[Jeff Meininger]

Quote:

So is there a big difference between sound on SACD vs DVD-A?

Here's an interesting post made by a professional audio electronics engineer...
http://forums.audiworld.com/other/msgs/1643340.phtml

Also read this reply...
http://forums.audiworld.com/other/msgs/1643387.phtml


The gist:
It sounds to me like DVD-A is the winner technology, but SACD has an easier time "optimizing" their spec sheets by claiming what's hypothetically possible instead of what's actually possible.

And indeed, all digital mixing and editing is done in a high resolution PCM format (*cough* DVD-A *cough*) before finally being converted to SACD. So, in effect, SACD is re-encoded DVD-A.

And further, it sounds like consumer electronics implementations of SACD are rather poorly implemented hacks that convert the data back to PCM anyway.


What's so wrong with PCM? DVD-A is basically just a 24-bit/48kHz (minimum) CD. I agree with the poster that SACD sure sounds like Sony is inventing reasons to get away from PCM as a "grab for cash". Then again, I'm taking his word for it.

Edit: And oh yeah... it sounds like playing normal CDs on an SACD player might not be a great idea since the DAC is "hacked" to include SACD "workarounds". This would have an adverse effect on audio from normal CDs unless the player has a separate non-hacked DAC for them.

[Jonathan DA]

The poster in Jeff's links brings up some very good points, though I do believe Sony has come out with some native DSD recording tools recently that may counter some his arguments. Don't quote me on that though because I haven't researched it all yet, I could be way off. My current stance is SACDs sound better in general than CDs because they're mastering the tracks for an enthusiast audience with a quality setup instead of the J6P who's gonna play his/her CDs on a cheap boombox.

it sounds like playing normal CDs on an SACD player might not be a great idea since the DAC is "hacked" to include SACD "workarounds".

Which is precisely why I got the Denon 2200, it has seperate DACs for PCM vs DSD.

[Jonathan DA]

Christmas came early at Doc's house! Got a new input card for the Barco and everything is up and running again. Which means I now have for sale one Barco Graphics 801 CRT FP in very good condition with only 3390 hours on the chasis, no burn, no visible tube wear, includes a roadcase. Willing to let go cheap! And if you're in Austin I'll even help you set it up.

Got the Denon 2200 today as well. Looks great, sounds great, everything's great!

[Hank Frankenberg]

Doc and Tubes: I just ran across some juice that may be good for your older vinyl recordings:
http://www.buggtussel.com/vinylzyme.asp

Doc: good luck with selling your CRT PJ. There 's gotta be someone in town who wants black blacks. I wonder if there's a shop that would take it on consignment.

[Jonathan DA]

Biological warfare. Nice.

I imagine the CRT will sell much faster on ebay or videogon than it would here in town, so after CES it will go up for sale online.

[mike_frontier]

Cool Doc. So how much did ya pay for the sweet Denon 2200?


I mentioned that I got the Q50 about a week ago. Anyways I caliberated my PJ w/ the Q50 w/ the sound&vision dvd and I must say it looks really nice. I went to my PS2 dvd player and boy was a huge difference. I have not tried to hook back up my Sd3750 to see if I saw any/a difference.
Also since you mentioned black, blacks. I say the Q50 put black like true color BLACK and not a faded looking color blAcK. All the other colors also do look really nice. I was watching the new dvd movie that just came out called "
League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen (Widescreen) ". We all know you can test the blacks with this movie .
The gamma on the Q50 made all the difference in the world. (imho)



I still would love to see your Denon 2200 in action. I hear A+++ things about that dvd player.

[Steve Stogel]

I hope I'm putting this in the right place. I wanted some help from some of my fellow Austinites, so I figured this was the right thread. It is just a generic, "Hey, fellow Austinites, hep a brother out" thread, right?

Anyway, here's the skinny. I've got a Sony 1251q CRT PJ, and I was watching the special features on Pirates of the Caribbean and it looked just awesome. The movie looked very good, but the special features where they just showed the actors talking or when they were filming the movie looked awesome. I use the ViewSonic VB50 for scaling, and it gets the S-video feed and I convert it to 800x600. Cheap fix to get rid of the scan lines, and I think it does a very good job overall.

