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I just bought the YES- Magnification DVD-A, and as many might know, Warners includes a questionaire card (pre-paid postage - Business Reply Mail) asking questions about DVD-A. In the past these questions were sort of generally regarding sound quality issues, if they even existed.Well, the new card in the Magnification DVD-A asked more direct questions regarding sound quality, etc. Here are some of the added questions I found quite interesting:
"Does your receiver/amplifier have six distinct analog inputs for DVD-Audio?"
the following question listed a 1-5 (5 very important) scale on each item:
"How important were each of these in your descision to purchase DVD-Audio discs: Multichannel Sound, High-Quality Sound, Extra content, Plays in DVD Player""Which one of the following do you prefer? High-Quality MCH Sound, High-Quality Stereo Sound, Like both equally, Don't Know"
"How often do you have the TV on when listening to DVD-Audios? Often, Sometimes, Never"
From these questions above it seems that Warners has, at least, taken an interest in alot of things people have been harping on - Sound Quality and the need for/utilization of a TV for DVD-audio.
At least, from my vantage point, it appears they are starting to ask the right questions.
Follow Ups:
How do you like the Yes disc? Are you comparing it to the CD? Vinyl? Both? Neither?I like what Warner is doing with the reply cards. Very good. The article on hifidelityreview.com is encouraging too.
so my comparison would be from what I remember the last time I played the CD (which I have done quite a few times since it's release).I didn't do a direct comparison, but it didn't seem necessary. Once I put the DVD-A on I knew right away that the sonics were something ot marvel at. One of the better sounding DVD-As yet - especially if you are a YES fan. (Be forewarned this is Yes' foray into playing with a large orchestra, but the music is still very "prog rock" oriented instead of making the orchestra the main attraction.)
Here is how I would respond:"Does your receiver/amplifier have six distinct analog inputs for DVD-Audio?"
No, and it would be too painful financially to make the appropriate investment for hi-rez multichannel. When there are enough MC hi-rez recording, I will reconsider the required preamp with 6-channel analog bypass.
"the following question listed a 1-5 (5 very important) scale on each item:
"How important were each of these in your descision to purchase DVD-Audio discs: Multichannel Sound, High-Quality Sound, Extra
content, Plays in DVD Player"MC sound =1 (Re" see above,)
Sound Quality = 5 (watermarking serious hinders my desire to buy DVD-A. Slightly lesser concerns are inconsistent resolution (especially with the 2-channel music where some discs have compressed DD/DTS soundtracks in lieu of LPCM) and even at the highest resolution (2-channel 24/192), it may not be a match for SACD.
Extra Content = 1 - who cares ? especially as I don't want to have to resort to a monitor to control the DVD-A.
Plays in DVD-V = 5 (But only if it includes a 24/96 PCM, unwatermarked stereo mix ; DD/DTS Mixes need not apply
"Which one of the following do you prefer? High-Quality MCH Sound, High-Quality Stereo Sound, Like both equally, Don't Know"HQ Stereo sound at the moment as MC is quite expensive. I will reserve judgement on the value of MC.
"How often do you have the TV on when listening to DVD-Audios? Often, Sometimes, Never"
Often, but I am watching ESPN independent of the music selection and don't want to have to mess with video display of DVD-A controls.
posted yesterday on HighFidelityReview.com.
nt
Stephen Best
Canberra, Australia
nt
In fairness, I know some people like their music in multichannel ... but it doesn't make much sense if the original was recorded in stereo (or even mono). If you want multichannel from these, why not just use Dolby Pro Logic II?
Stephen Best
Canberra, Australia
Well, I checked and we're up to 186 Multichannel SACDs to date, with more on the way.The breakdown:
US Releases = 136
Europe Only = 31
Japan Only = 19
Stones , and CCR titles could have been remixed for Multichannel on SACD , but absolutely no effort was made to do so .In the 1970s , I purchased the Quadraphonic " Creedence Gold " that I still play , which I believe contains some of the same songs to be issued on stereo only SACDs .
With regards to Dolby Pro Logic II , I have a much more advanced SQ decoder / synthesizer from the 1980s , called the Fosgate Tate II , that I always use when playing my stereo LPs and CDs . It works very nicely on most material , but it generally is not the equivalent to listening to a Quadraphonic or 5.1 product .
