And yet another new hi-rez format.....??

[genesis471]

http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB115465756406526611-G3hMSIYzgiQUOgliXOTUgZ2tu38_20070803.html

How many formats do we really need! To bad imo that the industry just couldn't get behind SACD and really push it! Instead we have formats like DualDisc which stinks, imo of course. DVD-A isn't bad except you can't play it in the car. Oh well, we see what comes of this new one!

 

[Audioholics]

Well, not new per se, but more like an obvious transition that should have occurred the moment the industry execs started to whine about CD sales slipping... With the advent of music videos, who wants to just listen to music anymore?

Even if you just "roll tape" on a couple of cameras during sessions this is a no-brainer and hardly adds anything to the cost of production (if they don't want it to).

What's amazing is that it has taken this long for the record industry to get a clue that there needs to be more value in the provided music formats. With surround sound exploding onto the market place and people getting all jazzed about display sales and home theater it always bugged me that the existing formats of Dolby Digital and DTS were not expanded upon for music in a broader scale.

The fact that you can now hardly find a set top CD-only player should have been a little clue.

Let's hope this marks the beginning of a new trend. In my opinion it's not a format change so much as a shift of the music industry's thought process.

 

[gellor]

I've got to agree with Clint on this one...One of the reasons a lot of people didn't buy into the new audio formats is the incompatibility with their current players. Especially with the huge market of HTiB systems...how many have you seen that were DVD-Audio/SACD compatible?

If they put music on DVDs, they'll be compatible with existing equipment, and they will be compatible with future equipment as well, since the new HD DVD/Blu-ray players are all backwards compatible with DVD.

I say about freakin' time.

 

[genesis471]

Okay I can agree on what you guys are saying... but when the music is put on to dvd, it has to be some format like dts, DVD-A or DD, or ?? Doesn't it? I guess if it's backward compatible with all the dvd players that are out there then that's okay. Hopefully Clint you are correct and they shift the right direction.

Mike

 

[BGLeduc]

With surround sound exploding onto the market place and people getting all jazzed about display sales and home theater it always bugged me that the existing formats of Dolby Digital and DTS were not expanded upon for music in a broader scale.

Bingo.

I am all about hi-rez and have the Denon 3910 to prove it but I have bought pretty much every SACD and DVD-A that I am even remotely interested in. For mainstream pop/rock, those formats are dead.

But I recently bought the CD/DVD two-fer of Steve Miller's Fly Like an Eagle, which has a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio-only mix (among other content). I was not expecting much, but I have to say that it sounds damn good. As good as, if not better than certain MC SACD and DVD-A titles I own.

Given my druthers, I would rather have MC SACD or DVD-A, however if I can't get that for the music that I like, BUT someone takes the time to do a decent DD or DTS mix AND they package it like they did with FLAE, I am all over it.

Brian

 

[racquetman]

Okay I can agree on what you guys are saying... but when the music is put on to dvd, it has to be some format like dts, DVD-A or DD, or ?? Doesn't it? I guess if it's backward compatible with all the dvd players that are out there then that's okay. Hopefully Clint you are correct and they shift the right direction.

Mike

No, the format doesn't have to be limited to what you said. It can be PCM just like a CD is. You do need a DVD player though, to read data off of a DVD - that's the only limitation.

 

[Duffinator]

What's amazing is that it has taken this long for the record industry to get a clue that there needs to be more value in the provided music formats.

Bingo. Last week Best Buy had both Superman DVD's on sale for $3.99 each. When was the last time you saw a popular CD on sale for $3.99? I'm buying and renting more concert DVD's in the past couple of years and it's hard to beat the combination for enjoyment and value. I've tried MC but keep going back to stereo. I don't have a SACD capable player and can't muster up any interest in the format with the limited availability of music. It's not going to get any better with the new DD and DTS formats coming out to further confuse the consumer.

 

[mfabien]

Most DVDs that I own are Music or concerts:

http://www.dvdspot.com/list.php?member=mfabien&list=owned

Plus a few others without UPC numbers such as a Celine Dion Video Clips DVD called "On ne change pas". And that is exactly the kind of music medium that Clint is referring to.

Receiving this week:

- Josh Groban in Concert
- Il Divo: Encore

I have a 5 disc DVD changer with Resume memory for 6 DVDs. I can vary my listening at will and even shuffle the chapters when I want to. For music, that is a neat player.