Because Sound Matters web site mentions DVD-As. Why not the same titles as the vinyl?

Steve has posted a thread about the great new vinyl remasters he and Kevin have been doing for Warner to be sold through www.becausesoundmatters.com.

This web site is soon to be launched, but for now the note there states that they will release "all kinds" of Warner titles on vinyl and DVD-A.

As I and others have posted before, why not release concurrent DVD-As mastered from the same source as the vinyl. Classic Classic did this with some of their HDAD releases. For example, here's what they say about their HDAD of Pete Townshend's Who Came First:

And here's their blurb about Parsons' I Robot:

So if Classic can do this, I don't see why WEA can't. I'm hoping this is what their mentions of DVD-A's is all about. A bunch of us are already doing needledrops at home of these so these would be like a needledrop without the needle.


Your thoughts?

 

I'd love to see that happen. Much as I love vinyl I'd also like to have hi-rez available.

 

Same here. Since I got my turntable, I've been buying 60% vinyl 30% DVD-A/SACD and only 10% redbook CD. If it's an artist I especially love as in the case of the new Rush, I've bought the CD, I've pre-ordered the MVI, and I'll also spring for the LPs once they're available. I'm sure there are other fans of a variety of groups out there who will buy more than one format. More importantly, I know there are lots of people out there who don't have turntables or a desire to buy one but who'd love to hear better sound. As I wrote in the vinyl thread, if it truly is "because sound matters" then the format should be secondary.

 

Thanks for starting this thread Steve,

When Hi-rez hit I was an SACD only guy (sony player) but as I began to buy up all the SACD titles I wanted I knew I had to go "universal" for DVD-A's just to satisfy my need for Hi rez. Then I started picking up the 96/24 discs and found out that I like them just as well even though they are only stereo.

I've done a few 96/24 needledrops and though I have an inferior TT setup (see profile) the results have been great if only for the fact that they are less fatiguing to my ears.

I'm with you in hoping this turns into a side by side vinyl/DVD-A/DVD-V 96/24 program. If they can establish an economically viable niche program for vinyl it seems that they could maximize their profit potential by expanding their product to reach another subset of the "audiophile" market.

I for one would have to spend many, many more dollars on equipment to realize the full potential of the LP releases so they will probably not be in my future, whereas, I would certainly become "subscriber" if they were to be released on DVD-A or DVD-V 96/24.

It seems to me they will be leaving money on the table if it turns out to be a vinyl only program.

I'm afraid the DVD-A blip from the BSM website is a leftover from Rhino's earlier DVD-A release program.

(did ya like the marketing speak? just in case any of them read this )

 

Another vote for DVD-As of these upcoming titles

 

I love vinyl as much as the next guy, but if I can get a well mastered (Steve Hoffman) DVD-A of WEA titles I might skip the vinyl. My universal player is so good that it truely rivals vinyl, without all of the hassles of vinyl.

 

Actually, you've got me thinking about whether a cheap universal player will provide more sound for the dollar than a budget turntable. Difficult to say. Regardless of the answer, not everyone can afford the kind of high end equipment that will get the most out of either format, but I think a lot of people would prefer good sound--certainly anyone who's going to buy something from www.becausesoundmatters.com!

 

DVD-A

I wish all those that put their efforts into vinyl would forget about it and move on to the improvement of the formats DVD-A, SACD, HDCD & CD - and put vinyl to rest.

 

Amen to that!

BTW, if they don't actually end up selling DVD-As, isn't that false advertising? (I am not a lawyer, so don't jump all over me!)

 

How about we wait till it launches before we jump to any conclusions.

Any negative stuff said here could hurt Steve's chances of doing more work.

 

We're obviously in the minority around these parts.

That being said, I'll be picking up as many of these DVD-As as possible.

 

I think a cheap universal player like the $150.00 Oppo is coming pretty darn close to a budget turntable. Not having to futz with the vinyl and put up with the physical flaws that vinyl has, like skips and pops, makes it an even closer race. Unless Steve masters some of these titles to 45 rpm, I would be reaching for the DVD-A everytime.

