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NewsDSD downloads: Correction Earlier this year we reported about DSD downloads from audiophile label M·A Recordings. It turns out this was incorrect, owner Todd Garfinkle has informed us. Through their site you can order DVD-ROM discs (not recordable DVDs) with high-resolution WAV files, one of which also contains bonus DSD files. You could burn these onto a blank DVD to make a DSD Disc but there are no downloads on offer. The files were re-formatted with Korg AudioGate software. He also notes the free DSD files that come with Korg's MR-2 DSD Recorder are M·A Recordings' files. Our apologies for the misunderstanding. Todd further reported from Tokyo about several companies dealing with DSD recordings and downloads and a hardware manufacturer that may produce a DSD-capable network player. We expect to hear more from them soon.
Five Stevie Ray Vaughan albums on SACD Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs (MoFi/MFSL) is going to reissue five albums by blues legend Stevie Ray Vaughan on hybrid stereo SACD:
Texas Flood and Couldn't stand the weather have been released earlier as non-hybrid stereo SACDs by Epic; the other three have never been issued on SACD. Texas Flood will be out in October. The other dates are all 'TBD'. MusicDirect lists them at $29.99.
Next batch of SHM-SACDs in October Univeral Japan's SHM-SACD production is getting up to speed with 16 new titles slated for release October 27.
Only a handful have not appeared on SACD before, including Asia's eponymous album.
Like all SHM-SACDs before, they're stereo-only non-hybrid discs, priced 4286 yen, except the sampler. This sampler, priced just 1429 yen, is particularly interesting: It's a 2-disc set; one is an SHM-SACD (non-hybrid stereo-only) with ten tracks by Marvin Gaye, 10cc, Wishbone Ash, The Allman Brothers Band, Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto, Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis (i.e. a selection from the upcoming as well as earlier releases); the other is a 'regular' SACD i.e. non-SHM with the same tracks so you can make a true comparison. Note that they're made from different masters and that's what's likely making all the difference. The regular SACD is also hybrid, enabling further comparisons. Read about the earlier batches here and here.
Sony surround sound headphones Sony this month releases a pair of surround sound headphones, the DR-GA500. They apply Dolby Pro Logic IIx to generate a 7.1-channel soundscape from stereo input. That may suggest they're using discrete drivers to deliver an actual surround configuration but that's not the case. After the DPL IIx processing, the headphones apply 7.1-channel Virtualphone Technology (VPT), a proprietary Sony virtual surround sound algorithm, to fold the signal back to two channels, with the surround effects achieved through psycho-acoustics.
The headset is aimed squarely at gamers: It's got an integrated microphone. Unlike the soundbar Sony recently introduced this is however not PlayStation-branded. It's not even aimed at PS3 users but at PC gamers. Presumably the copy of Medal of Honor that will be bundled with the product from 15 October is the PC version. Granted, PS3 doesn't have a headphone jack but it would be easy enough to connect the headphones (or rather the processing box) to the console's analog stereo output. Perhaps more important though is that as far as we're aware, PS3 does do Dolby Digital (Live) encoding but no Pro Logic IIx encoding, even though it has enough processing power to do so. Not for games, and not for SACD either. To be sure, these headphones use only two (40mm) drivers -- the same as the stereo-only DR-GA200. Admittedly, it'd be difficult to implement a center channel with headphones any other way than as a phantom channel but there have been headphones before that featured separate drivers for the surrounds. Lacking DPL IIx encoding on the PS3 or, better, HDMI input to get discrete multichannel from PS3, this solution is not ideal for SACD. The processor box does sport analog 7.1-channel inputs though, as well as a USB port. It's apparent: In their current form, these headphones are a great companion to a game PC but not to a PS3.
And if we may make one suggestion for the ultimate FPS headphones: Why go with DPL IIx instead of IIz? In most configurations (including the one recommended for DPL IIx) a 7.1-channel set-up is still two-dimensional. Height cues can be very important in 3D games. It's probably because the height information cannot be conveyed in a psycho-acoustic way well, so you'd still need multiple drivers per ear. Anyway, that's our two cents. For more information, read the European and Hong Kong press releases. Only the latter mentions a price: HK$1,498. A US press release has not (yet) been issued.
Free DSD downloads at Blue Coast Records Audiophile label Blue Coast Records have just published freely downloadable disc images of DSD recordings made at this weekend's California Audio Show by artists Jane Selkye, Gregory James and Jason McGuire. They write: "The recordings you hear on this page are made in front of a live audience without eq, compression or effects added to enhance the song. These are raw files as we heard it played in the room. Most likely not the final mixes. Within a few weeks, we will post new mixes of the songs enhanced in the studio and prepped for final listening. We hope you enjoy hearing the differences and make your own judgment as to which you prefer."
You can play DSD Discs on any PS3, including those that are not SACD-compatible. DSD Discs also play on Sony's SCD-XA5400ES and their upcoming SCD-XE800. To learn how to record DSD Discs yourself, check our how-to guide. Burning an ISO disc image as provided by Blue Coast to a blank DVD is even far easier though. To access the downloads you'll need to register but it's free and quick. You can find more DSD downloads in this overview.
Modified Oppo BD/SACD player First there was the BDP-S83. Then there was the BDP-S83 Special Edition. Now there's the NuForce edition. It's a mod. To be sure, it's a modified BDP-S83 SE. It's not sold by Oppo themselves but by NuForce, a company specialized in modding devices. The modifications deal with the power supply's regulation and related circuitry. The upgrade is explained in a little more detail on the modder's own site: BDP-83SE NuForce Edition.
The explanation suggests it's mainly stereo performance that benefits from the modification. We're not sure if there are going to be many other mods like this one but we've given this one the benefit of the doubt and added it to our overview of SACD/Blu-ray Disc players.
Firmware v3.41 There's a minor update of the PS3 system software: version 3.41 adds PlayStation Store recommendations. For an explanation check SCEA's blog.
DSD resources overview With the growing interest in DSD and the increasing but somewhat scattered information on this site about it we felt it would be a good idea to create an overview of all these resources. On this page you will find links to other pages with details about the format, how to make a DSD Disc, DSD downloads, DSD recorders and DSD playback equipment.
David Bowie's Station to Station in 5.1 David Bowie has previously released five of his albums on SACD, three of them multichannel (see here). Station to Station was never among them but EMI is now issuing two box sets of this album -- one called Special Edition, containing 3 CDs; the other called Deluxe Edition, consisting of 5 CDs, a DVD and 3 LPs.
The Deluxe version includes a 5.1 mix of the album. It would have been very appropriate to make this an SACD too but EMI has chosen to use DVD, with 5.1 mixes in 96kHz/24bit DTS and Dolby Digital. This disc also holds the original analogue master in 96/24 LPCM stereo and the new Harry Maslin stereo mix in 48/24 LPCM stereo. One wonders why the latter is just 48 kHz while the former is 96. Both editions are due September 20. For more details see the news page of the David Bowie site. Click on 'July 1'.
