http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/ Engadget HD Comments for Sony turns CDs blue with new Blu-spec CD standard http://www.engadgethd.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadgethd.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/Nov 5th 2008 6:25AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/
I think Sony is intending "blu-spec CD" to replace SACD since it allows a disc to play just audio on a CD player and play out in up to 7.1 audio with video on a blu-ray player. I could see a lot of potential in the idea for music discs. ]]>Nov 5th 2008 8:06AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/
Blu-spec CD is presumably proprietary at the moment because Sony seems to be the only organization involved in its creation. That said, it's not the fact that it's proprietary that'll sink it, it's that consumers have already made their choice about where they want music distribution to go. Convenience and price is beating quality.

And if the industry had any sense, they'd realize consumers are right now making the same decision about movies.]]>Nov 5th 2008 8:51AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/
I do not know why you are dismissive of the concept of a CD / BD hybrid either. Anyone who is into their music, e.g. SACD fans, are not going to settle for 2 channel lossy digital downloads. If blu-spec CD is a modern equivalent to SACD, capable of playing on a CD player (and being ripped), and on a Blu-Ray player with audio / video, and without the high system requirements of SACD then it may prove a lot more succesful.]]>Nov 5th 2008 9:24AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/
You will still need a very decent (read expensive) receiver to play them properly and you still need an excellent speaker package to make the effort in any way worthwhile.

(cos without very high quality electronics & speakers all ideas of seriously high fidelity audio are just your imagination at work......and yes, this also applies to the funny fantasy so many seem to have regarding their Blu-ray audio & Dolby True HD, DTS HD-Master Audio & uncompressed audio)

Besides, what is the point of this, seriously?
To appeal to a minute segment of the market (who probably already gave up on new audio disc formats after the SACD & DVD-Audio debacle)?

Who would give CD much of a thought these days, nevermind a new ludicrously expensive version of it? ]]>Nov 5th 2008 9:36AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/]]>Nov 5th 2008 10:31AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/ A user doesn't need surround sound to get benefits from a hybrid disk"

So it's just a Blu-ray (maybe a sub-spec Blu-ray with only little clips or a series of stills like DVD-Audio?) with what would be a very expensive CD track then?

Either way if it's meant to encapsulate a truly high fidelity stereo-only audio track it's useless without a very high end audio set-up.

The same thing also applies to high end audio on Blu-ray.

Those who imagine they're getting anything like what it really offers on cheapo kit are kidding themselves.


]]>Nov 5th 2008 11:05AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/
"Those who imagine they're getting anything like what it really offers on cheapo kit are kidding themselves."

So where's the cut-off then? I've been looking into a new audio system, but if I'm dropping the coin I want a major upgrade. Is it enough to spend $500 and on a decent receiver with all the latest codecs and another $1000 on speakers? I always hear that the cheapo speakers aren't as good (and I'm sure they aren't), but there has to be some diminishing returns...]]>Nov 5th 2008 11:21AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/
The best thing I can suggest is to look for end of line deals, that way you get a lot of spec for the least amount of cash.

Basically high end audio costs large, always has done & always will do.

Sadly with a very small handful of exceptions the mass-market is really not high end.

When I last upgraded I bought a $2000 receiver & spent $3000 on the centre stage (L, R & C).

.....and unfortunately, if I'm being really honest, I could not seriously and in all good conscience call my stuff high-end.
It's not mass-market, for sure, but it's only near the top-end of the mid league.

I just can't justify spending more (a lot more) for what do become (as you rightly say) diminishing returns.

(but I can promise you that a leap out of the mass-market is well worth it)]]>Nov 5th 2008 11:36AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/
http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/receivers/yamaha-rx-v663
http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/satellite/emp-eca-4/

Honestly, I don't know very much about true high-end audio beyond the mass market and that makes it a pretty scary endeavor. I'm not sure there are places around me to experience much of it and I don't trust word of mouth and online reviews enough to spend more than $2k. I guess I need to find some real home theater stores and see if it's really worth it to me. I have to admit, unless I'm moving up to a 7.1 system, I can't imagine how big a difference it can make...but maybe that's part of the problem, too much imagining and not enough experiencing.]]>Nov 5th 2008 11:53AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/
If only as a resource to go along & discuss & question a quality audio/home theatre shop is probably a really good idea.

You're right about how intimidating it can be, it's almost as if they expect a level of expertise well above anything anyone 'normal' (lol) might have.
It's a bit of an elitist thing for some & unfortunately it shows when you venture onto that territory.

The only saving grace here is that they really are not all like that and a lot of those that seem to be are only being that way to weed out the day-dreamers & time-wasters (and in that line of retail, like a lot of fields of retail, there are many).
A little persistance will bring rewards once they catch on that you are seriously interested and a possible serious buyer - and even if not on that instance then maybe in the near-ish future.

The only alternative to taking advice & reading reviews is to try and become an expert in the field yourself.
It can be done but it's time-consuming & complex and still filled with 1,000,001+ differing viewpoints.

BTW I'd rate Yamaha as a decent entry-level product (the Burr-Brown DACs in that receiver place it above the norm) and I would say not going for spec that you probably already have is not a bad idea (for instance why spend on an expensive scalerer in your receiver if your HD TV has a decent one).

The speakers?
I think anything 'compact' is a waste of your cash.
It's the same deal with receivers, quality components tend to be large, heavy and require space.
I know people like the convenience of small stuff but if you want to go beyond the mainstream you don't want compact, mini or micro anything.
Proper speaker cabinets are they way they are for a reason, it gives proper porting & better sound.
IMHO.

