Wow...35 chartbreakers!!! Hm....I don't know....
BIG Blu-Ray Audio drive from Universal Music in 2013
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Wow...35 chartbreakers!!! Hm....I don't know....
I've been trying to keep a "glass half full" kinda view on these HFPA BDA's.. it's been tough with all the delays and cock ups, lack of information, lack of 5.1... but it seems there's a chance, at least the possibility, this format might just take off.
I'm keeping everything crossed!
I'm keeping everything crossed!
a question that's been in the back of my mind since reading the BBC News item.. a "what if", if you will.. what's your take on it..?
What if HFPA flops in the USA and UK, when it has sold well in France? Would it continue? Could it survive?
What if HFPA flops in the USA and UK, when it has sold well in France? Would it continue? Could it survive?
Universal's Global Head of New Buiness says he's initially aiming at the niche of people with expensive kit and interested in the 'heritage' acts, yet puzzlingly hasn't noticed the QQ niche of 5.1 and Hi-Res that spend lots of money on music, and in the main on discs! I know a lot of people who say they don't want 5.1 but like it when they hear it, but would buy hi-res stereo as they wouldn't have to update their systems then. I remember my father getting his first stereo system and being thrilled when he found he already had a lot of stereo LPs to listen to when he got it home. So it could be the same if the discs had a 5.1 mix as well.
My gut feeling is its survival in the wider market is down to how its marketed, so they ought to have a multi-pronged marketing strategy that aims at both hi-res stereo & 5.1 that gives people a reason to buy the discs. A market strategy which seems to be only based on Facebook seems totally daft. I haven't seen one advert for the Blu-Ray audio discs in the music or hi-fi magazines.
My general feeling, right at this moment, is that if I don't see at least a few 5.1 (not necessarily hi-rez, but properly mixed) releases from big name more modern bands (say U2, radiohead, coldplay, etc.), then I'm likely to get off the surround sound format completely. As much as I appreciate the re-releases of classic albums in surround sound, these are not the titles I want to listen to all the time. I understand that this forum has many members that were around during the heyday of Quad sound, but really...modern day surround releases should involve newer acts not just re-visitations of older classics (and yes, I am aware that Steven Wilson and a few others are modern acts). I'm simply tired of the music industry ignoring those of us that do care and want more releases!
And I should add, it doesn't help that every time a release is announced, the date is wrong and the information is rather difficult to come by....thanks to all of you for your help with these details, I greatly appreciate it
And I should add, it doesn't help that every time a release is announced, the date is wrong and the information is rather difficult to come by....thanks to all of you for your help with these details, I greatly appreciate it
quattroatl
300 Club - QQ All-Star
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^^I concur, although I would not abandon the surround format completely. I am so desperate trying to get my hirez surround fix that I tried liking Dream Theater's latest dvda. Sorry, but the music just wasn't for me. More popular bands like The Killers, Coldplay, Radiohead, etc., would sound glorious in surround. I'm hunting the last few hard to find sacd's and dvda to complete my OOP discs. When the search is depleted, then I guess I'll have to settle for the once in a blue moon blu-ray concerts which usually are not discrete mixes.
albeit i tend to agree on release titles from more nowaday pop acts, instead of another hundred something time reprint
of an obsolete acts, i'm afraid these (mentioned above) wouldn't very much benefit from HiRez as initially were mastered
with mp3 utilization in mind. we all know that majority of 90th and 2000-sh music has awfull mastering and copying it onto
BD-A in no way will change it.
so it need to be remixed again and if! labels will decide to do so, would be no brainer at same time to remix it into 5.1 as
well, and not just stereo. some folks who may pass to buy again stereo, could be attracted by never heard before
surround version of familiar album/artist. it just need to be done properly, in really catchy, bold and interesting surround
which should significantly differ from stereo. not "a la James Guthrie" sort of expanded stereo which accidentally got to
be classified as a surround.
of an obsolete acts, i'm afraid these (mentioned above) wouldn't very much benefit from HiRez as initially were mastered
with mp3 utilization in mind. we all know that majority of 90th and 2000-sh music has awfull mastering and copying it onto
BD-A in no way will change it.
so it need to be remixed again and if! labels will decide to do so, would be no brainer at same time to remix it into 5.1 as
well, and not just stereo. some folks who may pass to buy again stereo, could be attracted by never heard before
surround version of familiar album/artist. it just need to be done properly, in really catchy, bold and interesting surround
which should significantly differ from stereo. not "a la James Guthrie" sort of expanded stereo which accidentally got to
be classified as a surround.
