BIG Blu-Ray Audio drive from Universal Music in 2013

[fredblue]

I'm also quite excited by all this, but I really would like to have a good source for more information about the source of the material being used for these and any other information.

I'm a bit fearful most of these first releases will be the modern (i.e. compressed) masterings of Supertramp, Bob Marley, Stevie, etc.. and only in stereo.. but you never know UMG may have been sitting on flat transfers of these albums for years and now finally feel they have the right format to release them in all their glory..!?

I have to say even if SITKOL, Breakfast in America and Legend are only stereo but great masterings I will definitely get the new BDA's day & date on the 13th as these are among my all-time favourite albums... even though I already have what's generally seen as the best CD masterings of each that are easy to obtain cheaply (John Matousek mastered 1st press Stevie, A&M Audio Master Plus Series/1st CD mastering of BIA, Barry Diament mastered Marley Legend).

even if they do turn out to be duffers though, the overwhelming thing for me about these upcoming BDs is the potential of what could come in time with surround stuff if this first lot sell well enough and as The Bright Side rightly says before the program gets abandoned!

not long to go now.. either way its exciting and I'm glad my excitement is shared by quite a few QQ-ers!

 

[fredblue]

FYI - The color coding for audio stream was done on the Patrica Barber disc...works quite well...

ah! I believe everything is good on that disc, apart from the surround mix! Is that so?

 

[fredblue]

Silverline will be happy to know about this!

haha!! if Silver-lie put the Sugarhill Gang out on BDA I'll get it again, its fab!

 

[fredblue]

I do have trouble with links, my dearest !!

linky plinky plonky wonky schminky schmonky! fahgeddabouddit!

:banana:

 

[Dixie4]

linky plinky plonky wonky schminky schmonky! fahgeddabouddit!

:banana:

I've sent cdjapan an e mail to ask if they have anymore info. ( doubt if they do at present ? )

 

[fredblue]

I've sent cdjapan an e mail to ask if they have anymore info. ( doubt if they do at present ? )

good luck with your enquiry

every spare minute I get I'm checking to see if anyone who has pre-orders for this BDA's has anymore information, other than track listings, disc numbers, the same listing date of April and the May 13th release date ..

..if they do they're not giving any away right now, though I haven't directly asked Amazon.de or HMV Japan (my German and Japanese being non-existent!).

still, I'm surprised none of QQ's French contingent (I'm guessing we must have members from/or living in France here..!?) have chipped in with any info on what's out over there so far, etc.. I suspect there haven't been any surround mixes on those few CD/BDA test releases they've had there and so they feel there's nothing to report here?

 

[smokey911]

Here's a translation from the MDS multimedia site

"To anyone with a Blu-ray player audiophile who always asked if he had done well to devote a high budget in this kind of product ... and yes! You can finally enjoy audiophile qualities of your player with the arrival of Blu-ray (Audiophile) High Fidelity Audio Pure!
Pascal Negro, CEO of Universal Music, has announced the arrival in the coming weeks (February / March 2013 in France?) Blu-ray Disc "normal" playable on all existing Blu-ray players and contain up to 7 hours of music only (not shown) with a theoretical maximum of 144 dB dynamic for a 24-bit source and a sampling frequency of 96 kHz or 192 kHz. A disc can hold up to 3 uncompressed audio formats, stereo 2.0 and / or 5.1 PCM, DTS HD Master Audio and Dolby True HD!
But this new technological innovation does however have a future? It seems so because Universal Music plans eventually to replace the CD with this new Blu-ray disc audiophile. 2 titles are already available on Amazon.co.uk: "Monkey me" of Mylène Farmer and "Grrr" Rolling Stones:
Finally good news for us because it seems that France has been chosen to act as "laboratory" with 50 to 100 references, including legendary Dire Straits, Stevie Wonder, U2, Queen, Abba, Bob Marley, Bashung albums Brel, Barbara Halliday or Gainsbourg!
Other majors are expected to join Universal Music as Warner and EMI. As for the introductory price, it would be in the order of € 19.99. The CD or digital download version of the album will be logically offered premium Blu-ray audiophile."

I'm cautiously optimistic here, at least they mention 5.1

 

[Dixie4]

That's really promising !

 

[GabeL]

That is quite promising, I really hope they release U2's Achtung Baby in this format

 

[Dixie4]

I just hope they will be freely available to all Countries ! ? I don't want to have to pay inflated import prices.

 

[leevitalone1]

I just hope they will be freely available to all Countries ! ? I don't want to have to pay inflated import prices.

You can count on that ! VAT it's called. If they see a chasnce to get a cut they will take it. Talk about the Sopranos! The Govt. is worse! In service we had a phrase - " God gives, and the Army takes it away."

 

[Dixie4]

You can count on that ! VAT it's called. If they see a chasnce to get a cut they will take it. Talk about the Sopranos! The Govt. is worse! In service we had a phrase - " God gives, and the Army takes it away."

True ! It looks like we will all have to order from Japan....hopefully this format will take off, and we won't have to pay imported prices in future ?

 

[leevitalone1]

True ! It looks like we will all have to order from Japan....hopefully this format will take off, and we won't have to pay imported prices in future ?

I'm with you! Hopefully we will see these in stores like sacd/dvdaudio was, with special displays and setups to preview the sound. IF it bodes well, Amazon will be Invoved for sure!

 

[fredblue]

True ! It looks like we will all have to order from Japan....hopefully this format will take off, and we won't have to pay imported prices in future ?

everything I've seen so far points to these being European releases.

 

[Dixie4]

everything I've seen so far points to these being European releases.

.....I might have to cancel my cdjapan order then ?

 

[GabeL]

I still don't understand why there is so little information about these upcoming titles posted anywhere. Minimally, they should indicate if they will be stereo or surround mixes.

 

[fredblue]

.....I might have to cancel my cdjapan order then ?

I don't have anything conclusive but it seems cdjapan and HMV.jp are calling these "Imports"
while Amazon.de/fr are not.. that plus the apparent French angle and I think you'd be better off sitting tight a bit longer and seeing what Amazon etc come up with.

 

[fredblue]

I still don't understand why there is so little information about these upcoming titles posted anywhere. Minimally, they should indicate if they will be stereo or surround mixes.

totally agree, very frustrating..

though I'm pretty sure the majority of the first rock & pop BDA's will be stereo only
and all the Classical that was previously released on SACD in surround will have stereo and surround.. but I'd dearly love to be wrong and get Bob Marley/Breakfast in America/Stevie Wonder/U2/Nirvana/Abba/Queen/Dire Straits, etc in surround too..!!!

 

[GabeL]

totally agree, very frustrating..

though I'm pretty sure the majority of the first rock & pop BDA's will be stereo only
and all the Classical that was previously released on SACD in surround will have stereo and surround.. but I'd dearly love to be wrong and get Bob Marley/Breakfast in America/Stevie Wonder/U2/Nirvana/Abba/Queen/Dire Straits, etc in surround too..!!!

For those of us who carefully make our purchases (don't have much discretionary income); information really does make a huge difference...I just can't go buying a new release based on rumors (or at least I won't). Even if these will be stereo, I'd like to know a bit more about the process...will they really be improvements or simply the same thing again on a blu-ray disc??

 

[Dixie4]

though I'm pretty sure the majority of the first rock & pop BDA's will be stereo only

I think that's a certainty, Adam....if there were going to be surround mixes, i think that info would have been given out by now.