"Now obviously, the big question: Is the 5.1 mix of "Meddle" still on the 1971 Blu-Ray? Guess we'll have to wait until the end of March to find out!"
Lets hope so, otherwise the 1971 set seems to be the
most skimpy of the lot......maybe that is a hint in itself. 
Oh Dear God above, I thought
I was the King of reading into things... Sorry laddie the brevity of this one only belies its own, shall we say "brevity".
As far as the 5.1 Meddle mix still being included incognito...I'd say its an honest
50 - 50 chance.
Pink Floyd are certainly a commercial powerhouse and the economics
would support fresh pressings(
without the 5.1) of the discs. Done frequently when there is a manufacturing defect of the original lot, so this could very easily be done here. And we all know how paranoid and controlling Roger is. I wouldn't be surprised if Roger flies to the record plant and supervises the removal himself.
On the other hand, since the defect/issue is not one that actually is a play-ability problem or legal liability per se, the distributor may be legally advised to just let it be and save the cost of a new manufacturing run. Especially if these individual sets were planned all along, plenty of discs would have been pressed initially to fill the supply here, so all the more reason to "let it ride", knowing that 99% of customers would have no access playing through only their optical players. Roger Waters would be told that virtually all customers would not be able to hear the 5.1 Meddle mix, so Roger walks away satisfied that he can still sell a separate 5.1 Meddle Deluxe Box for $250 10 years on.
There is a
completely different question that comes to mind:
Even if the stand alone edition
still has the embedded 5.1 Meddle mix,
what point would there be to purchase? It would be a worthless coaster as far as playing in any optical player. But you
could impress your buddies:
"Look the music is inside this disc! We can't listen to it but the sacred digital bits are here buried inside!!!'
Ripping the digitally encrypted audio via computer to flac then playing it is still a clear violation of English & U.S. Digital copy-write law, so one is still breaking the law. So the fact that you bought the disc still makes you a pirate just the same as if you ripped your friend's disc. So what's the point in buying it?. Unless of course for the other music.
My point is: For those looking to feel happy that they can now legally purchase Meddle in 5.1, the answer is still no.
(A delusional belief that Meddle 5.1 will be open & available on the reissued disc is not part of my post.)
It was petty & pointless to withhold the 5.1 Meddle mix to begin with, the box set is a rip-off and so is the individual set. Just my $.02.
Considering the way Pink Floyd have marketed their older and lesser material it makes me stop and THANK GOD that Pink Floyd marketing team have sold me DSOTM & WYWH for around $40.00(5.1 SACD) each and Division Bell for $10(DTS). No matter how I try to lie to myself, "Grooving with a Pict" et. al. just isn't on the same Planet as post-Meddle Floyd.
Wonderful music but offered at criminally exorbitant prices.
The Grand Parade Of Lifeless Packaging indeed.
I'm still dreaming of Animals & The Wall in 5.1. I
do think that within the next 25 years we will get both of them.