New Sony DSD Disc player A week after Sony Electronics North America announced a new SACD/BD player, the Japanese and European divisions come up with a new audio-only player, the SCD-XE800.
This unit does not play Blu-ray Disc or DVD but only CD, SACD and -- like the SCD-XA5400ES -- DSD Disc. It's the first player since the 5400 to do so. The main difference with this player that Sony launched last year is that the '800' is stereo only. In fact the only outputs are analog stereo and digital optical, and the latter probably only outputs Red Book CD audio. Apart from these two players only PS3s and some PCs can play DSD Disc. Note that all PS3s do so -- even the ones that don't support SACD. The SCD-XE800 is not an ES series product but it looks a lot like one -- much more so in fact than the BDP-S1700ES. It will be launched August 21 at 37,800 yen and £179.00. The continental European sites do not list a price yet.
Sony ES series SACD/BD player Sony Electronics North America has just announced an ES series Blu-ray Disc player with Super Audio CD playback: the BDP-S1700ES. Great news, but is this the ES series BD/SACD player we've been predicting since the introduction of the BDP-S5000ES and SCD-XA5400ES? Not quite. This is not a real ES series model but rather the most advanced of the mid-range products onto which the US product managers have slapped an ES badge, in the same way the did earlier with the BDP-S1000ES and BDP-S2000ES, to which this model can be regarded the successor.
As with those previous two, you're not likely to find this product outside of the North American market. Also the fact that this model is announced well ahead of the 2010 IFA and even the CEDIA makes us hopeful we're still going to see a proper player this year after all. On the other hand, the announcement coincides with that of Sony's new ES series AV receivers: the STR-DA5600ES, STR-DA4600ES and STR-DA3600ES. The STR-DA5600ES AVR features H.A.T.S. clock synchronization for HDMI and DSD, making it a good companion for the BDP-S1700ES SACD player or any of the other BD/SACD players Sony's launched this year.
320GB unit and Soundbar for PS3 Hard Disk capacity for PS3 has reached a new high with the introduction of the CECH-2500B: 320 gigabyte. There's also a new 'classic white' model but only with 160GB (CECH-2500A). All will be available from July 29 at 34,980 and 29,980 yen, respectively. A brand new PlayStation-branded product Sony's announced simultaneously is a Soundbar for PS3, CECH-ZVS1, on sale from September 30 at 19,800 yen. It's the first time Sony has introduced such a peripheral with a PlayStation logo on it.
It's not likely aimed at audiophiles. While you could enjoy stereo SACD or DSD Disc playback with it (the two active 65mm subs and four passive radiators with 10W per channel and the integrated subwoofer are probably adequate enough) you can only do so properly with the analog stereo input. There is no HDMI input. The only other input is optical digital input, allowing Dolby Digital, DTS, MPEG-2 AAC and (stereo) linear PCM transmission. The 2.1 -- or should that be 2.0? -- system features Sony "S-Force PRO Front Surround Sound" virtual surround processing. It's not Sony's best soundbar. If you want one with a separate subwoofer and HDMI input you could opt for the HT-CT150 or HT-CT350.
Foreigner and Pretenders II on SACD Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs (MFSL or MoFi for short) is about to reissue to classic albums on SACD: Foreigner's self-titled album and Pretenders' second one. The MoFi site so far only lists the former (release July 2010) but sites like Elusive Disc and Music Direct also list the latter (release August 2010) for pre-order.
Firmware v3.40 out PS3 system software release version 3.40 is now available online. Enhancements deal with PlayStation Plus, a new premium subscription service on PSN; Photo Gallery, now allowing sharing on Facebook and Picassa; Video Editor & Uploader, a new XMB feature that let you edit clips and share them on YouTube; Star Ratings for PlayStation Store content; and Power Save Settings that let you switch your console to auto-standby. For more details, check the SCEA blog. Not mentioned there but here and probably more interesting for videophiles and likely for readers of this site is the addition of Deep Color Output via HDMI. AV Watch tried the video editing functions with a Nikon D90, Canon PowerShot S90 and Sony Alpha NEX-5.
Marantz' new SACD/BD players: UD5005 and UD7005 Marantz lets SACD playback trickle further down the range: The successors to the BD5004 and BD7004 Blu-ray Disc players are the Universal UD5005 and UD7005 with BD, DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, SACD and of course CD playback. These models join the UD9004 and UD8004, all of which you'll find in our multi-brand overview.
They'll pair nicely (as a PS3 would, too) with Marantz's new AV receivers such as the SR5005 and SR7005. Even more interesting is the multichannel pre/power amp combo the company has announced: AV7005 and MM7055 -- budget versions of the AV8003 and MM8003 if you will. No, the typenumber is not a typo: the model isn't called MM7005. The other 5 indicates five channels of 140W each, because there's also a stereo version labelled MM7025.
More details and more new Marantz products at What HiFi.
New batch of SHM-SACDs includes Dire Straits Universal Japan has announced the following new titles on SHM-SACD (after an earlier roster of 20):
We think it's great to see Dire Straits' eponymous album (recently reissued in Japan on SHM-CD) on SACD, even if it's in stereo. We hope to see Love Over Gold in the future too because we can't wait to hear Private Investigations. Imagine that in multichannel.
For anyone else who loved Brothers in Arms in 5.1 the following news may be of interest: Dire Straits' Alchemy live performance has been given the surround sound treatment (mixed my Chuck Ainlay) and reissued on DVD and BD to be released June 8 and June 24, respectively. The latter is labelled as '20th anniversary edition' which seems odd for a 1984 album (Amazon states 1980 on one, 1983 on the other page) but who cares so long as the sound is good?
Michael Jackson material on new SACD... sort of Amazon lists a new album titled I Love MJ Forever as a (DSD) SACD. The album, released by Universal Japan/Zoom and available on import is supposedly a cover album that comes with a bonus remix disc. No details are provided at this stage as to who the cover artists are. Release date is July 6. We'll keep you posted.
Tom Petty issues BD Audio Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers have released their latest album Mojo on an audio-only Blu-ray Disc. It's available through Amazon, which curiously lists this item as a DVD-Audio. The contents are 48kHz 24-bit PCM stereo and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound. The package also includes a code to download the album in one of three formats: 320kbps MP3, Apple Lossless or FLAC (all in stereo, we presume). Release date is June 29.
2L 'SABD' #8: More Trondheimsolistene The Trondheimsolistene, who had the honour of being the first artists to get released on a Super Audio CD and Blu-ray Disc in a single package, now have their next album released by 2L in the same form. 'In folk style', recorded in DXD (catalog no.: 2L-068-SABD) is available from 2L and Amazon from June 29. The album is also available from 2L in high-resolution stereo or multichannel FLAC but not as DSD download, it seems.
