stop before I start. Yes things have improving slowly but it has
been akin to pulling teeth. It will be interesting (or will it??) to see what happens in the coming months.

October 17th, 2003
HODIE will release their eighth DVD-Audio title on November 17th, 2003. The double sided disc
features The Europa Philharmonia under the baton of Maximianno Cobra performing his interpretation
of Beethoven's Symphony No.5, Op 67.

September 23rd, 2003
Today saw the release of the first six DVD-Audio titles from Universal. Sting, Marvin Gaye, Sheryl
Crow, Diana Krall, Vince Gill and Dave Grusin are the artists featured and all six titles have already
been released on SACD. It should be noted that that a wide variety of Sampling Rate / Bit Depth
combinations are on these titles. Several have 44.1Khz stereo or surround versions at 24 bit resolution
but the stereo version on Sheryl Crows "The Globe Sessions" is CD quality 44.1kHz / 16 bit.
This is odd as the surround content on this title is 96/24. The Marvin Gaye, Dave Grusin and Diana
Krall discs all have 44.1kHz /24bit surround and 96/24 stereo. Stings "Brand New Day" has
48kHz/24bit surround with 44.1kHz/24bit stereo the Vince Gill "High Lonesome Road" raises the bar a
little bit having 88.2kHz/24bit stereo and surround versions. UMG DVD-A

Also arriving on shelves today were five Silverline titles. Discs from 10CC, Pat Travers and David
Crosby, appeared unexpectedly today having had a number of date changes recently. All three are
from Silverlines ongoing "From The Front Row Live!" series as is the Robert Gordon disc that also
shipped today. The fifth title from Silverline today is the second DVD-A release from The Big Phat
Band. Gordin Goodwins 18 piece Big Band includes the likes of Eric Marienthal, Eddie Daniels,
Michael Brecker and Peter Erskine. Take 6, Johnny Mathis make guest appearances.

September 20th, 2003
MTV.COM recently carried a news piece on a DVD-A version of "Stankonia" (2000) from Atlanta Hip-
Hop duo OUTKAST. Some time in November is the best guess so far.


September 20th, 2003
Damn that blasted (sorry!) Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 NX USB external soundcard. It is now
featured on the Creative U.S. site and my fears have been confirmed! It does not support 192/24 stereo
DVD-A playback. Looks like I will be waiting for the V2 NX. Still it is the first device of its kind so
192/24 support should not be too far away. If you do fancy giving one a whirl do check the system
requirements first. You may need to upgrade quite a bit!!! For example  :
"USB 2.0 audio support is required for 24-bit/96kHz Multi-channel playback, and simultaneous
playback and recording. USB 2.0 is only supported in Windows XP and requires online software
update from Microsoft and Soundblaster.com when available" (Product spec page)


September 16th, 2003
Would you believe it? The "missing in action" Megadeth "Peace Sells...But Who's Buying?" is coming
on October 14th!  Two more new DTS titles are also due on that date namely, Everclear : "So Much
For The Afterglow" and Medeski Martin & Wood : "Uninvisible".

Another long awaited disc is set to hit shelves on October 28th. Yes it's true!   Jackson Browne :
" Running On Empty" is finally going to see the light of day. Also due on the 28th is Mike Oldfields
newly recorded "Tubular Bells 2003" as well as a treat for Rat Pack fans in the shape of "Live And
Swingin' : The Rat Pack Live At The Villa Venice", a 1962 recording made at the Villa Venice nightclub
in Chicago

September 16th, 2003
Sonic Solutions announced an updated version of their "DVD-Audio Creator" software yesterday at the
2003 International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) in Amsterdam.
According to the press release,
"New in DVD-Audio Creator

Newly combined authoring and command edit UI provides for streamlined production and eliminates
extra compiling tasks

Template-based authoring allows for faster turn-around on similar titles

Expanded support for PGC Block titles designed to provide music producers with more title design
flexibility by allowing multi-channel and stereo audio streams to be placed within the same PGC"

And their reason for the new version?
"The demand for DVD-Audio titles is increasing, and our DVD-Audio Creator systems are designed to
keep pace with the exciting and rapidly evolving high-definition audio market," said Dietrick Hardwick,
Product Manager for Sonic's Professional Products Group. "Our new software is designed to deliver
dramatically increased throughput and the comprehensive high-density audio creation capabilities our
customers demand."
Businesswire Press Release

September 15th, 2003
I know I have been banging on a bit about the new line of Creative PC DVD-A products. Well sorry but
here I go again! A press release today confirmed the U.S. launch of the "Audigy 2 NX" USB 2.0 external sound card later this month with an mrsp of $129.99.
Details of the FireWire equipped "Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro" (what a handle!) PCI solution with external i/o box are now available on the U.S. Sound Blaster site.

September 13th, 2003
AIX have added four upcoming titles to their Homepage along with further details on the Jennifer
Warnes recording (post below dated July 26th) that AIX mainman Dr Mark Waldrep has been very
enthusiastic about.
The four new additions are due in 2003, (dates tbc) are
Grant Geissman : There and Back Again.
The AIX All Stars : Surrounded by Christmas. (link on AIX page not working)
The Steve Huffsteter Big Band : Gathered Around.
Jonathan McEuen : One Step Ahead. (link on AIX page not working)

The AIX "Catalog" page lists five more recordings due for release in 2004.
Paul Williams : A Songwriter.
Keaton Simons.
Steve Pierson and Blueshead.
The Concord Ensemble : 6.
Brahms Clarinet Quintet : Ives Quartet.
AIX now have an impressive 27 titles available with eleven upcoming (six of which you can preorder)
AIX

September 12th, 2003
On Sept 3rd I posted a piece on some new Audigy 2 models from Creative including the Audigy 2 NX.
Well the NX is now official and is set to arrive around the end of this month. According to the Creative
press release it supports "DVD-Audio in 2.1 and 5.1 channels", "7.1 surround sound" with "support for
Dolby Digital® EX and EAX® ADVANCED HD"
The Audigy 2 NX is a bit of a departure for the company. Unlike all preceding Audigy 2 soundcards it
is Laptop/Notebook friendly. The Audigy 2 NX uses USB and bar a single USB cable between the unit
and the computer connectivity is on the NX including optical S/PDIF in/out, coaxial S/PDIF out, mic in,
line in and headphone out.
At this point I cannot say for sure that the unit has 5.1 (or indeed 7.1) analogue outs. This is not
mentioned in the release and I cannot find a picture of the rear of the unit. But I will let you know for
sure as soon as I find out. I would hope that it does have 5.1 analogue outputs although I can think of
at least one recent "hardware" DVD-A player that has Stereo Analogue Outs only( Why is this???).
Dammit, just found a page with a better picture, now I would be inclined to say it has 5.1 analogue
outs.
Pricewise the NX has already come down almost $21. On the 3rd it was $150, on Yahoo Singapore
yesterday it was going to cost US$129.99($116, £81) retail, today I saw it on a German site on
preorder for € 119 ($133, £83) and its GB£99.99 ($158, €141) price is mentioned on PC Pro.
Apparently this is one of the first of a large number of new products (up to 90 apparently!) aimed at the
portable user. This should mean more USB and probably FireWire audio interfaces too.
Products of this nature while primarily aimed at the mobile user will I believe find favor with large
numbers of desktop users due to their simple connection to the computer, D-A and A-D conversion is
not carried out in the computer, there is no PC surgery required and USB 2.0 and FireWire both offer
excellent bandwidth rates.
Creative Press Release

September 12th, 2003
Universal Music have posted dates for four more DVD-A titles on their "New Formats : DVD-A" page.
The four new titles are due for release on November 11th.
1 :Riccardo Chailly : Mahler : 8th Symphony : Decca. (48/24 stereo & surround)
2 :Claudio Abbado : Beethoven : Symphonies 1, 2 : Deutsche Grammophon. (96/24 stereo & surround)
3 :Valery Gergiev : Tchaikovsky : 6th Symphony : Philips. (44.1/20 stereo & surround (This will certainly raise a few eyebrows!!!))
4 :Diana Krall :When I Look In Your Eyes : Impulse. (96/24 stereo & surround)
These additions bring the number of Universal DVD-A titles with confirmed release dates to 15.
12 further titles are still listed as "Coming Soon". These include The Who : Tommy, Ryan Adams :
Gold, Steely Dan : Gaucho, Elton John : Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, John Hiatt : Bring The Family
and, Diana Krall : The Look Of Love along with titles from Shania Twain, Peter Frampton, Beck, Aaron
Neville, George Strait and David Sanborn.


