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I agree.
Neither SACD or DVD-Audio took off; I doubt most people are interested in yet *another* damned format, as much as I'd like it.
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Reducing the price of standalone Blu-Ray players might (and they are coming down), as the discs themselves aren't massively more expensive than the 'normal' DVD version.
I have not really looked into this, but on average a Blu-Ray disc is around double the price of a DVD.
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Posted: |
Oct 12, 2008 - 1:51 PM
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By: |
SchiffyM
(Member)
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Based on the fact digital downloads are outselling CD's and that iTunes et al have been pumping out music at 128bps and only recently went to 256kps. The greater world does not seem to want good quality recordings, especially when listened to on $10 headphones...
Yes, audiophiles are a niche market (I'm not one, to be honest, but of course I prefer better to worse). But I'm betting they're a bigger niche than fans of instrumental movie soundtracks, and certainly we're being flooded with product. But again, our niche does not require additional hardware, whereas all these disc formats do.
I think it's an oversimplification to suggest that people do "not seem to want good quality recordings." It's simply that they want flexibility, and they can't afford to spend thousands upon thousands of dollars on equipment (not to mention rooms that can support the proper acoustics!). And if you live in a major metropolitan area (which makes you a prime buyer of music), there's a good chance you live in an apartment, where you can only turn your music up so loud anyway. (I live in a house. With a wife and three kids. So even if my equipment were state of the art, I would rarely be able to play it to full effect.)
People want to be able to play their music not just on their home stereos but in their car and on their iPods. And you'd have to have a really high end car to appreciate higher resolution music on the highway.
Yes, it took several years to get 256Kbps music on iTunes, but this format is still in its infancy, and iTunes has competitors. What downloads give us is an opportunity to play the same music file on an audiophile stereo system (again, if the sampling rate is high enough) and in our cars, etc. I think that's the only way higher resolution music will catch on -- when it's a boon to those who desire it but available to anybody without the need for fancy equipment.
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I think higher quality downloads will come eventually, if for no other reason so that the record labels can churn us into buying stuff once again. iTunes is already gouging people 30 cents to upgrade lousy-sounding 128kbps tracks to better sounding DRM-free iTunes Plus tracks (256kbps.) I seem to recall there are one or two sites offering downloads of classical music in lossless multi-channel formats, but that obviously hasn't gone mainstream yet.
After the crash and burn of DVD-A and SACD I do not expect to see another physical audio format come along.
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Posted: |
Oct 13, 2008 - 12:52 AM
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By: |
Guy
(Member)
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ShiffyM, to reference your points, Audiophiles are certainly a bigger market, I don't know too many people dropping $5000 on a record / CD or DVD player mind.
If you are living in apartment (or with family), the best way to properly listen to your music is through good headphones this will also not have the neighbours hammering on your wall. Having high end gear might be great for showing your friends, but if your ear can't hear the difference what's the point? More concerning with the youth is the level that they listen to the music, I can be on a train and hear the bass lines for music of someone sitting opposite me over my music. But also if you have a high end stereo in your car, if the MP3 is of low quality you aren't getting the best out of the system.
It's not an oversimplification that people want good recordings, they just don't care about the quality. The young folks today driving the market are 'ADD' driven, constantly flicking between tracks, wanting more music (and current crest of the wave) fitting on their ipod/phone/pda/PC. Some may never have purchased a CD and are use to inferior sound as a result. This I've gotten from speaking to people in the hifi stores and kids of friends.
To draw a parallel, MP3 to Flac is like VHS to Betamax. The lossless format is superior but MP3 playability is everywhere, DVD players, Phones, in car CD systems everything is geared to read it. Similarly can be said in DSLR camera, saving JPG files in AdobeRGB has better Colour depth than sRGB, but sRGB is a way more portable format for sending or printing.
I gladly listen to 320k MP3 when listen on my ipod, but when I am home I will play the CD. And I have done listening comparisons and can hear difference.
We are driven by convenience and currently by our wallets. But in the past Audiophiles specifically Classical and Jazz fans, have driven the DVD-A & SACD technologies, but with only 3000 cds being the average pressing of score CD's I can't see this driving a need for Blu-ray audio anytime soon.
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Anybody have any Blu-Ray audio soundtracks? Thoughts? Are there any soundtracks on Blu-Ray audio yet?
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The new OBSESSION recording will be on Pure Audio Blu Ray .....in Spring
BOOM!!!
Changes the whole conversation, doesn't it?
Any chance of other Tadlow recordings being released in this format?
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Hope it sells well as I would love to hear your two Conans in this format. Not even sure that is a possibility but thought I would mention it 
We may have to be more subtle. I think we should try inception.
(not the score)
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Anybody have any Blu-Ray audio soundtracks? Thoughts? Are there any soundtracks on Blu-Ray audio yet?
The new OBSESSION recording will be on Pure Audio Blu Ray .....in Spring
Wow... I'm up for it.
If there is one thing I'm not too nuts about when it comes to Blu Ray audio, it's the size of the Blu Ray casing (why do they have to make it so it won't fit along the CDs in a rack?)
But if the new OBSESSION recording will be on Pure Audio Blu Ray, I will buy that without hesitation. :-)
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Great news about Obsession being on Blu-Ray audio. For those interested there have also been quite a few great classical releases on the format. Naxos branched out to it and you can pick up Dvorak's late symphonies in the format.
Yavar
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