OTHER TECH

But here's a twist: If your player can handle DVD-Audio discs, it will definitely have six analog outputs (one for each of the recording's six channels) since DVD-A's copy protection won't let you send the signals digitally. Wait! There's another wrinkle. A few machines will play Super Audio CDs. While some high-end machines only play stereo SACDs, you'll find that all of the ones priced $500 or less play the newer multichannel discs.

Here's yet another subtlety: If your system uses satellite speakers that can't provide deep bass, the player or receiver can be set so that the higher frequencies in Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks are sent to the five main speakers (front left/ center/right and surround left/right) while the bass is sent to a subwoofer (the ".1" in "5.1"). But with multichannel DVD-Audio and SACD discs, most players simply send the full frequency range of every channel to the receiver. Since few receivers provide a way to limit bass response on the signals sent to their analog six-channel inputs, you need bass management in the player to hear these recordings with all of their deep bass. Very few players provide this, though, and, based on the information we received, none of the ones listed here do. (Some players offer bass management for Dolby Digital and DTS signals, but that's not as crucial since most receivers also provide that.) The other option is to invest in an outboard bass-management box. Keep in mind, though, that recording engineers are aware of this issue, and many compensate for it when doing a multichannel mix.

Speaking of disc formats, let's not forget that a DVD-Video player can potentially handle a variety of flavors. They all play CDs, and virtually all of them play Video CDs (a format that's popular in China). But if you're into burning your own discs, make sure it also plays write-once CD-Rs and rewritable CD-RWs. Not all players can, because they need a dual pickup to accommodate both disc types. A quick caution: manufacturers' claims aren't always reliable on CD-R/RW compatibility, so bring some discs to the store and try them yourself. And don't forget to check if the player can also handle discs with MP3 or WMA (Windows Media Audio) music files. These compressed-audio formats are great for stuffing hours and hours of music onto a disc.