High-def discs - the audio options for HD DVD & Blu-ray

[Bob Crabtree]

Audio is an important factor to consider when choosing which of the competing high-def disc formats to buy into - HD DVD or Blu-ray Disc. Nick Flood explains the differences and the options

Check out Nick's guide.

Do you know any better than us about the audio capabilities of high-def disc? And will the difference in audio support steer you towards buying into one high definition disc format rather than the other?

Let us know.



Bob

[dangel]

DVD audio never really took root in the market - I wonder if things will really be that different for the new formats? The problem is CD Audio - it's cheap, of quality good enough for 99.9% of the public and embedded in the marketplace. Couple that with a pointless tech war over the next gen formats and pricey players (and probably media) - where's the market?
I suppose the only thing people might be interested in (when buying a player for high def video content [which actually has some value over what they have already]) is whether it'll play their old CDs - other than that why give a stuff about anything audio related?

[Bob Crabtree]

There was, to most people, zero reason for buying into DVD audio - and it was also VERY poorly promoted.

High-def DVD, in contrast, is something that everyone with a high-def TV set will want and it has enjoyed massive publicity.

Even though most of that publicity has been free - and a lot of it negative - there will be few people with HD TV sets who won't know that Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD are coming.

What format they buying into will depend on lots of things. Audio is one of them but price will be far more important I feel.

Interesting times lay ahead.

[Funkstar]

Part of the problem with the DVD audio formats was that it wasn't built into the original requirments for DVD players, in fact i don't think the DV-Audio portion was even ratified at that point.

[toolsong]

As dangel said CD audio has ample resolution to sound fantastic if only the content was mastered properly (eg http://www.cdmasteringservices.com/dynamicrange.htm). Pull out a decent CD from the 80's and compare its sound to a recent one.

If you consider the RMS power and speaker sensitivity required to reproduce a high def audio stream with its full dynamic range, you will need an audio setup that can simulate having something louder than a 747 in your living room. 24 bit = 144 dB of dynamic range and no amplifier, speaker or ear I know of will cope with that!

IMO current DVD Video is limited 99% by its video quality and therefore the movie titles available on a particular format will be what influences the consumer.

Can anyone see multi track audio going any further than it already has[n't]?

[DR]

I guess it comes down to price point - people won't pay extra unless they see the value - with Audio - you can't easily hear it but with Video - well wow...

[Nick F]

I agree with Bob and David. It will come down to price but I do feel that consumers will be willing to spend that bit extra for the features a certain format offers.

[DR]

I agree with Bob and David. It will come down to price but I do feel that consumers will be willing to spend that bit extra for the features a certain format offers.

But they have to be *real* features - not tat - i.e I fire up a Blu-ray or HD DVD and get the value - not extra special menus - in the film, which I watch I want it there

[dangel]

But they have to be *real* features - not tat - i.e I fire up a Blu-ray or HD DVD and get the value - not extra special menus - in the film, which I watch I want it there

Too true. I've said it before in a discussion about HDTV - you need to show _distinct_ advantage to a format for it to take off. This was very easy with CD compared to tape (audio quality) and CD compared to vinyl (quality, robustness, portability). Average joe bloggs won't notice the difference between a well mastered CD and a blu-ray audio disc - at least not on the setup they're likely to own (most people don't speed thousands on audio equipment but might well buy a big screen). Indeed, I think the thing that drives format acceptance more than anything else in the audio arena is convenience - think mp3 and you'll see what I mean. For the majority of people 'good enough' mp3 is great as it's amazingly portable - it works great at the gym, in the car (stuff the CD changer) and on the home PC. Personally, i don't really bother with CD anymore - I just end up ripping them as soon as i get them home..
Of course, we could argue that HD audio would just be 'ripped' and be as convenient but that forgoes the obvious conclusion that price isn't going to be higher than the CD format version, coupled with a high probability that you'll be DRM-ed to the eyeballs preventing you doing so anyway (something they've failed to do with CD audio despite best efforts).
So again, I find myself asking where the market is for HD audio? For most users it'll have little or no value over what they have now..

[Funkstar]

Is either format capable of 7.1 lossless audio as a soundtrack to a high bandwidth 1080p feature?

Surely this is going to be a major pull for enthusiasts in a couple of years once (affordable) screens start catching up.

mmmmm LOTR in 1080p on a 60"+ plasma with 7.1 lossless sound

[Bob Crabtree]

dangel,

Two comments:

I agree completely with you that convenience is a massive reason why some technologies caught on - and CDs and MP3s are, indeed, two great example of that.

However, you really do need to understand the scale of the pent up demand in the UK for high def material that people can view on their HD TV sets.

I've got some recent figures from the market research organisation GfK that show the large number of people who've already bought HD TV sets in the UK - and I'm trying to find time to work them up up into an interesting article.

But, before that, watch out for some GfK stats that Sky is quoting and which will appear soon in a HEXUS.HD news piece.

Oh, bugger it, here's what Sky says,

2006 sales forecasts for HD Ready sets have also increased to 2.0 million from 1.4 million (source: GFK), with the cumulative total expected to be 2.7 million at the end of 2006. 46% of all TV sales over 26” in February 2006 were HD Ready (compared to 3.4% in February 2005)

Bob

[dangel]

dangel,

Two comments:

I agree completely with you that convenience is a massive reason why some technologies caught on - and CDs and MP3s are, indeed, two great example of that.

However, you really do need to understand the scale of the pent up demand in the UK for high def material that people can view on their HD TV sets.

I've got some recent figures from the market research organisation GfK that show the large number of people who've already bought HD TV sets in the UK - and I'm trying to find time to work them up up into an interesting article.

But, before that, watch out for some GfK stats that Sky is quoting and which will appear soon in a HEXUS.HD news piece.

Oh, bugger it, here's what Sky says,



Bob

All well and good Bob but completely missing the point - the thread is about DVD _audio_ and whether this will drive HD sales, not video

[Bob Crabtree]

Indeed - oops - but, of course, my comments still stand.

[dangel]

Indeed - oops - but, of course, my comments still stand.