25 new Verve SACDs Well, not entirely. Some of these have already been issued on SACD before but many others are new. It's no dearly missed pop music but these jazz titles form a welcome balance for the SACD release roster which continues to be dominated by classical music. After the top 100 titles from the Fantasy catalog, the top 50 from Blue Note and the top 25 from Impulse, this time Analogue Production gets to raid the vaults of legendary jazz label Verve. All will be released on 45 RPM vinyl a well as SACD. The former will cost $50 through Acoustic Sounds; the latter's price is not disclosed. It'll probably be 2011 before the first one's going to be out.
The follwing 25 albums make the list:
After Getz/Gilberto which has been issued on SACD already in two disctinct remasterings we're glad to see another collaboration from his samba/bossa nova -- Jazz Samba with Charlie Byrd -- released and hope one day the other albums from this era will get the same treatment, particularly the collaborations with Joao Gilberto, Luiz Bonfa and Laurindo Almeida.
Lastly, if AP gets to go through the Verve archives ever again, may we suggest one much more recent album for reissue? Talk Talk's final album Laughing Stock appeared with them after they left Parlophone, who issued their two previous albums on SACD. It may not be everybody's cup of tea but makes fantastic material for SACD, especially if a multichannel mix is possible. On that note, it has just transpired that some of the Miles Davis albums announced earlier will not be plain 2.0 stereo on SACD but three-channel stereo.
Scratch My Back on USB When Peter Gabriel's new album was releaed in February, high-resolution versions of the tracks became available for download. As predicted, now there's also a USB stick that holds these. The resolution is 24 bit at 96 kHz. Unlike The Beatles' USB stick however it's not on sale separately but only as part of a limited edition Collectors' Edition Box Set.
"This special version of Scratch My Back contains a rare, blood-red 180g vinyl 12" LP, the double-CD special edition with 4 bonus tracks, an exclusively-designed 4 GB USB with 96 khz 24 bit audio and a high quality, 12" print of the album cover - signed by Peter Gabriel with a numbered certificate of authenticity. The entire set comes in unique boxed packaging. All orders will receive an instant digital download of the album in your choice of FLAC, Apple Lossless or MP3" according to the blurb. Note: probably only the CDs play on PS3. 500 sets were made and signed by the artist. They're available through his site at $299 a piece.
Amazon BD Spotlight Deals event Amazon.com runs a special Blu-ray Disc (and DVD) promotion through May 24 (with savings of up to 58%, Amazon tells us) on many TV series and movies. Separately, as always, they're offering everyday savings on TV and Movies new released on DVD and BD:
Denon expands range of universal players In addition to the two Blu-ray Disc/DVD/SACD players already out, Denon brings two more such models in 2010, Engadget reports:
Both players support DVD-Audio and Super Audio CD, and are prepared for Blu-ray 3D (via HDMI v1.4a) and DivX HD+. Also, both "offer Netflix and YouTube streaming and are DLNA 1.5-certified for audio/video/photo streaming with other DLNA certified products across a network." They hold 1GB of on-board memory for BD-Live playback. The more expensive model of the two features more sophisticated audio and video decoding circuitry and an RS-232 control port for home theater integration.
Glass SACDs Last week we reported on the introduction of SHM-SACDs, where the substrate is made of special (extra clear) polycarbonate in order to further reduce any jitter and other issues that might affect playback quality. There has however been another such initiative already: Japanese label Fine N&F has created a Glass SACD -- or Super Audio Glass CD, as they apparently prefer to call this disc which they consider a variant of their Glass CD product. This Japanese blog wrote about (a demo of) it yesterday but as N&F's homepage shows this disc was issued already in 2006.
Some may call this Japanese disc manufacturing fetishism. We don't mind, as long as it serves a latent need and attracts more listeners to the SACD format. At least N&F made this disc a stereo/multichannel hybrid. Its success must have been modest because it appears they have not repeated this approach.
System Software upgrade v3.30 mandatory SCE has issued version 3.30 of the PS3 system software and declared it mandatory, which means you have to install it if you want to sustain access to PSN. Improvements concern the trophy system and according to their blog this upgrade "preps the PS3 system for some upcoming new features, including 3D stereoscopic gaming, which is coming soon to PS3, in time for the launch of Sony’s 3D BRAVIA TVs." We're not sure what Sony means by this: if the features are coming soon i.e. are not there yet, then what does this preparation hold? Perhaps the capability is already there, only the displays are not yet on the market? This article reveals some interesting technical details about the way stereoscopic 3D is implemented on 3D and how this affects frame rates of specific games. AV Watch meanwhile reports more details about v3.30 (in Japanese).
UMG issues 20 SHM-SACDs including classic pop/rock; all are stereo single-layer The SHM-SACD jazz sampler we reported about in February has mysteriously disappeared again but instead Universal Music Japan has announced for June 23 a slate of twenty SHM-SACDs, including various classic pop/rock albums (list price ¥4,500). Some of these have appeared on SACD before, others never have. The latter are new 2010 DSD remasters; for the others existing SACD masters have been reused:
Plus four jazz titles:
Plus four classical titles:
It's great to see Universal support SACD and a laudable idea to marry the SHM (Super High Material) technology with Super Audio CD -- two of a range of audio carrier technologies we'd love to see combined like we proposed when Blu-spec CD was announced -- but Universal breaks two important, undeniable trends in SACD: that gradually all releases have become hybrids and most titles nowadays contain multichannel audio as well as stereo: The SHM-SACDs (or SASHMCDs as CD Japan refers to them) are all stereo only, and single-layer (or perhaps double-layer but not hybrid).
Surely this is a conscious choice to appeal to traditional audiophiles who may be suspicious of multichannel sound even when it's discrete, possibly due to historical approaches using matrixing tricks, and who may consider a hybrid media structure a sort of compromise that could negatively affect sound quality. Bear in mind that like nearly all the earlier improved variants of Red Book CD, this improved SACD is aimed squarely at the Japanese market, where 5.1 speaker set-ups face a hurdle of constrained living spaces and many new SACD players still are stereo only. This move takes us right back to the beginning of SACD when Sony launched the format with stereo-only players and stereo non-hybrid discs. Regarding combinations of disc enhancements, we've now got SHM-SACD, K2 HD + Crystal Disc, SACD/HDCD hybrids and, in other news, SACD/XRCD hybrids: Some of the titles Esoteric (Teac's high-end brand) issues in Japan have a CD layer that's made as an XR-CD, according to this information. We'll continue to strive for Blu-spec SHM-DSD-XR-HD-SA-CD. Hybrid multichannel, of course.