I would love those artists too but I'll take what I can get. It still kills me that way back in the hey day of SACD, they announced the Killers first album was coming out on SACD but it was never released. I wonder if the files are still around somewhere like the first Fleetwood Mac album's files are when that was announced then cancelled on DVD-Audio.
But I think this is the exact problem ... we, and I include myself in this we, are all so desperate for quality surround titles, that we'll buy and re-buy the same titles over and over which really only serves to further the industry's thought process of why do something new if rehashing what is already out there will make them $$
Not only is there a lack of music in surround being put onto the market, but it is an expensive hobby (equipment wise)....so really, why bother unless our thirst for new exciting quality surround titles is being met?
maybe we should let this format get off the ground first, before passing death sentence? it's been a hit in France by all accounts and despite the botched launch elsewhere, endless delays and terrible lack of decent information from Universal, there's clearly a lot of interest.
They may "only be stereo" but there are already Hi-Rez titles from artists that have never been represented on SACD/DVDA etc before.
Supertramp, Bob Marley, Nirvana, Amy Winehouse... they may not be 5.1 and yes, we're seeing some of "the usual suspects" like "A Night At The Opera" again but there's potential still with these discs as it's such early days.
the likes of Feist, Yodelice, Calogero, etc coming in the next wave at FNAC is very encouraging to me, newer music not just classic rock and pop and not just "safe bets" - 3 more that I'll get day & date regardless of 5.1. Feist & Yodelice are my cup of tea and the Calogero SACD is too much hassle and too expensive to track down nowadays.
Of course I wish there was more surround on these releases (and I'm still hopeful more will come in time) but right now I like where they're going with the selections of artists & albums and I'll keep picking up those that appeal to me for as long as that's the case.
oh and what should be the most important thing in all this, which kinda gets overlooked, is that for the most part these discs sound great!
They may "only be stereo" but there are already Hi-Rez titles from artists that have never been represented on SACD/DVDA etc before.
Supertramp, Bob Marley, Nirvana, Amy Winehouse... they may not be 5.1 and yes, we're seeing some of "the usual suspects" like "A Night At The Opera" again but there's potential still with these discs as it's such early days.
the likes of Feist, Yodelice, Calogero, etc coming in the next wave at FNAC is very encouraging to me, newer music not just classic rock and pop and not just "safe bets" - 3 more that I'll get day & date regardless of 5.1. Feist & Yodelice are my cup of tea and the Calogero SACD is too much hassle and too expensive to track down nowadays.
Of course I wish there was more surround on these releases (and I'm still hopeful more will come in time) but right now I like where they're going with the selections of artists & albums and I'll keep picking up those that appeal to me for as long as that's the case.
oh and what should be the most important thing in all this, which kinda gets overlooked, is that for the most part these discs sound great!
Caspersozza
Active Member
Buffalo Soldier sounds great on the HFPA disc, but I would certainly not describe it as a fast dance mix.
The BBC news report is encouraging, not least for the fact that they are taking the format seriously, and not just ridiculing the very idea of hi-res and disc-based releases like the initial summer media reaction to news of the format.
I have no intention of re-buying any albums I already have in hi-res 5.1 (like Layla, ANATO and Sea Change) and, while I'm very happy to be patient with this excellent new format, I sympathise entirely with people's frustration over the heritage release mentality.
I felt exactly the same way about the SACD and DVD-A release programmes when I first started buying those ten years ago. Why did labels think we just wanted one album each by acts that had peaked 20 or 30 years ago? It was such a relief when Porcupine Tree's then-new album In Absentia came out as an Elliot Scheiner 5.1 mix on DVD-A.
Most irritating were Sony, who had supposedly invented SACD. Why did they initially just whack out loveless quickie 2.0 SACDs of Thriller, Kind of Blue, etc., and make no effort to enhance the format? More puzzling still, with their biggest-selling contemporary artists making great sounding albums - like George Michael's Patience and Justin Timberlake's Futuresex/Lovesounds - why were these not being simultaneously released on SACD with 5.1 mixes? This failure (not unique to Sony) of the software divisions of these corporations to support with releases the equipment their hardware divisions were making, was one of the main reasons for the failure of SACD/DVD-A.
The notion that no new albums recorded in the last 20 years have master tapes worthy of hi-res transfer or surround mixing is completely nonsensical, and there is very much still time for Universal to get it right with HFPA BD-A. Enough of us have made them aware of the demand for 5.1 for them to have already felt the need to apologise/justify their initial strategy. Fingers crossed that realisation turns into action before too long.