The one single piece of advice that stands above all others though is go and try stuff out.
They are your ears and you're the only one (well, ok, there might be a wife & family entering this equation too) that has to be satisfied with and live with whatever choices you make.

Good luck.]]>Nov 5th 2008 1:01PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/Nov 5th 2008 8:51AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/http://www.ps3sacd.com/index.html#_20081105
]]>Nov 5th 2008 9:04AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/Nov 5th 2008 9:04AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/
Move on from music disc formats and start going hi-res FLAC already!


]]>Nov 5th 2008 9:20AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/Nov 5th 2008 10:01AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/
DVD-Audio and SACD never really took off because you needed expensive players. While you can buy something like the OPPO DV-980H, I want to be able to rip music to my hard drive and build a music server.]]>Nov 5th 2008 9:58AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/"DVD-Audio and SACD never really took off because you needed expensive players".

No, that's not how I remember it.

Quite soon after they came out & started selling SACD & DVD-Audio became a std feature of mid-market DVD players.

It was the one way to make the most of the analogue outputs & (if it had them) any good quality DACs built in.

]]>Nov 5th 2008 10:08AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/Nov 9th 2008 8:03AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/Nov 5th 2008 10:19AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/Nov 5th 2008 11:37AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/
If this doesn't actually cost more to produce than a standard CD, then we should feasibly see them over here at the same or similar prices as todays music releases. I could see this being physical media's last bastion of hope for the music industry. Get your album for $10 on itunes or amazon if you just want the music for a budget. But if you are into classical or jazz releases and care about sound quality, just buy the physical disc for $15-20 and you'll get to rip it to your ipod, but also have high quality/surround sound in the home. At the moment, such features are prohibitive due to the file size and download caps, so a disc is the only way to do this. It will give a reason for physical discs to stick around, which many collectors (such as myself) prefer, but with a bonus over the download version.

This reminds me of the hybrid SA-CD format, but a blu-ray player is already more common hardware than SA-CD compatible systems were. Plus it doesn't seem like we'll have compatibility problems like with the Dual-Disc DVD/DVD Audio (which NO ONE had) fiasco. It's a win win. This should just purely replace the audio CD as the standard, on the releases that want to take advantage of it. No dual releases of a CD and the Blu-Spec CD, please.]]>Nov 5th 2008 11:54AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/Nov 6th 2008 3:10AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/Nov 5th 2008 12:13PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/
The reason why Blu-ray & the BDA can't have their own version of the combo or Twin Disc is because they fell out so badly with the DVD Forum.

There is no technical reason why they could not do it, it is solely down to their own short-sightedness and inability to work matters out with the DVD Forum.

They really ought to have worked it all out while they had the chance instead of letting their own greed take over & conspiring to have that dumb format war.]]>Nov 5th 2008 1:05PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/
Admittedly the article here doesn't say that Blu Spec CDs won't be double-sided, that was just my assumption. If they are double-sided, then that will be another strike against them.]]>Nov 5th 2008 2:19PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/I think there must also be some technical issues. HD-DVD is a DVD Forum standard, and they still couldn't put DVD and HD-DVD on the same side of a disk."

No, you're confusing the 2 disc types. Combo is something entirely different to Twin Disc.

There was no technical problem, the only problem was that the HD DVD side, thanks to Warner, ran out of time and then pulled the plug before the Twin Disc (that had HD DVD & DVD on the same side of the disc) came out.
Just as the same thing happened, as they were on the verge of appearing, to the 51gb triple layer HD DVD disc.
I have heard there was 1 Twin Disc release that saw the light of day (a Japanese anime title) but unfortunately that was it.

The combo was as you say one that had HD DVD on one side and DVD on the other.

But as I have indicated everything 'DVD' belongs to the DVD Forum.
You can't put out a DVD except that it complies the agreed specs decided by the DVD Forum.
So, after the pouisoned relations & fall-out from the format war, there's zero chance of a Blu-ray combo or Twin Disc equivalent.

Like I said, in the long-run the BDA's short-sighted inability to agree with the DVD Forum & their greedy dumb format war have left Blu-ray without an extremely appealing element that would have gone a long way towards guaranteeing mass-adoption.
As it stands the inability to take a movie round to share with family or friends is just another negative for Blu-ray.
]]>Nov 5th 2008 6:32PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/
Combo Disc = two sided with an HD DVD & DVD side each with two layers.

Sounds like Blu-spec CD is like Twin Disc.]]>Nov 5th 2008 6:32PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/
If this "Blu-Spec CD" crap is just a high quality stereo mix then *YAWN*... I rarely buy SACD's because of the same reason and it looks like Sony is wanting to repeat themselves again, I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR HI-RES 2-CHANNEL CRAP!

On a side note, a mass online music retailer like iTunes or Amazon needs to start selling multichannel tracks for download.]]>Nov 5th 2008 1:24PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/
SHM-CDs are just red book CDs, only manufactured to higher quality standards (basically better materials for the disc itself). They say they sound better (I'm not convinced). In a way, they're like XRCDs for the masses... and of course they sell at a premium.

The bitstream isn't enhanced in any way (as in HDCD), it's just about the disc. The music is not even especially remastered (unlike XRCD).

So it looks/sounds like Sony is just trying to pull the same trick with Blu-Spec CD.]]>Nov 6th 2008 2:40AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/05/sony-turns-cds-blue-with-new-blu-spec-cd-standard/Nov 10th 2008 12:35PM