QQ DVD-Audio Demo/Promo/Sampler Gallery (with scans)

[JonUrban]

I don't know about you guys, but since the dawn of quad I have always been intrigued by the "Sampler" disc. Given out as freebies, or with a piece of equipment, many of this type of disc has arrived with a track that had yet to be released, or sometimes one that never got released.

Since DVD-Audio seems to have taken a back seat to the marketplace, I created this thread to catalog and display some of the rare and unusual sampler and promo discs that were created to support the format and the hardware that played the format.

If you have any discs of this type and would not mind scanning them and sharing them with the membership, that would be GREAT! Please create your scans to be 650 pixels wide for uniformity. If you have any stories that go along with the disc, please add that information.

For those of you that bought cars that came with DVD-A discs, please check this thread and if you don't see your disc listed and displayed add it to this thread. If you don't have a scanner or camera, go ahead and create a reply but list the tracks on the disc and post any info you have about it. At some point, maybe another member can add a scan.

THANKS!!

 

[JonUrban]

2000 WB/Panasonic Demo Disc

This is the 2000 version of the demo DVD-A from WB/Panasonic, dated 2000 and appearing in the jewel boxed size case that the early WB titles were released in. (The 1999 version is show in a later post in this thread)

I am not sure if this disc pre-dated the Joni Mitchell, Steely Dan, Miles Davis, and Pat Metheny DVD-A discs, but I would guess that it did as the verbiage at the bottom on the back says that these discs will appear in 2000, when some didn't come out until 2001.

 

[JonUrban]

JVC Promo Disc

Dated 2001, this is a more common sampler and shows up on eBay from time to time. I believe it came with the JVC DVD-Audio player(s) sold at the time. I do recall that it did pre-date the Harvest DVD-A, so for a while it was the only way to hear "Heart of Gold" in HiRez surround!

 

[JonUrban]

JVC "Special Edition" - Yes Promo Dvd-a

Also dated 2001, I do not know the particulars on this release. I do know that "Magnification" was not released on DVD-A until June 30, 2002, so this may have been a pre-release deal. The tracks from the House of Blues never showed up as a stand alone DVD-Audio disc.

 

[JonUrban]

2004 Acura TL ELS Demo DVD-A

The first car to appear with the Elliott Schiener "ELS" Surround Sound audio system was the 2004 Acura TL. This is the disc that came with mine. It's a great demo disc, and on track 23, in the classic "quad demo" tradition, Elliott takes the listener through the construction of the Grover Washington tune "Winelight" and it's 5.1 mix. Yes, you get the old "In this speaker we have the drums", then you just hear the drums in that speaker. On and on until Grover appears and you hear the whole mix. Very cool - if you like this sort of stuff. Of course, within the disc, you get the whole version of Winelight!

Also, at the beginning, Elliot lets you hear the tune "Long Train Runnin'" in stereo 16/44.1, and once you get used to that, you are greeted with the same track in glorious 24/96 5.1. A classic quad track, remixed for 5.1, and a great demo tune for the Acura.

 

[JonUrban]

2005 Acura RL Bose Demo DVD-A

This is the disc that came with my wife's 2005 Acura RL (She traded in the TL to get AWD! ) Instead of an ELS system, for some reason the RL gets a Bose surround system. The downside of that is the demo disc. What a yawner. As you can see, the "demo" tracks are generic Bose muzak, best left for doctors offices and elevators. I hope they improved the sampler DVD-A in the later years.

 

[JonUrban]

2007 Acura TL/RDX ELS Demo DVD-A

This is the Demo Disc that came with my Acura RDX. It's a big improvement on the crappy Bose demo from the 2005 RL. The RDX gets the full ELS treatment, so the demo disc is again WB related. More great tunes, and a track from "Hell Freezes Over" in 24/96. Oh yeah, we also get the "left over" build-a-surround-mix of "Winelight" from the original ELS demo disc. On this disc, the CD/DVD-A comparision Doobie Brothers track "China Grove" replaces
"Long Train Runnin'".

 

[JonUrban]

2003 AIX SAMPLER DVD/DVD-AUDIO

This is a disc that got lots of folks interested in the AIX label. AIX is one of DVD-Audio's strongest supporters, and strives for audio perfection in all of their releases, many times offering multiple surround sound mixes for each release!