I don't own a Dolby Pro Logic II , so I am not sure that it will work properly with a mono recording . My Fosgate Tate II does not , and neither does my Dolby Pro Logic I .
On Multichannel Hi-Rez , I have no interest in purchasing fake multichannel discs made from 1 or 2 channel masters . However , if multitrack recordings exist , then I believe that Multichannel discs should be issued .
To date , the SACD consortium has shown little commitment to Multichannel . I will not be purchasing any of the upcoming Stones , and CCR SACDs .
Sincerely ,
ZS KEKL
****"To date , the SACD consortium has shown little commitment to Multichannel . I will not be purchasing any of the upcoming Stones , and CCR SACDs"*******ZS KEKL - obviously your commitment to MCH is strong, but why shut yourself off from what could be quality sonics merely because the music is not being released in MCH.
Further, SACD, although not primarily a MCH format, is doing pretty well in my book about getting alot of their newer releases out in MCH if need be. As far as the Stones are concered, ABKCO has indicated their reasons for presenting the music in stereo. In addition, imagine the additional cost and effort necessary to re-mix 22 albums into discrete surround. It would almost be a given that if they were to have gone that route, we would be waiting long past August 20th for the Stones discs to appear.
As for CCR, Steve Hoffman re-mastered the current crop of AP vinyl which sound phenomenal, IMHO, and from my understanding they did so from the original stereo masters. I surmise that Fantasy has probably only given the rights to AP to remaster the SACD from the stereo masters - and if they sound half as good as the vinyl editions, we are all in for some treat.
Fine, only buy music in surround, that is your perogative. But I feel you might just miss out on some quality releases if you do. (And I, like you, love MCH music).
at this time , only the availabilty of Multichannel audio would cause me to make repurchases .With regards to the Stones , I am doubtful that all 22 SACDs could have been done in Multichannel , due to the possible lack of availability of multitrack recordings . But , I think that it is likely that a few , even one or two , Multichannel SACDs could have been done with the albums originally recorded from 1966 forward .
CCR's Pendulum , and Mardi Gras haven't been scheduled for SACD release . If they ever come out in Multichannel , I'll purchase them .
It's been a long time since I have found a Multichannel SACD that I have been interested in purchasing . I will probably purchase the Multichannel SACDs of Meatloaf-Bat Out Of Hell , and James Taylor-J.T. next month .
I still purchase music in stereo , but never on SACD . The SACD catalog is too limited . There is nothing there of interest to me .
I just purchased a great Surf music CD , recorded earlier this year by The Malibooz . It's called " Beach Access " . It's their 4th CD . Their first one , from 1981 , " Malibooz Rule " is one of the best Surf albums ever . The band includes Walter Egan , who you may or may not remember from the 1970s , when he had the hits " Magnet And Steel " , and " Hot Summer Nights " .
I'm really looking forward to purchasing lots of DVD-As in the future , including Beach Boys-Pet Sounds , and Surf's Up , Jackson Browne , Cars , Heart , Neil Young , CSN&Y , more by the Doors , etc .
Sincerely ,
ZS KEKL
amenable to surround sound ? I will agree anything with Quadraphonic mixes ought to warrant surround sound treatment. If not, 2-channel hi-rez mixes seem better.
Well, the folks at Analogue Productions (aka Acoustic Sounds) are the ones doing the Creedence Clearwater Revival SACDs.I'd suggest emailing them with a request for a Multichannel SACD of "Creedence Gold".
If there's enough interest, they may indeed ask Fantasy for that master tape and issue it in Multichannel SACD !
(And while they are at it, some of the other Fantasy Surround albums from the '70s - Stanley Turrentine, Blackbyrds, Woody Herman, McCoy Tyner & Flora Purim - might also be worthy of the same treatment!)
