Oxygene - Jean Michel Jarre

Live - In Your Living Room 5.1 Surround

http://www.emigroup.com/Press/2007/press87.htm

Hopefully the 5.1 will not be as cheesy as the "3D" video. Blue and red lensed glasses (anaglyphs) is the lowest of stereoscopic technologies. Those 50's movies utilized polarization techniques and 2 projectors, but overall surround sound with 3 dimensonal imaging is a natural marraige..... some other artist should have thought of this first. John

it came out today here in germany- anybody already got it?

I have heard twice this new Oxygene as "30 year anniversary" pruduction. The sound is well - alttough "only" DD. Also the suround mix is well. But I can't help. By listening/looking tis DVD twice - already by part 3 I was shortly before sleeping . I think, they (Jarre himself with a few another helper for multitrack live recording) play too much humdrum (boring) as they self were before sleeping. In constrast the original LP with (stereo) Oxygene from 1976
(decoding with a QSD-2) sounds more fresh and interesting - also in the slower parts. So far my subjective opinion. I would interested now to reed another sights of this product. But anyway, because we habe actual only very few offers in suround software, as quadraphonic/surround fan it seems, this new Oxygene may be nevertheless a must.

But a real annoyance is the 3-D picture. 2 lensa of anaglyphe modus (red and blue) are enclosed. I could be nearly perfect, if the picture would be also only in this two colors. Then we could have an only black and white picture - but in clear 3-D impression. OK, today we like also for 3-D a full color picture, but this can not created by the usual DVD technic. It is also a bad habit today by some new 3-D films, that they make both: Real color Film and together the 2 anaglyph colors. That is in the result salt and pepper for the eyes. Therefore I prefere for this use the old ana technic, but with solid stable 3-D picture. A future DVD/Blu/HD technic may give us also full color 3-D.

And now I am interested, which impressions and opinions other surround-fans will have and write here.

Dietrich

hi dietrich, if i understood it correctly, there is also a studio recording (audio only) of the album on the dvd - and this one offers dts as well..?

Hello Stevie - this new Jarre has the Surround-DVD and Stereo-CD separat -
that means two "records" are in the box. The CD is the old recording and the booklet says: Original score re-recorded and mixed by J.M.Jarre.
The DVD has the following modes:
a) standard (2-D) film
b) 3-D film
c) audio - PCM-Stereo or Dolby Digital 5.1
d) chapter
e) bonus

I listen actual beneth writing the Stereo-CD and I can say the same as in my comment before, that the music of the CD will impress me more than the new recording, alththough there the sound image by surround is more impressive.
But another listener may have another "sight" of the both different music.

Dietrich

ok, i just checked in another forum (areadvd.de) and it seems as if the original album as BONUS in 2.0, DD5.1 and DTS is only available on the 2d-version!
that kinda sucks, normally you woul dexpect the more expensive package to be "downward compatible"

probably the 3d-stuff took up to much room...

Hello Big Stevie. The offer of this new Jarre-productions will be some confuse.
There ist first - the Limited Edition - Stereo-CD with new mix of the old recording plus DVD with additional 3D-Film -but "only" Dolby Digital" and 2-channel PCM. As second version the same with only 2D film. And third only the usual Streo-CD with the new remix of the old recording. I have bought my limited version by our mail order dealer "ww.jpc.de" There you can see all three versions. May be, he is also delivering to the USA. But never I see a DTS sign. But I can say, that the DD surround will sound very well, clear and full of dynamic. If another has information about DTS by the Jarre new Oxygene, he may write an information.

Dietrich

Dietrich

Hello Stevie, here a completion. The 2D only version shall have really the DTS-sound, which was not seen by the informations of the mail order dealer, who offers all three versions. All a little trouble. But who has the DVD with the DD surround-sound, he can be also satisfying, because it sounds in hinsight of hifi very well.

Dietrich.

Well, do we have true DD 5.1 or not?

ED

Of course, DD-Surround means 5.1.