September 11th, 2003
Yesterday I posted news of another label joining the DVD-A / SACD fraternity. Well this new label
CORO responded very swiftly to my request for more information on their first Hi-Res venture.
It was great to get such a prompt, comprehensive response. You often have to read press releases a
couple of times to figure out just what they are on about! ( The Universal "Jimi Hendrix" one referred to
in the Sept 2nd post is a classic example! ) This is certainly not the case in this instance. For a change I am going to reproduce the entire press release verbatim as I think it says it all!

CORO : The Sixteen : "Spem in alium" press release.
" To mark its 25th Anniversary this year, The Sixteen and Harry Christophers are releasing a ground-
breaking, first-ever commercial recording of Tallis' Spem in Alium in surround sound.
This recording will be released both as a CD/SACD hybrid and as a DVD/DVDA in October 2003
(instore 29/9) on the group's own label, CORO.

The 40-part motet and title piece, Spem in Alium, was recorded in the round in May 2003 and forms
the centre-piece of this dazzling CD on the theme 'Music for Monarchs and Magnates' by Tallis, Byrd,
Gibbons and Tomkins. It includes music never before recorded and indeed some of it not performed
since the time of its writing, and explores the composers' use of biblical texts to express their own
sometimes dangerous political and religious views.

Alongside Spem in Alium is an English version of the same work - Sing and Glorify - which was
adapted (anon) to an English text during James I's reign to honour his son Henry, Prince of Wales.
This ceremonial work sees the use of cornets, sackbuts, dulcians and organs in place of some of the
voices, a practice associated with early-17th century performance for great state occasions. This
setting continued to be used during the Stuart monarchy for such royal events.

Tomkins, Byrd and Gibbons
Also included is Thomas Tomkins' powerful setting of 'O God, the heathen are come amongst us',
which gives vent to Tomkins' rage at the desecration of his home cathedral, Worcester, by
Parliamentarian forces. Retrieved and reconstructed by John Milsom, the academic/journalist
responsible for The Sixteen's landmark Eton Choirbook recordings, this makes an intriguing contrast to
William Byrd's Latin setting of the same words from Psalm 79. In this, Byrd, a recusant who
nonetheless worked successfully in the heart of cultural life during Elizabeth I's protestant reign,
secretly mourns the suppression of the Jesuits which culminated in the execution of Edmund Campion
in 1581.
DVD / DVDA
The DVD and DVDA is accompanied by visuals, based on interviews with Harry Christophers, BBC
Radio 3's Sean Rafferty, John Milsom and co-editor Sally Dunkley and other figures who have figured
significantly in The Sixteen's first 25 years. This material was shot during the recording sessions.
SACD / CD
The SACD/CD hybrid CD will be manufactured by Sony Austria.
Recording Details
This recording was made in All Saints Church, Tooting in May 2003 using DSD technology. It was
produced by Mark Brown, engineered by Mike Hatch, digitally mastered by Floating Earth and
authored for DVD by Freehand Graphics.
Price Point
The SACD/CD hybrid will play in all CD players, but also in SACD players and DVD players with
SACD facility. This will be regular full price product RRP £14.99 - no additional premium for the SACD
element. The DVD/A hybrid will play in all DVD players but also those with DVDA capacity. The
DVD/A will also be available at an RRP of £14.99.
Catalogue Numbers
Tallis Spem in Alium
Music for Monarchs and Magnates
CORSACD16016 (SACD/CD)
CORDVD1 (DVD/A)
Live Performance
The Sixteen will sing Tallis' 'Spem in Alium' and 'Sing and Glorify' on 1 October at St. John's Smith
Square (7.30pm) as part of the South Bank Festival of Voice"
CORO


September 10th, 2003
Mathias Myka has brought another new DVD-A label to our attention. The CORO label was set up to
release recordings by English choral group "The Sixteen".
"Spem in alium" is the groups first foray into Hi-Res and is due for release on DVD-A and hybrid SACD
/ CD on October 1st. The group has 70 recordings already available on CD through their own CORO
and on labels they were with prior to the establishment of CORO. The choir are conducted by Harry
Christophers and on larger scale works by their own orchestra, "The Symphony of Harmony and
Invention". The group has toured extensively throughout the world and been in receipt of numerous
awards and accolades for their recordings and performances.
"Spem in alium" is listed on JPC.de for preorder at the moment
CORO

September 8th, 2003
A number of well known manufacturers showed the first products that support the HDMI (High-
Definition Multimedia Interface) standard at the recent CEDIA 2003 in Indianapolis.

Pioneer announced the $1600(msrp) Pioneer Elite™ DV-59AVi. The DV-59AVi. is said
to be the first Universal DVD-A/SACD player to offer both HDMI and iLink connectivity options.

Meridian announced HDMI compliance for three of their products, the recently announced "Meridian
DVD-A transport : G98" and "Meridian DVD-A controller : G91DH" as well as perhaps the daddy of all
DVD-Audio players the "Meridian DVD-A player : 800"

In answer to the question "What is HDMI?" the F.A.Q. on www.hdmi.org says,

"HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is the first industry-supported, uncompressed, all-digital
audio/video interface. HDMI provides an interface between any audio/video source, such as a set-top
box, DVD player, and A/V receiver and an audio and/or video monitor, such as a digital television
(DTV).
HDMI supports standard, enhanced, or high-definition video, plus multi-channel digital audio on a single
cable. It transmits all ATSC HDTV standards and supports 8-channel digital audio."

Depending on hardware support up to 8 channels of 192kHz 24 bit audio can be accommodate.
Details of the various audio spec / video spec permutations can be found in the HDMI spec which you
can download from the HDMI site. There are two HDMI connectors A and B. The B connector is
specified for higher bandwidth applications. Drawings of sockets and plugs for both A and B versions
are also contained in the spec.

Other non-DVD-A HDMI products announced came from Sony, Panasonic and Sim 2 and comprised of
a number of projection TVs, plasma TVs, LCD displays and projectors.

Also at CEDIA 2003 there were new DVD-A player announcements from a number of manufacturers of
whom SHARP were the surprise new entrant. Panasonic announced no less than 8 new HTIB
systems, one with a DVD recorder but more interestingly, all with DVD-A compatibility. Theta digital
announced "The Compli" a universal machine expected to retail just over $4000. details of these and
several other CEDIA DVD-A player announcements ( and more!) can be found at the excellent
HighFidelityReview website.

September 8th, 2003
IFA 2003 Berlin had its fair share of DVD-A goodies too. The DVD-Audio Council were there, Marantz
showed two new universal players and Denon showed prototypes of a new High End range including
the impressively titled "DVD-1" DVD-Audio player. Lars B was there and has reports and pictures on
his (also excellent!) DVD-A.DK website.

September 3rd, 2003
According to a piece on "MusicTap" BMG are due to release about 8 DVD-A titles in late October and
early November. Artists mentioned include Foo Fighters, Dave Matthews Band, Wyclef Jean, Alicia
Keys, Annie Lennox, Rod Stewart and Luther Vandross.
MusicTap

September 3rd, 2003
Two Genesis albums from very different eras in the bands long and varied history are set for DVD-A
and/or SACD ( Disclaimer : Please note the "and/or"!!!) in the not too distant future. The two titles are
"The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway" and "Invisible Touch". The info was posted on a Genesis
Message Board by Nick Davis Moderator of the board but also engineer for the band and several of its
members.
The Message

September 3rd, 2003
Irish Traditional outfit Sessions From The Hearth recorded the material for their second DVD-A release
in just 18 hours at Cuan Technology Studios in Co Galway in the west of Ireland. Founded by
acclaimed Irish acoustic guitarist Benny O'Carroll, Sessions From The Hearth had their first DVD-A
"Music From The Hearth" released in Japan by Pioneer.
Sessions From The Hearth
Cuan Technology Studios

September 3rd, 2003
Led Zeppelin : "How The West Was Won" is due for DVD-Audio release on October 7th. The two disc
set features 18 tracks which appear to be from a single continuous concert but are in fact the fruits of
two performances by the group in June 1972 at the Los Angeles Forum and Long Beach Arena in
Calafornia.
Pre-Order "How The West Was Won"

September 3rd, 2003
Lars B at www.dvd-a.dk recently posted news of the "Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS" series.
This is the latest addition to Creative's DVD-A compatible "SoundBlaster Audigy 2" family.
Well it appears that there may be two new members of the Audigy 2 clan about to debut.
The first of these the "Audigy 2 ZS" has been in the news a bit and is now appearing on some of
Creative's international sites (well on their Japanese site at least). It seems that "ZS" models have six
analog inputs (3 x stereo line ins) and can support six channels of 9624 recording.
The "ZS" range will comprise three models.
Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS : sound card-only , 7.1 analog output, with optical I/O daughterboard
Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Platinum : sound card, internal Audigy.
Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro : similar to the Audigy 2 Platinum eX with external module
ALIVE
Creative Japan "ZS" page translated (I hope!)