...since this has been a concern among audiophiles for some time and has even become a concern for those in the audio enthusiast category, such as myself.I encourage you to read Steve Hoffman's concise quote in his website forum regarding watermarking. I will not characterize his remarks here, as I will be attacked by one camp or the other (my efforts to attack extreme remarks and promote the merits of both SACD and DVD-A have been perceived by those with a strong format preference as being subjectively partisan). I do think Hoffman has credibility, and I respect his clear position regarding whether or not he would use watermarking.
they're not interesting in hearing anyone's comments about watermarking or copy protection on a questionnaire.their minds are made up. they have concluded that they're losing billions of $$$ due to piracy. when the issues gets as far as going to federal lawmakers, it's beyond what the consumer has to say in a questionnaire. end of story. sonic quality is secondary.
it's pathetic.
write the company president directly and clearly state that you won't buy watermarked DVD-audios. and practice what you preach. read: don't buy it.
my opinion.
I have purchased watermarked discs, have detected no sonic problems, and I will continue to purchase them when they release something I care about. DVD-A can sound great as can SACD.
Instead, I am suggesting that for those people who have issues with watermarking or copy protection on any type of media, they should let their feelings be known in writing to corporate presidents, and also with their checkbooks. A questionnaire will do nothing to change anyone's mind.
I would agree with your statement. I have never sent in one of those cards, but I did send a letter telling them I thought that DVD-A discs needed to include a redbook layer. I think that is a much bigger issue than watermarking.
...company to send out questionnaires. Standard business. The marketing research company's concluding analysis will be something like: "Yes, our results indicate that people are willing to buy DVD-Audio disks."Of course, the consumer who replied already bought a DVD-Audio because they answered the questionnaire.
By the way, did they ask for your email address or other personal info?
Sounds like they're not going to get a whole lot of response, though, due to the limited number of DVD-Audio disks available.
I have worked at companies where they did the mail-questionnaire thing. Useless statistics compiled by computer. What is most effective, if you want to be heard, is a certified letter with your comments mailed to the company president. That has more impact than a thousand questionnaires.
My two cents, of course.
and I send everyone in - always asking for 192/24 stereo, etc.I do understand that this is marketing research - but my point is that the card, at least in this new dvd-a release - has the added questions from what the cards have had for over 1 1/2 or so, which means they are at least listening to what people might be saying.
*****By the way, did they ask for your email address or other personal info?****
Yes they did. And I know, they probably set a total demographic profile about the person/people who buy their discs - and do whatever they want with the information, even sell it.
I just feel that if they are willing to pay the postage, I am going to send every card in asking for 192/24 unwatermarked stereo mixes (and that is what I have done with each card). I know it probably won't have one iota of relevance to Warners if I ask for 192/24 unwatermarked stereo mixes, but what the hey.
It's the people who refuse to buy DVD-A product who Warner should consider. Those who already buy their product obviously are not going to shake the boat.
How important was this in your descision NOT to purchase DVD-Audio discs: Does not play in CD Player
I agree. This is a much more serious problem than watermarking or anything else.
nt
.
. . .the best time to do that is *BEFORE* you introduce your format, not a couple years after product launch.
By targeting its questionaires only at the slim segment of the music-buying public that is already buying their DVD-As, Warner continues to ignore all other segments. Those currently buying DVD-As are predominantly mch enthusiasts. It doesn't take a genius to predict the results of the survey. Warner will feel justified by the results to keep doing exactly what it's doing.You obviously think you're savvy re: market evaluation, so let's hear your theory of why this is good "market research".
and who runs a market research company, which you do NOT...
1. You have no idea what market reseacrh they did prior to launch.2. The BEST market research is done with your own customers. If you don't know what they think, you know nothing.
3. Market research into new technology is tenuous at best. That's because people have little frame of reference, and there is generally no conscious need. If you had done market research prior to Disneyland being created, it would have gone like this:
Would you be interested in travelling hundreds of miles or more, to a large theme park filled with 3/4 size castles and other Disney themed buildings, with Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters running around, at a cost of $100 plus a day? Sure, I'm simplifying, but the answer would have been a resounding no. If you did market research into a new and unknown technology, it too would generate a negative response. If, in 1980, I asked you if you would be interested in buying a machine that you could type letters on, do calculations on, that you could connect by phone line at a cost of $40 a month and send messages to other people, all for a cost of $3000 - you would have said why? Why would I need it? No way.The point is, with new technologies - before a market is created, the public has no interest or need. Market research always tells you that a new technology has no market. There would never be any innovation.
