DavidNJ

1. Virtually no one has the hardware for DVD-A (except TL owners). DVD-Audio is different from DVD-Video.

2. MP3 and CD are beyond the quality that most people can distinguish. Evidence: people migrating from CD players to MP3 players, even with quality headphones/systems.

3. Even when it is obvious (Beta vs. VHS), buyers go for convenience (6 hours vs. 2 hours) over quality. If this was a quality focused group, we would have bought cars where the discussion isn't over cracking leather and truly low end tires. This is a value focused group.

JonDeutsch

DavidNJ,

Not exactly true. Almost everyone has the hardware in their home theater/home to play a DVD-A disc. No, they will not get the hi-rez output, but they will get the SURROUND output, which is the more easily recognized aspect of the format.

More and more DVD players come with DVD-A compatibility. But no matter... all DVD players can playback DVD-A discs. It's a simple fact that is missed in the format war conversation over and over again.

Jon

Linnley

DavidNJ.....I hear ya, and yes you have great points.....but keep an open mind....

1) The next generation of DVD players will be able to handle DVD-A disks....count on that! The current DVD-V players can play DVD-A, thats a bonus.

2) Quality vs Value, subjective, after all these are ACURA cars, not LADA's, so we all care about quality! This doesnt mean we cant complain about the tires, and this will be fixed.

3) MP3's - this is only because of the "download" world. Free music is great, and this is why this format has seen success. I would never listen to MP3's in a TL......I would always go with a CD or DVD-A.....even the XM radio would sound better than MP3's.

The person that is the typical "TL" owner, loves the DVD-A, the great V6 motor, the quiet interior, etc etc .... in fact ALL upper sedan owners would appreciate a DVD-A system....its the future, dont fight it.....


PS: not a good comparo : Beta vs VHS and MP3 vs DVD-A......a better comparo would be SACD vs DVD-A......

Modeler

And you will loose all your money. Look around, it's ALL about convenience of MP3s on home computer, in the car, on the go. Until DVD-A or SACD offer this convenience, they will not become widely popular.

Modeler

There's a great article in the last issue of Sound & Vision devoted to the change in people's listening habits over the last several decades. According to the article, only a tiny percentage of music listening occurs at home. People just don't have time to sit in the "sweet spot" of the surround system much. The article implied that surround sound for music will succeed only if adopted in car audio systems.

EggrollXpress61

If you can afford a $35,000 Car with all the bells and whistles, whats a little more than a $20 bill to you? and im sure if you looked online you could get a far better price. Just my $.02

DavidNJ

The MP3 download feature is clearly an advantage, as are its compact file size. One look an electronics store will show how MP3 players have replaced CD players as the portable device of choice. This is a quality vs. portability selection.

While DVD players will play a DVD-A disc, they won't play the format. The DVD-A disk has the music also in DVD-V format for backward compatibilty.

While DVD-A capability is starting to show up, it is still not universal even in new players from major companies (i.e., Pioneer).

Surround sound is great. Home systems have it with either 5.1 tracks OR enhancement to stereo tracks. Do you know of a home 5.1 system that does not provide some form of spacial enhancement to stereo tracks?

Oddly, most of the car DVD players (all but a few actually) that play DVDs play video DVDs.

Modeler

It's not the $22, it's $22 vs. how much a CD costs. As I said, I never paid more than $12 per CD, and at least 90% of my CDs were purchased from BMG music for $6-8 per CD. I just don't see that much advantage to DVD-A to justify paying two to three times more over a CD.

I bought three DVD-A's in the last couple of days: Queen Night At the Opera, Fleetwood Mac Rumors and Eagles Hotel California. I alread have all of these albums on CDs, but I paid $17 to $20 at Best Buy for these DVD-As.

While I enjoyed these DVD-A discs, I didn't find the sound to be dramatically different from CDs. The things that were different I would mostly classify as gimmicks that don't make the sound better, just different. I would pay maybe 20-30% more for a DVD-A than for a CD.

I will be selling these DVD-As on E-bay shortly.

vtechbrain

My expirience has been that DVDA and CD's cost the same. The variety is pretty small. Its a great format but I wonder about how long its going to be around too. They have to some how increase the number of new releases in the format, for example like the new faith hill DVD. That will increase interest. BTW the recording of that DVD is excellent!!

Bitium

That player only plays the DTS part of the DVD-A, just like it would from a DVD video. Is still 5.1 and sound as good as CD's.

JonDeutsch

Releases of DVD-As will be slow for now... until the hybrid comes out in the summer.

Why release a DVD-A now when in a few months it will have a superior backward compatibility feature?

Jon

MikeRadio

I agree that DVD-As WILL be a dying format IF MORE TITLES do not appear... so we are either...

A) having a technology now that will never catch on

or

B) very ahead of the curve with new technology

when i first got XM awhile back it was ahead of the curve and now look how big it is getting...

Tajam

Cds cant last forever.


I highly highly doubt DVD-As will die.

Modeler

What can this enigmatic statement possibly mean? Are you talking about durability of CDs?

Or are you saying that CD FORMAT will eventually be discarded? Well, of course it will be. There's always something better on the horizon. Will it be DVD-A? Time will tell, but my money is not going to be on DVD-A.

Tajam

Ment Cd format.




well then what is your money on? SACD????

Modeler

My money is on something that is multi-channel (more than 2) and that is not encrypted like DVD-A or SACD. Such format does not yet exist.