Surround Records to release Blu-ray

[Chris Gerhard]

I hadn't seen this mentioned here and since this label handles the "Uncommon Bach" surround release discussed here, that and other titles should be available pronto.

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/s...und_Records_Announces_Dual-Format_Format/1411

Chris

 

[phydo]

Chris:

Thanks for the link.

Justin

 

[Quadzilla]

I guess that they figured that staying exclusively with HD DVD was a poor marketing choice given the current situation.

 

[Chris Gerhard]

I guess that they figured that staying exclusively with HD DVD was a poor marketing choice given the current situation.

All they had released thus far were a couple of HD DVD's but based on Alexander Jero's comments here, I expected Blu-ray releases soon enough. Unlike Universal and Paramount, there was never any Surround Records press conference announcing HD DVD exclusivity.

Chris

 

[alexander J]

Thank you everybody for giving attention to this announcement.

I did not expect that it will make an “announcement”, but I am really glad to let you know that we ready to bring new generation of music and sound experience to Blu-ray hardware owners as well as HD DVD owners.

 

[JonUrban]

This is great news for those with only Blu-Ray players. I'm not sure what titles will come out on BD first, but I would go for the "Jazz Standards" if it's available, and if you have DTS HD Master Audio capability, be prepared to be amazed.

Although the PS3 is incapable of doing DTS-HD Master Audio, many of the newest stand alone models can bitstream this out, and the next Panasonic model 50 (among others) will decode this internally, allowing an older reciever to get the high rez sound.

http://www.surroundmagic.com/Default.aspx?TabID=36&CategoryID=33&langID=0

 

[bmoura]

This is great news for those with only Blu-Ray players. I'm not sure what titles will come out on BD first, but I would go for the "Jazz Standards" if it's available, and if you have DTS HD Master Audio capability, be prepared to be amazed.

Although the PS3 is incapable of doing DTS-HD Master Audio, many of the newest stand alone models can bitstream this out, and the next Panasonic model 50 (among others) will decode this internally, allowing an older reciever to get the high rez sound.

http://www.surroundmagic.com/Default.aspx?TabID=36&CategoryID=33&langID=0

Now the label is releasing on Blu-Ray, a better choice would be to skip DTS-HD Master Audio and put the 5.1 Uncompressed PCM track on the disc. That's what you find on most Blu-Ray music and concert titles.

 

[JonUrban]

Now the label is releasing on Blu-Ray, a better choice would be to skip DTS-HD Master Audio and put the 5.1 Uncompressed PCM track on the disc. That's what you find on most Blu-Ray music and concert titles.

However, Alexander Jero works in 7.1 surround mixes. In order for them to be properly produced in 7.1 and have a creator controlled 5.1 downmix available through the encoding process, DTS-HD Master Audio must be used (or DD TrueHD).

I would not "dumb-down" to uncompressed 5.1 PCM just because a video game console can not do DTS-HD Master Audio. The PS3 may be a great game and a decent BD player, but it should not be the standard to which all BD players are judged or spec'd. It did the job for Sony, now let's move forward - not backward.

 

[bmoura]

I would not "dumb-down" to uncompressed 5.1 PCM just because a video game console can not do DTS-HD Master Audio.

I don't think it's so much a question of what the PlayStation 3 can do. I'm betting that more Blu-Ray owners have 5.1 setups and 5.1 Uncompressed PCM in their systems than DTS-HD Master Audio playback.

On the other hand, since this is a music title, perhaps they can include both!

 

[JonUrban]

I don't think it's so much a question of what the PlayStation 3 can do. I'm betting that more Blu-Ray owners have 5.1 setups and 5.1 Uncompressed PCM in their systems than DTS-HD Master Audio playback.

On the other hand, since this is a music title, perhaps they can include both!

I'd go for that!

Once the newest 2.0 BD players hit the market there will be a better distribution of DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD in the marketplace. The best thing about DTS-HD Master Audio is that even if you can't use it, you automatically get a HiRez DTS that's compatible with the older systems.

 

[Chris Gerhard]

This is great news for those with only Blu-Ray players. I'm not sure what titles will come out on BD first, but I would go for the "Jazz Standards" if it's available, and if you have DTS HD Master Audio capability, be prepared to be amazed.

Although the PS3 is incapable of doing DTS-HD Master Audio, many of the newest stand alone models can bitstream this out, and the next Panasonic model 50 (among others) will decode this internally, allowing an older reciever to get the high rez sound.

http://www.surroundmagic.com/Default.aspx?TabID=36&CategoryID=33&langID=0

I have been assured a PS3 firmware update to enable decoding of DTS-HD MA is coming but it is not here yet and no guarantee has been made either so I wouldn't run out and buy one based on the assurances I have received, although that is exactly what I did. I have seen more than one indication that DTS and Sony were able to develop a software decoder. Until that time the DTS-HD core at 1.5Mbps does sound nice. The PS3 is a little more than just a game console, in my opinion after the update to Profile 2.0 and addition of DTS-HD MA decoding, it will easily be the best next generation player from either camp, which means it is no wonder it is the only one to have sold much and obviously drives the Blu-ray software sales lead which has been 87% to 13% so far in 2008. Sales of all other models for either format haven't amounted to much.

Chris

 

[JonUrban]

I have been assured a PS3 firmware update to enable decoding of DTS-HD MA is coming but it is not here yet and no guarantee has been made either so I wouldn't run out and buy one based on the assurances I have received, although that is exactly what I did. I have seen more than one indication that DTS and Sony were able to develop a software decoder. Until that time the DTS-HD core at 1.5Mbps does sound nice. The PS3 is a little more than just a game console, in my opinion after the update to Profile 2.0 and addition of DTS-HD MA decoding, it will easily be the best next generation player from either camp, which means it is no wonder it is the only one to have sold much and obviously drives the Blu-ray software sales lead which has been 87% to 13% so far in 2008. Sales of all other models for either format haven't amounted to much.

