How to Buy a DVD Player for Audio

Review your reasons for considering a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc, also called Digital Video Disc) player for music playback to ensure that you make an appropriate purchase. As of fall 1999, there are few music DVDs available, and normal 16-bit CDs don't sound any better on a DVD player.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• DVDs
• DVD Players For Audio

1. Consider purchasing an inexpensive CD player if you don't have a working CD deck and you are buying a DVD player primarily for video purposes.

2. Consider only those models that contain a digital-to-analog converter that decodes 24/96 recordings, if you want a DVD player as a hedge against obsolescence for two-channel audio.

3. Look for models described as CD/DVD players with 24/96 playback, if you want high-fidelity audio reproduction, and make sure the unit has RCA-jack digital outputs (as opposed to Toslink, the optical connector) for connecting an outboard digital-to-analog converter.

4. Surf the Internet for product information and buying advice.

Tips & Warnings

• "24/96" means 24 bits (as opposed to 16 bits, the current CD standard, and 20 bits for HDCDs) and a sampling rate of 96 kHz (approximately double the current CD standard).
• New technology, developed by Sony and Phillips (the inventors of CD), called Super Audio CD (SACD), is competing with DVD to be the next standard for digital audio playback. SACDs will play on existing CD players but sound no better than 16-bit CDs.
• As of spring 1999, very little recorded music is available in either the DVD or SACD formats. All DVD and SACD players will play all 16-bit CDs.
• Avoid buying a DVD player for 5.1 channel audio until standards are established and decoders exist.