You know, a customer survey is only one part of a smart company's information and it's the best and easiest way to start. That doesn't mean it's the only thing.
***From a person who IS a market researcher and who runs a market research company***That isn't a guarantee that you're qualified. Market research companies come and go.
***1. You have no idea what market reseacrh they did prior to launch.***
Apparently very little or very poor research. If they had done more research of higher quality, they wouldn't have launched.
***The BEST market research is done with your own customers.***
That's only true if you have significant numbers of customers. DVD-A doesn't. The penetration of DVD-A discs is less than .5% of the population.
***a customer survey is only one part of a smart company's information and it's the best and easiest way to start.***
Again, in this case, it's certainly not the best and response cards are one of the worst methodologies available. Cheap, convenient and potentially very misleading.
> > 1. You have no idea what market reseacrh they did prior to launch. < <Yes I do. DVD-A's target market was. . .record execs in the WG-4. They got SDMI involved. The rest is history. Rarely did the WG-4 express any interest in what the consumer wanted. This is apparent and documented and anyone following the development of DVD-A knows it.
> > [snip irrelevant diatribe] The point is, with new technologies - before a market is created, the public has no interest or need. Market research always tells you that a new technology has no market. There would never be any innovation. < <
DVD-A could have been created with all music fans' interests and needs addressed. The argument that the public has no interest or need for home music reproduction (which is what DVD-A is supposed to address) is just so ludicrous I can't believe you are arguing that point. As I've pointed out, instead of focusing on customers in the general public, DVD-A focused entirely on the needs and wants of record execs.
It's prudent to get information from your current customers. It doesn't mean other segments of the population are not being tested.As usual, you are making a statement without real info to back it up.
You have shown yourself to be ignorant too many times before. Give it up.
. . .you might offer at least a sliver of worthwhile info to back up your vague reference to "other segments" of the market you say are being tested. Is Warner sticking its survey cards into LPs? SACDs? CDs?If not, I don't think my view of the survey is that off-base. Clearly they are testing people who like to buy DVD-As. I don't need to back that up; it's perfectly obvious.
Always turning things around you are. I see others have already pointed out the flaws in your "logic".
It seems reasonable to me to be enterested in what people who buy your product like or dislike about it. Why waste time with someone who has a pathalogical hatred of your product and wants to see it disappear from the face of the earth?
Because you could awake to find that the people you wrote off as having a "pathalogical [sic] hatred" for your product actually were fairly detail-oriented music fans who knew what they were talking about. And that if you considered their wishes for a music format you could have developed a much more successful and optimal product.
since I do believe that it is in Warners best interest to give those people purchasing DVD-Audio disc exactly what they want. And if they find out that what people want are High-Quality Stereo mixes - then maybe that is where they might put more effort.On the other hand, it would make good sense for Warners to find out from those who buy electronic devices, such as audiophiles and enthusiasts, why they either have or haven't purchased their products. And if not, what would entice them to purchase.
The biggest problem I see, is that it is easy and less costly for Warners to place a card in the DVD-A disc and get responses from those interested in already purchasing their products. Imagine, though, on the other hand, how much money Warners would have to expend to get the viewpoints of those who haven't yet purchased DVD-Audio (or even find out who their target group would be to even ask - Yes they could buy Sterophile's, Sound and Visions, etc. subscriber lists, but that would be costly).
I think in the end it is easier and less costly to ask your captive audience what they would like to see in the product they buy, then to fish for answers and spend oodles of money from "outsiders" that may or may not amount to any real viable and usable marketing data.
At least Warners asks these questions of their consumers. I don't see any cards in Sony SACDs - because if there were I would sure fill those out letting them know about the golden opportunities lying in their vaults that would make better SACDs then alot they have already released.
> > And if they find out that what people want are High-Quality Stereo mixes - then maybe that is where they might put more effort. < <C'mon MT, honestly. What percentage of DVD-A fans out there do you think has "quality stereo mixes" as a high priority? The main draw of DVD-A is mch and the target audience is surround sound fans. Perhaps there is a small handful who might emphasize stereo, but let's be realistic here. By polling the DVD-A converts, Warner is getting reinforcement for doing exactly what it's been doing.