The other (possible!) additions is more recent and has not yet appeared on Creative webspace but is
listed to pre order on a number of European websites. All Audigy 2 models to date have been PCI card
based and thus not suitable for use with portable/notebook/laptop type computers.
The "Sound Blaster Audigy 2 NX" addresses this by being a completely external device using the USB
2.0 interface. The "NX" looks set to ship for about €150 ($170 approx).
NX piece in German (with picture)
NX piece Translated (Altavista Babelfish)

September 2nd, 2003
A press release arrived in my inbox the today. The details are a bit confusing, ie. the headline says,
"Never Before Released Hendrix Performance Issued on CD and Limited Edition Double LP
THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE - LIVE AT BERKELEY Plus in DVD-Audio 5.1 Surround Sound
on DVD Debut of Classic 1970 Music Film JIMI PLAYS BERKELEY"
The body of the release is no less confusing but this is what it seems to mean:
In May 1970 Jimi Hendrix played a two set concert at Berkley. Both sets were recorded and filmed.
The first set of this concert became the "JIMI PLAYS BERKELEY" film that did the rounds after
Hendrix died in September that year. "JIMI PLAYS BERKELEY" did receive a video release (with a
mono sountrack) but has been unavailable for almost 10 years. The 55 minute film has now been
(digitally!!!WOW!!!) remastered and is due for DVD release on September 16th. This DVD-V release
apparently contains new stereo and 5.1 mixes of the already seen "first set" by original Hendrix
producer/engineer Eddie Kramer.
And now for the rather obscure DVD-Audio bit!
The previously unreleased 67 minute "second set" will be included as a bonus "audio-only 5.1 surround
sound mix on the DVD". So this DVD-V release includes a "bonus" DVD-A section of "new" material.
A quick search at a number of online DVD retailers showed no sign of the disc yet so I guess it's wait
and see!
Cd and limited edition double LP versions of this "second set" will be released on October 14th under
the title "THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE - LIVE AT BERKELEY"
I am unable to post a direct link to the release but if you click the link to the "PR NEWSWIRE" page,
enter JIMI HENDRIX in the "Keyword" search field, hit "GO" and this should bring you to a link to the
original piece.
"PR NEWSWIRE"

August 24th, 2003
Still very busy! Need to sort out updating from afar! Missed out on telling you about actual dates for
a brace of Neil Young titles from WEA, along with dates for some more titles from Universal.
Any I'm here now for a few hours and I've got to tell you about the $39.95 DVD-Audio player!
I knew that would make you blink.
Well its not really a player in the strictest sense of the word, more like an add-on pack giving DVD-
Audio compatability to InterVideos WinDVD 5 Gold and Platinum software DVD players.
WinDVD 5 Gold is $49.95 while WinDVD 5 Platinum costs $69.95. These combined with the DVD-
Audio pack will permit DVD-A playback from most average home computers. 96/24 is supported but
there is no mention of 192/24 in the InterVideo press release or on their website. Perhaps this is a
given as is MLP of which there is no mention either. A pretty wide selection of DVD drives are
supported as are most decent sound cards but do remember that for 96/24 or 192/24 playback you do
need a solution that support these rates.
Press Release.
DVD-Audio Pack
WinDVD 5 Platinum

August 12th, 2003
Well Goddammit to hell! You go away for one or two weeks and what happens? Only the biggest DVD-
A news story in a long time. The news that the Universal Music Group are finally going to release
titles on DVD-A was announced in a press release dated August 4th. The first of these discs are due
for release on September 23rd. Titles due for release on that date are Dave Grusin : Two For The Road,
Diana Krall : Love Scenes, Sting : Brand New Day, Vince Gill : High Lonesome Sound, Sheryl Crow :
The Globe Sessions and Marvin Gaye : The Marvin Gaye Collection.

Other titles announced for DVD-A release by UMG include,
Aaron Neville : Nature Boy: The Standards Album.
Andrea Bocelli : Verdi: Arias.
Anne-Sophie Mutter : Vivaldi: The Four Seasons.
Beck : Sea Change.
Cecilia Bartoli : The Vivaldi Album.
Christian Thielemann : Orff: Carmina Burana.
Claudio Abbado : Beethoven Symphonies 1, 2 (among others).
David Sanborn : Timeagain.
Diana Krall : When I Look In Your Eyes & The Look Of Love.
Peter Frampton : Frampton Comes Alive!
Elton John : Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.
George Strait : Honkytonkville.
John Hiatt : Bring the Family.
Ryan Adams : Gold.
Shania Twain : Up!
Steely Dan : Gaucho.
The Who : Tommy.
3 Doors Down : Away from the Sun.
Valery Gergiev : Tchaikovsky : 6th Symphony.
Most (or indeed all) of these titles have already been released on SACD but are (apparently) being re-
mastered or re-mixed from original multi-track tapes for DVD-A release.
Press Release
UMG New Formats DVD-A Page

August 3rd, 2003
A piece on the mi2n website on July 30th suggests that sales of DVD-A and SACD compatable DVD
players are defying the ongoing downward sales curve for audio products in general and that sales of
hardware for both formats thus far in 2003 had already exceeded the year totals for both in 2002.
According to figures from the CEA , manufacturers shipped 148,000 DVD-A and 100,000 SACD
players to retailers up until May of this year.
Like CD both DVD-A and SACD have 250,000 players shipped to retail in their first three years.
In the piece Sean Wargo, Senior Industry Analyst for the Consumer Electronics Association is quoted
as saying"If DVD-A and SACD players are going to truly mimic history, we could see the majority of
consumers enjoying hi-res audio by the year 2015, with an even more rapid acceptance of the new
audio technologies across the next decade and really driving growth in the audio market."
mi2n piece

August 3rd, 2003
Minnetonka have launched version 2 of their entry level "Discwelder Steel" DVD-A authoring software.
New features in "Steel 2" include
Gapless PCM Track Play,
Custom Menu Image Import,
Menu Image On-Screen during Album Play
Most Windows Fonts and Styles Available for Menu
Menu Column Number Selection (up to 3)
DiscWelder Steel can handle PCM at sampling rates up to 192kHz at 24 bit resolution for stereo and
48kHz at 24 bits for 6 channel surround. Steel cannot handle MLP encoded audio hence the absence
of a 96/24 surround option (data rate too high without MLP).
DiscWelder.com

July 26th, 2003
Mark Waldrep and the folks at AIX have been at it again!!! (Recording that is). Last weekend Mark &
Co Descended on the Zipper Hall to record Jennifer Warnes. According to Mark in the first (of many we
hope!!!) AIX Newsletter this is possibly the most ambitious AIX project to date. 16 musicians were
involved in the recording including Jim Cox (piano-organ), Vinnie Colaiuta (drums-percussion), Abraham
Laboriel (bass), Dave Stone (acoustic bass), Dean Parks (guitar), Billy Watts (guitar) and Rick Cunha
(guitar). Audio was multitracked at 96/24 for all 32 recording tracks. 8 cameras captured the event for
the DVD-V portion of the eventual release. AIX plan to produce a special edition with an extensive
booklet, 2 discs (two-sided DVD-A/V and CD) followed later by the standard version. The special
edition will be available early in 2004 and will be a very limited run of discs. This special version will not
be available in stores and will only be purchasable from AIX themselves. The special edition is going to
sell for $49.95

July 24th, 2003
The Stereophile site has a piece that will be of interest to any of you with two or three multi-channel
sources to get into one 5.1 input. The "MAS3" is a 3 device multi-channel audio switching unit with
"extremely low loss, crosstalk, and distortion." The MAS3 comes from Zektor and is remotely
controllable. (works with most universal remotes (ie.The remote is not supplied!))
Stereophile Piece
ZEKTOR Web-Site

July 24th, 2003
DVD-Audio and SACD are receiving an ever increasing amount of attention from "regular" media
sources. Try doing a "NEWS" search on your favourite search engine, entering "dvd audio" or "SACD"
(the quotation marks refine the search) as the item you are searching for. If you go back a month or
two you will probably be surprised at the number of stories that have been carried by U.S. National and
Regional news publications.
The New York Times recently carried a piece on the Pioneer "HTD-630VD" DVD-A/SACD "HTIB"
system which is said combines a six hundred watt receiver, 5 disc changer, three conventional "wired"
front speakers, active Subwoofer and a pair of "wireless" rear speakers all for $800.
I very much doubt that this will be the ultimate implementation of either Hi-Res format but cite it as
example of both formats receiving mention in a news organ read by large numbers.
NYT

July 24th, 2003
There is a lengthy(!!!!) list of upcoming DVD-Audio titles on the "DVD-A Multi-Channel Discussion"
forum over at "Quadraphonic Quad" (It's the first message) Many of the "COMING ATTRACTIONS"
are long long overdue (Moondance etc!) but there are some otherinteresting titles there all the same.