PS3SACD.com on Twitter For your convenience, we've created a Twitter account. What we'll be tweeting mostly is (headers of) news items posted here, plus perhaps occasionally interesting discussions starting in the forum and other news bits. We've reposted a few recent news items in case anyone would like to retweet them. To start following us, simply go to http://twitter.com/PS3SACD
SCE to drop Linux support for all models In a blog post published yesterday, Patrick Seybold, Sr. Director, Corporate Communications & Social Media, announced firmware version 3.21 (due April 1 but the announcement looks serious). This new system software will remove the option to install another OS on all PS3 models. The slim ones never had it in the first place but the 'fat' ones will lose it. Users are warned to back-up their date before upgrading because after it they'll no longer have access to their data. One can choose not to upgrade but that poses all sorts of inconveniences. The motivation Sony states is 'security concerns', most likely to do with the 'hack' announced a few weeks ago and previous experience with hacking of PSP (PlayStation Portable, not Pit Signal Processing -- the SACD copy protection is still secure after 10 years). It's sad to see another great feature of PS3 being dropped retroactively.
Discussion about removal of the Other OS option here; earlier discission about the use of Linux on PS3 here.
New DSD recorder: Korg MR-2 We've written before about Korg's 1-bit audio recorders. With these (in combination with the AudioGate software that comes with them) you can create DSD Discs -- self-recorded discs with the same quality stereo as SACDs and that can be played on all PS3s, even those that are not SACD-compatible. So far, there was one portable model, the MR-1. Now, several years after its introduction, Korg has launched a sucessor, the MR-2 'High-Resolution Mobile Recorder'.
Instead of a fixed hard disk, the MR-2 uses removable SD or SDHC cards. A 4-GB card can hold up to 16 hours of audio in red book quality (16-bit 44.1 kHz PCM) but recordings cannot last more than 6 hours. In DSD mode about 90 minutes fits on a 4-GB card. Up to 200 recordings ('projects') can be made on one card. Recording formats include 1-bit 2.8224 MHz i.e. DSD (both DSDIFF and DSF flavours), PCM of up to 24-bit 176.4 kHz and even 192 kHz. MP3 however is available too. Among connections there are mini-jacks for headphones, mic and line in and a type B mini-USB 2.0 port for connecting to a PC. The AudioGate software runs on Windows (XP and later) and Apple OS-X (10.4 and later). More detailed specifications and pictures from various angles here.
March 17, 2010 (updated March 18) 7.1-channel PCM-to-analog converter Exactly one year ago this week we reported about a device that lets you input HDMI and output 7.1-channel analog audio, the HD-R121AD from Japanese company Lancerlink. The new HD-42V3SR combines the same functions with a 4-input HDMI switcher which of course comes in handy with the ongoing proliferation of HDMI sources in the home. Also, the analog connectors are of the conventional 'RCA' type also known as cinch rather than the mini-jacks used previously. It will be available in Japan at 89,800 yen, about 992 dollar or 720 euro. That price does not make it a favourable option for most owners of legacy AV receivers without HDMI input seeking to hook up their PS3 in a multichannel fashion since suitable home theater receivers can be bought for substantially less.
Update: As with the previous product, this one is available in the west under different brand names -- and a lot cheaper! This HDMX71-V13 ('4x2 HDMI Matrix Amp with 7.1 Audio Routing') by a company called Octava seems to be exactly the same and costs just $350 without HDMI/DVI cable. Still, in a price range where you can find decent AV Receivers.
HDMI v1.4 officially ready Compatible products have already come to market in weeks prior but the HDMI Founder organisation has now formally announced version 1.4a of the digital interconnection standard. New features include:
While PlayStation 3 consoles so far are equipped with HDMI v1.3, Sony has pledged to upgrade them for 3D video output by means of a simple software update so we're wondering to what extent a device really needs to be v1.4-compliant to work with this. Perhaps the update effectively makes PS3 an HDMI v1.4 device.
Seventh 2L SACD/BD title About half a year after the previous release, Norway's 2L label issues a new Super Audio CD + Blu-ray Disc package, this time with music from Norwegian composer Ole Bull: Violin Concertos performed by Annar Follesø and the Norwegian Radio Orchestra (catalog number 2L-067-SABD). Like most if not all of their similar offerings, the SACD is a hybrid one with stereo and 5.1-channel audio and the pure audio BD contains the same music in 7.1-channel surround sound, all produced in DXD.
High-resolution (24-bit 96kHz) FLAC downloads are available in stereo and 5.1, and an even higher resolution (24-bit 192kHz) in stereo. DSD downloads of this recording are not available at this time. For an overview of all 2L's SACD+BD titles, go here.
Special offer: Pioneer AV Receiver In one of Amazon's mailings with 'Home Audio & Theater' deals we came across this attractively priced Pioneer 7.1-channel A/V receiver, the VSX-9040TXH. According to the mail, the price is "too low to show" meaning it varies strongly but when we checked it it was priced $499, down from $699. With 4 HDMI inputs and decoding of DTS-HD Master Audio, Dolby TrueHD and multichannel PCM this looks like a great peripheral for a PlayStation 3.
In the same message we were informed about a new HDMI v1.4-compliant Pioneer AV receiver, the even more affordable VSX-820-K at just $299.
Neither accepts DSD input probably but for PS3 users that makes no practical difference.
New Peter Gabriel album in high resolution Peter Gabriel has just finished recording a new album called Scratch My Back, due March 2 in the US and out now elsewhere. It's a collection of covers of songs by other artists who will be returning the favour by covering one of his songs. These will be released on a companion album titled I'll Scratch Yours.
While it comes in a Super Jewel Box, there's no SACD. There is a Special Edition. Sadly it does not contain a multichannel mix -- remarkable considering the artist's view on surround sound and the fact that the last of his eleven SACD albums, Up, was in 5.1 -- but it does provide access to 24-bit (stereo) versions of the songs. It also holds several more songs.
Discussion here.
First 3D-capable AV receiver from Sony Sony (USA) has announced a new AV receiver, the STR-DN1010. It's their first with HDMI 1.4, in order to pass through 3D video. That's interesting but it made us wonder whether you really need v1.4 for that or if a lower version will do. After all, if v1.3 can't do it then how is Sony going to live up to their promise to upgrade PlayStation3 to 3D video output (for games and also, we presume, Blu-ray 3D)?
Having said that, the new model is a fine companion to PS3, or any of the new Blu-ray Disc players announced -- especially the 3D-compatible types, of course. It features Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio decoding, plus of course 7.1-channel PCM handling. Whether DSD decoding is included the press release doesn't tell, and the full product specs are not online yet, but it seems DSD compatibility is reserved for ES series AV receivers. For PS3 users this will not make a difference but it is relevant for buyers of the new BD players.
Yet more Sony SACD/BD players Last month we reported about ten new SACD-compatible Blu-ray Disc players destined for the North American and European markets. This week, Sony's added another model for both territories, the BDP-S470. This player is also 3D-ready: it can be upgraded by a future firmware update. We've added it to our overview. Prices for part of the range have also been announced, starting from $180 SRP for the entry-level BDP-S370.
