What would you like the future of Hirez Audio to be?

Lee Scoggins · 07-09-2004, 11:04 AM

I am wondering what people here would like to see hirez become. In other words, what possible future do you want to have for hirez?

I don't want to have any format war discussions; just an honest opinion about where hirez could go as a product.

You can include any format, DualDisc & BluRay & HD-DVD formats, whatever you like...just tell us what your dream scenario is....

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Here is my best future:

1. I think I would like to see either hirez format, DVDA or SACD, enjoy enough popularity (and hence profits for labels) for titles releases to improve.

2. An ability to playback my hirez in the car environment. I would enjoy having several auto playback options in terms of players.

3. Future DVD players include a LSI chip that decodes both formats so any title works.

4. Future hidef video players have universal chips as well.

5. More classic albums and newer pop titles come out in hirez.

6. Hybrid CD become increasingly common as labels differentiate their product from downloaded music improving value to the customer.

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I am most interested, though, in what you might want to see....

Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

Rachael B · 07-09-2004, 11:51 AM

I just want software that's good enough that hardware, not software determines how great your system can sound. I think that if the industry doesn't make DVD-A and/or SA-CD into standard/s, many folks are going to lose more faith in the industry. I certainly will.

John Milton · 07-09-2004, 12:10 PM

I've been pretty impressed with the clarify of stereo SACDs. The perfect hires future to me means a huge availability of titles in hybrid SACD format. I hope Sony gets it right and makes all U.S. Blu-ray players capable of playing SACD from the getgo.

Dale Van Minsel · 07-09-2004, 01:13 PM

First, we need to make sure that all formats are recorded and mastered to an established standard and sound as good as possible.

Then, I would prefer a properly manufactured (no cracking allowed) hybrid SACD.

Lee Scoggins · 07-09-2004, 01:26 PM

Thanks all for the comments.

Dale, I think you hit on an interesting point. Mastering and recording quality is all over the map. I would agree that labels could do more to make the sound quality more faithful to the actual event. Limiting compression usage and placing more emphasis on natural sounding work would be a big step in the right direction.

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Garrett Lundy · 07-09-2004, 01:51 PM

The downside of limiting recording to set practices and tolerences would limit the number of recording studios, engineers, and sound mixing people that could be employed. A commitee and governing body, along with testing and certification would all have to be installed, and you'd need an Army of "recording cops" to ensure that the new material followed the rules.

naturally only big studios could afford to do this, and then only with a select few artists who are guaranteed to sella bajillion CD's. And most of todays 'Pop' music would sound like monkey-ass under the new guidelines. And even if you bought a new "super CD" it would likely cost $117.99 for eight tracks.

It would effectively bring about the end of the studio system.

Then everybody would have to make money selling stuff on iTunes for $.99/song. By using independant labels effectively eliminating Hi-Rez and Mid-Rez (CD) by making MP3 (or AAC, ATASC, whatever) the only music format that would be economically viable to garage bands ("Professional" musicians would no longer be able to support themselves). OR you could only experience music from live performances at bars.

And then the next-day you wake up and robots are making people work in salt mines.!

Personally I'd like the Chinese to develop a 500-disk universal player that sound better than the $3000 SONY ES single-disk player and sell it for $199 US. Then I wouldn't care anymore which format your particular studio released material on, as long as everything wasn't mixed to a terrible 5.1 mix just because everybody else is doing it.

No OSM (original stereo mix) = No Sale!

Will_B · 07-09-2004, 02:14 PM

I'd like them to stop with the spinning discs and instead make a credit-card sized plastic card (artwork directly on the card, so no need for packaging).

Carl Johnson · 07-09-2004, 02:20 PM

I'd like it if I could take full advantage of a hi-res player without having to upgrade to a receiver with 5.1 inputs.

Lee Scoggins · 07-09-2004, 02:30 PM

Quote:

I'd like them to stop with the spinning discs and instead make a credit-card sized plastic card (artwork directly on the card, so no need for packaging).

This is an interesting idea. I have some friends who work in Cambridge making credit card sized PCs for RFID devices. We certainly would seem to have the technology.

The cost of new equipment to produce the cards would be the financial downside of such a shift. Optical media is so entrenched...

Quote:

The downside of limiting recording to set practices and tolerences would limit the number of recording studios, engineers, and sound mixing people that could be employed.

I would not want to limit anybody, least of all the specialty labels, or put in such a big enforcement infrastructure. But the Big 5 could easily adopt a set of recording and mastering guidelines and engineers who follow them might be able to certify a CD or hirez disc as "RIAA approved Premium Sound Quality" or some such logo. I think it would work best on a voluntary basis, particularly if product got some sort of marketing dollar advantage for participating - a sort of financial incentive program...