Combination DVD-Audio/Redbook CD discs are already in the pipeline and will be appearing on retailers shelves in the near future, reliable sources in Las Vegas, including software manufacturers, told High Fidelity Review last week. However, although a formal announcement has not yet been made, we were given the impression that WG-4, the DVD-Audio Consortium and part of the DVD Forum, has embraced the expanded disc format to overcome objections to the lack of DVD-Audio disc compatibility with standard CD players in the home and car.

By eliminating this roadblock, the intent is to further broaden the appeal and increase the value proposition of a DVD-Audio purchase (DVD-Audio discs already contain Dolby Digital and/or DTS tracks that are backwardly-compatible with all DVD-Video players). Of course, the high-resolution DVD-Audio content will still require a DVD-Audio-capable player.

We are told that although dual-layer technology already exists for putting both DVD-Audio and Redbook CD content on the same side of a disc, initial releases will be dual-sided to insure greatest compatibility and simplicity of use: put in one side for the CD track, and flip it over for the DVD-Audio and DVD-Video content.