enigzenig Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 I have recently purchased a DVD-Audio player to play high resolution audio. Doing some research on the web, it appears people think that DVD-A is going to be short lived. Blue Ray has the capability of 24-bit 192Khz audio and is stated it will replace the DVD format all together. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> What do you think? I dont want to invest much money in DVD-A if it wont stick around. At the same time, I like the smoother sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 DVD-A can't die, since it has really had no life. Beauty of BluRay is that it holds the promise of any sample rate with no compression. That means little guys like me can make them and not have to pay 2500.00 for Meridian Lossless rights to make it fit. And I can do 4X24/192 if I want to. And I do. Good thing. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwinr Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 You missed the DVD-A funeral. Now they're holding the wake... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enigzenig Posted February 12, 2007 Author Share Posted February 12, 2007 The FYE store use to have DVD-A and for some reason they pulled all of it. Is it really a dead format? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boom3 Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 DVD-A is NOT dead, but is on life support. The Aix label has put out some very well-regarded DVD-As, and so has Warner. I am a DVD-A partisan, but here's why I think DVD-A never got off the ground: 1. It arrived as 5.1 HT did, and the public got confused. 2. Some of us remember the Quadraphonic debacle, and DVD-A seemed (to the not-so-technical) like a re-tread of Quad. 3. A few well-known pop/rock works were remixed and provided as DVD-As. Some of these, particularly the Doors LA Woman and Yes, Fragile, are atrocious for clumsy remixing. Some, like the Dead's American Beauty, are fantastic. 4. SACD competed but also tended to confuse the public. The HT In A Box customers didn't understand it and couldn't tell the difference with that level of equipment anyway. 5. The public was just installing the cadre of second-generation DVD players, which were not all DVD-A enabled. "You mean I gotta buy another DVD player?" 6. Music sharing, downloading, iPods... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 Some good points, boom3, and I cannot really dispute them, but let me add the points I really think did it: >No. 1, and the music companies are completely clueless about this, is the number of us audiophiles buying up cheap vinyl instead of anything else, including CD's. REAL record buyers like myself and many others always accounted for a far greater share of record sales than the general public. I buy perhaps a 100 a year...if those were CD's or DVD's even a 100,000 like me would have a significant impact on the market. >Roadblocks to self-publish. Until DiscWelder Bronze, there was no way guys like me could make a DVD-A. Even now, we can't do 5.1 as the Meridian Lossless software can't be had for less than 2500.00. Nahgaddodoit for a simple compressor that would be freeware if the industry had not chosen to monopolize it to keep mom and pop out of the game. Bronze came too late to make a difference. Self-published and small business CD makers account for a lot of sales these days. >This is related to, but slightly different from my first point. Those satisfied with the limits of CD sound simply have no interest in or need for a higher resolution format. "Midnight Oil" sounds fine. However, if you want to really hear the difference between an Amati and a Stradivari, you need higher res. However, you can get that for 50 cents to 5 bucks at the used LP store and many of those with that preference remain dubious of digital. Ask maxg. You are right about the AIX releases as they have some good sound and fine performances. However, I've purchased some of them and they do not really seem to have grasp of the technology or the audience for it. Lots of gimmicks like choosing your spot in the audience, etc. There is one perfect spot in every space for an audiophile, and that's where the mikes should be. Higher density storage, such as BluRay, holds the promise of doing away with "formats" as such given that their storage capacity is functionally unlimited for audio purposes. Even 5.1 X 24/192 would not seriously challenge a dual density BluRay. Once it reaches significant penetration and the price comes down audio speciality companies will almost certainly begin to offer players that can handle ANY file type. Finally, the consumer companies will follow as it won't really cost that much more. That is basically what I have in my music servers...an 8 channel soundcard that doesn't care what you throw at it. When that happens, the confusion will end as neither Bubba nor Joe Audiophile will need to know or care what kind of disc it is...just stick it in the drive and go. Dave May it come to pass SOON! