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General Asylum General audio topics that don't fit into specific categories. |
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General Asylum General audio topics that don't fit into specific categories. |
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In Reply to: Data Bits versus Music Bits posted by georgelouis on February 18, 2007 at 20:33:50:
"If the increased data capacity of SACDs or DVD Audio had been used to give music discs the same error correction scheme as data CDs then music discs might sound a lot better than the new formats that merely increase the number of bits and up-sample."George:
Audiophiles have been whining about CD's since their inception. They have yet to realize that the problem was not with the format so much, but a learning curve in studios with digital audio workstations, which had nowhere near the processing power of modern DAWs used to make the same Redbook CDs today. So, the industry said "Fine - let's give audiophiles a chance to purchase music that is (in many cases) the same bit-depth and sample rate as that of the master". This resulted in hi-res DVD-V (chesky at 24/96 for example) followed by DVD-A at 24/96 and 24/192, confused by DTS and other multichannel music formats, topped off with SACD and DSD and now headed towards another ill-fated "format war": Blue-Ray vesus HD-DVD.
If a format with higher resolution than Redbook is made from analog master tapes, then GREAT! (If a CD is made from the same analog master, it's theoretically is not as good as a hi-res capture.)The analogy of taking a digital photo of something would apply here - the higher the resolution, the larger print you can make - there truly IS more information there.
If a format with a higher resolution is the same bit-depth and resolution of the DIGITAL master, there may not even be a NEED to up/resample. If a CD is made from a higher res DIGITAL master then we're getting into a different ballpark because now there HAS to be resampling at some point.
So, all this being said, what is it you were trying to convey from that last sentence? I'm not disagreeing with you - I just didn't get the jist of your statement is all.
Personally, I think 24/96 on DVD-V was the best thing since sliced bread, and was "killed-off" only because DVD-V copy protection was cracked... which is the same thing that happened to DVD-A! Everyone thinks that MP3 filesharing is the only form of piracy because that is the popular thing here in North America. But in other countries, there is a BIG demand for black-market discs - literal copies in a jewel or DVD case. Now if THESE guys get their hands on unprotected master quality 24/96 or 24/192 material... what's stopping them from making their own little "record company" that makes profits without having to pay all those annoying artists and recording professionals!!
Now, new formats are coming out because of the massive amounts of data that are required for hi-res VIDEO.
Let's be honest here... SACD sounds pretty damned good, can't be played in a PC at ALL, and the data-stream can only be accessed by people smart enough to do a board-level interception of the stream before it hits the DACs. (And usually these people are engineering level types who are doing this for their own shagrin and are NOT handing these methodologies over to the hacker community. Besides. SACD "hacks" are hardware hacks and not something a "filesharing pirating moron" can download from the internet. Don't assume all pirates are morons though - overseas, blackmarket CDs and DVDs are in great demand and these guys are not only technically saavy but are probably as dangerous as drug dealers...Where there is easy money, there is crime!) Taking the internet out of the equation was a good thing for SACD, but bad for the few who are into PC audio playback. Honestly? If that is what it takes for a GOOD format to survive, then I myself would be inclined to live with it and just get the best "Universal" player I could afford (which is, in my case, a top-end Denon which is "not too shabby" according to many discerning audiophiles around here).
Cheers,
Presto
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Follow Ups
- Not reading you there George - Presto 11:21:49 02/19/07 (0)
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