July 23rd, 2003
Deutsche Grammophon were one of the earliest labels to announce upcoming DVD-Audio titles back
at the beginning of 2000. The first of their discs was scheduled for release early in 2001 but were
shelved until "until copy protection issues are resolved". Well now one of those discs is going to finally
receive a DVD-A release. Christian Thielemanns interpretation of ORFFs : Carmina Burana is set for
release in September 2003. Deutsche Grammophon (click "Select by Series" and select DVD-Audio.)

July 23rd, 2003
AREADVD.DE carry a piece dated to-day (23rd July) on the latest JVC DVD-A offering, The Pal
Progressive Scan "XV-NA77". The European price is expected to be around €350

July 23rd, 2003
My post on July 18th was considerably longer than what finally appeared online. My computer crashed
as I was completing it and I lost two news pieces. One referred to the recent press release received
from Noble PR, the firm who handle Warners UK DVD-A publicity. The release refers to the September
15th release of Mike Oldfields "Tubular Bells 2003" on DVD-A. Here's the link. "Tubular Bells 2003"
The second piece pointed to a post made on July 14th on German site AREADVD.DE. The post gives details of a number of upcoming European DVD-Audio releases. AREADVD.DE : JULY 14

July 22nd, 2003
ARTS Music today e-mailed details of two more DVD-Audio titles due for European release on July
25th. The two discs feature the "Accademia Bizantina" led by Ottavio Dantone performing Vivaldi's
famous cycle of concerto's "L'Estro Armonico op.3" : 12 Concertos for violins, violoncello and String
Orchestra.
Stefano Montanari, Fiorenza De Donatis, Paolo Zinzani and Laura Mirri feature on Violins while Mauro
Valli plays Violoncello on . "Accademia Bizantina" are a highly regarded Italian Baroque ensemble and
perform on period instruments.
Both discs contain 95/24/5.1 DVD-A and Dolby Digital 5.1 DVD-V. No Stereo as far as we can tell but
this may be due to disc space constraints. "L'Estro Armonico op.3" Vol 1 and Vol 2 should shortly be
available from JPC and others in Europe. Albany Music Distribution are the U.S. distributors for ARTS
products. There is no U.S. release date so maybe an e-mail to albany might speed things up.
ARTS MUSIC

July 18th, 2003
Lynx Studio Technologies will launch their AES16 192 kHz Multichannel AES/EBU Interface at the
Summer NAMM show in Nashville. The Interface serves to integrate digital consoles, multichannel A/D
and D/A converters, hard disk recorders, digital audio workstations and other digital audio equipment
and is compatible with Windows and Mac. The unit is a half-size PCI card that can handle 16 channels
of 24 bit AES/EBU digital audio at 192 kHz sample rate in both single-wire and dual-wire AES modes.
It comes with a 32-channel hardware-based digital mixer controlled by its own software application.
Two versions the AES16-XLR and AES16 will carry a U.S.suggested retail price of $795.00 and
$695.00 respectively. The AES16-XLR comes with two six-foot cables with XLR and BNC connectors
to interface with any standard AES/EBU equipment. The AES16 comes without cables thus saving
$100 (but you still need cables!)
AES16

July 17th, 2003
Mathias Myka of M7 records e-mailed today to tell us of yet another German label joining the DVD-
A fraternity. The WERGO label is part of the Schott Music and Media group. WERGO specialize in
contemporary music and their first DVD-A "Thrill" features compositions by Ludger Bruemmer.
Bruemmers work is composed and mixed entirely on computer. "Thrill" contains DVD-Audio, DVD-
Video and DVD ROM content and comes with a 48-page booklet.
48kHz sampling rate LPCM is used for the DVD-A content with 16 and 24 bit rates are employed (no
upsampling was used, pieces are reproduced at the rates they were recorded at).

Two video pieces with four channel audio are included in the DVD-V portion of the disc. On both pieces
Bruemmer collaborated with video artist Silke Braemer. Dolby Digital (AC3) and DTS options are
included.

One of the pieces on "Thrill", "Inferno of the Silence" was composed with eight channel playback in
mind. This is not do-able with a regular DVD player but the DVD ROM section of the disc contains this
piece encoded as 8 AIFF files that can be played back on a PC or Mac with the appropriate multi
channel sound hardware.
Tracklist :
1 : Phrenos.
2 : Lizard POINT.
3 : de la nuit.
4 : Thrill.
5 : Inferno of the silence.

Video pieces by Silke Braemer:
1 : Lizard POINT.
2 : Le temps s'ouvre.
THRILL (in German)


July 10th, 2003
In May Adobe Systems acquired the technology assets of Syntrillium Software, including Cool
Edit Pro, which Adobe has rebadged and released as Adobe Audition.
Adobe Audition can be purchased on its own or as a part of Adobe's "Video Collection" Bundle.
The Adobe Audition "Product Overview" Web page says "Record, edit, and mix high-resolution 32-bit
files using any sample rate up to 10MHz, including standard rates such as 44.1kHz, 88.2kHz,
96kHz, and 192kHz." ( Audition is a piece of software and Sampling rates used must be supported by
your soundcard or audio interface)
A .pdf downloadable from the site says that Audition can handle up to 128 stereo audio tracks of 24-
bit/96kHz and higher audio
Audition ships with 45 digital signal processing (DSP) tools and effects, mastering and analysis tools,
and audio restoration features. Adobe Audition also supports third-party Microsoft DirectX plug-ins.
The software includes a multichannel encoder permitting users to create a surround mix from any
session in themultitrack view,then export the mix as a 6-channel wave,six mono waves,or a
multichannel WMA 9 file.
Audition on its own costs around $299 or can be purchased as part of the Adobe "Video Collection".
Their are two versions of the "Video Collection".
The Standard edition priced at $999 comprises the latest versions of
1 : Adobe Premiere Pro.
2 : Adobe After Effects Standard.
3 : Adobe Encore DVD.
4 : Adobe Audition.

The $1499 Professional edition includes the latest versions of
1 : Adobe Premiere Pro.
2 : Adobe After Effects Professional.
3 : Adobe Encore DVD.
4 : Adobe Audition.
5 : Adobe Photoshop 7.

Adobe Audition
Adobe Video Collection

July 9th, 2003
Disc wise the three AIX DVD-Audio titles due on July 8th are now not coming until July 22nd but
two other AIX discs went on sale yesterday without much prior warning.
Cheryl Bentyne : Among Friends and Dorian Michael : Acoustic Blues have been on the AIX "Coming
Soon" list for some time. Both mysteriously appeared on pre order lists on July 7th.
Fred Sokolow : Fred Sokolow, Laurence Juber : Guitar Noir and David Garfield: The Retro Jazz Quintet
are the three titles delayed 'til the 22nd.
Iggy Pop : From The Front Row, Live also went on release on the 8th of July. This Silverline title had
been linked to several previous dates the most recent being August 12th. Life is full of little surprises,
Huh?

