Audio on BD - WHY does it happen ?

[Ray0002]

I been upgrading most of my DVD movies to Bluray

When I say most ... I am talking about over 100+ and counting.

Each time a old movie gets released on Blu Ray I catch myself scanning the back of the box to determine the Encode Transfer and Audio options.

I pride myself to have built a considerably nice Home Theater system

Upgrading my hardware as new technology becomes available.

Currently using : LG 65 LW6500 3D LED , Dennon AVR-790 7.1 Polk Surround
and one monster 20' JBL sub woofer.

So why is it that some BD movies come with less than HD sound ?

As a newb i will list in order the best audio to least desired on BD as I understand it.

Please if your an audiophile , feel free to correct me if I am wrong.
I need a clear understanding of HD AUDIO to help me make better buying decisions.

PS Thanks in advance.

1. LPCM aka PCM : Linear pulse-code modulation
"uncompressed PCM" Typically used by SONY

2. DTS-HD Master Audio : uncompromised audio : carries one encode

3. Dolby® TrueHD : With support for up to 7.1 100 percent lossless audio
carries two encodes.

Now more and more often I am seeing movies with less than the standard audio options listed above.

Aeon Flux for example : Audio options: English: Dolby Digital 5.1
:English: DTS 5.1
These were the same encodes used on the regular DVD version.

Young Guns : Audio Options : English: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX
: English: DTS-HD 5.1 \
The DVD version from the Special Edition
English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), English (DTS 5.1)

I want to know why and how these BD versions are considered : HD
I also want to know why on this Blu-ray Forum these audio formats are not being addressed in the Audio Section:

From the review on Aeon Flux
"Accompanying the excellent Dolby Digital track is an English 5.1 Dts track"

I may be new on here but this is just not satisfactory to me.
If Bluray Movies boast to have Best Picture and Sound in pure HD then
how come they slap the original DVD encode on BD ?

My Denon AVR 790 has a LED blue indicator light which pops on when a HD audio source is being played.

When it doesn't come on when playing a BD movie , I cant help but think I have been taken advantage of.

Any comments are welcome.

[Ray0002]

was just checking for any feed back ... was hoping someone had some insight.
thanks.

[Neild]

When blu-ray emerged as the survivor of the new format war, many of us hoped they'd establish an expected minimum standard of audio. Similar to how 1080p was, and for the most part is, the expected video on blu-ray, and anything less is considered a rare exception.

Unfortunately some slipped on this expectation and there wasnt much outcry and no repercussion from Sony, so now sloppy and unpredictable audio is commonplace.

As for why certain old or less classic titles simply repurpose old audio encodes, the answer is obvious: cost cutting and laziness. Even some classics where fans would anticipate quality audio (West Side Story, Blues Brothers, etc) those in charge of the restoration either didn't have the required knowledge, experience, or concern for quality, thus enshrining flawed releases as what we'll have to suffer with for many years.

[wormraper]

just to let you know, it's IS HD sound. it is not LOSSLESS on some of them though

except for LITERALLY 2-3 titles that have dvd sound you get at LEAST a 50% increase in audio

dolby digital bitrate for hd movies is 640 kpbs.

the dolby digital bitrate for dvds is 384 or 448 kpbs. you get an easy 50% in bitrate for HD movies.

[aaron158]

it sucks with companys cheap out and put crap dd audio on blurays but not much u can do. the odd time u can get lucky and a uk or other country relase will have hd audio though.

[Ray0002]

Thanks to all that replied.

I figured as much .. Studios have a mind set that we consumers all all sheep for the slaughter and anything they push out on the market will make us jump.

The very notion that they port dvd audio to blu ray to save a dollar is just unaceptable and as a consumer we need to voice our concerns.

I realize that the members of this forum are just a very small fraction of the total amount of consumers that buy BD movies .... however I also feel if this website exist to bring information and reviews of BD available it should do so with the most accurate reviews possible.

There is no reason to praise a BD release that has sub standard qualities.
Not just in picture quality but audio quality as well.

If a studio gets slammed for poor quality and sales reflect their poor decision making I have a feeling they will sooner or later get the hint that us SHEEP can be heard loud and clear.

I don't want to see Reviews on this website giving Kudos to lack luster ports to BD movies. If the trend continues I will no longer feel this forum is a reputable source for BD content.

Let's not steer the people seeking knowledge and information the wrong way.
Get it right and be negative if need be... These movie companies seem to double dip bringing out Re-master editions based on negative reviews but to me..there should never be a remasterd BD edition. It should have been perfect from the begining.

Thanks again everyone.

[wormraper]

Originally Posted by Ray0002

Thanks to all that replied.

I figured as much .. Studios have a mind set that we consumers all all sheep for the slaughter and anything they push out on the market will make us jump.

