NewScientist: Hybrid DVD-CD fails to impress in tests

[bmoura]

According to stories in today's edition of the New Scientist and Consumer Electronics Daily (CED) an internal report from the DVD Forum's Working Group 4 says the group has "unanimously agreed" that the discs "cannot be played properly" by existing players and would cause "severe confusion in the market".

While the CED story isn't available on line, you can see the New Scientist report at www.newscientist.com/news...ns99993566

 

[JonUrban]

Interesting.

Personally, I think they should lose this idea. We have SACD as a backward compatible disc for CD players. The DVD-A is a backward compatible disc for DVD players.

This works for me. The rest is just in the advertising, getting the people to understand this.

The argument that the DVD-A needs a CD layer to survive is flawed to me. Both formats should sink or swim on their own merits.

:-jon

 

[Quadzilla]

... and I can't believe that cramming more and more crap into these things can be doing anything for the sound quality either. We already are hearing stories about certain player brands that have trouble with certain DVD-Audio brands.

This sort of thing is bound to make things worse. I can't help thinking though, that all of this frantic desperation is too little, too late. Is that another nail I hear being pounded in to the coffin? Mike.

 

[DotCotton]

I agree that DVD-A and SACD are both certainly brilliant enough, and pretty much on equal footing sound-wise to sink or swim on their own merits. I also think that if right now they did have a CD/DVD-A hybrid that passed their tests with flying colors, that might slow down the DVD-A releases initially and push back the scheduled release dates for up to year on the titles they were planning on being hybrids, since it was the general concession that it would take about a year for the hybrids to hit the market once the DVD Forum gave their approval. I don't think this is a nail in the coffin at all though - the DVD-A camp should take this as "let's put this behind us and compete title-wise".

If this news depresses any DVD-A fans, take heart with this quote from a Panasonic rep: "It is premature to say that plans for a hybrid are dead. Work is continuing on other solutions." Let's just hope this doesn't involve sitting on any titles waiting for a hybrid to work.

 

[JonUrban]

They could always do 2 sided discs.

HEY! What about SACD on one side and DVD-A on the other??

Good Grief! <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/images/emoticons/ohwell.gif ALT=":\">

 

[bmoura]

That's certainly an option.

Personally, I'm puzzled why Warner touted the Hybrid DVD-A disc before they were sure it would work correctly in consumer players.

I think they got a little bit ahead of themselves here.

>>Personally, I think they should lose this idea. We have SACD as a backward compatible disc for CD players. The DVD-A is a backward compatible disc for DVD players.