BIG Blu-Ray Audio drive from Universal Music in 2013

QuadraphonicQuad

Help Support QuadraphonicQuad:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Status
Not open for further replies.
But interestingly Universal went for the "full monty" with the Primus - Sailing the Seas of Cheese disc... which BTW is very well done... 4 visualization options & a great surround mix...

Maybe because it was already in the pipeline? Also its not marketed as a "Pure Audio" disc & comes with a CD....

very good point! i'm guessing those "Deluxe Editions" come from different divisions of Universal and in different countries, things like the Primus & the Rush BD's coming from the US, those Mike Oldfield "Deluxe Editions" with the Dolby Dig DVDs being UK produced.. while these High Fidelity Pure Audio releases are being handled by yet another bunch of honchos in Universal (quite where in the world they're being master-minded I don't know but at this point I don't think the U.S arm of Universal has had any involvement, or if they have they're keeping very tight-lipped about it!).
 
I agree its disappointing the Serge is missing some of the extras from the deluxe edition.. but including video material would go against the grain of their no video "Pure Audio" intentions with these releases.. it's a bit dumb, here we have a format that could finally present no-holds-barred, stuffed-to-the-gills, fully-loaded versions of one album on one disc (alternate versions, demo's, remixes, instrumentals, interviews... among other incredible possibilities) or loads of albums on one disc.. yet the intention is to have one version/mastering of one album, with little or no extra material and no video.

a waste of blu-ray capacity? yes.. there's so much emphasis on purity that even surround is seen as superfluous, unless you like/appreciate/want no-frills great-sounding stereo, these things by and large are not gonna do it for you. as they say upfront there's no video content, its just one (often "short") album or there's no 5.1 mixes and they don't conceal that then you know what you're in for and you either opt in or you forget about them because I've a suspicion Universal are going to stick to their guns with these and maintain the "purity" mantra/hokum* (* delete as applicable!).

I'm already hooked on them, in part for their collectibility (I'm a sucker for a new format, or a niche within a niche kinda thing!) plus all those I've got so far sound great (which is the most important thing lets face it!) that I'll keep buying them until they stop releasing them (only time will tell..) but its certainly not a "one size fits all" format and it may all be 'too little too late' and not the saviour of surround (or at least format that finally brought surround music to the masses) that some (myself included) may have been hoping for.


But it’s “Pure Audio”, not “Purely Audio” :) I don’t even particularly want extra tracks or videos, but seeing as the Serge disc already had that content elsewhere, it does seem silly.

Also, I have to admit that the sound quality *isn’t* the most important thing to me. I have the earlier Oldfield discs, and I could listen to the CD in 44/16 2.0 or Dulby 5.1, and I always choose the Dulby. I just wish it was DTS at least.

Anyway, my copy of Grrr is in the mail to me as I write, so I may be a convert to HFPA within a few days…
 
.... then you know what you're in for and you either opt in or you forget about them because I've a suspicion Universal are going to stick to their guns with these and maintain the "purity" mantra/hokum* (* delete as applicable!).
.

Surely the only thing preventing Universal from releasing more 5.1 mixes is that they haven't yet gone to the limited effort and expense of commissioning them? The BD-A format-puffing liner notes on the Supertramp disc state quite clearly that the discs will carry "tracks in 5.1 surround where possible", so it's not a question of surround sound violating some notion of purity.
 
Surely the only thing preventing Universal from releasing more 5.1 mixes is that they haven't yet gone to the limited effort and expense of commissioning them? The BD-A format-puffing liner notes on the Supertramp disc state quite clearly that the discs will carry "tracks in 5.1 surround where possible", so it's not a question of surround sound violating some notion of purity.

of all the (36 incl Rolling Stones) HFPA BD-A's released so far, about a quarter of them could have easily had 5.1 mixes on them (as these 5.1 mixes were previously released on other formats, i.e. SA-CD) without any work or further investment from Universal.. the surround mixes are already in the can for the likes of the Diana Krall, Layla, Barbara, Jacques Brel titles... the omission of 5.1 on those strikes me as intentionally leaving them out (for purity's sake? Who knows!?) rather than cheapness, laziness, etc.

either that or Universal are gearing up for the "double dip" and they'll release them all over again at Xmas in 5.1, just like Sony did in the early days of SA-CD. :mad:@:
 
But it’s “Pure Audio”, not “Purely Audio” :) I don’t even particularly want extra tracks or videos, but seeing as the Serge disc already had that content elsewhere, it does seem silly.

Also, I have to admit that the sound quality *isn’t* the most important thing to me. I have the earlier Oldfield discs, and I could listen to the CD in 44/16 2.0 or Dulby 5.1, and I always choose the Dulby. I just wish it was DTS at least.

Anyway, my copy of Grrr is in the mail to me as I write, so I may be a convert to HFPA within a few days…

"Pure Audio - No Video Content" it says on the box, just about sums up their intentions :)

the Stevie would convert you, it's incredible! not so sure about the Stones, though its main selling point is obviously having 3 CDs' worth of music on one disc in "Hi-Rez".
 
