I just bought a DVD audio disc, and ghe system says it can't read it, disc error. I checked the Disc, it says DVD audio, and DTS, Dolby Digital.

Anyone can explain this? Will be checking it out with the Dealerthis week.

 

What disc was this? When you say "5.1 system", are you talking about the player in the RDX? Does the disc play properly on a computer or home DVD player?

 

I went back to return the disc to the shop, and although they had a policy of no returns for opened/used Discs, they accepted it based on my explanation that it could not play on my DVD-audio player.

The returned disc actually is a 5.1 DTS disc, but not DVD-AUDIO, as I looked at it more carefully. It plays only on DVD players. So this time, I went through the shelf of DVD music discs, and found a Botticelli "DVD-AUDIO" disc. I bought it and played it on the RDX system, and wa-lah! it works, and yes... the surround sound system is truly awesome. clear crisp highs, the digital sound processing was well done, the various instruments are clearly distinguishabl, and the vocals were nice and crisp, no cracking or buzzing...

Makes me glad that I made the choice to go with the ELS system.

 

I know this is going to sound sarcastic, but I can't resist. You're sure glad you made the choice to go with the ELS system because it sounds so much better playing the discs you can't find? ;-)

Personally, I think Acura missed the boat here. DVD-Audio is going to disappear rapidly. They should have allowed the player to play Audio DVDs (essentially standard DVD movie discs with 5.1 audio). They could have simply blanked out the movie when the car was in drive if they wanted to.....it would have opened up a lot more options for us. Right now, we are stuck with a brand new system that will play discs that are out of date...

Mike

 

I totally agree. But the sound quality is still amazing... I will be collecting a couple of classicals, and certain popular artists, to listen in the car...

Got the Nav for it's main purpose... the added surround sound is a plus...

 

I agree that DVD-Audio is a dying format. However, the RDX sound system still sounds great with regular CDs or even MP3 CDs. Supposedly it has some DSP to create a 5-channel effect and it sounds great to me.

 

I had thought that too - but the more I thought about it, I don't think it's true. I know the manual mentions that the Pro Logic decoder 'makes 5.1 channel sound from 2 channel stereo sources'. I think what it means is that it will decode Dolby Pro Logic Surround from 2 channel sources - which is what DPL is all about anyway. I don't think it's talking about a DSP program to simulate surround... Does anyone else have a more concrete answer?

Mike

 

Can anyone clarify this for me?

Can the ELS system play DTS CD, SACD?

 

DTS CD yes, SACD no

 

Actually, the DPLII works very well, however you have to "turn it on". If it's working correctly, you will see the little Dolby logo on the center dash display, up by the time and track info.

Dolby Pro Logic II is an advanced algorithm that will find surround information from a stereo source. You won't find many CDs that are actually Dolby ProLogic encoded (there were only a few released in the late 80's/early 90's), but many CDs sound great if you activate this feature.

As for DVD-Audio, it's a shame that the labels bailed on the format before it had a chance to get going. I would certainly search for any titles you may be interested in at this point, as the eBay market is driving the cost of these discs into the over $100 range for some titles already.

 

And that was my point. It doesn't simulate a surround experience by strategically adding channel delays like many home stereos and MP3 players do, but it will decode surround information from 2 channel sources IF IT EXISTS.

I have yet to actually see a CD encoded with Pro Logic. So again there's the rub. Our ELS system supports surround sound, but only through Pro Logic encoded CDs and DVD-Audios, both of which are either dead or dying. If they had enabled the system to read DVD-Videos and Audio DVDs, we'd have enough content to last for years.

It would be cool though if at least XM would broadcast with Pro Logic once in a while - maybe on 'Cinemagic'. Unfortunately, I've heard that compression makes retaining the encoded info difficult.

Mike

 

No, I think it is doing signal processing to simulate surround sound from normal stereo tracks.
From the dolby site http://www.dolby.com/consumer/techno..._overview.html

Dolby Pro Logic II

Dolby Pro Logic II transforms any stereo signal into five-channel, full-range surround sound. It’s found in the Apple® iPod®, in MP3 and CD playback, in VHS movies, in laser discs, and in stereo broadcasts.

Dolby® Pro Logic® II technology processes any high quality stereo (two-channel) movie and music audio into five playback channels of full-bandwidth surround sound. A matrix surround decoding technology, Dolby Pro Logic II detects the directional cues that occur naturally in stereo content and uses these elements to create a five-channel surround sound playback experience. It's ideally suited for home theater systems, PCs, game consoles, and multichannel in-car audio systems (as Dolby Pro Logic II Surround).

 

Ah - Ok. That's more of what I was looking for in the way of confirmation. I wasn't sure how DPL II was different from DPL. I guess that's how. Thanks! Great information!

Mike