HiRez Poll Rush - MOVING PICTURES [DVD-A/BluRay Audio]

[0tto]

been pissed-off by amazon.ca
placed order back in march 23 to finaly get an e-mail that "item was sold out and if i wish,
i can cancel my order".
on top of this, e-mail arrived on april 6, when the price on amazon was changed to $29.99
and next day when i went to local BB, naturaly i didn't have chance to claim "price match".
anyway, after 30 minutes of search, with help of in-store stuff, luckily we found 5 discs,
3 of which was BD and 2 DVDA. that's all, they got for their retail. well, i took both DVDA
for something around $40+
so far i'm not ready to vote but unlike of some folks above i didn't saw problems with vocal
in rear speakers. in full surround picture it is firmly leading in center of front line.

 

[DKA]

so far i'm not ready to vote but unlike of some folks above i didn't saw problems with vocal
in rear speakers. in full surround picture it is firmly leading in center of front line.

agreed that it's experienced in the center of the soundfield for the most part. i must say, though, that, in one track (can't remember which right now), the vocal actually felt a bit between C and FL in the soundfield to my ears.

i can understand someone calling me out on something like that when I work from stereo, but these producers literally have individual parts in front of them. how they can't nail that vocal, with that type of control, is beyond me. they make some damn strange choices sometimes.

 

[Perp]

"Best Buy" has an exclusive on the CD+Blu-ray disc for 30 days....then it will start to make it's way into other retailers.
The CD+DVD version can be purchased anywhere as of this past Tuesday.

 

[GabeL]

I'm a bit surprised by the lack of votes on this version of the release thus far. I would hope that each and every member of this forum went out and bought a copy (or two) of this release. Let's see those votes

 

[rusinurbe]

I'm a bit surprised by the lack of votes on this version of the release thus far. I would hope that each and every member of this forum went out and bought a copy (or two) of this release. Let's see those votes

Still waiting for the UK release on Monday the 11th of this, though Amazon have posted mine today !!!

 

[JonUrban]

Cranked this sucker up today - so much so that my 15 year old deaf Labrador left the room to seek shelter from the storm! - I do agree that it sounds fuller and that the drum tones improve -thanks for the tip Dennis!. Not happy though that I should have to blast it to enjoy it -as ear fatigue starts setting in half way through at that level. I would give it a 7 at ear splitting volumes but still an overall 6 (mainly because I hate having to wait so long for the damn disc to load). Still have the DVDA coming next week (for my car system) - perhaps that environment will provide a better listening experience. I really want to like this - I have listened to this album more in the last few days than I have in the last 30 years!

elmer,

I'm looking forward to your assessemt of hearing it in the car. So far, I've only played it in the car and I thought it sounded excellent.

 

[JonUrban]

I'm a bit surprised by the lack of votes on this version of the release thus far. I would hope that each and every member of this forum went out and bought a copy (or two) of this release. Let's see those votes

Many people wait to vote until they live with the thing a few times. If one votes right away, they usually love it (10) or hate it (3).

 

[kvsawilson]

To start with, I'm real happy at how much interest there seems to be in this title. The surround mix seems to be generating a lot of buzz and I wonder if this could actually sell well enough to get the record companies interest in finding more old recordings to release. And I have to say that this album is a lot better than I remember. I've really enjoyed the music and think this was a great release to get more people enjoying surround sound. In particular, I've really enjoyed Vital Signs, which I don't think I'd listened to in years.

Having said that, the mix leaves me wishing everyone would just hire Elliot Scheiner or Steven Wilson to do their surround mixes. I'm pretty underwhelmed by the mix. It's not bad, and there are moments when the potential is realized, and I will be listening to the surround mix instead of the cd. But it just seems so much more was possible. My biggest complaint is with the drums. Neil Peart is the star of the band for me, (even though my favorite Rush album is the first one and he's not on it) but the drums on this mix are almost entirely stuck against the far wall instead of filling the room like I think they should. The disc does sound good and clean and I am enjoying it, but just wish they'd have nailed it with a perfect mix. I do agree that the PCM track seems to sound better than the DTS-MA one. I haven't really gone back and forth though and don't know why it would be.

On a final note, I sure wish I'd have ordered the dvd-a version. The whole bluray, wait for 1.5 minutes to finally reach the point where you can hit play drives me nuts. I don't like menus on dvd's either, but none of them take near as long as waiting for the bluray to come ready. I like this packaging a lot better than the Tom Petty br's.

K

 

[kvsawilson]

I'm a bit surprised by the lack of votes on this version of the release thus far. I would hope that each and every member of this forum went out and bought a copy (or two) of this release. Let's see those votes

Remember, there are votes on the blu-ray release also.

K

 

[elmer]

elmer,

I'm looking forward to your assessemt of hearing it in the car. So far, I've only played it in the car and I thought it sounded excellent.

Will do Jon - in all fairness though, I'll be limited to the DTS stream as my system is SACD/DTS/DD - but I have to say that even lossy DTS sounds quite good in the confines of the car - SACD in HQ mode (up to 192/24) sounds spectacular.

 

[filper]

I got the Blu version yesterday, but I haven't had time to play it yet... did anyone else have a hell of a time getting the Blu disc off the case ? I almost broke mine removing it.

I traded the Blu for the CD's spot.

 

[Guy Robinson]

I got the Blu version yesterday, but I haven't had time to play it yet... did anyone else have a hell of a time getting the Blu disc off the case ? I almost broke mine removing it.

I traded the Blu for the CD's spot.