Dietrich

so, to check things out myself, i just ordered the cd plus 2d-dvd version for 11,59 euro at music-wow.com
i'll keep you posted...

The "2D" edition contains a DD 5.1 and a PCM stereo version of the live rendition.
It also contains the 2007 studio re-recording in PCM stereo, DD 5.1 AND DTS 5.1.

The "3D" edition contains the same live performance in DD 5.1 and PCM stereo.
It does NOT include the studio recording on DVD, only on CD (plus the booklet doesn't even mention this re-recording at all).

Avoid the 3D "collector" version at all costs. But the regular 2D edition is a must for every Jarre fan.

Baker said:

The "2D" edition contains [..] the live rendition.
It also contains the 2007 studio re-recording in PCM stereo, DD 5.1 AND DTS 5.1.

Click to expand...

I might be wrong, but isn't the studio version the original (1976) recording mixed in 5.1

Ge Someone said:

I might be wrong, but isn't the studio version the original (1976) recording mixed in 5.1

Click to expand...

To be honest, your post has made the thing all the more confusing to me !

The sleeve quotes : "New original master in 5.1". It doesn't mean much, since literally it's a hint that the "original" has been "newly mastered in 5.1", but it can also mean that the "5.1 track is original (i.e. never done before)" and that it's brand new !

The differences between 76 and 07 versions are so tight that I honestly can't tell the difference. If someone could put forth the truth upon this, it would be really interesting. My guess is, Jarre re-recorded the album mainly because the original 8-track master could not allow him to remix it in surround (I guess that's what he's saying in the documentary, or at last he makes us think that the original master had become quite old). Plus the live 5.1 and the studio 5.1 are quite close, in terms of effects, panning etc...

Any real clue about this is welcome !

...Well I can now say that the DTS version is DEFINITELY the 2007 rerecording.

You can tell it by the birds missing from the end of Oxygene III. The original version has bird tweets all around, a much longer fade-out and a very slight silence between the two "sides", while the 2007 master has no bird sounds, sharper synth sounds and the whirlwind sound going into Oxygene IV without any pause.

I was right to disbelieve the "New Original Master" thing : it REALLY doesn't mean anything !

Baker said:

...Well I can now say that the DTS version is DEFINITELY the 2007 rerecording.

Click to expand...

OK, what you say matches what this EMI shop says. (could have fooled me to believe it was only a 5.1 remix, which is a good thing either way)

Eyh, even these guys are wrong... well not exactly wrong, but very sloppy about the details, because for them, both live performance and studio recording are "a new master". Which is true... but very confusing.

Apart from that, have you all noticed the sync problems ? It's more obvious when you watch the making-of bonus, including excerpts from the live performance that are NOT out of sync. It's a pity, but that shouldn't prevent you from buying it, it's still a very good DVD.

Baker said:

Eyh, even these guys are wrong... well not exactly wrong, but very sloppy about the details, because for them, both live performance and studio recording are "a new master". Which is true... but very confusing.

Click to expand...

It is the product description that is sloppy about the details since, as you point out, the term "new master" is confusing in this context. A master of a new recording is, by definition, a "new master". The adjective "new" is redundant and is what leads to the confusion. "New master" implies that the master in question supercedes a previouis master, which is the case when older recordings have been remastered. Since Oxygene is an existing title, the term "new master" in this context would seem to refer to a remaster of the original recording, which is not the case here.

So again, the product description is sloppy.

Be that as it may, I ordered the 3D (U.S.) and 2D (German) product. There does not seem to be a 2D U.S. release. Perhaps one is forthcoming, but I'm not going to wait to find out only to have the 2D German release sell out on me. The downside is the 2D German release is PAL format.

so, finally got this from music-wow. As mentioned above, very wise choice to skip the 3d-version. i started with the dts-version of the studio recording - sounds great. the DD 5.1-videoclip of the live recording sounds very good as well. not too much happening of course, and i doubt that it would look more action-packed in 3d
anyway, definitve a must buy!

so what about magnetic fields now....