On Wed, Aug 27, 2003 at 12:04:12 +0100, Daniel James wrote: > > you can store > > uncomressed PCM on DVD-A discs, you still only get 9.6 Mb/s, but > > that just gives you enough bandwidth for 4 24/96 or 6 24/48 > > channels. > > How many minutes of audio can you get on a DVD-A then, assuming you > use the maximum bandwidth available to get the highest sample rate > for your number of channels? According to my maths you only get 65 mins if you max out the bandwidth allocation (9.6Mb/s, 37.6Gb/disk). However you get 135 mins with stereo 24/96. > I can imagine this could work quite well without MLP encoding for > stereo music, as opposed to surround mixes. As Mike Oldfield once put > it, you only have two ears and your natural inclination is to face > the thing you are listening to. I don't think he was very happy with > some of the surround version done of his music, dating back to the > quadraphonic vinyl days. Yeah, some of the surround mixes I've heard recently aren't exactly wonderful either. Personally I find wiring up surround speakers too much of a pain, I used to have a 5.1 setup in my lounge, but I didn't bother putting it back last time I moved as I couldnt face all the wiring. Some random facts that seem relevant: That are on the order of 100 DVD-Audio disks for sale in the UK (dunno which are MLP or PCM), prices are the same as CDs. A DVD-A capable player costs about EUR100, most cheap ones cant play DVD-A. I cant find a public spec for DVD-A online, but the combination of a bit of reverse engineering, a DVD-RW friendly player, and what stuff is available (manufactures tech FAQs etc.) should make it a fun project :) - Steve
