dvd audio delays are ludicrous

[mahavishnu]

So we should all blame the hackers for the delay in the release of DVD-Audio should we? Think about it another way - This is an AUDIO format we are talking about here. Encyption of AUDIO. I for one would never buy into such a thing on principle. The public have been able to backup CD's for so long, make tapes to listen to in the car, etc. Perhaps the industry isn't totally happy with this, but they have gone along with it and even made a new market out if it - What do most people use minidiscs and mp3 recorders for if not digitally copying cd's?

What's more, that's decent quality audio, not audio that has been specially degraded for home use. 20-bit encoding, for example, is simply another selling point on a disc. So what excuse is there really for holding up this new technology. Further, why shouldn't movies also ultimately be available in decent HD formats?

As internet bandwidth grows, so piracy of whole films will grow - but at the same time the net is becoming more and more international and more public and the space for mass-piracy is limited. The majority will surely always aquire their music and films from a legitimate, advertised source. If anything, it might encourage larger companies to be a little bit more diverse. Britney Spears mp3's might not be too hard to come by but you sure arent going to find any pirated Stockhausen on a warez site.

[micahp]

This is the same thing that has happened with the release of any home audio/video format.

DVD-audio will eventually hit the streets. Just like DVD-video did, Just like CDR's did, Just like MP3's and recordable audio tapes and VHS.

Each one of these creations were fought against for similar reasons that DVD-audio keeps getting delayed.

it'll happen.

------------------
Resident Me,
Micah P.
Digital Dreams

[TampaFlyer]

I think a bigger problem for DVD-Audio is what exactly is the point of it? What is going to drive consumers to buy DVD-A? It seems like a format in search of an application.

[snarkfarms]

You are correct sir,much in the same way that DIVX was a solution in search of a problem.

Snarkfarms DDS#666

------------------

[TampaFlyer]

Well, I wouldn't insult DVD-Audio that much! I'm just curious what the point of it is. Maybe someone upset about the delay could respond?

[manigrasso]

Here's my 80 lire (roughly, adjusted for inflation) on the subject...

When I first heard about those 5.1 DTS compact discs, I was pretty excited, and even thought about getting a DVD player with a dts output to take advantageof that. Of course, at the time, DVD players hadn't dropped in price the way they have this year, and dts was usually an expensive add-on, so I opted againt it, and enjoyed dolby digital. But there was one more reason I didn't go dts, which is simply: How am I gonna enjoy dts anywhere else? I usually listen to music in the car, on the train to NYC, whilst on the computer, making dinner, etc. Although I like to just sit down with a drink and let music wash over me, if I have that kind of time, I'm watching movies. For me, and I think for many people, music is what you listen to when you're doing something else. So I think DVD-Audio will be a non-event.

I mean, am I wrong, or will DVD-Audio discs NOT be compatible with existing DVD players? Or with traditional CD players, for that matter? How man of us will buy a regular CD for the car or the boombox, and a DVD-A for home? I got enough things I want to buy. How many of us will be able to afford an upgrade to out car stereo system to utiliaze that technology? ANd where are you going to put the center speaker in a car? Perhaps a day will come when the technology has valid applications, but I don't think it'll ever really catch on, certainly not as fast as "plain old DVD" did.

[jb523]

If they market it right, the reason that people will get into dvd-audio is because, well, they will already have the players. If in, say early 2001, all the major dvd players are dvd-audio capable, and by 2002, even all the low-end ones are, then the 90% of the population that has yet to buy a player will be capable of playing dvd-audio discs. If they can play them, and they come with music videos, intervies, even bonus tracks, etc., and the disc is the same price as the cd, why not get the dvd-a disc? A lot of people still have cassette players in their cars. In any case, it can succeed, but they'll have to work really hard at marketing it. If they all worked together they could force almost anything on us, which is kind of scary. Imagine if all the studios only supported divx, if open dvds were all discontinued, and vhs/laserdisc were phased out. Unrealistic and illegal as it may be. . .

I for one wouldn't mind hearing a remastered 'quad' mix of The Dark Side of the Moon, but I don't want to loose the ability to record my music to minidisc to take on the road. Usualy when I listen to 20 diferent songs on a disk, they are from 20 diferent albums. If I can't record, I have to get a 20 disc DVD-A changer for my car, just to listen to 60-74 minuites of music?! I think not.

PoD

My 2 cents:

I woudl agree that DVD-A seems to be targetting a much smaller market; a market made even smaller because of the upgrade factor. But DTS manages to exist in such an environment.

DVD-A seems to have two purposes in life.
1. A high bit rate medium for audiophiles with money to burn.
2. Multichannel capability for home theater convergence.

Now I remember when CDs first came out. It didn't take long to convince and convert my father. All I did was play a record, then play the same album on CD. But will DVD-A be as easy to sell in comparison to CD? Especially if you try to convince someone that they have to buy more equipment (speakers and amplifiers) to enjoy it properly.