Greg,Don't you think you're being a bit disingenuous by complianing on one hand that a stereo tracks aren't mandatory on DVD-A, and on the other hand say that the target market for DVD-A is multi-channel?
Warner did homework, and started including stereo tracks on all their DVD-A discs released later than about February or March of 2001. Sorry, I can't tell you the exact release that heralded this change of delivery.
Then when the 24/192K consoles were in place at one of the mastering houses that Warner uses, they started releasing 24/192K stereo tracks when possible.
Seems to me Warner is learning and improving the product.
Regards,
***Warner did homework***Not much. If they had, they wouldn't have released the product.
Sorry to answer your question with a question, but how exactly is that disingenuous?DVD-A was not planned well. Its introduction was a mess. It has been playing catch up and delaying titles ever since. Now it sticks a token survey card directed at the fans already buying these titles and this is supposed to be an indication that Warner cares what we want? I don't buy that for a minute. The time to care about its customers and optimize the format was before the introduction of DVD-A. Instead, Warner played games with SDMI and snubbed consumers.
Greg,Do you really need it explained to you again?
You want things both ways. You complain that a few WB titles were released without stereo mixes, then you proclaim that it doesn't matter anyway since the target market is multi-channel enthusiasts.
Then in the post you have a few interesting comments.
Let's start with this:
"Now it sticks a token survey card directed at the fans already buying these titles and this is supposed to be an indication that Warner cares what we want?"Since the first WB titles were brought to market in 2000 they have included survey cards. This isn't new, but it does illustrate your lack of familiarity with the product. The contents of the questionnaire have changed over time.
"The time to care about its customers and optimize the format was before the introduction of DVD-A. Instead, Warner played games with SDMI and snubbed consumers."
How does a company take care of a customer base which doesn't exist? Please enlighten us all on this.
Regards,
> > You want things both ways. You complain that a few WB titles were released without stereo mixes, then you proclaim that it doesn't matter anyway since the target market is multi-channel enthusiasts. < <I don't want it both ways. I just want SACD, which can do everything DVD-A can do, and do it better.
> > Since the first WB titles were brought to market in 2000 they have included survey cards. This isn't new, but it does illustrate your lack of familiarity with the product. The contents of the questionnaire have changed over time. < <
The product, its specifications and its marketing have remained exactly the same since the day it was introduced.
> > How does a company take care of a customer base which doesn't exist? Please enlighten us all on this. < <
Are you really suggesting that DVD-A is creating a brand new market segment? Warner targeted surround sound music fans, a satellite customer base which has existed since the days of quad and was brought into the digital age with the advent of DD and DTS. DVD-A, hoping to be all things to all people, is of course trying to appeal to music fans in general, and surround sound fans in particular.
You're trying to tell me that these customers "didn't exist" prior to the advent of DVD-A? Or that Warner didn't know how to stick survey cards in their CDs or DVDs prior to the introduction of DVD-A? Please tell me you're kidding.
Greg,Well at least you're honest about how you feel.
Let's talk about this:
"I don't want it both ways. I just want SACD, which can do everything DVD-A can do, and do it better."Hmmm... Fair enough. Answer me this, can SACD do these things:
1) Provide > 74 minutes of music in stereo and surround?
2) Provide more than two mixes on a disc?
3) Leave untouched an older digital master?
4) Be played in any DVD player?Does SACD have available:
1) A portable player
2) A car playerDVD-A can do all of the above, right now.
"The product, its specifications and its marketing have remained exactly the same since the day it was introduced."
Please explain the evolution of titles from 5.1 mixes only to releases like the Doobie Brothers "The Captain and Me". That's certainly not the same product as Emerson Lake and Palmer's "Brain Salad Surgery".
As far as specifications go, SACD and DVD-A haven't changed since introduction, so that's a moot point.
"Are you really suggesting that DVD-A is creating a brand new market segment? Warner targeted surround sound music fans, a satellite customer base which has existed since the days of quad and was brought into the digital age with the advent of DD and DTS. DVD-A, hoping to be all things to all people, is of course trying to appeal to music fans in general, and surround sound fans in particular.
