How do you like buy surround music?

[mch007]

After getting quite a few big packages which includes surround, just like to know your preferences of getting surround music.
(oops type in the title, can't fix it)

[DKA]

Ideally? You'd get a package with the stereo CD and an extra either DVD or BR disc, and the whole thing would be priced between $20 and $30. The second ideal thing for me would a digital download at about $20 per title. If making a DVD available, I'd put a DVD-A and 24/96 DTS mix on it to make sure as many folks as possible are able to get a solid listen.

[LizardKing]

My personal preference is a Blu-ray. But for mass appeal either with a digital download (like Tom Petty) or a CD.

I'm also happy with CD/DVD-A combos or hybrid SACD discs.

[Kal Rubinson]

SACD or BluRay, as cheaply as possible.

[JonUrban]

Because I listen to surround A LOT in my car, I always prefer DVD-Audio. However, I have "all the stuff" to make DVD-Audio's out of BD, DVD-V, and can always just record an SACD at 24/96 to get the files (I don't have a PS3), so it's not like I'm locked in.

I think that the ideal carrier is a DVD/DVD-A, which would get the surround out to the most listeners and most system. After that, I'd go Blu-Ray. As far as SACD goes, I am always happy to see new 5.1 SACDs come around, but if I never saw another I would not shed a tear. To me, this is the most "Un-Friendly", unflexible surround format there is. If a listener does not have an 5.1 SACD player, they will never get to hear the surround mix - lossless or otherwise. Can't play 'em in the car, can't play 'em on the PC, can't play them in a regular DVD player (except in stereo).

I think WB got it right with the CD+DVD-A packages, like the Flaming Lips, Nash, Crosby, Browne, REMs, Morph, and Knopfler packages

[0tto]

albeit i can use any above mentioned formats, i went from point of view accesibility of the stored on plastic medium
audio streams by the majority of the general public in best possible quality. and that's would be BD.
at the moment blu ray players in household overwhelmingly more than universal DVDA and SACD players all together combined.
next to BD from point of universality and flexibility in adaptation to huge amount of different audio and video formats is a DVD.
and as Jon said earlier, i wouldn't feel sorrow if SACD just disappeared. this format since the introduction to mass market bring
nothing but mess and uncertainty for industry in which direction to move.

[cupboy]

I voted for SACD.

I have no use for surround music in a vehicle since that would limit me to just certain vehicles that I wouldn't want to drive or an expensive custom installation.

Blu-ray is fine too, but not how they packaged that Petty disk.

At this point I think dvd-audio is obsolete and I'm surprised there's still some coming out. Rush, for example. I still will buy them of course, and just did.

[kap'n krunch]

DVD-A
OR
BluRay
at €20 each

...no SACD for me , thanks...

[rusinurbe]

CD and DVDA package always seemed to offer the best bang for the buck
SACD not really a starter for me
Blu ray offers a lot but i am not totally convinced and as yet have not bought a player though i have got a couple of discs in DVD/BR Combos which mean i would have something if I ever sprung for the hardware.
Must be one of teh few here who still has not heard 'Grace for drowning' in Surround.

[wanners]

It's no contest really, Blu-ray is the only format that doesn't have limitations on both hi-rez audio and video. Embrace it--do not be afraid!!

[Chiburb]

It's no contest really, Blu-ray is the only format that doesn't have limitations on both hi-rez audio and video. Embrace it--do not be afraid!!

But I can't play it in my car.

[0tto]

But I can't play it in my car.

so, your approach sort of "i don't care how many listeners can acces high quality surround sound titles,
thus joining surround audio market as a consumer, if i cannot play those particular format in my car".

no wonder why surround has such hard way to the mass market, if ones, who consider themselves to be
loyal to surround, can't sacrifice own convenience for good of the surround sound on bigger scale.
that's sad

[John Svensson]

"But I can't play it in my car..." sarcasm or humor perhaps. Anyway, SACD and/or DVD-A are fine with me, glad some of the latter are still coming out. No, I haven't embraced Blu yet and the slim pickings in actual "musical" discs (non-concert) isn't about to convince me. The movies I prefer probably won't see the light of day on BR either, many of them are not even available on DVD yet! So the impulse to embrace just isn't there....... John

[Chiburb]

so, your approach sort of "i don't care how many listeners can acces high quality surround sound titles,
thus joining surround audio market as a consumer, if i cannot play those particular format in my car".

no wonder why surround has such hard way to the mass market, if ones, who consider themselves to be
loyal to surround, can't sacrifice own convenience for good of the surround sound on bigger scale.
that's sad

Is English your first language? Where did I write "i don't care how many listeners can acces high quality surround sound titles,
thus joining surround audio market as a consumer, if i cannot play those particular format in my car"?
For the record, I joined the "surround audio market as a consumer" BECAUSE my car could play DVD-A. If I'm not mistaken, Mr. Urban himself has said that car surround may yet save the format, to which I can relate. As for "loyal to surround", I'm not a member of any cult. I appreciate it greatly, am grateful for the handful of new releases each year, and am now driving my second car with 7.1 capabilities.
Yep, my preference for DVD over BD, which was the original question, sure hurts the "bigger scale" picture.
Sheesh.

