Dual Disc So unimpressed with Dual Disc

[jeffty]

For reference I have 19 DVD-audio and SACD discs that all perform quite well and as advertised with my Pioneer DV-563A DVD player and my 5.1 audio system. I have purchased 2 Dual Discs and probably will not buy any more, I am completely unimpressed with this format.

The first was the new Springsteen disc and finding only Dolby digital surround on the DVD side I was less than enthused but it was the first one, I would reserve judgement. I just came home with the new Wallflowers Dual Disc and now I am really disappointed.

It advertises 48k/24 bit DVD-audio as well as a Dolby digital track on the DVD side yet I cannot get any sound from selecting the DVD-Audio tracks. If I change my settings to DVD-video or use another DVD player I can get the DD tracks but I really wanted the hi-rez DVD-A tracks. I made sure other DVD-A discs performed correctly with my current setup and they all do and yet I cannot get the supposed DVD-A tracks on this Dual Disc to make a sound on my system.

Then to add insult to injury this disc is too thick to play without scraping in my Sony component CD player. The Springsteen disc played OK, the Wallflowers one won't. I think this whole Dual Disc idea is a total boondoggle. This is why the manufacturers all but stopped development on SACD's and DVD-A's? As a music collector of most every format since 1963 I am so unimpressed with this "technology". Design by committee no doubt.

 

[JonUrban]

I think you need a firmware upgrade on your Pioneer to play "newer" DVD-A's.

Search the forum for DV-563A. There are many posts on this topic.

 

[tcdriver]

I just came home with the new Wallflowers Dual Disc and now I am really disappointed.

It advertises 48k/24 bit DVD-audio as well as a Dolby digital track on the DVD side yet I cannot get any sound from selecting the DVD-Audio tracks. If I change my settings to DVD-video or use another DVD player I can get the DD tracks but I really wanted the hi-rez DVD-A tracks. I made sure other DVD-A discs performed correctly with my current setup and they all do and yet I cannot get the supposed DVD-A tracks on this Dual Disc to make a sound on my system.

If you look at the label carefully, you will see that there is no Dolby Digital included on this disc. On the DVD-V portion of the disc one has the "entire album in Dolby Surround Sound Dolby Stereo". I take this to mean that the surround sound is matrix encoded on the DVD-V stereo track. I speculate that Nick DiDia made a mix suitable for Dolby Surround (matrix) and then used that same mix for the advanced resolution surround sound on the DVD-A portion of the disc. This might explain the very lame "surround" mix.

 

[daved64]

Besides needing a firmware update, you bought two of the lamest surround mixes ever. Get the firmware update and come back and see us. Look at the poll we have going, pick some good discs.

 

[spenceo]

I have about 50 or so DVD-A's and SACD's that all play fine on my Pioneer 578A. My first purchase of a Dual Disk was NIN - With Teeth. As Jeffty experienced, the 48k/24bit DVD-A layer would not play. Actually the DVD-A layer would "lock up" the 578. The DD tracks played fine. Wonder if there is a problem between Pioneer and Dual Disk. Never the less, I was very disappointed with my first Dual Disk purchase. Is there anyone else that has a pioneer player and is able to play a NIN - With Teeth Dual Disk??

 

[daved64]

I have about 50 or so DVD-A's and SACD's that all play fine on my Pioneer 578A. My first purchase of a Dual Disk was NIN - With Teeth. As Jeffty experienced, the 48k/24bit DVD-A layer would not play. Actually the DVD-A layer would "lock up" the 578. The DD tracks played fine. Wonder if there is a problem between Pioneer and Dual Disk. Never the less, I was very disappointed with my first Dual Disk purchase. Is there anyone else that has a pioneer player and is able to play a NIN - With Teeth Dual Disk??

Yep. My Pioneer Elite 45A has played With Teeth about 4 times, no problem. No problem ever with any disc.

Hope it eventually works for you. It's a great disc.

 

[daved64]

If you look at the label carefully, you will see that there is no Dolby Digital included on this disc. On the DVD-V portion of the disc one has the "entire album in Dolby Surround Sound Dolby Stereo". I take this to mean that the surround sound is matrix encoded on the DVD-V stereo track. I speculate that Nick DiDia made a mix suitable for Dolby Surround (matrix) and then used that same mix for the advanced resolution surround sound on the DVD-A portion of the disc. This might explain the very lame "surround" mix.

No, Nick Didia only knows how to make "lame mixes". It's his specialty!

 

[jeffty]

I didn't realize I had fallen so far out of touch with the "563A" issue. I remember when "Greendale" compatibility was an issue but I thought that was a one-off problem...my mistake judging by the proliferation of comments elsewhere on this forum. Thanks to all for catching me up and pointing me in the right direction. I'm guessing that I have to find a place in Austin for a firmware upgrade or accept my current limitations. Did Pioneer drop the "firmware upgrade CD for end users" idea or was it ever implimented? I dislike leaving equipment with repair centers, lots of lost trust there.

And yes, "tcdriver" above is correct in stating what the label on the Wallflowers Dual Disc indicates. However when playing on my DVD player this track is specified as a discrete Dolby Digital surround audio track for whatever that's worth. I still question whether this Dual Disc is worth the damage it's done to pending SACD and true DVD-A development. The brochure looked good but so far I remain unimpressed.

 

[tcdriver]

And yes, "tcdriver" above is correct in stating what the label on the Wallflowers Dual Disc indicates. However when playing on my DVD player this track is specified as a discrete Dolby Digital surround audio track for whatever that's worth. I still question whether this Dual Disc is worth the damage it's done to pending SACD and true DVD-A development. The brochure looked good but so far I remain unimpressed.

I was not able to find or access the Dolby Digital portion of the disc.

 

[jeffty]

When I set my 563A to access DVD-V instead of DVD-A (since I get no sound when set to DVD-A) I get a selection of surround and stereo tracks (Wallflowers DD) on my TV (same screen as the DVD-A TOC). When I select the surround tracks and it begins I call up the audio display readout on the screen and it indicates it's playing a Dolby Digital 3/2 surround track, that same kind as you would find on most DVD movies, not an encoded stereo track as one would expect from reading the back cover of the DD. I get the same reading in my secondary DVD player (Panasonic DVD-S27) which does not have DVD-A or SACD capabilities.

Since I haven't heard the DVD-A tracks I made a casual review of the three audio tracks I can access and to my ear the DD surround track was somewhat more articulate than either the DD stereo or the CD-audio side. Your mileage may vary. I really look forward to getting my 563 updated so I can enjoy the DVD-A tracks on this disc. Thanks again to all of you who took the time to add your $.02 to my original (and slightly ignorant) original post.

 

[tcdriver]

When I set my 563A to access DVD-V instead of DVD-A (since I get no sound when set to DVD-A) I get a selection of surround and stereo tracks (Wallflowers DD) on my TV (same screen as the DVD-A TOC). When I select the surround tracks and it begins I call up the audio display readout on the screen and it indicates it's playing a Dolby Digital 3/2 surround track, that same kind as you would find on most DVD movies, not an encoded stereo track as one would expect from reading the back cover of the DD. I get the same reading in my secondary DVD player (Panasonic DVD-S27) which does not have DVD-A or SACD capabilities.

Jeffty,

Thanks for the input. After sending my post yesterday, I looked again at the album cover and speculated that I was unable to access the Dolby Digital because I was not looking at the DVD-V section of the disc. Unless I manually set the 563A to DVD-V it will not display access to the Dolby Digital surround tracks. It will play the videos just fine though without manually having to select the DVD-V in the player.

tcdriver