The Hot Spot OST on SACD The reissue of the original soundtrack of The Hot Spot we reported about November 15 is out today and unlike we feared, Analogue Productions has issued it not only on vinyl but also on a hybrid stereo SACD. They're not (yet) available on Amazon but they are through Acoustic Sounds.
SHM and SACD finally combined into one disc We haven't yet arrived at the Blu-spec SHM-DSD-XR-HD-SA-CD we suggested some time ago when Blu-spec CD was announced but at least and at last, SHM (Super Hard Material) disc manufacturing technology is going to be applied to SACD. That's a far more promising combination than the K2 HD Mastering + Crystal Disc which after all still uses the Red Book CD format. Adding a third technique for better quality, gold material is used. We're not sure if this applies to the CD layer or whether it's a non-hybrid SACD-only disc. Either could be the case.
Universal Music Japan has announced for release on March 31, 2010 the first Gold SHM-SACD title. It appears to be a sampler of jazz music by various artists on the Verve and Riverside labels.
New DSD downloads M·A Recordings, a small audiophile record label based in the US has added some DSD downloads. MA always works with two omni-directional microphones and normally releases their recordings in 24-bit/96-kHz but Será Una Noche ($40.00) comes with four DSD files as a bonus. Read all about it here.
Michael Jackson PS3 bundle SCEJ today is releasing a PS3 Slim bundled with a Blu-ray Disc of This Is It. It's not yet clear whether this bundle will be released in other territories too. What is sure is that there's no SACD here. Thriller remains the only Michael Jackson SACD to date, and sadly stereo only.
Several other editions of this documentary including a box set are also released on BD and DVD, with 5.1-channel mixes.
Amazon Blu-ray Disc deals Amazon's next Deals Event which starts today and runs through February 15 features savings of up to 55% on high-action Blu-ray Discs and various DVDs, while supplies last.
Blu-ray Disc and SACD playback now at $289 Oppo just has launched a new Blu-ray Disc player, the BDP-80. It's a cheaper version of the BDP-83 but it also comes with SACD and DVD-Audio playback, as well as HDCD, BD-Live, a USB port, HDMI, 1080p upconversion, etc. This is by far the most affordable player with both SACD and BD out there so far.
Naturally, we've added it to our overview of such players. You can find all the details here. The only differences between the BDP-80 and BDP-83 that we noticed are the following:
And obviously the cabinet and front panel are different, with hot stamp foil finishing that looks like brushed aluminium instead of the real thing. The A/V processing differences are caused by a switch from Anchor Bay's ABT2010 VRS processor to a custom SoC. While we think the loss of DSD output is a pity, altogether it's a great product that provides a lot of value for money. Release plans for Europe and other parts of the world are not yet known. At one point Oppo planned to release the BDP-83 in Europe but those plans were canned indefinitely. Let's hope the new unit will be marketed on a more global scale. In the meantime you can buy it on Amazon.com. The user manual can be found here. Discussion here.
World Music on BD-Audio msm studios report on their Pure Audio Blu-ray site about a new, non-classical audio-only Blu-ray music disc: Mira by Jienat, the name under which Norwegian artist Andreas Fliflet operates. The music is described both as 'pop' and as 'world music'. The blurb says: To the best of our knowledge, Jienat’s twin-disc Mira is the first release of “popular music” recorded in true 5.1 surround. It is also the first world music release on the Blu-ray format. Jienat’s center of gravity of is in the small town of Hammerfest, 3 hours by car from the North Cape. Go due North from here, and you will encounter no mainland until way on the other side of the North Pole. It is the home of Andreas Fliflet, who composes and produces the music. It is performed almost exclusively by voices and drums— sometimes heaps of them. Emotional settings range from «party!!» to «lullaby». The true sonic placement of the listener in the middle of the ensemble creates a goose-bumps-inducing prescence. Recording sessions for this disc has been made in locations ranging from the cobblestone streets of tropical Salvador de Bahia, Brazil to countryside medieval churches on the Åland Islands. But first and foremost it has been made in the Jienat base camp Joikeredet, literally 150 meters away from the Arctic Ocean.
When we follow the link we get to see cover art for another Jienat release titled Tudeer, scheduled for November 10, 2009.
We're not quite sure if this has been released meanwhile or whether the name and artwork were changed at some point and these albums are actually the same. Also: was or will Mira come with an SACD? The PR text mentions a "twin-disc" product but avoids the name SACD, perhaps because msm only deals with BD and DVD? Adding to the confusion is the fact that Morten Lyndberg of Lyndberg Lyd, better known as 2L, is credited for mixing and mastering yet on the 2L site we can find no reference to Jienat's work. We'll let you know when we've sorted it out. By the way, the statement about "the world's first non-classical true surround recording" clearly lacks the words "on Blu-ray Disc" but even with that addition would be untrue. Earlier releases include Sara K's Made in the Shade and some non-classical titles by Surround Records. Update: We spoke with Andreas Fliflet who clarified a number of things: First of all, the Tudeer title and artwork were provisional. The Mira title and artwork are the final ones. The link is now also fixed. The release does consist of an SACD and a BD with the same content -- similar to 2L's releases, but despite Morten Lyndberg's involvement, the disc is not released on the 2L label. It was just mixed and mastered by Lyndberg Lyd. Regarding the statement that this is the first non-classical music recorded in surround, the emphasis should be on the word "recorded" -- probably all other non-classical surround releases thus far were mixed in surround, from multitrack stereo or mono recordings. We think he has a point there.
Andreas Fliflet with his surround microphone array.
Firmware v3.15 now mandatory The system software version 3.15, which should improve stability and was issued early December, is now declared mandatory. You can find it at the following locations for US, Europe and Japan.
January 7, 2010 (last updated: Jan 10) Sony is back with ten new SACD players Ten! Happy 2010. And what a great start of the year it is. Finally, almost two years after removing the SACD function from PlayStation3, Sony introduces a long-awaited range of SACD-compatible Blu-ray Disc players. The last three weeks have been quiet but today the annual CES has started so we've got news.
Official Blu-ray 3D logos Mere days after the official announcement of completion of the Blu-ray 3D format, Sony today announces a line-up of 3D-capable and regular BD players, and all except apparently one feature SA-CD. There are three stand-alone BD players: the BDP-S770, BDP-S570 (picture) and even the entry-level model BDP-S370, successor to the current popular BDP-S360, all play Super Audio CD. Then there are three home theater systems: the BDV-HZ970W, BDV-E770W and BDV-E570W all are branded "1000W Full HD 1080p Blu-ray disc, DVD, CD, SA-CD 5.1 channel home theater system". Only the basic HT-SS370 appears to lack the high-end audio format. The top player (~770) and HTS (~970) are the 3D-capable ones. They're scheduled for this summer. All others will come to market in spring.
