Post by HV August 13, 2008 (1 of 10)
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I currently own a MCH system, but I'm thinking of going back to stereo (a high-end system).
I'm only afraid of the fact that (probably) more and more audio will come on blu-ray (e.g. the Neil Young Archives).
Question : suppose I have a blu-ray player that can decode all new sound formats internally and you only connect this player with a stereo cable to your amplifier
* Is the stereo track on a blu-ray a lossless format, i.e. does it have the full resolution?
* Does this stereo track have the same quality as the DTS-MA signal?
* What happens if you select the DTS-MA 5.1 format? Is this signal down mixed to stereo? Is there a quality loss in this process (is this audio down sampled in this process)?
In other words, if I'm going back to stereo, will I still enjoy the full resolution of the original signal on a blu-ray disc?
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Post by trntbl August 13, 2008 (2 of 10)
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HV said:
I currently own a MCH system, but I'm thinking of going back to stereo (a high-end system).
I'm only afraid of the fact that (probably) more and more audio will come on blu-ray (e.g. the Neil Young Archives).
Are you serious? I would be more concerned about moon colliding with earth.
kristian
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trntbl is right - stereo is here to stay.
Get a PS3 - future proofed, and ready for high-res downloads. Plus it can output (downmixed) high-res formats via its stereo output. Or high-res, and CD-based through optical, ready for a DAC of your choice.
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HV said:
I currently own a MCH system, but I'm thinking of going back to stereo (a high-end system).
I'm only afraid of the fact that (probably) more and more audio will come on blu-ray (e.g. the Neil Young Archives).
Question : suppose I have a blu-ray player that can decode all new sound formats internally and you only connect this player with a stereo cable to your amplifier
* Is the stereo track on a blu-ray a lossless format, i.e. does it have the full resolution?
* Does this stereo track have the same quality as the DTS-MA signal?
* What happens if you select the DTS-MA 5.1 format? Is this signal down mixed to stereo? Is there a quality loss in this process (is this audio down sampled in this process)?
In other words, if I'm going back to stereo, will I still enjoy the full resolution of the original signal on a blu-ray disc?
I honestly wouldn't worry about it. The fact that Blu-Ray machines have connections for multichannel systems means that there will most likely be multichannel audio only discs. Beside, why settle for PCM when you can continue to enjoy the beauty of DSD with your SA-CD system? For me, I will stick with my SA-CD system indefinitely. They will have to take me kicking and screaming before I give up my SA-CD surround system. Ah... I will be putting on some Debussy here soon!
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Post by trntbl August 13, 2008 (5 of 10)
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I really don´t believe in audio-only Blu-Ray. I think the DVD-A showed everyone that music listeners do not like using TV to play music discs and movie fans don´t like the fact that there is no video material. And SACD taught everyone that even if everything is done right, the market for mch-music is very small. Which is really sad.
kristian
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trntbl said:
And SACD taught everyone that even if everything is done right, the market for mch-music is very small. Which is really sad.
kristian
Most things are now being done right - at first, far too many discs from major labels of all varieties were single layer only. By doing so, far too many retailers shied away from stocking discs that would most likely end up being returned as unusable by those who didn't know about the need for a different player. The added frustration of not being able to use the same discs in the car, kitchen, friends houses will have further damaged widespread uptake of a single layer disc in an age where the iPod is, quite wrongly, considered the pinnacle of audio achievements. [The iPod got it right by allowing both Windows and Mac users alike to utilise the player - can anyone imagine it being even half as successful had they barred the Windows users from the necessary software?]
That the single layer decisions were visited mainly on pop and rock listeners sealed the fate of SACD to cater for (mainly) acoustic music fans only...
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Post by trntbl August 13, 2008 (7 of 10)
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I´d like to add that what especially pisses me off is the fact that classical music magazines such as Gramophone completely ignore the fact that many of the records they review each month are mch-SACDs. Not a word about SACD or sound quality. Plenty of DVD-reviews and even low-end hometheater-in-the-box hardware, though.
I don´t know about single layer SACD´s because I haven´t ever managed to buy one, but you might have a point considering rock/pop genres. I buy mainly classical and they´ve all been hybrid discs.
kristian
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HV said:
I'm only afraid of the fact that (probably) more and more audio will come on blu-ray (e.g. the Neil Young Archives).
I expect the Neil Young archives will be virtually if not completely stereo (perhaps even partly mono), not multichannel. The BD format is primarily used here for storing lots of video footage and decent quality, 2.0 audio.
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trntbl said:
I really don´t believe in audio-only Blu-Ray. I think the DVD-A showed everyone that music listeners do not like using TV to play music discs and movie fans don´t like the fact that there is no video material. And SACD taught everyone that even if everything is done right, the market for mch-music is very small. Which is really sad.
kristian
I couldn't have put this better myself, I think it sums it up rather nicely.
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Polly Nomial said:
Most things are now being done right - at first, far too many discs from major labels of all varieties were single layer only. By doing so, far too many retailers shied away from stocking discs that would most likely end up being returned as unusable by those who didn't know about the need for a different player. The added frustration of not being able to use the same discs in the car, kitchen, friends houses will have further damaged widespread uptake of a single layer disc in an age where the iPod is, quite wrongly, considered the pinnacle of audio achievements. [The iPod got it right by allowing both Windows and Mac users alike to utilise the player - can anyone imagine it being even half as successful had they barred the Windows users from the necessary software?]
That the single layer decisions were visited mainly on pop and rock listeners sealed the fate of SACD to cater for (mainly) acoustic music fans only...
I agree completely with what you say.
However,did the Majors,in addtition to only releasing single layer SACDs, get things wrong by not having a single inventory policy and releasing titles which might not have been of interest to a wide audience? Perhaps if they had started to produce single inventory SACD disc of new charts CDs as well as major classical releases etc, that might possibly have made a difference?
I do wonder where SACD will be going in the future as Sony, who should have a keen interest in SACD seem to be doing little to help the software along with very few recent releases [or at least ones that I am aware of] from their classical divivison, even though SACD appears to be strong in the Classical market. That said I think it is sad that Hyperion, who have produced some great SACDs, are not planning any future releases due to poor sales, which is perhaps down to the fact that they failed to adopt a single inventory policy?
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