Hi guys,
Anyone know if the capabilities of the two hi def formats (HD DVD and Blu Ray) can surpass the sound quality of DVD-A?
A few reasons why I am interested:
1) Although it is flawed (because it is in standard def and therefore looks crappy on a HDTV), I really like one thing about DVD-A discs—the capability to include video footage along on the disc plus photos that show on screen while the DVD-A music is playing. I only own 2 DVD-A discs: NERD “In Search Of” and Outkast “Stankonia”, and both of these discs have a few of the groups’ music videos for some of the songs included, and while you are listening to the tracks in DVD-A, you can see nice little promo photos of the band on your screen while the tracks play. I think this is great, but the only problem I have with it is the fact that the standard def video looks very fuzzy. I wish it was in Hi Def! Imagine the possibilities! Assuming that the audio codecs of HD DVD and Blu Ray are up to par (and I have no idea if they are or not), I think that this might open up a whole new medium for artistic expression for many new bands out there, particularly bands on indie labels. Think about it; since MTV has sucked hard since the 90s, it would allow today’s new bands the potential to create some awesome new art in the form of music videos (not just their songs). Plus, since you don’t have to put up with what the network’s limited options (usually, it seems, only about 2 dozen crappy pop music videos make it into heavy rotation on MTV, and though it is rare, every once in a while a really awesome video comes out that actually deserves some respect for its artistic merit—most recent one I can think of is the Gnarls Barkley video for their song “Crazy”—it’s amazing), artists might be less reluctant to produce some videos for their songs since they know their fan base will actually get to see them, and there is nothing stopping them—not even MTV. Music videos could finally be take seriously as a mode of artistic expression, as they always should have been but were never allow to because of crappy old MTV which,for the most part, has turned them into disposable promotional garbage. Also, imagine if bands even started making music videos for their entire album instead of just for 1 or 2 songs on the album. With this new HD medium, I think as long as the sound quality capabilities of HD DVD and Blu Ray are very very good, some of the more experimental bands out there (once again probably on indie labels) might come along and make some entire albums as music videos. I think that would be great, anyhow, look at how many low budget, campy music videos there are out there that we all love (like the Fatboy Slim video for “Praise You” and the two new videos by the band OKGO)
2) Since DVD-A seems to have flopped, maybe the makers of HD DVD or Blu Ray try with a clean slate to replace the CD. Maybe if they don’t make the same mistakes all over again that they made with SACD and DVD-A, then getting everyone to switch over to a superior medium and format would actually work. Lets hope that with whatever comes next, there aren’t any ridiculous issues with DRM, copy protection, or audible watermarking that will stifle the growth and potential of whatever product they are trying to push as the new mainstream replacement of the CD.
Oh, and one other thing beyond the capabilities of these new Hi Def discs: anyone know anything about the watermark that is used for HD DVD and Blu Ray audio? Is it audible just like the watermark technology used for DVD-A? What a mess that would be if it was! I hate it when greedy people purposely mess up progress with crap like that!