I had trouble geting the BR out as well. Thought it was going to crack. I may move all of it to a regular 2 disc DVD cover.

Anyway, the 5.1 is fantastic. Just doing a quick comparison with the PCM 5.1 and DTS MA 5.1, both seem to be identical as expected. I listend to it twice all the way through. There is plenty of bass and I like the mix. Shaping up to be a 9 or 10 but I have to listen to it a few more times. I really liked watching the video of Tom Sawyer along with the DTS MA. The same video on the DVD of "Rush Chronicles" has crappy audio. The video quality of course can't be made any better by the BR.

 

[DennisMabry]

Whenever we get a major title released in surround, i.e.. "Beatles - Love", "Pink Floyd-Dark Side Of The Moon" Beach Boys - Pet Sounds" it seems that the remarks and votes on the polls here at QQ are all over the map. Some love it some hate it.

Not that we should all bow down and worship each release (We're not worthy ). But I find it noteworthy that we here in the surround community can't even come to an agreement. What are the artists and record companies supposed to think when considering more surround releases? I mean we are actually a niche within a niche to begin with. Yes I know sales numbers and profits are the deciding factor and they just want to find something that everybody wants to buy.

The good thing is, Love it or Hate it, I think that most all of us here at QQ are voting with our wallets, buying and supporting surround.

About load times; I have found during the loading of the disc, right after the loading screen disappears if you push the >> button it goes directly to the main menu, then toggle right, select audio option, and push select again taking the load time (from inserting disc to the first note) to 1 minute 10 seconds. I agree it is a minor annoyance that is directly associated with the Blu-ray format rather than the title in question. (BTW that method doesn't work with the Tom Petty BD's. You just have to fast forward through each of the logo screens.)

The only reason I can think of that would make a difference between the 5.1 PCM tracks sounding different than the 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio would be the settings on the receiver being used to process the DTS HDMA versus analog inputs. Anyone else?

You can toggle between the three audio options on the fly with the BD to compare. There is about a one second drop out between audio options but the playback remains at the same part of the song.

Is the mix on Moving Pictures the panacea of all mixes ....No. Is it very good and a joy to listen to....Hell yeah! I think the mix is even better than Tom Petty DTT which I thought was awesome. But hey that's just me.

After 5 times through and much thought, even with a few minor quibbles, I'm giving this a 10.

Dennis

 

[jefe1]

Agree with hiring Elliot Scheiner or Steve Wilson for the mixes. Almost seems there is still a learning curve to go thru for these guys. Thats what comes from completely forgetting/ignoring quad history and studying those mixes for techniques. Wouldn't it be nice if you could get multiple surround mixes on a disc like the cd single remixes that used to be popular? A choice of highly discrete, matrix blended, or experimental?

 

[sukothai]

About load times; I have found during the loading of the disc, right after the loading screen disappears if you push the >> button it goes directly to the main menu...

With the Oppo 95, it took 1 minute 20 seconds without skipping the intro. Using your skip trick: less than 30 seconds. Thanks Dennis!

 

[Perp]

Whenever we get a major title released in surround, i.e.. "Beatles - Love", "Pink Floyd-Dark Side Of The Moon" Beach Boys - Pet Sounds" it seems that the remarks and votes on the polls here at QQ are all over the map. Some love it some hate it.

Not that we should all bow down and worship each release (We're not worthy ). But I find it noteworthy that we here in the surround community can't even come to an agreement. What are the artists and record companies supposed to think when considering more surround releases? I mean we are actually a niche within a niche to begin with. Yes I know sales numbers and profits are the deciding factor and they just want to find something that everybody wants to buy.

Take in consideration that the engineer, on whatever particular project, is mixing to their tastes, and/or maybe what they are told the release should sound like. Not what you or I think it should sound like. Take it or leave it, it is what it is, like it or not. I'm not thrilled with this mix (my biggest complaint is that I like the vocals to be more in the center channel) but, understanding the circumstance, I'd rather have a good to excellent surround mix than no surround mix at all. Based on several facts, I'll probably wind up giving this release either an 8 or 9, and will vote as soon as I get a full album, uninterrupted sit down, listen. I was just sitting here wondering if I'll ever open my CD+DVD copy. I really like what they did with the Blu-ray version. I like the fact that the page will turn automatically on the lyrics with the Blu-ray. I have no clue why they chose not to have this feature with the DVD version. My only quibble with this is, while both of my television sets are only 42 inches, they made the lyrics kind of small and harder to read from a distance.

 

[filper]

I have it on now in my media room with no distractions for the second run through...

I never owned the LP way back or have any comparisons, but this is great.

'Picture' perfect.

10 for the Blu PCM 5.1 track.

 

[BananaSlug]

A couple of notes - on my cheap (but new) BR play it takes about 15-20 seconds to get to the main menu. Can older players be upgraded with firmware to make them load faster? Or is it like computer chips, you just need a newer one?

I can see people voting on this anywhere from 5 to 10. The mix and the sound quality are unspectacular. But, it's a big step up from the original cd, though the cd did decode almost as well as this mix with DPLII. I really like the music and am enjoying listening to this a lot, so I'll probably wind up nearer to 10. Regardless, it's a HUGE step up from the pile of excrement that is the Snakes & Arrows DD mix. More please.

 

[filper]

...More please.

Anthem... are you reading this ? You should be.

 

[BananaSlug]

Anthem... are you reading this ? You should be.

Yes, I still have more money. Come trade me Hi-Rez multichannel music for it.