[0tto]

english? not even a third language
i don't look to offend you or anyone on the personal level.
just like to have a chance to buy HiRes surround in quantity more than handful per year
and from much wider selection of artists and genres.
at present the cars with installed surround system doesn't have big influence, but on condition
of bigger sales of surround titles, manufacturers obviously will offer hardware which is able to play BD in cars

[wanners]

english? not even a third language
i don't look to offend you or anyone on the personal level.
just like to have a chance to buy HiRes surround in quantity more than handful per year
and from much wider selection of artists and genres.
at present the cars with installed surround system doesn't have big influence, but on condition
of bigger sales of surround titles, manufacturers obviously will offer hardware which is able to play BD in cars

Aren't there BD players for cars? Besides, it's not that hard to rip the wavs to burn onto a DVDA for car playback. Another issue I have with with car playback is not wanting to carry around original discs--the copies had watermarks preventing hi-rez playback. I don't think cars will save surround because playback is not ideal there.

[Kal Rubinson]

Aren't there BD players for cars? Besides, it's not that hard to rip the wavs to burn onto a DVDA for car playback. Another issue I have with with car playback is not wanting to carry around original discs--the copies had watermarks preventing hi-rez playback. I don't think cars will save surround because playback is not ideal there.

Agreed. I never fully populated the 6disc changer in my old car but my new one accepts SD cards, flash drives, portable HD and has an HD resident. No surround but it better suits my needs than any disc-based system ever did or will. (It also has a DVD/CD player but that's not likely to be used.)

Kal

[wanners]

Agreed. I never fully populated the 6disc changer in my old car but my new one accepts SD cards, flash drives, portable HD and has an HD resident. No surround but it better suits my needs than any disc-based system ever did or will. (It also has a DVD/CD player but that's not likely to be used.)

Kal

that's a good point. Why not have usb as well in our cars (I have a car DVDA player with USB capability). USB could easily support 5.1 playback of files such flac, etc. Let's go digital file playback in the car!

[Chiburb]

Aren't there BD players for cars? Besides, it's not that hard to rip the wavs to burn onto a DVDA for car playback. Another issue I have with with car playback is not wanting to carry around original discs--the copies had watermarks preventing hi-rez playback. I don't think cars will save surround because playback is not ideal there.

Fwiw, my car's system plays homegrown DVDA including watermarked material.

[0tto]

Agreed. I never fully populated the 6disc changer in my old car but my new one accepts SD cards, flash drives, portable HD and has an HD resident. No surround but it better suits my needs than any disc-based system ever did or will. (It also has a DVD/CD player but that's not likely to be used.)

Kal

both, DVD and BD, can be used as a storage for such kind of extras, like flac, wma, wmv, ac3, etc.
which very easy to transfer from disc to memory stick for use with mobile devices. but i'm not sure
about throught of industry, obsessed by copyright's paranoia.
at least my 2 sided DVDA "1812" from Telarc on the video side has an installation files for some kind
of software media player and folder with same audio stream but in mp3 format. there easily can be
stored any other audio formats.

[LizardKing]

that's a good point. Why not have usb as well in our cars (I have a car DVDA player with USB capability). USB could easily support 5.1 playback of files such flac, etc. Let's go digital file playback in the car!

Refer to this post:

http://www.quadraphonicquad.com/foru...d-file-formats

[Kal Rubinson]

that's a good point. Why not have usb as well in our cars (I have a car DVDA player with USB capability). USB could easily support 5.1 playback of files such flac, etc. Let's go digital file playback in the car!

Mine does. That's how I connect the drives. There are slots for DVD/CD and SD.

[JonUrban]

A bit off-topic here, and remember, this is just a poll, if you prefer a format for whatever reason, that's good enough. No one says we all have to agree!

My Acura plays DVD-A (and CD), and I also have a 64Gb iPod sitting in there that is almost completely full with most of my CD collection. It's great! The titles and menu's appear on the NAVI screen, and having almost any song I can think of availalbe to play on a whim is great. I can even press a button, say "Play Artist Steely Dan" and it goes right to the tunes by Steely Dan! The car even plays them through a Dolby PLII decoder, which is how I find the "good titles" to try with SPEC. The car also will store music on an internal HD and I can also plug in a USB stick instead of the iPod to get music.

Still, the internal decoders for DTS and MLP/DVD-A are not within the audio routing path of the USB/HD/iPod inputs. I tried a USB stick with a DTS file, a Dolby Digital file, and the system does not recognize these files. You can load a DTS wav file onto an iPod as a wav file, but the car will not accept the wav playback as it does not go through the decoder.

It would be SWEET to fill up a 32Gb USB stick with DTS encoded audio files and keep them in the car, but it doesn't work (for me). So, I make my own DVD-A's and am happy. I know it's hard to believe, but I don't listen exclusively to surround music in the car. Believe me, those tunes on the iPod get plenty of play in the Acura!

[DKA]

english? not even a third language

Well, your knowledge of your, at least, fourth language is better than mine every will be, and I spoke two from birth.

[Chris Gerhard]

I selected Blu-ray and think it makes the most sense but unfortunately for whatever reason most Blu-ray surround releases are only included in expensive box sets which I can't afford. When the single Blu-ray disc is offered at $20 or less is when I will buy the release. I have been hoping for years the music companies would give surround another chance with Blu-ray but never dreamed it would only be included with a bunch of other stuff making the package too expensive.