Remarkably, the US press release mentions SA-CD while the European one doesn't. The other way round would have surprised us much less. We suspected for a moment there might be a mistake here. It wouldn't be the first time. But the high-res pictures really reveal SACD logos. The European line-up is different. Where the American home theater systems are styled conservatively as conventional AV components and look just like the stand-alone players, their European counterparts have more of a 'lifestyle' design with a vertical orientation. It's not clear at this stage whether this 2.1-channel BDV-F700 and BDV-F500 and also feature SACD but we're pretty sure about the BDV-E370 and especially the BDV-E870, BDV-E970W and BDV-IZ1000W following a statement by Sony Europe that all players based on the new 2010 Blu-ray Disc platform support SACD.
Lastly, there's no new ES series BD/SACD player yet, like we hoped/predicted. Likely, a successor to the BDP-S5000ES and SCD-XA5400ES, whether it be a single product or two separates, will be introduced at this year's CEDIA in September. Of course, an integrated product would need to address their concern that a combination player doesn't compromise picture or sound quality in comparison to the separate players. Still, we're glad Sony has (re)joined Denon, Marantz, Oppo and other brands by offering BD/DVD/SACD players. And generously at that. We've added the lot to our overview, which now lists 20 models from eight brands. Any hopes that Pioneer would join too have been dashed by statements that Pioneer will not show any BD players at CES this year. Pioneer may leave the optical disc hardware business altogether. Update: Pioneer does show new Blu-ray Disc players at CES 2010: the BDP-120, BDP-320 and Elite BDP-23FD. No SACD here however. Discussion here.
Kraftwerk SACDs re-released 2010 will be off to a good start for collectors of electronic music on SACD when on January 8 EMI Germany brings the SACDs of Kraftwerks' Minimum-Maximum -- both GSA (German) and International (English) versions -- back into its catalogue.
The 2-disc Multichannel Hybrid SACD, originally released in 2005, is a registration of a series of live concerts recorded during their 2004 world tour. It went out of print after a while and has become a very much sought-after title, today commanding $699.90 on Amazon and better prices on eBay. Such steep prices will soon be a thing of the past; for a while, at least. The album is also available in 5.1 on DVD by the way, and not quite as rare. If you like electronic music, this is a must-have.
Nick Cave's albums remastered in 5.1 With releases of pure audio in 5.1 in the pop/rock genres so few and far between it's hard to imagine but there are 16 albums that we've completely overlooked. Last year, Mute Records (who earlier issued remasters of all Depeche Mode's studio albums in 5.1 on SACD and in 2008 re-released Yazoo's complete works) announced remasters of all 16 albums by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. The first batch of four albums, From Her To Eternity, The First Born Is Dead, Kicking Against The Pricks and Your Funeral... My Trial, came out earlier this year.
Each album will be reissued as a two-disc (CD+DVD) set, containing both the remastered stereo mix and new surround sound mix, as well as a specially commissioned short film created by UK artists Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard. Also included are the B-sides for the related singles and exclusive sleeve notes. As with Yazoo, no SACD, alas.
Sony closer to break-even with PS3 Slim As part of an ongoing series of teardown analyses, iSuppli has disassembled a PS3 Slim and estimated the component cost (the Bill of Material or BoM) and the manufacturing cost. In summary, their conclusion is that at an estimated cost price of $336.27, the 120-GB model sold at $299 is closer to break-even than any PS3 model before it. While that is surely true and we trust the accuracy of their estimates, the press release suggests implicitly that when cost drops below the retail price, the product will start to become profitable. Again, as with previous exercises, they seem to forget distribution costs and, more importantly, dealer margins. We think Sony is unfortunately still quite far off and needs to get the cost price down to about $200 in order to turn a profit at a $299 consumer price. But by that time the SRP will be much further down.
Coverage of earlier teardowns you can find here and here.
PS3SACD.com 2009 music and electronics top 10 The end of the year is approaching so this is a good time to share the ranking of best-selling music and hardware for the year to date. Since we're covering multichannel and high-resolution music on a range of formats, the top 10 does include more than just SACDs. The numbers in brackets are the 2008 positions.
* Of these titles we have aggregated different editions. The Beatles' Stereo Box Set did not make it to the top 10 but ended up in 15th position. The most popular hardware sold through this site in 2009 thus far is:
There's a visual overview here. If you're still searching for Christmas gifts to ask or to give these are probably excellent suggestions. Alternatively, if you can play European Blu-ray Discs you may be interested in Amazon UK's "Buy Two Blu-ray Titles for £14" promotion.
Firmware v3.15 brings Data Transfer Utility A new system software is out. Version 3.15 introduces a Data Transfer Utility for transferring files and settings to a newer PS3. Some files are copied, others are moved and a few are simply left or need some further attention.
No media changes are reported.
Black Friday deals - all week This Thursday, the US celebrate Thanksgiving so this Friday it's time for the annual special offer fest known as Black Friday. Amazon features a selection of limited-supply offers all week long, starting today. To go there simply click on this banner:
Theta BD/SACD transport Theta Digital has announced for release this quarter a 'Universal Disc Transport' that supports Blu-ray Disc, DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, SACD and various other formats. Transport in this case is a fancy term for player because it's more than a plain drive – the decoding circuitry is all here, including 7.1-channel audio outputs.
Judging by specs and looks we take it the COMPLI BLU shares a number of modules and components with the Oppo BDP-83. Theta have not yet disclosed a price but based on their history we can expect one well into the four digits.
You can find the new device in our BD/SACD player overview.
5.1 audio issue solved SCE has released a new firmware, v3.10, and it has relevance for SACD playback: It fixes an issue present in all previous versions that caused AV receivers to think they got a 5.1-channel signal through HDMI, even when a stereo track was played. Other changes deal with the Photo category in the XMB, the PSN Friends List and Facebook.
The ideal PS3 The Holiday season is approaching fast so it seems an appropriate time to draw up a wish list. Allow us to dream for a few minutes and draw up our list of specifications for the ultimate PlayStation3 console, from our point of view at least. Hint: It plays SACD, very well, but there's more. Read our two cents and join the debate.
New DSD Download: The Window by David Elias When Wheatus released their mini-album as a DSD Disc download a few months ago we expressed hope more artists and bands would follow. That is now happening. The Window by David Elias is one of those SACDs that have gone out of print and now fetch upwards of $200 on eBay. So David has decided to reissue the album as a DSD download. Here's what he writes about it:
You can read more about DSD Discs in our special guide. King Crimson in 5.1 Some projects are a long time in the making, and when they eventually reach conclusion they end up different than planned. In the Court of the Crimson King, the debut album of King Crimson, was supposed to be issued on multichannel SACD in the early days of the format (i.e. some ten years ago) but this project never materialized. Now the surround mix of the album has finally been completed it's released this week on DVD-Audio (together with a remastered CD) as the 40th Anniversary Edition. The 5.1 mix was made by Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree fame and Robert Fripp himself. The disc will be a region 0 NTSC DVD with MLP Lossless 5.1 Surround Sound, DTS 5.1 Digital Surround, MLP Lossless Stereo 24/96 and PCM Stereo 2.0 24/48. The DTS and PCM will play on PS3.
