How does DVD audio compare with CD audio?

Punchy71 said:

Is DVD-audio format the same thing as ordinary sound from an standard DVD? Or are these two different things?

Click to expand…

Two different things. The audio on a DVD-Video disc can be in several formats, but its limited because of the presence of video data. That usually means you get stereo uncompressed, or 5.1 compressed with Dolby Digital or DTS, both of which are lossy codecs. Audio for video is generally limited to 48kHz.

On a DVD-Audio (DVD-A) disc, there is very little video, so the entire storage space can be devoted to audio.

Note that when comparing to the CD, if you stay with two channels, you won’t hear any difference. The real difference in DVD-A is the capability of uncompressed 5.1 music.

For a quick and easy grasp of DVD-A, and scroll down to the chart.

DVD-Video can contain audio of these formats:
PCM: 48 kHz or 96 kHz sampling rate, 16 bit or 24 bit Linear PCM, 2 to 6 channels

AC-3: 48 kHz sampling rate, 1 to 5.1 (6) channels

DTS: 48 kHz or 96 kHz sampling rate; channel layouts = 2.0, 2.1, 5.0, 5.1, 6.1

MP2: 48 kHz sampling rate, 1 to 7.1 channels, up to 912 kbit/s.

Dolby Digital AC-3 and DTS are the most common audio codecs on a DVD- Video disc. They are both lossy, but when used for 5.1, very acceptable.

Stereo DVD-A doesn’t have it’s own sound any more than a CD does. The two would sound identical if containing the same digital audio material. The real point of DVD-A was it’s capability of surround music, or multiple mixes of surround and stereo music. AIX records does this, presenting stereo, “in the band” surround, and “On Stage” surround mixes all on the same DVD-A.

Two different things. The audio on a DVD-Video disc can be in several formats, but its limited because of the presence of video data. That usually means you get stereo uncompressed, or 5.1 compressed with Dolby Digital or DTS, both of which are lossy codecs. Audio for video is generally limited to 48kHz.On a DVD-Audio (DVD-A) disc, there is very little video, so the entire storage space can be devoted to audio.Note that when comparing to the CD, if you stay with two channels, you won’t hear any difference. The real difference in DVD-A is the capability of uncompressed 5.1 music.For a quick and easy grasp of DVD-A,and scroll down to the chart.DVD-Video can contain audio of these formats:PCM: 48 kHz or 96 kHz sampling rate, 16 bit or 24 bit Linear PCM, 2 to 6 channelsAC-3: 48 kHz sampling rate, 1 to 5.1 (6) channelsDTS: 48 kHz or 96 kHz sampling rate; channel layouts = 2.0, 2.1, 5.0, 5.1, 6.1MP2: 48 kHz sampling rate, 1 to 7.1 channels, up to 912 kbit/s.Dolby Digital AC-3 and DTS are the most common audio codecs on a DVD- Video disc. They are both lossy, but when used for 5.1, very acceptable.Stereo DVD-A doesn’t have it’s own sound any more than a CD does. The two would sound identical if containing the same digital audio material. The real point of DVD-A was it’s capability of surround music, or multiple mixes of surround and stereo music. AIX records does this, presenting stereo, “in the band” surround, and “On Stage” surround mixes all on the same DVD-A.