July 3rd, 2003
The world of classical DVD-Audio is currently well served by a number of labels located in Germany.
TACET, MDG, NISHIMURA and NAXOS Germany are the main players. These, along with a number of
smaller labels have between them released over forty classical DVD-Audio titles.
Yesterday we received an e-mail from Johannes Kadar, product manager at ARTS Music in Germany
confirming that there are now eleven more German DVD-A titles of which ten are classical titles.
ARTS MUSIC have been making 96/24 recordings since 1999 and the titles below were all made at
96/24 with surround replay in mind.
All the discs are available online from JPC.de.
1 : 4 Cello Concertos : Luigi Boccherini.
2 : Symphonie No. 2 in C minor "Resurrection" : Gustav Mahler.
3 : Primo Libro delle Canzonette (1593) - Intrade a Cinque Voci (1597) : Alessandro Orologio.
4 : Piano Trios Vol. 1 : Franz Schubert.
5 : Piano Trios Vol. 2 : Franz Schubert.
6 : Piano Works Vol. 4 : Franz Schubert
7 : Percussion XX : Various Composers : Soloist : Jonathan Faralli
8 : Il Cimento dell´Armonia e dell´Inventione op. VIII - Vol. 1 : Antonio Vivaldi
9 : Strauss New Years Concert : Strauss Festival Orchestra Vienna : Conductor - Peter Guth.
10 : Sisters of Freedom : The Harlem Spiritual Ensemble

Today ARTS MUSIC sent us details of a brand new DVD-Audio title from them due for release
tomorrow, July 4, 2003.
11 : Symphonies Nos. 5 & 6 : Dmitri Shostakovich : Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano G. Verd :
Conductor: Oleg Caetani
This disc is the first of a complete Shostakovich cycle from ARTS MUSIC.
Future ARTS MUSIC DVD-Audio titles include :
Händel: The Messiah (Swiss Radio, Fasolis)
Vivaldi: L’Estro Armonico (Accademia Bizantina, Dantone)
Wagner: Ouvertures (Schumann Philharmonie, Caetani)
Mendelssohn: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 5 (Orch. Sinf. de Madrid, Maag)
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7 (Orch. Verdi, Caetani)

July 1st, 2003
August 12th is the due date for three more Warner titles. Chicago : Chicago V and Deep Purple :
Concerto For Group And Orchestra are Rhino discs while Frank Sinatra : At The Sands With Count
Basie And His Orchestra is on WEA. All three titles are available to pre-order now.
Meanwhile a post on the Audio Asylum DVD-Audiobahn says that Warner will release four more
DVD-A titles before the end of August (not including the three mentioned above). The same piece
mentions that Flaming Lips : Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots will be released as " DVD-Audio with
CD ". What form this release will eventually take should become clearer soon.

A report posted yesterday on High Fidelity Review gives an excellent account of a DVD-Audio Industry
Update hosted by Dolby Labs in San Francisco during HE 2003. Among the interesting nuggets is
the potential release of up to 30 more Warner DVD-A discs by the end of 2003. Artists mentioned
include "Madonna, Seal, R.E.M. (4 discs), Neil Young (4 discs), Cars, B-52s, T. Rex, Brian Wilson Live, Frank Sinatra (3 discs), Doors (2 discs) and Little Feat."
BMG also mentioned they hope to release up to new 25 DVD-A titles by the years end.
Go on, Read The Full Piece!

June 27th, 2003
TEAC's high-end DVD-Audio/SACD player, the DV-50 is set to go on sale in the UK in late August.
The DV-50 is expected to retail for about UK£4,500 and has progressive scan output for both PAL and
NTSC.

June 27th, 2003
A piece on the Billboard.com website dated June 26th says Reprise will release "Sinatra at the Sands"
on DVD-Audio in August. This long awaited disc is the first Sinatra DVD-A with more to follow
according to Reprise. (There has been mention of a previously unreleased Brat Pack recording.)
"Sinatra at the Sands" was recorded in Las Vegas in 1966. Sinatra is backed up by Count Basie and
his Orchestra conducted by Quincy Jones.

June 27th, 2003
Taiwanese manufacturer Mustek is now shipping its first DVD Recording devices, the DVD-R100A/B.
The recorders use Cirrus Logic Inc.'s flagship CS98200 DVD processor and CS92288 audio/video (A/V)
codec.
According to the press release "DVD recording devices featuring the CS98200 can utilize its support of
a wide range of enhanced consumer features such as DVD-Audio, MPEG-4 simple profile support and
Enhanced DVD technology, which provides access to Web-based interactive content through a
broadband-enabled DVD device."

The DVD-R100A is the basic model while The DVD-R100B includes an IEEE 1394 connection.
Both models are due to appear in stores in The U.S and Europe in the near future and (GET THIS!!!)
are expected to be priced below $450.
Cirrus Press Release

June 27th, 2003
On June 25th Pioneer announced two additions to their PIONEER ELITE series. They are the VSX-
55TXi and VSX-53TX Pioneer Elite digital audio/video receivers. Both models offer "digital processing,
room tuning and high-resolution multi-channel audio reproduction." Of most interest hereabouts is the
The VSX-55TXi which is the second receiver from Pioneer to sport the high-resolution multi- channel
digital interface "i.LINK" for DVD-Audio and SACD Hi-Res digital connectivity
Press Release
Pioneer also have two new HTIB systems featuring DVD-A and SACD playback.
The "EX-500" is three inchs high and on top of the disc spinning capacity boasts six channels of
amplification (100 watts each) and processes Dolby Digital EX(TM), DTS-ES(TM), Dolby Pro Logic
II(TM). The unit also features Pioneer's exclusive automatic Multi-channel acoustic calibration system
(MCACC). Expected in July, retail about $850
Due in September is the "HTZ-830DV" also a universal player/receiver with speakers and sub (rated at
360 watts for all channels! Note that is about 60 per channel MAX!). Retail expected to be about $1000
Press release
A (number of?) new in car DVD-A offering(s?)is (are?) also in the pipeline from Pioneer.
Press Release

June 24th, 2003
Not much to report today bar the confirmation of a few release dates. The Beach Boys "Pet Sounds"
has appeared as a Pre-Order title with a release date of July 22nd. This was mentioned in an EMI
press release on June 18th so it appears it may actually arrive on July 22nd. We'll see!
UK DVD-A aficionados have to wait over a month longer than their U.S. counterparts before they can
get their hands on the UK version of Donald Fagens "Kamakiriad". Due in the States today
(24/6/2003), the title won't surface (sorry!!) on the other side of the Atlantic 'til July 28th.
On the other hand Chicago II was also confirmed today for a July 28th UK release while the same title
seems to have slipped (in some quarters anyway!) from its announced U.S. date of June 24th to a date
"TBA". This is not usually a good sign. Maybe they are going to Sync releases on either side of the
Pond. Well, You Never Know!!!!! (But I honestly doubt it!)
Oh, and those sought after MDG titles arrive today apparently.

June 21st, 2003
The German DVD-Audio label MDG will have six of their ten DVD-A titles released in the U.S. on June
24th. DVD EMPIRE added the six discs to the "Future Releases" section of their DVD-A section.
1. Brahms : String Quartet Op. 67 / Sextet Op. 18 : Leipzig String Quartet.
2.Cartellieri : Wind Concertos Vol. 2 : Czech Phlharmonic Chamber Orchestra.
3. Handel : Theodora HWV 68 : Cologne Chamber Choir.
4. Mozart : Symphony, Piano Concerto : Lausanne Chamber Orchestra.
5. Vivaldi : Concertos and Chamber Music : Musica Alta Ripa.
6. Schumann: Paino Concerto / Zacharias : Lausanne Chamber Orchestra & Christian Zacharias.
MDG are proponents of the "2+2+2" surround configuration which dispenses with centre and LFE (sub)
designations using these channels to convey height information. Left and Right "height" speakers are
located above the main Left and Right speakers. Fear not if you cannot acheive this configuration as all
titles are 5.1 compatible. You can read more on MDG and their DVD-A exploits in our News Archive or
you can visit their website, MDG

June 19th, 2003
A post on the Audio Asylum DVD-Audiobahn forum today states that one of the main men at Rhino
had confirmed to the Poster of the message that that four Neil Young titles would be appearing on
DVD-A in September. On The Beach, American Stars and Bars, Re-Actor,and Hawks and Doves are
the four in question. Good news if correct!
The DVD-Audiobahn Message

June 19th, 2003
An EMI press release dated June 18th 2003 appeared today detailing a number of Beach Boys
releases scheduled to take place throughout the Summer. Of primary interest to us here is the release
of "Pet Sounds" on DVD-Audio due, according to the press release, on July 22nd
EMI press release