The same treatment has been given to Red, released October 20, and Lizard, due January 12.
It's very rare to see new DVD-Audio releases nowadays – about as rare as seeing new pop/rock SACDs – but Amazon Germany lists a performance by Tangerine Dream, Live at the London Astoria Theatre as DVD-Audio, to be released November 20, 2009. This would be the first DVD-Audio distributed by Sony Music. Possibly this is a mistake, in line with this Sony Music page, and the disc is actually a DVD-Video one.
New Analogue SACDs Analogue Productions are doing a project with a whole catalog of Nat King Cole abums. So far all their SACDs were pure stereo but these ones will be in 3-channel and 2-channel stereo. Steve Hoffman writes on his own forum: "So, we've done the following for SACD three channel/two channel hybrids and 45 RPM vinyl:
"We are doing three-channel surround SACD's with a two-channel and CD layer plus some extra-special 45 RPM 180 gram vinyl. So you will be able to hear Nat coming out of your center channel (on the three-channel SACD layer) and nicely balanced on your CD and SACD two channel layers and then on the uniquely mixed vinyl versions. Get an SACD player."
On the same ad we spot the original soundtrack of The Hot Spot by John Lee Hooker with Miles Davis and others. It's not clear from this whether this reissue will be on vinyl only or on SACD as well.
While on the topic of this fabulous film score we want to express our hope this equally fantastic film noir – rightfully referred to as 'the Body Heat of the nineties', will get a proper reissue, preferably on Blu-ray Disc but even a good DVD would be appreciated – with proper artwork please like the original film poster and rental video, unlike the shoddy B-movie grade artwork used with the European and American VHS and DVD editions.
And if they're going to reissue Miles Davis soundtracks on SACD may we ask for Ascenseur pour l'echafaud, released on Fontana, please?
More MoFi classic rock on SACD A short while ago, Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs (MFSL) has announced two more Hybrid SACDs by The Doobie Brothers:
and three more by The Band:
The latter is already out, in addition to the titles we reported about in Spring.
All albums are done in stereo but that's not as obvious as we wrote then because some of these albums have been done in quad in the seventies and The Captain and Me has even been issued on DVD-Audio.
Elvis on SACD Legendary sound engineer Steve Hoffman is working on remasters of two Elvis albums:
Release dates have not been disclosed yet.
Not mastered by Steve Hoffman but posted in his forum is the upcoming SACD of Sam Cooke's Night Beat, scheduled for release in January on Analogue Productions. George Marino at Sterling Sound is mastering this from the original three-track masters. The SACD will include all three channels.
Oppo for Audiophiles Oppo, which with its SACD- and DVD-Audio-compatible BDP-83 Blu-ray Disc player has been catering for audiophiles already more than most other brands in the AV space, has probably figured out there are better margins to be made in the audiophile segment than in the videophile one. The company has announced a Special Edition of said player, the BDP-83SE. All improvements are in audio processing and its analog output so there's a warning up front that it isn't worthwhile for those who use just the HDMI digital output. For some SACD fans this will be very attractive but not for those who prefer off-board D/A conversion.
There's an overview of the differences here. The upgraded audio circuitry Oppo hopes will justify a $400 higher price tag. You'll find the SE in our SACD/BD player overview.
Wish You Were Here on SACD? The Pure Super Audio blog reports that Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here album will likely appear on SACD soon, quoting people familiar with the matter. The mix is supposed to exist already and sound fabulous. Then again, such reports have been circulating for nearly five years, in this blog for instance, quoting industry insiders who insist that it "will definitely happen". While we'd love to see (and hear) the multichannel mix appearing, we've got low expectations about its likelihood. It looks like a case of rumour aggregation based on statements made in blogs and forums.
The Beatles finally in high resolution It's the remastering job of the decade of some of the most important music of the 20th century, and yet it was released only on Red Book CD, not even vinyl, let alone SACD, DVD-Audio like the Love album or another high-quality format. Now the 'complete' works by The Beatles (the fourteen albums that are part of the stereo box set issued on 09.09.09) are finally going to be released in high resolution. In stereo 44.1-kHz 24-bit FLAC (losslessly compressed PCM) and 320-kbps MP3, that is. "Fully compatible with PC and Mac," the press release states. The MP3 is compatible with PS3; the FLAC unfortunately isn't until Sony issues a FLAC codec or decoder as part of a future system software upgrade. And what an odd choice: 24 bits make for a high signal resolution so why go with a lowly 44.1 kHz sample rate instead of 88.2 or rather 96 kHz? Perhaps the media capacity posed a constraint here. The carrier is a very charming one: a diminutive USB stick contained in an Apple Corps apple. The capacity is 16 GB.
It's a limited edition of 30,000 copies. Besides the 14 stereo titles it contains "all of the re-mastered CDs' visual elements, including 13 mini-documentary films about the studio albums, replicated original UK album art, rare photos and expanded liner notes." The remaster collection is going to be released December 8 in North America and a day earlier elsewhere. You can (pre)order it at $238.99 or £157.99.
WipEout HD/Fury out on BD The Blu-ray Disc edition of WipEout HD and WipEout Fury is out. This is what it looks like:
More than a week after its release however it's still not available through Amazon UK or Amazon Germany, only through Amazon France (€24.99). Why? We have no clue. Amazon UK replied to our query that the title is not in stock but we fail to see how that could happen with such a key customer from the day of release. Mind you, the item is not even listed as 'out of stock', it's simply not listed. Read our earlier coverage why you have to have WipEout HD.
New Marantz receiver Marantz has made another AV Receiver that's very suited for use with a PS3: the SR6004. It supports DSD decoding via HDMI as well as 7.1-channel PCM and all the latest Dolby and DTS formats. It's available in black in the US (at $1,249.99) and Japan and in UK/Europe also in silver.
Separately, pictures of the UD8004 'Universal HD Player' we reported about earlier are now public. The product was unveiled at this year's CEATEC show in Japan, last week. Here are detailed pictures of the inside. Here it sits atop the yet more expensive UD9004.
Pioneer, staunch supporter of SACD and DVD-Audio in their universal DVD player range will launch a new 'Reference Blu-ray Disc player' this autumn that (like all their BD players thus far) will not be SACD-compatible: the BDP-LX91, sold in the US as Elite BDP-09FD. Just check the press release or the brochure.
Special Halloween promotion Darker days are here again so 'tis the season to get creepy. To get you into the mood Amazon has a selection of movies on Blu-ray Disc on offer, including of course (but by no means exlusively) a number of 'scary' ones like Halloween, The Haunting, Poltergeist, etc. You can save up to 55%. The promotion lasts until October 31.