Chris

Chris,

Answer me this. If the PS3 is the "end all" of Blu-Ray players, and "will easily be the best next generation player from either camp", then why does Sony even bother to sell any other Blu-Ray player? Is the Sony BDPS500 a sham?

I agree that putting BD capability in the PS3 game was the move that pushed the balance towards Blu-Ray, but it cannot be the best player out there. If it was, why wouldn't Sony take the guts from the PS3, remove all game associated and SACD electronics, and sell a < $200 stand alone player to completely blow away the market?

How can this be a lesser player than a PS3?

 

[JonUrban]

It certainly can't be a better player than this $1200 player from Sony, which actually DOES DTS-HD Master Audio, could it? (BDP-S2000ES)

 

[Chris Gerhard]

Chris,

Answer me this. If the PS3 is the "end all" of Blu-Ray players, and "will easily be the best next generation player from either camp", then why does Sony even bother to sell any other Blu-Ray player? Is the Sony BDPS500 a sham?

I agree that putting BD capability in the PS3 game was the move that pushed the balance towards Blu-Ray, but it cannot be the best player out there. If it was, why wouldn't Sony take the guts from the PS3, remove all game associated and SACD electronics, and sell a < $200 stand alone player to completely blow away the market?

How can this be a lesser player than a PS3?

Pretty simple, the design of the PS3 doesn't work for everyone and the concept of having a game console as the media player in a home theater is a difficult marketing concept. The Sony BD-PS500 is fine, it isn't Profile 2.0 and can only play a fraction of the formats the PS3 plays. It is the Sony BD-PS300 I would avoid. You can't put the PS3 in a cabinet, it runs too hot in my opinion and the design prevents stacking anything on top of it, I believe for the same reason.

Sony has sold the PS3 at an average loss of $200+ for each console, mostly to get the game console competitive and to get Blu-ray up and running in the market. Selling a standalone Blu-ray player at such a loss is certainly possible, but would essentially close out all other Blu-ray manufacturers just as Toshiba has done with their standalone players by selling those way below cost.

I believe the upcoming Panasonic DMP-BD50A will equal the PS3 in Blu-ray performance but of course be miles behind in ability to handle other media. There is no question whatsover that the PS3 is currently the best player based on any measurement standard I would consider.

Chris

 

[Chris Gerhard]

It certainly can't be a better player than this $1200 player from Sony, which actually DOES DTS-HD Master Audio, could it? (BDP-S2000ES)

That player isn't profile 2.0 and my opinion is once the PS3 is updated to Profile 2.0 and adds DTS-HD MA decoding, the PS3 easily smokes that player with its ability to play many types of media and of course the fact it sells for a fraction of the price. The PS3 won't work in every system do to design, so that BDP-S2000ES has distinct advantages for some. My home theater has a nice open well-ventilated spot for my PS3. Some others could place more importance on the things the BDP-S2000ES does that the PS3 can't do and ignore the long list of things the PS3 does that the BDP-S2000ES can't do and come to a different conclusion. Another shortcoming of the PS3 is to get IR remote capability, you need a USB port adapter and even then you can't use your universal remote to power on/off the PS3.

Don't confuse a Blu-ray standalone player sold at cost plus a profit with the PS3 sold at a loss based on price, you will get a rather skewed perspective.

Chris

 

[Chris Gerhard]

I should add another shortcoming of the PS3, also related to heat is the fan needs to run to keep it cool. Some sit close enough to hear it and some units may make more noise than others. The 40GB model uses a different, smaller, cooler chip and although doesn't handle SACD or PS2 games, might be the best choice for Blu-ray since it runs quieter. I sit about 3 feet from my 80GB PS3 and can't hear it at all without moving my head closer to it.

Chris

 

[JonUrban]

Well, I have to take your word for it as you own a PS3. It just seems like a strange situation from Sony, but then again nothing can be surprising when it comes to them!

 

[Chris Gerhard]

It certainly can't be a better player than this $1200 player from Sony, which actually DOES DTS-HD Master Audio, could it? (BDP-S2000ES)

To add the reason the PS3 can't bitstream DTS-HD MA is the current models' HDMI chip is an SIL Vastline 9132. Bitstreaming of the advanced audio codecs was not supported in that line until the 9134. I would assume future PS3 models can use the newer chip and enable bitstreaming. That of course is a separate issue from internal decoding which the PS3 should be able to do within months by a firmware update. I do think having both abilities, bitstreaming and internal decoding is optimal, but in light of the fact that quite a number of Blu-ray releases use DTS-HD MA, maybe 60 or so already and soon the Surround Records releases, having one or the other is really important.

Chris

 

[alexander J]

I am very appreciated for all your support,
It is not going happened right a way but by the end of the spring we will try to deliver our thirst Blu-ray additions, but there is a chance that it will happened sooner. Besides my own music I am also working on bringing Best Known Life Orchestral Surround Recordings to 7.1 High Definition Media. Our thirst release of the "Vivaldi -The Four Seasons / Concertos for Double Orchestra" coming out this month will be first in this series.

 

[Jens]

I agree that putting BD capability in the PS3 game was the move that pushed the balance towards Blu-Ray, but it cannot be the best player out there. If it was, why wouldn't Sony take the guts from the PS3, remove all game associated and SACD electronics, and sell a < $200 stand alone player to completely blow away the market?

I think they need all the processing power that was put in there for games to do the A/V processing, so it could hardly be made any cheaper than the PS3 currently is.

Having said that, I'm still baffled Sony didn't use the PS3's optical drive in a set like the ES series BD player to make an SACD-compatible BD player.