 

[Audi A3]

From 2001. I got it when I bought my Denon DVD-3300 in september 2001

 

[vinylguy4]

This says it is DVD-A sampler, it is actually dolby digital 5.1.

vinylguy4

 

[leevitalone1]

JVC Promo Disc

Dated 2001, this is a more common sampler and shows up on eBay from time to time. I believe it came with the JVC DVD-Audio player(s) sold at the time. I do recall that it did pre-date the Harvest DVD-A, so for a while it was the only way to hear "Heart of Gold" in HiRez surround!

correct. My intial entry into dvd audio xv sa75 by JVC had this and the Yes disc(pic under this) in the box. I still have both. And enjoy them.

 

[sacd user]

I received the Creative DVD-Audio Sampler Disc with an Creative Audigy2 PC card. The DVD is from 2002. Using the software delivered with the card, I was able to play DVD-Audio in stereo on my laptop, but to me the sound was not good. In fact, I much preferred CDs using the same card.

The sampler was produced by Aix media group with Pop samples from other labels. The track listing is:

1. Vanessa Lausdel, Shut Up
2. Larissa Stow, Living in Your Eyes, DTS Entertainment
3. Jeff Trott, No Substitute, DTS Entertainment
4. Jet68, Superqueen, Bronze Records
5. Manheim Steamroller, Leonardo, American Gramaphone
6. The Latin Jazz Trio, Mujaka
7. The Jim De Julio Quintet, Lifestyle II
8. Piano, Bass & Drums, Shorties Portion
9. The Paul Smith Trio, Here Comes Ralph and Dick
10. Zephyr: Voices Unbound, Quand Je Bois/Anon
11. Nitty Gritty Surround, Acoustic Traveller / John McEuen
12. Nitty Gritty Surround, It's Morning / Jimmy Ibbotson
13. Acoustic Blues, Graved Flats / Dorian Michael
14. Oboe Concerto, Marcello, G Enescu Phil Orch
15. Divertimento, Mozart, D Enescu Wind Quintet
16. Bolero, Ravel, G Enescu Phil Orch
17. Piano Quintet, Brahms, D Stevens & Ives Quartet

 

[Don C]

This is a retail demonstration disc. The track list is fantastic, unfortunately it only has 30 second samples of each song. The disc runs in a continuous loop, playing the short samples, first in stereo, then surround. The sound is fantastic, as you'd expect.

 

[JonUrban]

Anyone have any other discs to add to this thread? What about other car DVD-A player owners, any other demo discs?

 

[elshagon]

Here's the DTS Sampler from 2003:

 

[chuckflhp]

Has anyone ever seen the Yes - Symphonic Live in Amsterdam -JVC Special Edition? Has all the band except Wakeman.. It is a 2 disc set. I was told it came with a DVD player. It is also available as a DVD-Video. But the one I have is in a DVD-A case and is definitely a DVD-A. I've seen it on E-bay, once in a great while.

 

[Feisal K]

Here's the DTS Sampler from 2003:

that's the only one I have. unless you can count Dr. Chesky's 5.1 Surround Show and AIX's samplers

 

[JonUrban]

1999 UMG Demo Disc

Here's an interesting one. It's from UMG. The thing that makes it interesting is that most of these titles were available as DTS CDs, then SACDs! (Some tracks never came out on DVD-A or SACD at all!)

However, this disc is dated 1999! So, could it be that UMG was originally going to be a DVD-A exclusive shop, and someone (I wonder who) convinced them to move toward SACD? Maybe with some incentive?

If true, it would be another example of one company torpedoing the 5.1 surround market - but alas we have many other threads here discussing that aspect. I guess we'll never really know.

 

[JonUrban]

1999 WB/Panasonic Demo Disc

The below scans are from the 1999 version of the disc shown it Post 2 of this thread. (To side by side compare, open the Post 2 link in a new window) This disc has fewer tracks, but does include a track that is not on the 2000 version shown above in Post 2.

The front graphic is similar to the 2000 version, which has a black border around it, and the DVD-AUDIO logo on this one looks to be a prototype of the logo that was abandoned for the newer logo that's shown on the 2000 disc.

Don't you just love this stuff?

 

[JonUrban]

Here's a look at the 2008 Acura ELS Demo DVD-A, pictures swiped from an eBay ad. This one I've never seen. It has a few tracks from late-era discs, and a cut from the Eagles Live DVD/HD-DVD.

I wonder if the Steve Miller track is from the original DTS CD or the later release that was Dolby Digital?

(If anyone has a better scan of this one, let me know)