Panasonic DVD-A7

DVD Audio

Following on from the new Toshiba and JVC players, integrating DVD Audio (news of 24 October 2000), today, we give you the chance to discover the first home DVD Audio/Video player from Panasonic: the DVD-A7.

The joint development of Hi Fi and Home Cinema technologies is booming, with the arrival of new sound formats at the top of the list of a new generation of products. Some manufacturers, including the Matsushita Group (Panasonic) are thus today offering sound buffs and amateurs of home cinema the type of products capable of carrying these new audio streams.


The Audio section of the DVD-A7

While the DVD-A7 is not the first DVD Audio compatible machine made by the brand, (they recently revealed some new portable DVD Audio/Video players – see our news of 12 October), it is nevertheless the first "shelf-top" model.

Benefiting from the same player technology as the two portable predecessors, the DVD-A7, thanks to the integration of a M.A.S.H (Multi Stage Noise Shaping) Digital/Analogue converter, is able to carry, on its two main channels, 24-bit audio with a 192 kHz sampling rate contained on DVD audio discs.

In addition, its DVD Video compatibility has meant the installation of 24 bit at 96 kHz converters, thus allowing the user to enjoy DVD audio in multi-channel mode.

The DVD-A7 also integrates a double Dolby Digital / DTS decoder and offers, as an extra, VSS (Virtual Surround Sound), with which the audio stream is recreated in three dimensions on two channels.


The Video Section

The DVD-A7 has the same video base as the other players of the brand catalogue. It in fact uses a 27 MHz, 10 bit video converter (while the DVD-RV60 integrates a converter sampling at 54 MHz).

It’s worth noting that the horizontal resolution is more than 500 dots per line. The DVD-A7 is among other things compatible with PAL and NTSC video standards by re-modulating the NTSC signal into Pal 60 Hz .

We regret the absence of a progressive scan de-interlacing system, which would have been very much appreciated.


Interfacing

Panasonic offers a complete audio and video interface. The audio section integrates an analogue output, a 5.1 output (allowing for the utilisation of Dolby Digital and DTS decoders), as well as two digital outputs (optical and coaxial). In addition, a headphone socket is included, benefiting from a procedure known as ambiophonique 3 dimensions (VSS).

The video signal is carried via an S-Video output, two composite outputs and two Scart outputs (of which one is RGB).


The DVD-A7 is available for a catalogue price of 1295 Euros (8490 French Francs).