I think it was the effort that went into LD, considering what people were paying for the LD discs - $50-$80.
Think about the early DVDs that came out, and what was included on them. Hell, even today, things such as "interactive menus" and "subtitles" are still listed as "extras". Many DVDs simply had LD transfers put on them, or had the player default to the PCM soundtrack rather than AC3. Whereas LD was a cornucopia of film material, DVDs were catering to the "lowest common denominator".
I still recall how many people complained about "The Matrix" and "Phantom Menace" being in widescreen only.
"Laserdiscs aren't compressed AT ALL. That's what makes them sound great."
But the PCM might be remixed for the DVD, hence not of good quality.
That being said, when I watch my "Young Guns" DVD, the PCM soundtrack is much fuller and has better surround placement than the AC3 soundtrack.
"DVD mixes are often re-equalized so as not to stress feeble home theater setups."
And I don't know if this is done anymore (I don't have DTS), but many DTS/DD discs did not allow you to switch between the two audio tracks during the film, for fear of "spiking your speakers". Again, lowest common denominator.
"All we need is a copy of the DTS audio discs from the 97 film releases and we're in business."