"Pure Audio - No Video Content" it says on the box, just about sums up their intentions
That does seem pretty clear. Adding video to a few releases would create an expection for those who don't properly understand BDA.

the Stevie would convert you, it's incredible! not so sure about the Stones, though its main selling point is obviously having 3 CDs' worth of music on one disc in "Hi-Rez".
I have been tempted by your and others' past comments, but I'm going to wait until the UK releases, and see what else (if anything) appears - however cynical I try to be, I can't help hoping there will be a surprise bunch of surround releases (fill in your surround wishlist here). :)

Surely the only thing preventing Universal from releasing more 5.1 mixes is that they haven't yet gone to the limited effort and expense of commissioning them?
I think the problem is that it *is* relatively expensive. Others on this forum will know better than me, but remixing from the multitracks is a much bigger job than just remastering the stereo. So it just comes down to is it worth it, money-wise, when a lot of punters don't know or care about the 5.1 (but see next comment).

The BD-A format-puffing liner notes on the Supertramp disc state quite clearly that the discs will carry "tracks in 5.1 surround where possible", so it's not a question of surround sound violating some notion of purity.
But you are dead right, they have already declared an interest in 5.1, and at least where mixes already exist, you really would think that it would be worth the effort to add them on to attract more punters.
 
That does seem pretty clear. Adding video to a few releases would create an expection for those who don't properly understand BDA.


I have been tempted by your and others' past comments, but I'm going to wait until the UK releases, and see what else (if anything) appears - however cynical I try to be, I can't help hoping there will be a surprise bunch of surround releases (fill in your surround wishlist here). :)


I think the problem is that it *is* relatively expensive. Others on this forum will know better than me, but remixing from the multitracks is a much bigger job than just remastering the stereo. So it just comes down to is it worth it, money-wise, when a lot of punters don't know or care about the 5.1 (but see next comment).

But you are dead right, they have already declared an interest in 5.1, and at least where mixes already exist, you really would think that it would be worth the effort to add them on to attract more punters.

the UK releases are trickling out already :)

Supertramp & Stevie are on sale at Amazon UK now. they came into stock there just the other week, all quickly sold out and now says they're coming back into stock on July 17th/18th.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Breakfast-A...1373811786&sr=8-1&keywords=Supertramp+blu+ray

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00BYCT3T2?ie=UTF8&force-full-site=1&ref_=aw_bottom_links
 
The packaging on Supertramp says "Where possible tracks will be available in 5.1 surround, but in order to pay respect to the original material this is not possible for every release".

So, I'm guessing that the original material in some cases gets offended and they are forced to leave out the 5.1 mixes even when they exist.
 
The packaging on Supertramp says "Where possible tracks will be available in 5.1 surround, but in order to pay respect to the original material this is not possible for every release".

So, I'm guessing that the original material in some cases gets offended and they are forced to leave out the 5.1 mixes even when they exist.
Either that or they just think we are a bunch of idiots and any explanation, no matter how ridiculous or meaningless, will do.
 
The packaging on Supertramp says "Where possible tracks will be available in 5.1 surround, but in order to pay respect to the original material this is not possible for every release".

So, I'm guessing that the original material in some cases gets offended and they are forced to leave out the 5.1 mixes even when they exist.

maybe the artist or the producer or management or whoever doesn't want the 5.1 out..!?

there's also the possibility that for things like the Diana Krall SACD which you can still pick up @retail price all over, Universal reckon its a wasted effort when so many remain unsold already (I imagine there's thousand upon thousand of them they pressed up that nobody bought sat in warehouses!).. also the 5.1 mixes on the Jacques Brel SACDs which got left off the BD-A's are said to be, how can I put it, a load of merde.. so perhaps so far we're not missing much after all.. though it would have been damned nice to have the Elliot Scheiner mix of Layla on the new BD-A rather than it being stuck on core-DTS in that daft box set..!! :mad:@:
 
maybe the artist or the producer or management or whoever doesn't want the 5.1 out..!?

there's also the possibility that for things like the Diana Krall SACD which you can still pick up @retail price all over, Universal reckon its a wasted effort when so many remain unsold already (I imagine there's thousand upon thousand of them they pressed up that nobody bought sat in warehouses!).. also the 5.1 mixes on the Jacques Brel SACDs which got left off the BD-A's are said to be, how can I put it, a load of merde.. so perhaps so far we're not missing much after all.. though it would have been damned nice to have the Elliot Scheiner mix of Layla on the new BD-A rather than it being stuck on core-DTS in that daft box set..!! :mad:@:

..or Universal are just being a bunch of money-grabbing, lazy-ass piss-takers..!? ;) :eek:
 
here's an article I found (Neil Wilkes got there first evidently..look at the comments section!) which gives a little bit more clarity to the release "schedule" of these discs..

http://www.dvd-and-beyond.com/display-article.php?article=1935

"After France, High Fidelity Pure Audio will roll out in Japan with imported titles first then followed by Japanese titles. Next is Germany in June-July and the UK in the summer. The BD audio format will be present in every market by September."

it also gives some more "insight" into the 5.1 question..