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coda Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 Jan. 07, 2007 LG ELECTRONICS LAUNCHES INDUSTRYS FIRST DUAL-FORMAT HIGH-DEFINITION DISC PLAYER Player with Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD Playback Capabilities Introduced for First Quarter 2007 Availability Blending the latest technologies and offering unprecedented flexibilityto consumers seeking the convenience of playing both Blu-ray Disc andHD DVD high-definition content, LG Electronics (LG), a leader inconsumer electronics and mobile communications, today launched thegroundbreaking Super Multi Blue Player at the 2007 International CES®(Booth #8214, Central Hall, Las Vegas Convention Center). Launchingin the United States during the first quarter of 2007, this advanceddual-format high-definition disc player, LG model BH100, will be thefirst player on the market with the capability to play bothnext-generation disc formats, addressing the challenge of the currentformat war. The new player is ideally suited to LGs expanded lineup ofFull HD 1080p plasma and LCD HDTVs, delivering best video possible inthe highest display resolution format. Weve developed theSuper Multi Blue Player to end the confusion caused by the currentcompetition between Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD. Customers are no longerforced to choose between the two formats, said Dr. Hee **** Lee,president and chief technology officer of LG Electronics. As Full HDTV is already gaining ground, we are hoping that the Super Multi BluePlayer will play the trigger role in expanding and advancing both FullHD TV and high-definition DVD market volume together. LGElectronics also offers flexibility to consumers in next generationoptical disc drives for personal computers. (See separate news release)The GGW-H10N, also available in the first quarter of 2007, iscompatible with both Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD formats. The Super MultiBlue 50GB drive is compatible with Blu-ray Disc, DVD, CD read/write andHD-DVD-ROM (read), offering the most universal unit available. Weknow our customers want high-definition content for their HDTVs. Wealso know a format war keeps people on the sidelines, said MikeVitelli, senior vice president of merchandising at Best Buy. With thisnew dual-format player, LG is offering a viable solution to thisdispute. This is the kind of customer-focused approach that Best Buylooks to bring to our customers. Warner Home Video PresidentRon Sanders added, We enthusiastically welcome LGs introduction ofthe Super Multi Blue high-definition disc player. This is a great firststep towards resolving consumer confusion and uncertainty due to thetwo high-definition formats. The Super Multi Blue Player will allowstudios to better meet consumers growing demand for high-definitioncontent in both the Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD formats. Byproviding a high-definition player that supports both Blu-ray Disc andHD DVD discs, LG is delivering a product that puts the customer first,said Randy Wick, senior vice president and general merchandise managerof consumer electronics at Circuit City Stores, Inc. We applaud the LGcustomer-friendly approach, as it will serve to alleviate customersconfusion about the two formats. Michael Ahn, president andCEO of LG Electronics North American Headquarters, echoed comments fromHollywood and leading retailers in support of LGs dual-formatapproach. The American consumers love affair with HDTV is now evenstronger thanks to LGs marriage of Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD. Whatsmore, our player upconverts standard DVDs to 1080i resolution,providing compatibility with consumers existing movie libraries whileimproving the picture quality of those discs, too. Inaddition to offering Full HD 1080p picture quality from high-definitiondiscs, the player incorporates interactive functions based on BD-Java,which allows advanced menus and functions to be displayed over thevideo of Blu-ray discs. And, while the same level of advanced menuinteractivity is not available while playing HD DVD discs, the powerfulcombination of Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD audio-video playbacktechnologies is like no other on the market. The unit supportsvarious A/V formats, including MPEG-2, VC-1, H.264 video, MPEG1/2audio, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital+, DTS and DTS-HD audio, andincludes multiple inputs/outputs such as HDMI out, component/compositevideo outputs, and optical/coaxial/discrete 5.1 channel audio outputs,among others. The strikingly designed unit incorporateselegant and easy-to-use backlit touch sensor buttons along with anergonomic remote control that delivers an effortless command of thenext-generation home entertainment experience. LGs SuperMulti Blue Player (BH100), available to U.S. consumers during the firstquarter of 2007, is expected to sell for about U.S. $1,199. LG Press Release ........................................................................................... HD-DVD goes beyond 50GB with new disc CES 2007 CoverageBy Henning Molbaek FIRST PUBLISHED Jan 9, 2007 Toshiba has announced a new 51GB HD-DVD Rom disc at this year's CES.Beating Blu-ray by 1GB, Toshiba today said that they had successfullycreated a triple layer HD-DVD disc that could contain 51GB worth ofdata with 17GB on each layer."Continued improvement in disc mastering technology has achievedfurther minimization in the recording pit, supporting a further boostin capacity to 17GB in single layer and a full 51GB on a single-sidedtriple-layer disc. Toshiba has confirmed the disc structure and itssuccessful operation." said the press release. "This time-testedphysical structure offers proven volume manufacturing at little costincrement."Toshiba has now closed the storage gab with Blu-ray, which can store50GB on a dual-layered disc. It will be exciting to see if this has anyeffect on the raging format war. Stay tuned. Press release ........................................................................................... Total copies in stock at Amazon: Blu Ray 9778 HD DVD 12867 Average Amazon.com price: Blu Ray $24.70 HD DVD $21.80 http://www.eproductwars.com/dvd/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enigzenig Posted February 13, 2007 Author Share Posted February 13, 2007 Just when a new format is available, it is only a matter of time for a new format to arise. The recording companies must be loving this right now with people replacing their audio collection with a new format, only for it to be replaced again soon. Can the DVD-A disks be copied to a Blue Ray (or HD DVD) with a conversion program. I would be more inclined to buy DVD-A disks if I can convert them to a new format without having to purchase yet another version of the same album. When will there be a decent blue ray player that has Burr Brown DACs with decent audio reproduction? Anybody on standby waiting for such a player? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kev313 Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 GooooooooooooooooooooooOOOO SACD!!!! Seriously, though, I am sure Sony will put out a nice blu-ray unit on par with their higher level SACD players. Well, I am hopeful anyway. I hear the average Sony unit quality has tumbled in recent years. Not that they aren't capable. I've got an SACD-1 and that thing is amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thoppa Posted February 14, 2007 Share Posted February 14, 2007 Music they will play at the wake for DVD-A....while dual disc is trying to resurrect it..... http://consumers.umusic.com/dvda/releases.html Anybody know a software player for DVD-A ? Cheers, Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxg Posted February 14, 2007 Share Posted February 14, 2007 As most of us are fond of saying from time to time - it is all about the music. There was simply too little of it for too long on both SACD and DVDa to make any kind of inroad. What needed to happen was that all music on Cd became by default music on one or other of the above 2 formats. In other words - all disks from, say, 2000 onwards was on a dual layer disk that would play in a normal CD player and a SACD/DVDa player. Didn't happen. Greedy manufacturers tried to charge a premium over the already over-inflated CD pricing and the thing died. Now - several years on, the technology has moved on - the storage space that much greater, the access times that much less and new facilities abound. There is no reason at all why Blue Ray or HDDVD cant outperform SACD and DVDa for music. For one of these 2 to take off we need them to make a step akin to the one above. There is plenty of room to have a Hi Def movie and a Hi Def sound-track. Price the software like a common or garden DVD of today and they could finally have a winner - otherwise it is an MP3 future with a sprinkling of vinyl loons. As I think Gary said - make the recording software freeware and it can really take off - if I could rip my vinyl to a digital format that actually matched it sonically I would do it in a shot - why not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boom3 Posted February 14, 2007 Share Posted February 14, 2007 My first Aix DVD-A is of harp music. Beautiful, but so closely miked that the heavy breathing of the harpist really intruded, on every mix on the disc. I contacted their CEO and he said all their mixes of that recording were like that and he graciously offered to refund my purchase. I did not ask for that and I'm willing to try another Aix disk. My fave DVD-A classical is the Telarc 1812-but not for 1812 itself-it's the Cappricio Italian (sp?) Some of the classical DVD-A only use the back channels for ambience, which offers no more than what my HT receiver can synthesize from any 2 channel source. The Dead music that Micky Hart remixed is fantastic. Wish he'd do more! I bought a DVD-A recently from Amazon that had some classical faves on it. When I opened the package (a regular CD case, BTW, not the nice DVD jewelcases we've come to expect) I noticed right off it was a "home made" DVD-A (purple back). Well, OK. Put it on, the music performance and recording was fine. EXCEPT-it had very loud pops between tracks, so high I feared for my tweeters. Shot it right back to Amazon for refund. I know DRM is a sep issue from format, but in light of what Steve Jobs said recently about forgetting DRM altogether, I am hoping thqt the 50 gig disk may ease the end of DRM and we will have one open standard in a DRM-free format. Somehow I doubt the lawyers for the media biz will let that happen... I am thinking of what Matt Groening (creator of the Simpsons) said back in the 80s about the then-new CDs: "Why are they called Compact Disks? Becasue they're round and we've [the record companies] made a compact with the devil" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coda Posted February 14, 2007 Share Posted February 14, 2007 Been listening to DAD and HDAD for years, plays in any DVD player but for some reason it never really took off. Nice to spin in the Toshiba 3950. http://www.classicrecords.com http://www.themusic.com/search.cfm?classic_cat=59&sidebar=classic keeping an eye on the "new and improved" hi rez formats, TrueHD and DTS . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted February 14, 2007 Share Posted February 14, 2007 MaxG: You may recall a couple of years ago I did some LP to digital experiments. At 24/192 the audible difference was negligible and possibly only level related. Further, this digitizing allows the used of non-signal altering de-click software (advanced only, such as the Sound Forge NX Reduction module) to eliminate such noises except in really bad cases. This type of process is digital and has no effect whatsoever (as opposed to old units like the SAE which affected the whole signal) except on impulses noises. Very good thing. Downside was that the resulting file was in excess of 5gb. BluRay eliminates file size as an issue and leaves us a choice: Continue the inevitable destruction of our analog resources which occurs with even the best care and equipment, or digitize and preserve the originals for occasional pleasure (clicks, pops, and all). It is now a very real choice. I am usually a bit ahead of the curve on these things (in this case, about 5 years), but I think it will not be too long before the most rabid LP addicts begin to feel guilty about how they are maintaining their precious heritage. In my case, I intend to preserve and hand them down to the next generation as intact and pristine as possible. They are no longer consumables. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.