June 16th, 2003
Finally it's the "tomorrow" mentioned in my most recent posting. A summary of some recent news
stories follows some "new" news.
A piece on the Reuters site says that Tony Visconti recently completed a surround remix of T.Rex's
1971 "Electric Warrior" Original Master tapes were baked and then transferred into a ProTools system
(100% PCM!!!) for the surround remix by Visconti and engineer Hector Castillo. The title will be
released on DVD-A in the U.S. and SACD in Europe. A September release is mentioned.
Reuters Story

June 16th, 2003
My German is nonexistent and the Altavista BabelFish Translator gives you the gist of things but not
the whole story so you will have to bear a bit of vagueness 'til I get some clarification from a gentleman
who has pointed us towards many a DVD-A story in the past three years. The man in question is
Mathias Myka of M7 Records and from what I can make out M7 have just completed their first DVD-A
title. The recording is Bach's St Matthew's Passion and the DVD-A is bundled with a (recently
released?) 3 CD box set of the recording. The DVD-A comes as a DVD-R and the single side single
layer disc contains the 3 hour+ as a single continuous piece. Due to the disc space required to
achieve this the disc features 5 channels of 24bit 44.1kHz MLP audio. The original story (in German) is
on the M7 website.
Mathias has another interesting piece in the "June" section of his DVD-A news section (scroll to
bottom of Page) concerning the appearance of low cost (€ 100 - € 150. ($ 116 -$175approx)) DVD-A
players from China on E-Bay in Germany. Mathias very kindly posted a translation of the piece on the
Audio Asylum DVD-Audiobahn

June 16th, 2003
The latest Naxos DVD-A release is due to hit the shelves tomorrow (17th). Shostakovitch : Jazz Suites
1 & 2 was recorded in 2001 and features the Russian State Symphony Orchestra under conductor
Dmitry Yablonsky. Also included on this release are "The Bolt" and "Tahiti Trot". This title has been
available in Europe since March of this year. Naxos have had two further DVD-A releases in Europe
since March. In May they released Mozart : Don Giovanni (highlights) and this month sees the release
of Prokofiev : Alexander Nevsky, Op. 78 / Pushkiniana / Music to Shakespeare's Hamlet, Op. 77 / Ivan
the Terrible, Op. 116.
These two discs should see the light of day in the U.S. in the coming few months

DVD-A titles also due on the 17th are the A440 Music Groups first DVD-A release "Jaco" by Brian
Bromberg (mentioned below, June 13th) and Staind "14 Shades Of Grey" on WEA.

June 16th, 2003
You may have seen some or all of these tidbits elsewhere already but it would be remiss of me not to
mention them and link to the original pieces.

HighFidelityReview carried several pieces on various HE 2003 developments including a copy of a
press release about the formation of the "DVD-Audio Marketing Council" by a group of companies
named as "Warner Music Group, Silverline Records, BMG, EMI Recorded Music, 5.1 Entertainment
Group, Meridian Audio, Dolby Laboratories and Panasonic"
HFR Piece
They also noted the launch of the high spec $14,995 DVP 2000 DVD-A/SACD compatible Processor/
Player from Faroudja.
HFR Piece
Faroudja.pdf

Lars at DVDA.dk pointed visitors to two sites with daily HE2003 show reports. The closing paragraph
of the Secrets of Home Theater and Hi-Fi show report begins with in interesting opening line, "The
bottom line on the show was an emphasis on DVD-A, tall thin speakers, and pyramidal shaped
speakers." EnjoyTheMusic.com have pages of stuff from the show, lots of pictures and several
speakers are featured with HF responses up to 25, 30, 32 and 40kHz. Though the daddy of them all in
these terms must be the $45,000 TAD Model 1 with it's dual-concentric HF/MF driver featuring a 1.25-
inch, Beryllium cone, dome tweeter mounted with a 6-inch Beryllium midrange driver in a custom made
cast aluminum basket. A single 8-inch midbass driver and two 10-inch LF drivers fill the remainder of
the 52 layer machined birch ply cabinet. Frequency response is 25Hz to 100kHz. Oh and it looks like
something from a low budget 60's TV Sci-Fi robot or something. (Picture is at the bottom of page!)
No real mention of DVD-A in the first two days reports but those from Saturday and Sunday have quite
a number of DVD-A snippets. Go on click on the link and ogle the Hi-Fi pics! EnjoyTheMusic.

June 13th, 2003
Oh so busy at the moment!!! Didn't make it to HE2003 goddammit! Have many bits and pieces to post
but that will have to wait a day or two. You will probably have picked them up elsewhere by the time
you read them here.
Having said that I do have one piece that I have to share. The Chicago based A440 Music Group
release their first DVD-A on June 17. Yes that is only four days away. Their first offering is Bassist
Brian Brombergs "Jaco". According to A440 the album is "A tribute to legendary jazz bassist John
Francis "Jaco" Pastorius III, Jaco features Bromberg's contemporary jazz interpretations of
compositions written by, or associated with Pastorius."
Bromberg collaborated with players such as Alex Acuna, Bob Mintzer, Eric Marienthal, Jerry Hey and
the LA Horns, Jeff Lorber and Bill Champlin in the making of this disc.
The disc is now on pre-order at DVD EMPIRE. More News tomorrow or the next day, I Promise!!!
A440 Music Group

June 3rd, 2003
AIX have updated their site and several of the titles mentioned in our May 1st news piece are now
featured. Six titles are "Coming Soon". Laurence Juber : Guitar Noir, David Garfield : The Retro Jazz
Quintet and Fred Sokolow and Guests are due on July 8th while Dale Spalding : Downtown, Ian
Whitcomb : Turned On Alley and Calamari : Looking Up are currently dateless but due soon.

June 3rd, 2003
The latest DVD-A from Naxos features The Russian State Symphony Orchestra conducted by Dmitry
Yablonsky performing pieces by Sergey Prokofiev. The recording took place in Studio No.5 at the
Moscow State Broadcasting and Recording House between May 28th and June 5th 2002.
The original recording and subsequent surround mix were performed using 48 kHz, 24bit rates.

June 3rd, 2003
Steinberg recently launched the latest version of their popular Nuendo Media Production Software.
Nuendo 2 can handle recording, editing, processing, arranging, mixing and mastering in stereo or
surround at sample rates up to and including 192kHz at up to 32 bit resolution.
This latest version has been designed with surround very much in mind.
Every input channel, audio track, effect, group track and output section of Nuendo offers up to 12
discrete channels, ready for 5.1, 7.1, or 10.2 productions.
The user configurable Mixer can handle an unlimited number of channels, effects returns, VSTi and
group channels (depends on computer hardware).
An unlimited number of physical inputs and outputs can also be supported (depends on ASIO
hardware used).
Nuendo 2 has a U.S. MRSP of € 1,499

May 27th, 2003
Other than the possibility of a new DVD-A label (piece below) there has not been much happening
lately. Silverline have eight new releases due today.
Six are from their ongoing "Front Row Live" series and the artists featured in the latest half dozen are,
The Alarm, Big Country, Billy Squier, Foghat, Humble Pie and Rick Wakeman. The other two titles
due from Silverline today are "Uncivilized Love" from Gus Black and "Surrounded" from Tipper.

May 27th, 2003
German label StockFish Records have news of the labels first DVD-Audio release on their website.
StockFish have been around for a not inconsiderable 29 years and are, (according to their site) "the
label for guitar-oriented music and high-quality recordings for audiophiles!"
In October 2002 Günter Pauler of StockFish journeyed to Dothan, Alabama to record American artist
David Munyon. The sessions led to the recording of no less than 42 songs! A lot of the recording
appears to have been completed outdoors and the whole thing was also committed to video.
No date is mentioned nor is their a tracklist but an e-mail requesting further details will shortly head
their way.
StockFish also appear to have a second DVD-A release in the works. In March 2001 StockFish
recorded Dutch ensemble, "The Spirit of Gambo" using an OCT Surround Microphone configuration.
Spirit of Gambo specialize in 16th and 17th century music and use authentic period instruments.
According to a brief piece on the StockFish site about the recording sessions a DVD-A release is
mentioned.
The site is almost all in German so you might find a translator useful.
StockFish

May 21st, 2003
AIX Records and Hi-Res will will be sharing booth 216 at HE 2003. Mark Waldrep, in a recent e-mail
says that he is looking forward to showing the latest AIX stuff "especially the Laurence Juber guitar
disc. In addition, also will have a suite upstairs with a very high-end playback system (Piega
Speakers, Meridian 800/861 etc.). Visitors will be able to audition AIX products in the that room and/or
in the Dolby room (the Elizabethan D Ballroom, Second Floor, a 35' by 35' ballroom).
AIX, Hi-Res
HE 2003 can be found at
The Westin St. Francis,
335 Powell Street,
San Francisco, California.