"Titles in 5.1 surround will only be available if the original studio recording was produced in that surround format 'as the artist intended."

..it goes on..

"Incidentally, Serge Gainsbourg's l'Histoire de Melody Nelson is released with a 5.1 surround as well."
 
bit more from.. http://www.dvd-and-beyond.com/display-article.php?article=1935

..interesting..

"Universal points out that ... High Fidelity Pure Audio uses no proprietary, royalty-collecting features and is thus open to anyone wanting to bring hi-def audio on a Blu-ray disc to the market, without hindrance.

So, is another format war brewing? Highly unlikely. Both parties met last week to address potential consumer confusion. DVD and Beyond understands that the meeting was "very good, very constructive." The participants "share the same vision and strategies towards the same goal."

"open season" can only be a good thing, right? I SO hope Warner get some of these out in time for Christmas (and in 5.1..!).. they're taking their own sweet time!
 
apologies for the mobile link (I'm browsing on my phone at the min.) but it should redirect you to their desktop site..

http://m.cnet.com/news/deja-vu-yet-another-high-resolution-audio-format/57592849

..but when I see a mostly decent article like this (albeit with a distintcly jaded/negative bias from word go..) from a major site & respected figure/journo, riddled with inaccuracies ("and the scheduled worldwide launch will come in September. The Rolling Stones, John Coltrane, Eric Clapton, Bob Marley, and Stevie Wonder -- yawn -- right, the same old titles we've seen on SACD and DVD-A since the turn of the century").. I WISH there had been some Bob Marley and Stevie Wonder on SACD & DVD-A 10+ years ago..!!!

..and opinion presented as fact, with the final analysis that they "hope to try a few titles later this year, and I really want to be knocked out by the sound -- we'll see."... I just see red!! why not judge the format on the quality of the sound rather than all this prejudiced B-S & damning conjecture before they've even heard any of the discs' content ..!? :mad:
 
"Titles in 5.1 surround will only be available if the original studio recording was produced in that surround format 'as the artist intended."

Oh crud! That bodes ill for the possibility of many 5.1 mixes then, and confirms that they aren't planning to commission imaginative surround mixes of legendary albums like 'Songs In The Key Of Life' or any other originally stereo release. Guess I'll be buying Stevie now then, and ordering the 2L classical audiophile Blu-ray for surround.
 
"Titles in 5.1 surround will only be available if the original studio recording was produced in that surround format 'as the artist intended."

Oh crud! That bodes ill for the possibility of many 5.1 mixes then, and confirms that they aren't planning to commission imaginative surround mixes of legendary albums like 'Songs In The Key Of Life' or any other originally stereo release. Guess I'll be buying Stevie now then, and ordering the 2L classical audiophile Blu-ray for surround.

Regardless of whether a surround mix is new or from the original sessions, it still needs approval from the artist to be issued on any format. I suspect the real story here is the cost to create new surround mixes vs. the projected sales of this new format.
 
The packaging on Supertramp says "Where possible tracks will be available in 5.1 surround, but in order to pay respect to the original material this is not possible for every release".

So, I'm guessing that the original material in some cases gets offended and they are forced to leave out the 5.1 mixes even when they exist.

Reminds me of the first four Beatles UK LPs being releases on mono CD as they were recorded and initially releases in stereo but were meant to be heard in a mono mix down from two & four track masters. Initially Rush had a problem with their songs in surround but changed their minds later on. I'm hoping Supertramp's members have a similar change of heart. Otherwise do as they did for Pet Sounds & Odessa and have it available in stereo & surround.
 
"Titles in 5.1 surround will only be available if the original studio recording was produced in that surround format 'as the artist intended."

Oh crud! That bodes ill for the possibility of many 5.1 mixes then, and confirms that they aren't planning to commission imaginative surround mixes of legendary albums like 'Songs In The Key Of Life' or any other originally stereo release. Guess I'll be buying Stevie now then, and ordering the 2L classical audiophile Blu-ray for surround.

legend has it that Robert Margouleff offered to remix Stevie's back catalogue into surround and was met with a total lack of interest from whomever it concerned (I suspect that was Stevie rather than Universal/Motown, as there were a couple of Marvin Gaye 5.1 releases from Motown/Universal, I don't think the label are totally disinterested in surround, they certainly never were.. case in point: I've got nearly 90 Surround SA-CD's from Universal which is as many as I have from Sony, the formats creator..!).. so I'd say why not get that SITKOL blu-ray now and enjoy it for what it is! (which is the most stunning presentation of the original stereo.. which by a very happy coincidence works out really nicely in PLII Music!) :)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top