The very notion that they port dvd audio to blu ray to save a dollar is just unaceptable and as a consumer we need to voice our concerns.

I realize that the members of this forum are just a very small fraction of the total amount of consumers that buy BD movies .... however I also feel if this website exist to bring information and reviews of BD available it should do so with the most accurate reviews possible.

There is no reason to praise a BD release that has sub standard qualities.
Not just in picture quality but audio quality as well.

If a studio gets slammed for poor quality and sales reflect their poor decision making I have a feeling they will sooner or later get the hint that us SHEEP can be heard loud and clear.

I don't want to see Reviews on this website giving Kudos to lack luster ports to BD movies. If the trend continues I will no longer feel this forum is a reputable source for BD content.

Let's not steer the people seeking knowledge and information the wrong way.
Get it right and be negative if need be... These movie companies seem to double dip bringing out Re-master editions based on negative reviews but to me..there should never be a remasterd BD edition. It should have been perfect from the begining.

Thanks again everyone.

[Kali157]

Ray, I understand some of what you are saying. I think it is also important to look at the dates the blu ray was released. Aeon Flux blu ray was released in 2006. Dolby TrueHD was introduced 2005 and DTS-HD was introduced 2006. So that particular blu ray was an early adopter.

So if you are looking to reprimand this site for "giving Kudos to lack luster ports to BD movies," I think you need to read the reviews more thoroughly and place them in context. Despite being an early adopter, Aeon Flux did not get a perfect score, nor did it receive all "Kudos." Young Guns was butchered. So I am unsure at what you are demanding. From my own experience, this site has provided relatively accurate and critical reviews of blu ray releases. Are you talking about forum member reviews???

[Ray0002]

Originally Posted by Kali157

Ray, I understand some of what you are saying. I think it is also important to look at the dates the blu ray was released. Aeon Flux blu ray was released in 2006. Dolby TrueHD was introduced 2005 and DTS-HD was introduced 2006. So that particular blu ray was an early adopter.

So if you are looking to reprimand this site for "giving Kudos to lack luster ports to BD movies," I think you need to read the reviews more thoroughly and place them in context. Despite being an early adopter, Aeon Flux did not get a perfect score, nor did it receive all "Kudos." Young Guns was butchered. So I am unsure at what you are demanding. From my own experience, this site has provided relatively accurate and critical reviews of blu ray releases. Are you talking about forum member reviews???

I was not aware at all when audio sources were made available on BD movies until your post above. That is why I posted this thread in the NEWBIE section.

I am not and will not ever exclaim that I know what I am talking about regarding Audio and the types of encodes used on BD.

I simply wanted some clarification on Why does it happen.

As for Kudos being given on this website to movies with less than stellar Audio tracks : I was referring to the Actual Site review of Aeon Flux.

copied and pasted from the actual review. :
To say that Aeon Flux's 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack, encoded at 640kbps is aggressive is quite frankly an understatement.
Accompanying the excellent Dolby Digital track is an English 5.1 Dts track, and a French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks encoded at 448kbps

Now if you go back to my OP you will see the 3 formats in which I thought all BD movies were using and of those 3 , Aeon Flux did not use any.

As for your Release date information on Aeon Flux:

Aeon Flux was released on Bluray on June 3rd 2008
the HD-DVD was released on Aug 8, 2006

So to be fair : The BD release was well after the STANDARD audio format for BD movies was already established.

I'm not going to research anything on Young Guns because : I'm scared what I will find. That movie is just a horrible transfer to BD. It should be a crime.

[Kali157]

Originally Posted by Ray0002

I was not aware at all when audio sources were made available on BD movies until your post above. That is why I posted this thread in the NEWBIE section.

I am not and will not ever exclaim that I know what I am talking about regarding Audio and the types of encodes used on BD.

I simply wanted some clarification on Why does it happen.

As for Kudos being given on this website to movies with less than stellar Audio tracks : I was referring to the Actual Site review of Aeon Flux.

copied and pasted from the actual review. :
To say that Aeon Flux's 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack, encoded at 640kbps is aggressive is quite frankly an understatement.
Accompanying the excellent Dolby Digital track is an English 5.1 Dts track, and a French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks encoded at 448kbps

Now if you go back to my OP you will see the 3 formats in which I thought all BD movies were using and of those 3 , Aeon Flux did not use any.

As for your Release date information on Aeon Flux:

Aeon Flux was released on Bluray on June 3rd 2008
the HD-DVD was released on Aug 8, 2006

So to be fair : The BD release was well after the STANDARD audio format for BD movies was already established.

I'm not going to research anything on Young Guns because : I'm scared what I will find. That movie is just a horrible transfer to BD. It should be a crime.

Um, no, Aeon Flux blu ray that was reviewed on this site was released on Oct 10 2006. It says so on the top of the review page.