[DrewWinters]

So I bought my first DVD-A recently, The Crystal Method, "Legion of Boom". It seems to insist on playing the DVD-Video section of the disc. The disc has three audio tracks:

5.1 DVD-A
6.1 DTS-ES
2.0 PCM

I have it set to play the DVD-A section, but of course, I also have it set for stereo rather than 5.1 speakers. The DTS-ES and PCM tracks have two bonus tracks. No matter what I do, it always runs the menu (which, since I have no TV hooked up, makes it annoying) and always has the bonus tracks. The DTS light never lights up... so I'm thinking it's really just running the PCM track.

Thoughts? Suggestions? I'm not even sure which track I want it to play in - do I want the multi-channel tracks mixed down or the PCM track? Both the DVD-A and DTS-ES tracks are 48k/24-bit.

TIA

 

[omedon]

If you have a stereo system your best bet is to run it in stereo sound. You can get interesting effects (and sometimes whole new instruments) in songs if you run it in 5.1. However I find downmixed DVD-A usually tends to have certain tracks really recessed.

However I just read on this site that the stereo track on legion of boom is only 16-bits! That is super lame. If you want better quality you will have to listen to downmixed method. On this disc your choices are:

24bit/48khz 5.1
24bit/48khz 6.1 ES
16bit/?khz 2.0

I also have no TV and when I place a DVD-A into my player it usually defaults to 5.1 DVD-A. There doesn't seem to be any hard and fast rule to this though. I just press the 'Audio' button on my remote until it gets to the 2.0 sound. I can usually tell it is 2.0 because the audio levels of the different tracks are usually more uniform and louder. 5.1 will have strange effects and some instruments will sound too quiet.

Unfortuneatley the Pet Sounds DVD-A will not let you use the 'Audio' button to switch between audio modes. You have to navigate menus which is way to hard to do without a TV. Luckily it sounds great on the default. If you want great sounding DVD-A I can recommend Beach Boys - 'Pet Sounds' & Beck - 'Sea Change'.

 

[DrewWinters]

Thanks, the PCM track is also 48khz btw.

I was hoping someone with a DV-59AVi would know whether or not the "5.1" or "DTS" should be lighting up if it is using the 5.1 or 6.1 DTS track rather than the 2.0 PCM track like it does when playing a movie.

Also, I have the connectors going to the stereo outputs, NOT the L/R outputs of the 5.1 analog outputs, so I should not be getting any strange effects from running 5.1.

 

[Welly Wu]

DrewWinters:

Both you and I have the Pioneer Elite DV-59AVi. You really need to get a television hooked up to any type of universal player in order to utilize all of its functions. With the DVD-Audio / DTS formats, it is nearly impossible to select the appropriate tracks without a television. On the Pioneer Elite DV-59AVi, there is no indication as to which layer you have selected, but you can tell by the group number. However, this method does not guarantee that you will have selected the right mix so to speak without a television.

 

[DrewWinters]

Yes, I know I need a TV... but in between my buying the Pioneer and getting a TV I decided to go to graduate school... so my funding dried up rather quickly for things like that... I have hooked it up to my roomate's TV for set-up, but I have nothing to use on a regular basis.

Thank you for the info though! I guess I'll just make do with guessing on that one DVD. It sounds good, so I won't worry too much.

 

[gpalmer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Welly Wu On the Pioneer Elite DV-59AVi, there is no indication as to which layer you have selected, but you can tell by the group number. However, this method does not guarantee that you will have selected the right mix so to speak without a television.

Hi Welly,

That sounds a little unusual since every Pioneer player I have owned has an indicator for the number of channels, frequencies above 92KHz and DTS. Reading those it tells you pretty much exactly which track is playing on all the DVD-Audio discs I own.

 

[Welly Wu]

Hey there GPalmer, how are you?

I put in a DVD-Audio disc, Fleetwood Mac's Say You Will, into my ModWright Pioneer Elite DV-59AVi. My television is turned off. I can see the different group and track numbers, but I can not tell whether it is the 24bit/96kHz stereo, multichannel, or downsampled version from LED window. In order for me to select the right mix that I want to hear, I have to turn on my TV. This is the problem associated with universal players and DVD-Audio discs.

DrewWinters:

If you can continue to use your room mate's TV, then do so. That will solve future problems.

 

[gpalmer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Welly Wu I put in a DVD-Audio disc, Fleetwood Mac's Say You Will, into my ModWright Pioneer Elite DV-59AVi. My television is turned off. I can see the different group and track numbers, but I can not tell whether it is the 24bit/96kHz stereo, multichannel, or downsampled version from LED window. In order for me to select the right mix that I want to hear, I have to turn on my TV. This is the problem associated with universal players and DVD-Audio discs.

That is unfortunate. I have a Modwright 38a that I love. It has the indicators I mentioned above so you really don't need a display connected. Too bad they changed that...

 

[omedon]

I too have my IC's connected to the stereo outs.

The 'strange effects' I mention are for instance this: The 5.1 track of Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots starts up with a sound that moves between the two channels simulating a spinning around your head. In the Stereo mode this same sound just comes out of both channels equally. No spinning effect at all.

I imagine in 5.1 the sound is meant to travel between the FR,FL,RL,RR speakers in a circular motion.