You're trying to tell me that these customers "didn't exist" prior to the advent of DVD-A? Or that Warner didn't know how to stick survey cards in their CDs or DVDs prior to the introduction of DVD-A? Please tell me you're kidding."
Warner had zero customer base for surround music prior to the introduction of DVD-Audio.
Neither you nor I are privy to the market research that was done prior to DVD-As release by Warner. Feel free to speculate at will however.
Regards,
Sorry John, I don't place any stock in the things Warner has done to "improve" DVD-A. The product was so ill-conceived it is unable to accomodate its optimal performance of 24/192 on all channels. It's nowhere near as good as SACD to my ears. It's not even as good as upsampling CD to DSD on the Elgar/Purcel Plus. Not even close.My point in this thread has been that Warner is surveying those who like their product and in so doing is reinforcing its charter in DVD-A production. That seems fairly obvious and innocuous an observation and I have not yet seen a cohesive argument against it.
What is less innocuous: many DVD-A supporters I've talked with in private and some who post here openly admit they'd prefer their DVD-A titles on SACD. So it seems to me the message you should be giving Warner is to release SACDs. It does no one in the record industry, the electronics industry and especially the general public any good to have two different formats targeting the same, next-generation CD market. It creates confusion, conflict, and retards the growth of high resolution digital audio and its ability to replace CD.
Greg,Sony's marketing department has done a great job in marketing SACD to the audiophile community. My hats off to them for the marketing job they've done so far. DVD-As non-existent marketing pales in comparison.
You continue to assume that Warner is only getting feedback from the survey cards as their only source of information with no facts to back up the conclusion. The fact that recommendations have been made to standardize menus (or in DVD parlance authoring) shows that WG-4 as an industry consortium is paying attention to other areas of feedback, and responding to criticism to improve the product. That you want your preference dictated is noted, but rejected.
My preference to date is for DVD-A, but I don't hate SACD, and own both of them, with roughly comparable number of titles on both formats. I'm quite pleased with the results of DVD-A. I'll take my PCM sourced recordings as PCM, and DSD sourced recordings on SACD, thank you very much. Analog masters are fair game.
Resampling older masters is of limited value, in the end you are limited the initial input -- any enhancements are not what was at the microphone at recording time.
I've heard the dCS setup myself on a couple of occasions. It's very nice, and hideously expensive, as are most great solutions.... The best I've heard it sound is with the LumenWhite speaker setup.
24/192K for more than two channels will have to wait for greater available bandwidth, it's beyond the DVD specifications for a 1x drive.
Regards,
> > Sony's marketing department has done a great job in marketing SACD to the audiophile community. My hats off to them for the marketing job they've done so far. DVD-As non-existent marketing pales in comparison. < <I'm more concerned with sound quality and again, the kudos go to SACD.
> > You continue to assume that Warner is only getting feedback from the survey cards as their only source of information with no facts to back up the conclusion. < <
And you continue to provide no facts that contradict my conclusion.
> > The fact that recommendations have been made to standardize menus (or in DVD parlance authoring) shows that WG-4 as an industry consortium is paying attention to other areas of feedback, and responding to criticism to improve the product. < <
No, it shows that they're trying desparately to tie up loose ends of an ill-conceived format.
> > That you want your preference dictated is noted, but rejected. < <
LOL. What can I say? My preference matters to me. Obviously it doesn't matter to you, but your rejection doesn't make anything change about the situation vis a vis SACD's superiority.
> > My preference to date is for DVD-A, but I don't hate SACD, and own both of them, with roughly comparable number of titles on both formats. < <
Clearly, your early preference for DVD-A is attributable to the fact that DVD-A came out of the gates with certain titles you wanted in multichannel and SACD didn't. You were a surround sound enthusiast from the start, and made your purchases accordingly. Any fool can see that. I have a vastly different set of criteria I used as a music consumer. Suffice it to say I fully expected to adopt DVD-A during its development in the late '90s, and now wouldn't touch it with a 10-foot pole. Don't blame me, blame the WG-4. They had consumers like me in their pocket and they blew it.
