What is: MVI Disc

The MVI Disc is the latest in a parade of would-be successors to the CD, including the surround-sound products Super-Audio CD and DVD-Audio, and most recently DualDisc, which plays like a CD on one side and like a DVD on the other. Warner was one of two companies, along with Sony BMG, to embrace DualDisc last year. But the capacity of both the CD and DVD sides of DualDiscs is limited compared to normal CDs and DVDs. In contrast, the storage capacity of the planned Warner DVDs is up to four times what can be held on the DVD side of a DualDisc. Warner and Sony BMG have sharply scaled back their DualDisc output.

Warner is not proposing any generic name for the new format, beyond simply "DVD album." The company plans to encourage retailers to stock them alongside normal CD albums on shelves, and they would likely carry a higher price tag, though just how much higher will probably be determined by the amount of extras included on any given disc. The company plans to continue releasing albums on CD, too, for the foreseeable future.

But there are some stumbling blocks that may discourage consumers from embracing MVI Discs. The new discs would not play on normal CD players, meaning consumers could not simply pop their new discs into their car stereos or other players. And users would not be able to copy the main audio mix onto their computers. On the proposed DVD album, the main audio mix is to be protected by the same software that already protects the content on normal DVDs. To get around these compatibility issues...watch for "special edition" releases that include a regular cd as well as a discreet MVI Disc.

The Music Video Interactive Disc (MVI) would include "preripped" digital tracks of the entire album, ready to be copied onto a user's computer -- a totally separate set of data from the higher-quality, DVD-audio sound that users hear when they slip the DVD in a player. The lower-quality, "preripped" tracks could be copied to a CD.

Comments

[Tony Rogers]

Listening to the MVI on my home stereo, (Yamaha receiver, pushing McIntosh speakers) I'm hearing things in the music I've never heard before on the regular CD. Absolutely love the 5.1 mix. Played it on a friend's ( I hate to say it, but inferior ) home stereo, and it didn't sound as good, or distinct. The registration has never, and I'm guessing will never work; so the extra content promised will never be available. On sound quality alone, I feel this is worth buying. Looking forward to more titles, which I'm thinking may never come either.

[Tim McDonnell]

The Rush MVI disc plays in my DVD-A player and I enjoyed the making of documentary quite a bit. But this MVI configuration blows; it'll disappear by Christmas.

Upon inserting the MVI disc in my PC, I was promised extras by registering. This has never worked. The disc is loaded with gimmicky junk like ringtones and such. The MP3s would have to be converted in iTunes one at a time instead of just inserting a CD and telling it to rip them all.

This is NOT a product any sane consumer is simply raving to own and misses the target. Somebody got sold a bill of goods.

Cut the crap and give us what we REALLY want; high resolution DVD-A surround mixes.

Perhaps Becausesoundmatters.com can rectify this glaring omission since the 5.1 mix has already been completed. But if you'd like to make it more aggressive we'd like that even better.

[TomMn]

I purchased the new Rush MVI and it does not play on my car audio system, which is DVD compatible. Will MVI discs not play on DVD-A players?

[Tim McDonnell]

Hold the presses! What was to be a DVD Album is now an MVI release. Huh?

"In addition to SNAKES & ARROWS, RUSH is also releasing a MVI on June 5. MVI is a cutting-edge format that features 5.1 surround sound, interactive content and higher storage capacity. The SNAKES & ARROWS MVI contains more than 40 minutes of never-before seen footage of Geddy, Alex and Neil in the studio, and offers fans a first look at some of rock music's greatest innovators."

Then I found this explanation:

Amazon.com included this:
"What Is MVI? With a higher storage capacity than a standard CD, the Music Video Interactive Disc (MVI) contains new interactive features including, superior sound quality, a wide range of video features, and interactive digital content. MVI discs play in all standard DVD players, computers, and game consoles with DVD drives but do not play in conventional CD players. Digital music files are compatible with all MP3 devices."

[Dave64]

They're already confusing the issue by referring to it as MVI disc in some places. Already shooting themselves in the foot!

[Tim McDonnell]

Is this usefule information or not? We'll have to wait and see what this really means. The new Rush album due May 1st is purportedly the first DVD Album and already unclear as to whether it will be high resolution DVD-A for the content or mere [cough-cough] Dolby Digital which would me disappointing were it not irritating. The point is the press can't get it right, the retailers don't know how to talk about it, so how well will this new format do?

BTW - The protection that was created for DVD-Audio is far more robust that anything developed on the DVD video side. Step backwards?