Features:
Description:
Designed as more of a system show-off than system set-up set, The Ultimate DVD Gold is best viewed for the sheer pleasure of its aural and visual vignettes. Lengthier than the Silver edition and not as complete as Platinum (which includes more demos and a second, system set-up and diagnostic disc), this disc showcases different features and capabilities of DVD-video, from screen formats and multi-angle viewing to multiple languages and surround-sound formats such as DTS, Dolby Digital, and Dolby Pro Logic. For demo material, the disc draws from a deep and exciting reserve of quality filmmaking and animation, including excerpts from classics ("Chronos," "Beyond the Mind's Eye") and lesser-known gems ("Liquefied," "Jackpot"), as well as documentaries ("Boeing 777 PTQ," "Africa: The Serengeti") and music (Alan Parsons, Thomas Dolby). Highly useful is the ability to compare the quality and characteristics of the different surround formats in use today (provided your DVD player or surround receiver can decode them). If your DVD remote has an Audio button, you can even switch between Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1-channel soundtracks while you watch. Audiophiles will delight in both the prominence of 5.1-channel music and the presence of several music-only tracks recorded by Mapleshade and WILDCHILD! Records at 96-kHz/24-bit resolution. (Listen through your DVD player's analog outputs here; again, you must have compatible hardware--in this case, 96-kHz/24-bit digital-to-analog converters--to appreciate this feature.) This set is pure candy for the eyes and ears--gorge yourself. --Michael Mikesell
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