Just days after we pondered the
eventual fate of
Blu-ray audio discs, we're faced with John Mellencamp's attempt to deliver high-resolution audio on a format that nearly everyone in America can handle. Reportedly, the artist's "Life, Death, Love and Freedom" will arrive in a CD / DVD combo package, the latter of which will hold tracks with "twice the sonic detail heard on most CDs." The secret lies within CODE, a process developed by the album's producer, T-Bone Burnett. According to Mike Wanchic, who has played guitar in Mellencamp's band for more than three decades, the end result "is comparable to sitting in on the original, in-studio performance," and he hopes that the release will "bring listeners into the room." Better still, anyone with a standard DVD player can reap the benefits of the $10 (street price) set. It'll be interesting to compare sales figures between this and
Neil Young's Blu-ray release, wouldn't you agree?
posted Jul 17th 2008 7:33AM
I don't believe that standard DVD audio could faithfully recreate a live music experience. A Blu-ray Disc with lossless audio might be able to do it.
'high resolution' audio? It may be just me, but I don't think of audio when I hear the word resolution...
I don't know if better audio discs are what the music buying public is clamoring for. If anything, it's going the opposite way with download music. Slightly lower quality (though I can't really tell the difference between a CD and an Itunes purchase) but an easier purchase method.
Honestly it saddens me greatly too think CDs are still around. The fact that "We are now living in the Digital Age" -Spielberg and we still use CDs with only two channels really annoys me. Most cars have great sound systems, majority of people can afford a 5.1 sound system (Wal-Mart), and it would not be difficult to make the swap especially with all the online downloads. Record companys could sell audio disk with 5.1 or even 7.1 and recoup loses with higher prices. The people who are loyal and still buy cds will buy the new disk. Truly it sucks trying to find a FLAC of your favorite artist and the fact that iTunes (PC) won't load them.
It's PCM stereo 24-bit 96kHz, which is actually capable in the DVD-Video format and pretty much all DVD players (unbeknownst to many). It's not a DVD-Audio disc, and it's not surround.
I hate how these articles always say it's a "cutting edge" technology and "never available on any previous recording." That's just plain incorrect, this "technology" has been around for years. Since around 1997 (when DVD came out), Audiophile labels have been using it and called it "DAD" (digital audio disc). Then as soon as DVD-Audio came out in 2001, they started making hybrid ones called "HDAD". Since it's no commonly marketed format, people have just claimed their own brand name and now it comes in another form called "CODE".
Having said all that, I of course support HD audio all the way (considering how rare it is) - I don't care what it's called, I'll consume it. :) ...I would prefer surround audio though.
And IMO DVD is not the format to try out "new" things on, people won't respond to that anymore (or understand it). People will however associate blu-ray with all things HD. Leave failed DVD-Audio and other obscure formats behind, and have a fresh start with Blu-ray.
Hold on... 24bit 96Khz "CODE" encoded music (from the link) on a DVD that I can play on my DVD player.... What the Duce!!!
Last time I checked my DVD player could handle DTS and AC3 16bit 48Khz. I guess it could coutput the Bitstream of "CODE" to a reciever but last time I checked there was nothing about "CODE" on the front or in the manual.
Can someone please explain how this works?
dj496 you seem to have answered my question... Dam you no delete button.
"CODE" is not some new codec like DTS or Dolby, it's just a trademark that this Mr T-bone Burnett has slapped onto what's merely regular old PCM. Thanks to Mr Burnett, things are even more confusing now.
Check if your player can output 24-bit and 96kHz, it should be able to. This is no bitstream format, it will show up on your receiver as "PCM 96kHz" (that is, if you're using HDMI/coaxial/toslink to connect).
Whoops. I guess we just contributed some more to the bloat of information that is the internet. /hits head. again.
"he (mellencamp) hopes that the release will "bring listeners into the room."
I would pay for a cd of his that would actually "bring" this once great performer back down to earth.
A bunch of trash is still trash no matter what audio quality. What's he bemoaning this time? America is evil or Pearl Harbour was faked? This loon should have went away post-1987 when his true fans still had at least an ounce of respect for him.
All these technical enhancements are all fine and good, but without any substance to back them up, they are completely wasted here.
I just bought this cd, and i usually just encode the cd as aac 320kbps using the actual audio cd. However, with this new Mellencamp package, i just used the actual DVD disc to put in my Apple Computer Itunes, and then there were three options. First is 256 mp3, then there was 256 aac, and finally a wav file format download. So i just clicked the preferred choice of bitrate, and the tracks downloaded directly to my computer. I didnt even have to encode using itunes because they were already encoded for me, with the HI DEF code technology which is the closest sound to the master tapes. WOW was i impressed, the Itunes 256 aac file encoded with CODE is amazing, you can here all the nuances of the music, all the instruments crystal clear. I LOVE IT, thanks john for being on the cutting edge of audio.....
T-Bone, is that you?
People can buy the newest audio tech cd, dvd, BD, whatever. If you don't have a proper audio system setup in your home or vehicle you won't hear all the things that this new tech may bring you. Especially when you haven't been hearing all of the things the current offerings have already.
People should really stop and think of what they have for equipment to play back audio/video before they jump into new things.