Show times are as follows,
Thursday, June 5 (trade and press only), 12 a.m.–6 p.m.
Friday and Saturday, June 6–7, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
Sunday, June 8th, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

May 20th, 2003
Lars at DVD-Audio DK recently posted pics and a link to a number of DVD-A compatible players
from Lafayette. Lafayette Electronics had their official launch at CES 2003. Although no dates or
prices are mentioned on the Lafayette web-site their catalog includes 3 standalone DVD-A compatible
players and one DVD-A compatible Home Theater System.
The LFDV939 and LFDV969 are both designated "Ultra Slim DVD Player Featuring DVD Audio,
Progressive Scan, DTS Surrround and Dolby Digital 5.1 Ch" while the LFDV933 is designated "DVD
Player Featuring DVD-Audio, Progressive Scan, Unique MyCD DIY Playback, Synchronous Playback
of MP3 with Photo or TXT Text, 7-Band Digital EQ and Personalized EQ, DTS Surround and Dolby
Digital 5.1Ch".
The LFDV937 is a "DVD Home Theater SystemFeaturing DVD-Audio, Progressive Scan, AM/FM
Digital Tuning, Build-in Amplifier, DTS Surround and Dolby Digital 5.1 Ch
Lafayette Electronics

May 20th, 2003
Patrick Cleasby has posted a very positive (pre) review of Steely Dan : "Everything Must Go" over at
High Fidelity Review. Patrick gives a score of 90% for "Musical Content" and "Recording Fidelity" but
he only gives 50% for "Supplementary Content". This is a very thorough piece well worth a read!
The Review.

May 20th, 2003
The latest offering from Steely Dan, "Everything Must Go", is now set for release in the UK on DVD-
Audio, Special Edition CD and CD on June 9, 2003. The North American release date for the CD,
Special Edition CD and DVD-Audio album is June 10, 2003.
Tracklisting :
1 : The Last Mall
2 : Things I Miss The Most
3 : Blues Beach
4 : Godwhacker
5 : Slang of Ages
6 : Green Book
7 : Pixeleen
8 : Lunch With Gina
9 : Everything Must Go

The DVD-A features 192/24 stereo and 96/24 surround mixes. Multitracking and mixing for "Everything
Must Go" were performed in the analog domain. According to engineer Elliot Scheiner "We did a few
things differently -- including tracking and mixing in analog instead of digital. That contributed to giving
this album a really rich and satisfying sound."
Track 5, "Slang Of Ages" is the first Steely Dan song to feature Walter Becker on Lead Vocals!
The DVD-V compatible portion of the disc features Dolby digital 5.1, DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo,
and includes a 13-minute version of the video piece 'Steely Dan Confessions', song lyrics, photo
gallery, selected discography, song credits, and production credits.
"Everything Must Go" UK press release.

May 17th, 2003
Dolby are demonstrating DVD-A in conjunction with Meridian at HE 2003. The system being used
includes Meridian 800 DVD-Audio player, Meridian DSP 8000 Speakers and Meridian 861 Processor.
HE 2003 can be found at
The Westin St. Francis,
335 Powell Street,
San Francisco, California.
and Dolby are on the Second Floor in the Elizabethan D Ballroom.
The times are as follows,
Thursday, June 5 (trade and press only), 12 a.m.–6 p.m.
Friday and Saturday, June 6–7, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
Sunday, June 8th, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Should be pretty funky!
DOLBY, HE 2003.

May 13th, 2003
Mark of the Unicorn (MOTU) has announced the 828mkII, a FireWire-based audio interface for Mac and
PC. The 828mkII is expected to ship by the end of June 2003. The unit occupies a single rack-space
and includes 20 simultaneous inputs and 22 simultaneous outputs. "It offers 24-bit, 96 kHz operation;
eight-bus monitor mixing with front panel LCD programming; stand-alone operation; frontpanel mic,
guitar and instrument inputs with preamps and sends; SMPTE time code sync and MIDI input and
output.
Additional features include:
Individually switchable +4/-10 reference levels on input;
Two mic inputs with preamps and phantom power;
Eight channels of 24bit ADAT digital I/O;
24bit, 96 kHz S/PDIF digital I/O;
CueMix DSP monitor mixing with zero latency;
ADAT sync input;
Word clock input/output;
Punch I/O;
Two FireWire connectors for daisychaining."
The 828mkII is compatible with virtually all software on Mac OS 9, Mac OS X and Windows. It comes
with the AudioDesk workstation suite for Mac OS, which offers 24-bit recording and editing capabilities
and 32-bit mixing, processing and mastering. The 828mkII is expected to be retail around $795.
MOTU

MAY 12th, 2003
A comprehensive list of universal DVD-Audio/SACD players has been posted on the excellent bilingual
www.dvd-a.dk. Universal Players

MAY 12th, 2003
The UK's Cambridge Audio have launched three new DVD players The DVD53, DVD55 and the DVD-
Audio friendly DVD57. The DVD57 costs a not unreasonable £200 and also features NTSC and PAL
progressive-scan and component video out. It is only available in the UK from Richer Sounds.
Cambridge Audio

MAY 11th, 2003
Toshiba America Consumer Products announced several upcoming DVD players at their annual Dealer
Line Show a few days ago. Two of the products featured are DVD-Audio friendly. The already available
SD-P2500 portable player which somewhat bizarrely supports DVD-A but only has stereo outputs so
all surround tracks are automatically downmixed, Hmmmm!
Far more interesting is the $149 SD-4900 which will make it a very affordable DVD-Audio player when
it debuts in June. Toshiba U.S. (I could not find details of the SD-4900 on the site)

MAY 7th, 2003
The latest Steely Dan album, "Everything Must Go" is due for release on DVD-Audio on June 6th, 2003. On this disc Becker and Fagan eschew the "programmed" approach employed on "Two Against Nature" with live tracking used throughout the making of "Everything Must Go".
The disc is currently on pre-order and marks the first concrete new Warner release date in a while.
On April 23rd we pointed our visitors to a piece on the Music Tap website detailing release dates for a
number of Warner titles. While the list of upcoming titles was pretty much correct, it seems however
that the dates mentioned were not. A piece on the HighFidelityReview news page a few days ago has clarified the situation somewhat. A Warner representative confirmed a list of titles similar to those listed on Music Tap but said there were no confirmed dates and that most of the discs would not arrive
before late Summer or early Autumn.

MAY 3rd, 2003
The latest TACET DVD-Audio title, Tacet D115 : Beethoven : Septet op. 20, Octet op. 103 : Camerata
Freden - Festival Ensemble of the Freden International Music Festival had it's official European release
on May 1st. The disc has been available from the TACET online store since april 20th!
Imagine that! A DVD-A title shipping before it's promised release date! Well done to Andreas Spreer
and the folks at TACET.
( Wouldn't it be great if more labels could release titles on the actual dates that they themselves
announce! Even some of the time would be good! Delays can occur, but with every release as seems
the case with some labels?!? )
A U.S. release for D 115 is imminent and we will give you the date as soon as we hear
TACET also have three more "announced" DVD-A titles on the way.
D120 DVD-A : Auryn Series 10 : Brahms : Piano Quintet : Peter Orth, piano. June 1st, 2003.
D128 DVD-A : Beethoven Klaviersonaten, Markus Schirmer. July 1st
D114 DVD-A : Peter und der Karneval. September 1st
Also listed but delayed is D127 DVD-A : Piano Trios, Abegg Trio, Rachmaninoff, Tschaikovsky.
We will let you know its release date as soon as we find out ourselves.
TACET

MAY 1st, 2003
Have moved! Wow! Just got back online and an e-mail containing big news from Dr Mark Waldrep!