But watching the special features got me interested in getting some HD going to that bad boy. Here's where I'm looking for advice. I'm on Dish Network (and will be until at least June or July), and they want $400 for their HD receivers. If you don't have Dish currently, well of course you can get one for free They do have a package, though, where you can get an HDTV and the receiver for $999. They don't show which TV brand, and the sales rep said it was their brand, but using the dimensions and weight, I found the TVs. You can get either a 34" direct-view RCA HDTV or a 40" RCA RPTV HDTV.

I've done some research over at AVS, and it appears the 40" RPTV has really been slammed pretty good. The 34" direct-view seems to have fared better, and that's probably what I'd go with. The 40"er is about 3" too tall, anyway, as I'd like to keep my center speaker on the TV, and it's already right at the bottom of my PJ's picture (Lord, God, please bless me with a dedicated HT room in the next 3-5 years).

So the question to my long, long rambling post is:
What do you guys who have done some HDTVing think? There aren't a lot of channels, it doesn't look like (here they are). I couldn't go with Time Warner as Pflugerville is under the auspices of Cox Communications

So, a grand for a 34-inch direct-view HDTV and their ($400) HD receiver. Any opinions? Robert_Z, you're using Time Warner, aren't you? Anyway, I can't imagine I left anything out, but let me know if I didn't give enough information (yeah, right). Thanks.

Steve

[Hank Frankenberg]

My 2 Hz: The direct view may have a better picture in the long run. Also, why don't you call your current provider and tell them that the minute your contract expires, you're going to drop them and go with another provider because they want $400 for a receiver. That may get you at least a discount on a receiver. If that doesn't work and you can live without HDTV until your contract expires, then call them a couple of weeks before expiration and tell them the same thing. They will not want to lose your account, and you will probably be offered a very attractive perk package to re-sign with them. My motto: "You don't ask, you don't get".

Who said the famous quote: "Television is a vast wasteland"?
I think it was David Sarnoff, one-time president of NBC. Television is so bad I don't hardly watch it, so I'm not interested in HDTV yet. Seeing an HDTV football game feed at Chad's, I was initially impressed, then I thought: "Why do I need to see the players' zits? The magic was gone.

[Jonathan DA]

Announcing Car Quest 2004! I've started searching for our next automobile, and I've started a thread over in the after hours forum for test drive results. I know a number of you here are car buffs so please chime in (I'm sure I'll hear from the Audi and BMW camps).

The contenders:
Acura TL
Audi A4
BMW 325i
Cadillac CTS
Honda Accord EX V6
Infiniti G35
Mercedes C230 Kompressor
Nissan Maxima SE
Saab 9-5
Saab 9-3

[Nils Luehrmann]

It might help to know your priorities when deciding on the best car:

Value
Safty
Reliability
Comfort
Performance
Style
Luxury
etc.

That said here are my immeadiate thoughts on the cars listed:

Acura TL
Overall highly rated car, tremendous value, and a beautiful new design, but not as stylish as many of the others on the list.

Audi A4
Pricey, and options can added up quickly, but a great car with looks that still get attention. If you are interested in used models you can get quite a good deal on fully loaded A4s as they deprciate very quickly as used car buyers would often rather save the extra money and buy a used VW Passat.

BMW 325i
I prefer the older body style, but always a crowd pleaser and a star performer.

Cadillac CTS
"next"

Honda Accord EX V6
Haven't looked at or read much about the newly designed Accord, but when it comes to value and reliability Honda is tough to beat.

Infiniti G35
See BMW comments.

Mercedes C230 Kompressor
Reliability and price have tarnished Mercedes line lately and the C230 is not an exception.

Nissan Maxima SE
Have no idea.

Saab 9-5
Saab 9-3
Ah SAAB, the quintesential professor's car. Sadly their reputation for poor fit & finish and reliability continue to plauge SAABs.