Titles of Flip Discs being test marketed... (1 Viewer)

[Lee Scoggins]

I don't really think of this as a hirez solution so much as a redbook replacement solution.

If they really wanted to promote the hirez formats, it seems that a higher capacity solution would have been preferred.

I do think this could be great for DVDA if they include a lot of titles with 24/96 or higher (192K please!) sampled music. But they need to have a price equivalent to the redbook copy, same packaging, good location in the store, wide title selection over time, etc. all backed up by good marketing.

And that brings up an interesting point:

How is the industry going to promote DualDisc, DVDA and Super Audio at the same time? This would seem to split the marketing dollars off of what has been historically a meager budget in the middle of poor financial results.

I hate to be a doubting Thomas, but I think this format may face some challenges.

 

[Lee Scoggins]

Buzz,

Cool Netstreams website!

Congrats on the Polk alliance. They are making some good loudspeakers these days.

Would be interested in learning more about your technology...

 

[Michael St. Clair]

One person at SH said that DVD-9 DualDiscs are being perfected. That wouldn't surprise me. Remember the early days of DVD, and how long it took DVD-14 and DVD-18 to show up?

And I'm just teasing Rachael, not putting her on the spot.

But the pricing thing is a red herring, if you ask me. Yeah, Tower records is selling them for $18.99 in their brick-and-mortar. Guess what? Tower prices tons of their Redbook discs at $18.99 also.

Anyhow, I'm not predicting success for this format; I've made that clear.

But I'm not writing it off yet, either.

As far as multiple marketing goes, I remember when videos were coming out on VHS, Beta, LD, and CED. It'll all shake out over time, it always does.

 

[Rachael B]

Michael, I'm back to collecting DVD-A discs again, myself. I might end up liking this new version (?) of zee format??? I don't want to see DVD-A dumbed down to get a CD layer. I'm also beginning to question if the music kompanies vill eber full-ty sueport an-knee particulous fur-mat , outside of garden variety CD. I'm bewildered and not sure how I'll feel in the long run yet??? I could end up liking the format??? For $12.98 a disc, I could if they don't dumb them down, too much??? That's my greatest fear.

 

[Lee Scoggins]

I think the finances were better back then and each format has more mass appeal...I don't think that's the case here.

I hope it succeeds if it means less expensive DVDA discs and wider title selection. I kinda like the idea of having something compatible with my car system as well.

Nobody wants Van Morrison in 24/192K sampling more than I do.

 

[Ted Lee]

i like the idea, but am worried about the execution.

some of you guys said this is a lossy method? i didn't see that in any of the articles that i read...or did i just miss it?

i'm definitely one of those "let's wait and see..." folks. i still haven't even adopted sacd/dvd-a yet! think i'm going to jump on this? forget it...

 

[Michael St. Clair]

It's only lossy, so far, if your name is Sony. It's pretty clear they have no interest in high-res outside of SACD.

 

[Buzz Goddard]

The only lame execution is the Sony stereo PCM tracks. They are not much of an improvement (if any, and that depends on the master tape) over the redbook layer. Some of the image extras are nice though.

The rest offer pretty much everything identically to their DVD-A counterparts.

I resisted both DVD-A and SA-CD for a bit and now can't believe I did. Plus the players are cheap now.
Finally something that is essentially a clone of the master tape! That's cool!@

 

[Ted Lee]

sorry, still not quite getting it. what is sony doing that is making it lossy? buzz mentions the pcm tracks are "not much of am improvement...over the redbook". doesn't that suggest better-than?

 

[Buzz Goddard]

There are lossy tracks (DD 5.1) on some of the discs, but they also have hi-res surround mixes and hi-res stereo.
Sony has none of the above on their discs, just PCM stereo tracks, like the CD side, except at 48k instead of 44.1k which is not usually defined as lossy.

 

[Lee Scoggins]

Only if you are talking DSD or 192k PCM.

 

[Michael St. Clair]

Well, considering that zillions of modern records have been recorded at PCM rates/depth like 16/48 and 24/48, 192k or DSD isn't going to be the clone.

'Classic' and audiophile recordings, that is a different story.

It's pretty sad that the AC/DC disc is 16/48 when there is easily room for 24/192.

 

[John Kotches]

Lee says:


Puhlease! While I realize that you are offering this somewhat tongue in cheek, it is also quite misleading. The number of master tapes available as DSD or PCM@192K are vanishingly small.

If the tape is 96K, 88.2K, 48K or 44.1K and the delivered format is at the same sampling frequency, you have the master tape as well.

Cheers,

 

[Buzz Goddard]

It was originally recorded analog. I don't know how this release was mastered, nor do I know if the bit depth is only 16.

Personally I think 192 is a waste (particularly knowing why it is in the spec (it's not because of any listening test...)

 

[Michael St. Clair]

Well, I think it's a greater waste for Sony to leave a DVD-5 side 75% empty and include a track that is basically CD resolution.

 

[John Kotches]

Buzz,

Basically because Samsung strong armed it into the specifications

Cheers,

 

[Lee Scoggins]

Actually I like 88.2khz or higher, but these rates and very much the lower sampling rates of 44.1 and 48 do not get anywhere in the ballpark of the master tape. Most engineers would agree with me on this one.

 

[John Kotches]

Lee,

You missed the point entirely, but oh well.

There are countless recordings where 44.1 and 48k are the master tape sampling rate.

 

[LanceJ]

Most people who have heard The Nightfly or Dire Straits' Brothers In Arms for example (whether on CD, dvd-audio or vinyl) both of which were recorded using early & mid 80s PCM technology, will admit to these sounding very good. And I don't just mean "good for digital". Now, some people may not like the style of the sound, which has been described as sterile or not "murky" enough, but this has no bearing on the transparancy of the recording format used and from what I've read was simply the choice of the artists or engineers.

LJ

 

[Brian E]

I got someone to pick me up the Fagen disc. $12.88 for what is basically the DVD-A & CD releases sounds like a pretty good price to me. An $18.99 msrp is the same & sometimes less than the msrp of some redbook CDs.


Not really sure about this format, but I did want to at least get one disc to check it out. I fear all these different formats are going to do is confuse the average consumer.