AIX will have several new titles available at the HE 2003 show in San Francisco
1 : Cheryl Bentyne and Quartet. (Cheryl is a member of The Mahattan Transfer.)
2 : Acoustic Blues : Dorian Michael with Laurence Juber and Albert Lee. (This disc features a
comprehensive "blues guitar" lesson and the ability to display the chord changes onscreen, print out
the lead sheets and listen to a "music minus one" mix.)
3 : Laurence Juber, with acoustic bass and percussion. Mark says in his e-mail "This is as near
"perfect" a record as I know how to make. It was beautifully performed, shot and captured at 96/24 and
192/24 using the Model-2 converters. Features a 5 camera angle guitar lesson and printable tab
notation."
4 : The Retro Jazz Quintet : featuring David Garfield, piano. "This is a high energy project...electric
bass, Rhodes piano with Drums, Trumpet and Sax. Ribbon mics from AEA all the way."
5 : Deacon John's Jump Blues : "An AIX Records release of a production handled in Louisiana for
another company. Part of our new Vintage and Analog Gear Series, the tracks are amazingly well
recorded on analog 24-track and mixed here at our studio. A track is featured on the new Dolby
Sampler."
Mark also mentioned that the following eight are recorded and "Coming Soon"
1 : Steve Huffsteter Big Band.
2 : Grant Geissman Quintet - A reunion of original members 25 years later.
3 : Calimari - a jazz quartet featuring Emil Richards and Joe Pocaro.
4 : Ian Whitcomb and the Bungalow Boys - Tin Pan Alley in Surround.
5 : The Dale Spalding Band - frequent partner with Pancho Sanchez.
6 : Fred Sokolow with Junior Brown.
7 : Ives Quartet with Dmitri Ashkenazy playing the Brahms Clarinet Quintet.
8 : Roberto Prosseda performing Chopin and Schubert piano.
And it looks like there will be plenty more to look forward to from AIX as Mark concludes by saying
" Our plans include three NEW (really new) productions per month... 20 more by the end of the year."
Great News!
AIX

APRIL 29, 2003
Busy, Busy, moving house, moving office, chaos and mayhem etc etc. Hard to get near the computer
to post an update especially when there have been a few interesting bits floating around! I'm here now
so here goes.

DVD-Audio pioneers HODIE have announced that their future releases will be available on multichannel
and stereo SACD as well as 192/24/2 and 96/24/5.1 DVD-Audio.
.
HODIE are pretty unique in that they employ discrete mic and recording setups, used simultaneously,
for the 192/24 stereo and 96/24 six channel DVD-Audio versions included on all their titles.
All HODIE DVD-A's include DVD-Video compatible Dolby 5.1, DTS 5.1, and Stereo LPCM 48 kHz/16
bit audio and a Slide Show with the exception of their two disc version of LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN
Symphony N°9 op. 125. This does not include a DTS 5.1 option but instead features Dolby 5.1 and
Stereo LPCM 48 kHz/16 bit audio with Full Performance and Documentary videos along with a number
of .Pdf Articles.
All seven HODIE titles currently on release are conducted by Maximianno Cobra. Cobra's Doctorate
thesis at the Sorbonne was on "Tempi". His interpretations of very well known works have certainly
provoked some heated discussion. Cobra's contention is that tempo markings, particularly on
Beethoven's 9th, have been misinterpreted 'til now. He may indeed be correct and I really like his take
on the 9th but many seem to feel that the Cobra "9th" is much too slow.
The biggest problem faced by Cobra is that his interpretation will always be compared to previous
versions which, if his tempo theory is correct, have been played considerably faster than ever intended
by the composer.
On my first listen to Cobra's 9th I was immediately struck by how so different it was tempo wise.
I had seen mention of his Tempo theory and found a summary and some articles on his ideas.
Then I listened many more times over a number of weeks. I became familiar with his take on the 9th
and enjoy the different "weight" he gives it. I was dying to do a comparison but held off until I was
catching myself humming bits of it at it's "new tempo".
I gave in and put on Karajan "9th" on CD. I was blown away! It was almost frantic, parts even sounded
rushed, yes there was a certain excitement in it's pace but it was (dare I say it?) in a "metal" kind of
way. (You know, you may not be a "Metal" fan but sometimes you can't but be impressed (even if just
for a moment) by a superquick, chunky riff). I was pretty impressed with my comparison, for me Cobra
gets it pretty good and Karajan does seem to be inappropriately speedy. But hey! that's just what I
think. I have all seven HODIE titles and have enjoyed them all from both a performance and audio
quality point of view. (My faves if you're interested are the 9th and the three "Opera Overtures" titles)

Hopefully their policy of totally discrete recording paths for 192/24/2 and 96/24/5.1 DVD-A, will also
apply to their future entry into the realm of SACD.
This could finally provide a supply of "Format Comparison" discs to those who seem so eager for one
or other format to win. The results should incite phenomenal discussion, I can't wait! (or maybe I can?)
I have mentioned HODIE many times on this page. They were pioneering early on in the life of DVD-A
and have continually improved their product. You can check how things have developed for them if you
have the patience to go through our news archive or you can visit their own site if you click the link.
HODIE

APRIL 29, 2003
This months European edition of AUDIO MEDIA magazine has a four page piece on the remixing for
DVD-Audio of "A New Day at Midnight" the latest release from U.K. million seller, David Gray.
No release date is mentioned but the mix was finished in mid February.
AUDIO MEDIA

APRIL 24, 2003
Panasonic's latest Palm Theater the "DVD-LX9" is their fourth DVD-A compatible portable player.
The player is without doubt their funkiest looking portable so far. The player comes with a 9 inch
"sliding hinge" LCD display, a docking station (that provides extra connectivity and doubles as a
charger), and a pair of portable speakers. ( The docking station gives easy access to 5.1 analog
outputs, component video out, S-Video out as well as a mini-optical digital output for connection to a
Dolby Digital receiver. (Mini-optical-to-Toslink cable).
The DVD-LX9 plays DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, DVD-R, DVD-RAM, Video CD, CD, audio CD-R & CD-
RW, and MP3 & WMA CD-R & CD-RW. The player also has an SD Memory Card slot and JPEG
viewer software for viewing photos or slide presentations stored on an SD Memory Card.
Dolby® Digital and DTS® decoding are built-in. Battery life is about two and a half hours and the
player has a U.S. MRSP of $999 and is expected to arrive in stores soon. The DVD-LX9 is expected in
Europe in May. Panasonic say they will continue to make their DVD-LA95 which also plays DVD-A
Several online retailers in the U.S. and Europe have the player on preorder at the moment at prices as
low as $800
Panasonic Europe
Panasonic U.S.

APRIL 23, 2003
Musictap today posted news of several upcoming DVD-A titles. Included are five REM titles from Warner on September 23rd. "Green", "New Adventures in Hi-Fi", "Monster", "Up", and "Out of Time" are the five titles mentioned and would surely give REM the lead in terms of titles released on DVD-A.
Fleetwood Mac, Tusk is expected on September 9th, also from Warner. For the full list click the link.
MusicTap
Morcheeba "Brixton to Belving" is listed on JAM for North American release on July 1st, 2003.

APRIL 23, 2003
Artemis Records recently purchased the Vanguard Classics catalog of over 1000 titles. They have set
up Artemis Classics to release titles from the extensive list (1/5th of which has never come out on CD!)
Artemis are expected to release some Vanguard Classics titles on DVD-Audio and SACD.
Artemis Records
Reuters News Piece

APRIL 20, 2003
The latest from the rumour mill concerns the release of "How The West Was Won" from Led Zeppelin appearing on DVD-A at some point later this year. A post on Audio Asylums DVD-Audiobahn mentions an e-mail from one of the main men in Rhino's DVD-A department confirming the rumour
Time will tell I suppose!

APRIL 20, 2003
ICE magazine's website contained a piece in their current homepage on the delayed but imminent
DVD-A release of Jackson Browne’s "Running on Empty" (1977) and "Naked Ride Home" (2002).
Both Discs are now expected in summer 2003 with Browne is currently finalizing both projects in his
own studio in Santa Monica. Apparently the end results will be worth the delays with a wealth of extra
material including three bonus tracks with "Running on Empty".
The direct hands on involvement of Jackson Browne in the reworking of both titles for DVD-A release
should ensure that these DVD-A discs will truely reflect the artist who originally made the music.
Click the link to read the full piece. ICE

APRIL 20, 2003
Mathias Myka of M7 records pointed us in the direction of Kenwoods German website where we came
across their DVD-A/DVD-V demo disc &q