The BBC news report is encouraging, not least for the fact that they are taking the format seriously, and not just ridiculing the very idea of hi-res and disc-based releases like the initial summer media reaction to news of the format.
I have no intention of re-buying any albums I already have in hi-res 5.1 (like Layla, ANATO and Sea Change) and, while I'm very happy to be patient with this excellent new format, I sympathise entirely with people's frustration over the heritage release mentality.
I felt exactly the same way about the SACD and DVD-A release programmes when I first started buying those ten years ago. Why did labels think we just wanted one album each by acts that had peaked 20 or 30 years ago? It was such a relief when Porcupine Tree's then-new album In Absentia came out as an Elliot Scheiner 5.1 mix on DVD-A.
Most irritating were Sony, who had supposedly invented SACD. Why did they initially just whack out loveless quickie 2.0 SACDs of Thriller, Kind of Blue, etc., and make no effort to enhance the format? More puzzling still, with their biggest-selling contemporary artists making great sounding albums - like George Michael's Patience and Justin Timberlake's Futuresex/Lovesounds - why were these not being simultaneously released on SACD with 5.1 mixes? This failure (not unique to Sony) of the software divisions of these corporations to support with releases the equipment their hardware divisions were making, was one of the main reasons for the failure of SACD/DVD-A.
The notion that no new albums recorded in the last 20 years have master tapes worthy of hi-res transfer or surround mixing is completely nonsensical, and there is very much still time for Universal to get it right with HFPA BD-A. Enough of us have made them aware of the demand for 5.1 for them to have already felt the need to apologise/justify their initial strategy. Fingers crossed that realisation turns into action before too long.
Well I added I would buy 5.1 on the Facebook article braying about the BBC article....
Sony Electronics and Philips Electronics did develop SACD as a Hi Rez audio format - nothing "supposed" about that. From the start, it was clear that Philips was more interested in SACD's Surround capabilities than Sony. That explains why the 1st Surround Sound SACD player came from Philips.
When we look at major record labels - Sony Music and Universal Music - both were interested in releasing Stereo SACDs as well as Surround + Stereo SACD titles. And there were - and continue to be - a number of smaller record labels who view SACD as more of an audiophile music format than a Surround Sound format. We're seeing the same with follow-on formats like SHM-SACD and Blu-Ray Audio.
On the albums and artists available, that is a function of which artists are interested in being on a new format, the amount of advance payment they require for each album on the new format, etc. It's probably not surprising that more veteran artists tend to appear on new formats first. Their advance payments are probably lower and in some cases, Stereo and Surround mixes of their material that have been previously approved by the artist are already available.
It's also interesting to note that over the years, many disc player makers who once sold Stereo and Surround SACD players now only offer Stereo SACD players. They will tell you that is due to what sells in the marketplace.
So the key for any new format - SACD, DVDA, SHM-SACD, Blu-Ray Audio, etc. - is what sells. And that will ultimately determine the success of Blu-Ray Audio and the others - and how many Surround titles on each format are offered.
As always, it will be interesting to watch.
"If people want to stay away, nobody can stop 'em." - Yogi Berra
Disclord
900 Club - QQ All-Star
I'm totally bummed at the TBA listing for my BDA Music Direct order - when I placed the order they said Oct 8, now its TBA. I wonder how long it will be TBA? It will drive me crazy if I'm in New Mexico taking care of my dad and they arrive at my home in Missouri - I have no electronics at my dad's house anymore except for a semi-working VP-1000 LaserDisc player and Sansui QRX-6500 that has no speakers to go with it.
is there any way to cancel my Music direct order so I don't have the money tied up until they actually get the discs in stock?
is there any way to cancel my Music direct order so I don't have the money tied up until they actually get the discs in stock?
Disclord
900 Club - QQ All-Star
I wish the 5.1 mixes of Madonna's MUSIC album and Cher's Believe would get either DVD or BDA releases. Both albums were mixed for DVD-A but never got released. Madonna supervised the 5.1 mix and with all the synth, Auto-Tune and sound effects, I bet it sounds wonderful in 5.1. Too bad there is no one at Warner to sneak the releases out.
leevitalone1
2K Club - QQ Super Nova
I bet there is. I did the same with the Yes album, at BS. cancelled until it's released.
Disclord
900 Club - QQ All-Star
I just cancelled my Music Direct BDA orders and was told Music direct has no idea when the discs will become available - the vendor cancelled the whole thing for now so they are just going to have to wait till the titles show up someday.
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