> > I'm quite pleased with the results of DVD-A. I'll take my PCM sourced recordings as PCM, and DSD sourced recordings on SACD, thank you very much. Analog masters are fair game. < <
As you so eloquently put it: "your preference dictated is noted, but rejected". ;)
I believe there is something worthwhile in converting to DSD, even when the source is PCM.> > Resampling older masters is of limited value, in the end you are limited the initial input -- any enhancements are not what was at the microphone at recording time. < <
That's your story and you're sticking to it. It's not my story.
> > I've heard the dCS setup myself on a couple of occasions. It's very nice, and hideously expensive, as are most great solutions.... The best I've heard it sound is with the LumenWhite speaker setup. < <
I've heard it only with the Utopias.
Greg,If your concern was really sound quality, then you'd go after the best available versions, which would be DVD-A or SACD, depending on which format had the title you wanted.
Chris picked up a very inexpensive DVD-A player and damn if he isn't pleased with the results. Same goes for Teresa. Amazing what happened when they listened with an open mind.
You made the assertion that WB wasn't doing additional market research beyond the questionnaires, but refuse to back it up. Far easier to push off the proof to someone else though, isn't it? The latest developments from WG-4 is the proof I'll offer. OTOH, you have yet to offer any evidence that additional market research has not been done.
With respect to my preference for surround, it is irrelevant to the discussion.
Regards,
Warner has released great productions on DVD-A,
A questionnaire was already along the first batch of releases.
They have improved the product systematically since that.
Sound quality of their releases varies from good to excellent, all of them are significant upgrade to CDs.
All of their releases are backward compatible.
A large portion of their releases are having 2-channel mix.
No-one has picked up "audible" watermark on their discs so far.
Pricing of their premium product is attractive compared to CDs.In fact, there's not much to complain.
From personal perspective Warner's releases meets very well requirements of high-rez audiophiles.
> > A large portion of their releases are having 2-channel mix. < <It's a travesty that any of them fail to have a dedicated 2-channel mix.
> > No-one has picked up "audible" watermark on their discs so far. < <
How is the sand down there where you've stuck your head?
> > Pricing of their premium product is attractive compared to CDs. < <
Until recently it was priced at a prohibitive $25.
> > In fact, there's not much to complain. From personal perspective Warner's releases meets very well requirements of high-rez audiophiles. < <
And you're exactly the type of person to whom these survey cards will be distributed. Congratulations--by gushing about DVD-A and finding nothing to criticize you've proven my point beautifully. As a DVD-A adopter you see no reason to change anything about the format and thus your completed survey card will simply be a reenforcement exercise for Warner to keep doing exactly what it's been doing. That's my point.
Don't comment if you don't have anything constructive to say.
a DVD-A adopter!! Watch out for the SACD brigade, they see any threat to SACD and attack!!! It would be nice if there were a few less twitchy fingers around, but what the hey! It's all in good fun n'est ce pas? It's not about the music its about a format. Sony has done a real good job on the fembots, they are everywhere nowadays!!!
*****"The main draw of DVD-A is mch and the target audience is surround sound fans. Perhaps there is a small handful who might emphasize stereo, but let's be realistic here."*****Ok, you may be right, but the fact that Warner's has seen fit to include on a questionaire card issues regarding sound quality, stereo mixes, when previously they did not indicates to me that somewhere along the line the question has been asked. I surmise Warner's is feeling the waters here. If they weren't interested, why would they ask.
You could be right that asking those questions will merely strengthen the position that the main thrust of DVD-A should be MCH - but it could also mean that, in addition the MCH mix, we get a high quality superior sounding stereo mix also - if enough people answer that BOTH are important to them.
I am not saying it is correct that Warners doesn't ask those who might buy their product, but haven't - I just appears that, on the surface, very little effort is required on Warner's part to include the card in the disc. If some come back - fine - let's see what they say. For those cards that don't - nothing lost, nothing gained - I guess.
There are very few people who actually refuse to buy their product, most simply don't know anything about it, the same as SACD.
HowdyFor me the real point is that they might actually care!
If so they are certainly smart enough to poll current users as well as potential users. (I know that this may be giving them too much credit :)
-Ted
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