Re: The future (or lack thereof?) of CDs

On Feb 12, 1:32 pm, Jim Ginsburg <j...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Feb 12, 10:47 am, Kirk McElhearn <kir...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:



On 2009-02-12 17:14:34 +0100, O <ow...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> said:

More sophisticated devices or computer programs dedicated to storing
and playing back music should usher in download formats that don't
compress or otherwise diminish the sound. I guess it would even get to
the point where I wouldn't have to reduce the bit-resolution of our
recordings -- right now we record and edit in 24-bit resolution but,
of course, have to go down to 16-bit to make the master CD from which
other 16-bit CDs are then pressed.

Huh? Lossless compression does not diminsh the sound at all...

He's talking about loss from the 24 bit master down to the lower CD
quality. CD's are only 16 bit.

No, he said, "download formats that don't compress or otherwise
diminish the sound". There is 24-bit FLAC.

Kirk
--
Read my blog, Kirkvillehttp://www.mcelhearn.com

Thanks for these points Kirk. My engineer (Bill Maylone) just
explained these formats to me (I am not a tech person myself). I was
thinking in terms of what is readily available on the mass-market
download sites (i.e., MP3s where compression is not lossless). What %
of the listening public (or at least the classical listening public)
is already taking advantage of these formats now and where do you
think we'll be 5 and 10 years from now?

I can speak only for myself. I have an SACD player, but very few
SACDs. I have about 2TB of music files from my own ripped CDs and from
downloads (some paid, mostly emusic, and then the rest mostly from
this and similar groups, mostly of live concerts). The music files are
on USB hard drives, duplicated from time to time so not fully backed
up at any particular time.

I have ipods, itunes, and XP media center machines for listening to
the files, generally through an audio system unless actually in
portable mode.
To answer the last question directly, I think that the BSO site offers
a lead here: I hope at least that the ten year outlook will include a
good number of live concerts recorded in lossless multichannel sound.
I'd be prepared to subscribe to a service bundling these into a single
subscription with a common interface that permitted download and
storage. (The BBC/ITV planned Kangaroo service might have done the job
if it had not been deemed anticompetitive, but it might blaze the
trail for followers. I tunes or emusic might evolve in this direction
too.) Personally it would be worth $25/mo or so, perhaps more if
really well done.)
I expect a service like this to emerge from the wreckage left when FM
effectively ceases any service in this area or digital radio sound is
even further compressed.

(Incidentally, if anyone can tell me what soundcard will work to
effectively decode the BSO streams I'd be very interested).

However, an alternate future exists. Netflix has a streaming video
'rental' service that delivers a large variety of movies in very good
quality indeed over a FIOS link: if their stored content included most
of the concert material of interest there would be no need for me to
store it locally. Really wideband radio networks may very well exist
within 10 years so the same service might ride the 4G (or up)
'cellular' networks directly to the then current equivalent of the
iphone.

If I were running a record company the physical medium would be the
least of my concerns- but my interest is in the business needs that
must be met to make the kind of content that interests me viable for
continued distribution. I'd be more concerned over WHAT would be sold
("albums", individual works, all works by an artist/orchestra . . .;
on a single piece by piece payment model or a subscription, prepaid
or post; WHO would sell it- artists, orchestras, recording companies,
or intermediaries like Apple or the the internet equivalent of radio
stations; and HOW the money flows across the distribution chain in a
transparent and auditable fashion, eventually reaching composers and
performers.

Richard
.

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