Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here SACD

[PanaPlasma]

Originally Posted by botley

When I look at Jimmy Iovine's comments to CNN about Apple upgrading its downloads, and the HD Tracks release of ABKCO's 24-bit Rolling Stones remasters, and the increasing number of other boutique websites offering lossless downloads, it seems to me the tide is turning on digital downloads towards a high definition option becoming more widespread. HDTV ushered in the remarkable acceptance of Blu-ray, and now people are spending money on upgrading their systems. That includes an upgrade in audio playback... it seems only logical that there MUST be demand out there for high-definition digital audio. If Apple is able to successfully market 24-bit lossless downloads for their iPods, that will be the turning point.

The only real advantage a hybrid SACD offers at this point is backwards compatibility for those who don't have a Blu-ray player (and the CD layer can be easily ripped to your computer, too). But I'm pretty sure more people have Blu-ray capability in their homes than SACD players, even if they regard it as being for movies first and foremost. In my opinion, Blu-ray audio would be the best option to get high definition recordings into the most hands, but when this particular remaster was developed, SACD was the format of choice. It's a pity that it has taken so long to get past that initial production stage, and SACD support has died out in the meantime! For me, the best of all possible worlds would be a 2-disc package, with both a Blu-ray disc and a hybrid SACD containing roughly the same content, along with a download coupon for 24-bit Apple Lossless compatible with iPods.

It's kind of a false distinction at this point to distinguish between "next-generation CD" and "next-generation DVD-A"... it's all digital audio. Blu-ray discs can deliver 192 kHz sampling rate at 24-bit lossless, even in multi-channel surround. That's a remarkable leap forward for a consumer format. DSD was a great innovation, but studios now have the capability to produce PCM masters (in the so-called "DXD" standard) that can equal or surpass DSD fidelity. If you put a DSD master next to a 192 kHz, 24-bit lossess conversion of the same thing, it would probably be hard to tell any difference. Gremal is right in that most people don't know or don't care that there is a difference between downloads and CD let alone high-definition audio. But there is a market for high-def downloads, too, and the major record labels are slowly starting to explore it. If it takes off like I hope it will, Blu-ray audio stands a chance of gaining firmer acceptance as well. They are not in competition with each other, as doctorsteve rightly points out; rather, demand for high-def in any and all forms will hopefully breed more high-def releases on the market.

KubrickFan: not sure if you knew this, but The Dark Side of the Moon SACD used the original stereo mix. Only James Guthrie's multichannel 5.1 surround sound layer was remixed, and it stayed pretty faithful to the stereo version.

But Apple has a problem. When it comes to lossless and high rez downloads, flac is the main format right now. Not ALAC! Even record companies as Universal are selling only MP3 and FLAC.

If they want to break-up the iTunes and iPod monopoly (Sony maybe?) it's now or never.

A Sony portable player (one entry level / one high end) accompanied with "better headphones" (than apple earbuds) capable of reading high res audio could stop the degradation of music!

[Gremal]

Originally Posted by PanaPlasma

But Apple has a problem. When it comes to lossless and high rez downloads, flac is the main format right now. Not ALAC! Even record companies as Universal are selling only MP3 and FLAC.

If they want to break-up the iTunes and iPod monopoly (Sony maybe?) it's now or never.

A Sony portable player (one entry level / one high end) accompanied with "better headphones" (than apple earbuds) capable of reading high res audio could stop the degradation of music!

But you can't break up broad market leadership by focusing on a niche market. Let's face it: high res audio is a niche market. Even most Blu-ray adopters say they don't care about audio quality (sad, isn't it?).

[doctorsteve]

Originally Posted by Todd Smith

I would much rather have the SACD, but glad that its coming out on blu ray at least.

Huh?

[are1981]

My suggestions have been added:

US
The Dark Side Of The Moon:
https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Pink-...Blu-ray/23971/ (price tracking activated)
Wish You Were Here:
https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Pink-...Blu-ray/23976/ (price tracking activated)
Wish You Were Here:
https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Pink-...Blu-ray/23970/ (redundant, price tracking not activated)

UK
The Dark Side Of The Moon:
https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Pink-...Blu-ray/23973/ (price tracking not activated)
Wish You Were Here:
https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Pink-...Blu-ray/23974/ (price tracking not activated)
Wish You Were Here:
https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Pink-...Blu-ray/23972/ (redundant, price tracking not activated)

Will someone with database access add price tracking on the UK versions, and remove the redundant entries?

[Scooby Blu]

Originally Posted by Gremal

Yeah, I basically agree. Some of those points are discussed in this article, which is a pretty good read.

http://www.npr.org/2011/03/05/134256...the-audiophile

Great article thank you for the post.

[punisher]

still loving my orange colored vinyl of WISH YOU WERE HERE..sadly I misplaced my original pressing lp when I moved along with my original DARK SIDE OF THE MOON as well as some other old lps

[Todd Smith]

Originally Posted by doctorsteve

Huh?

The SACD is more user friendly in the fact that I dont have to turn on my projector to navigate through the options.......I dont like this about blu ray audio.

[JamesN]

Originally Posted by Todd Smith

The SACD is more user friendly in the fact that I dont have to turn on my projector to navigate through the options.......I dont like this about blu ray audio.

+1. In addition to the inconvenience and the extra hours it puts on the bulb, the noise from the pj fan can negatively affect a music-only listening session.

I've thought about adding a small LCD monitor to my HT just for all those times I need to access the GUI menu in my player or AVR and don't otherwise need the projector.

[dobyblue]

-1

I don't have to turn on my TV at all, just hit forward until I hear the menu music then press enter. If it's 2.0 just press "AUDIO" and it switches to 5.1

[JamesN]

Originally Posted by dobyblue

-1

I don't have to turn on my TV at all, just hit forward until I hear the menu music then press enter. If it's 2.0 just press "AUDIO" and it switches to 5.1

I would imagine, however, that the navigation steps would differ from disc to disc. I only have 2 DVD-As, for example, and the navigation path on each is different. I have them memorized, so I can play them without needing to see them menus, but my memory for such information is fully saturated at this point. Which may explain why I own only 2.