 

I don't see that happening unless Steve were to start posting negative comments.

I think this thread and comments in other threads reflect what a lot of us are wondering, the fact that the BSM web site gives equal billing to DVD-As yet no one here is talking about them. I've simply repeated the same question I've asked several times on here and no one has ever answered conclusively, why DVD-As aren't being created from the same mastering sessions as the vinyl. The potential market is much larger and technically it's possible. Classic is already doing it with a few titles and the reviews are pretty good.

 

Which universal player do you have? It sounds like what I am looking for...

 

If they did all the stuff they're doing on vinyl on DVD-A[if it hasn't been out already]i'd buy em all......post haste.

 

I don't see anything on their site!!!!!

 

Why not write WB and ask them?

It would be great ( I agree ) to have these on another format. Honestly , I think the people who would buy the vinyl would also buy another format. I know I would.

Maybe voice concerns in a positive way to them letting them know how much we appreciate the vinyl but encouraging them to consider another format also. Kind of a "we love you guys so much we want both" letter

 

Ya gotta be kidding me. I think the owner of those original masters gets to decide what format they're going to be released on. I'm sure if some of these are released on DVD-Audio (whether or not they're remastered by Steve Hoffman) then people would complain that they're not on CD. Or SACD. Or HDCD. Or Edision Cylinder. Geez, if its not the price that people are complaining about its the medium. You just can't make some people happy.

 

I'd prefer DVD-A, while I might pick up some vinyl I get the impression I have to invest lots more in my setup to really get the benefits of it.

 

Can't wait for the rekkids. Thought the site was going to be open May 1.

 

I don't think we have to ask them to consider another format. They've stated on the web site (and in the email notice they sent out recently to those who signed up to the mailing list) that they will be selling DVD-As. The question is simply what they will be. Obviously, if they did DVD-As of Steve's vinyl masters, he either doesn't know about it (unlikely) or he hasn't mentioned it yet. I'm just really curious as to why they're not doing the same as Classic Records with their HDADs. For that matter, I wonder why Classic doesn't do this for all of their releases. To me, it seems to be a no-brainer. The potential market simply from the installed base of DVD players out there is huge.

I know some industry folks frequent this forum so perhaps they could shed some light. Is it a stylistic decision? A technical one? A legal one? A commercial one? And while I think it's nice to be appreciative and encourage such a reissue program, I don't agree that we need to adopt an attitude of taking whatever "crumbs they throw out way."

Steve wrote recently that this forum provides a chance for us to learn from the pros here, etc. That learning isn't just about what makes the music we buy sound the way it does. I'd like to know some of the reasoning behind the decisions over what gets released to the public, in what format, and why.

 

Here's what I wrote on the other thread:

FWIW re: vinyl vs DVD-A

Could it be that it's easier for Warner Brothers to do releases on a format for which contracts already exist (vinyl) vs a format for which contracts might need to be negotiated/renegotiated? In addition, could it be that the same publishing bugaboos that hindered many things from being released on DVD-A still exist?

I don't know the answers to these questions -- and I could very well be incorrectly speculating -- but it seems to me that there are often a logical, but behind the scenes, business/legal reasons why certain things don't get released.

 

Is there a way though to write them directly? And , if so, has anyone?

 

Actually I think you're right for some cases. As a long-time Led Zeppelin fan, I've often wondered why Classic doesn't release Bernie Grundmans LZ vinyl re-issues in HDAD. The sales would go through the roof! My understanding is that they t have a contract to do only vinyl re-issues. It's more than 3 years since they started so I assume it's not the usual 3-year period Steve has told us about.

 

I wrote Warner Canada as soon as the news first hit the forum as I'm hoping they'll sell directly to Canadians without us having to deal with all the hassles of customs and the ridiculous brokerage fees the courier companies charge (it cost me over $50 extra just to get Steve's RHCP and Yes shipped up).

Warner never answered. Not even a "Sorry, we have no information at this time."