SACD's 10-year anniversary It's ten years ago this month that the first SACD player was launched: Sony's SCD-1 - a $5,000 high-end stereo-only top-loading SACD-only player, a fine piece of engineering still regarded by some fans as the best SACD player ever built. Certainly one of the heaviest, but of course only worthwhile if you're purely into stereo audio.
Some sources put the release of the first SACD title, Miles Davis' Kind of Blue in May 1999 so one could date the introduction of the format a few months earlier but as the content is useless without the hardware to play it on and vice versa we'll stick with October.
While the past ten years are surely more important than the next ten, the format is still going strong in its own niche. It's too bad that the format was picked up so poorly in popular music. Even inclusion is PS3 has not helped much because of the lack of support from the music majors. Let's hope the format will see some more interesting titles in the years left. Anyway, with out-of-print titles becoming rarer every year and prices rising accordingly the hunt for sought-after discs will continue to be a fun occupation. Long live SACD! Incidentally, something else celebrates its ten-year anniversary this very month: Amazon's Wish List. The company celebrates this with some special sweepstakes. Click to proceed.
Note: Like several other Sony Music titles (Toto IV comes to mind), Kind of Blue has been issued on SACD several times in different versions: the initial stereo single-layer edition, a stereo hybrid SACD (or was it a stereo/multichannel single-layer SACD?) and a stereo/'multichannel' hybrid SACD that's actually a transfer of the original three-channel stereo recording. Last year the album was once more remastered and reissued in Japan.
Naxos joins BD Audio publishers Classical music label Naxos, after having issued various albums on SACD and DVD-Audio in recent years, now has switched to Blu-ray Disc for releasing music. (They had already released a couple of operas in high-definition video on Blu-ray Disc). The Virtual Haydn – Complete works for solo keyboard is issued as a 4-disc BD set. One disc contains a three-hour 'making of' documentary (in 1080i format) but the other three discs contain 14.5 hours of pure music in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.0 and PCM 2.0. The region code is 0 so it works worldwide. Also available through Amazon.
We plan to create an overview page of all audio-only Blu-ray Discs shortly. Already up is an overview of SACD/BD releass by 2L, the most prolific label in this field so far.
New David Sylvian album in 5.1 David Sylvian's new album Manafon is released in two versions: a regular CD and a deluxe edition that includes (in a very nice slip case with beautifully printed books and art) a DVD with -- besides a documentary -- a 5.1-channel mix of the album in DTS 96/24. The surround mix was done by Sylvian himself.
Unfortunately at the time of writing the deluxe edition is already sold out. A very limited edition indeed. We hope the DVD will become available in some other way, with or without the CD.
Genesis issues fourth box set After three earlier SACD/CD/DVD box sets containing remasters of all their studio albums, Genesis have today released one more box set, this time with various live recordings from between 1973 and 1992. Genesis Live 1973-2007, released by Rhino Records, contains four earlier albums on eight CDs and three DVDs: Genesis Live, Seconds Out, Three Sides Live and Live at the Rainbow 1973. All except the third one are now issued in 5.1-channel surround sound. Unlike the previous box sets (the European editions at least), there are no SACDs here. Apparently there is not even a DTS mix, like the American versions of the other three box sets issued by Rhino did. The multichannel mixes are in Dolby Digital and DTS. The year 2007 in the title refers to the 2-CD Live Over Europe 2007 which is not included here but for which space has been reserved. Join the discussion here.
In other music news, Rush will on November 17 release their live video R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour on Blu-ray Disc. According to the Rush blog the BD will contain 8 tracks more than the 2005 DVD.
250GB model in various bundles In line with recent rumours following the usual FCC leak, Sony's releasing a new premium model with the same slim design and specs as the 120GB model except for a 250GB Hard Disk. It's going to be available in different bundles in all territories.
Although the 250GB model represents the top of the line it does not feature SACD playback.
While we're waiting for the bundles to appear the base case SKUs are available on Amazon through our PS3 hardware page. WipEout HD and WipEout HD Fury to be released on BD The WipEout HD game and the associated 'Fury' expansion pack, both initially released only online through the PlayStation Store, will after all be issued on Blu-ray Disc, in Europe at least. Street date is October 16. The disc with both games will cost merely €24.99/£19.99, reports MCV. WipEout HD and ~ Fury are must-have titles because of their fantastic soundtrack mixed in Dolby 5.1. See our earlier coverage, exactly one year ago today.
Note that the expansion pack not only adds extra race tracks but also six extra music tracks:
It will be very nice if these tracks are also playable outside of the game.
Bug fix: Firmware v3.01 After 'investigating concerns' following user reports of issues with system software v3.00, Sony has issued an apparent bug fix, v3.01. This optional update "improves system stability during use of some PlayStation 3 format software."
SACD player wins EISA award 2009 The EISA award for audio source of the year 2009-2010 was won by Marantz for their SA8003 Super Audio CD player. It's a stereo-only device but it's great to hear nevertheless. Congratulations, Marantz.
(Some) new Sony home AV equipment We've just returned from the Berlin IFA, where Sony Electronics presents its (European) product line-up for the coming season. This included a whole range of Blu-ray Disc-based home theatre systems, none of which however support SACD. Also the new stand-alone Blu-ray Disc players, the BDP-S560 and BDP-S760, do not, just as the new Blu-ray Disc changer, the BDP-CX7000ES. We were having high hopes for a single successor product to the BDP-S5000ES and SCD-XA5400ES announced at last year's IFA but apparently these products may have a shelf life of up to two years. Also at CEDIA these will not be replaced. Perhaps at the 2010 CES, which is not too far off. The politically correct answer as to why these players haven't been combined into one is that the company feels it would be a compromise on either side. When you ask the right people, the story is that they're contemplating doing so but they want to make sure the performance (sound and picture quality) is top-notch. Sony does have some new AV Receivers, including the STR-DA3500ES and the STR-DA5500ES. The latter (also introduced in Japan but as TA-DA5500ES) is a successor to last year's STR-DA5400ES although that model will continue a while longer. So although new models are introduced on a yearly basis here they may still have a longer commercial life span. The 5500 has almost the same features as the 6400 except for the front flap. A more efficient model is the STR-DN1000. All make for excellent companions to a PS3.
On a side note, Sony denied any rumours that they withdrew the SCD-XA5400ES from trade, or that an improved version was imminent. In the demo room the staff played a BD movie (Bolt), BD music video and SACD; a two-channel SACD but a very spatial recording. Elsewhere on the booth Sony showed off stereoscopic 3D displays, with 'TV' footage, movies and documentaries, and PlayStation3 games. The sequences (including Gran Turismo, Killzone 2, Motorstorm 2 and WipEout HD) were prerendered but great nevertheless. Also the 3-dimensional XMB was very interesting, even though the smoke in the background looked distinctly 2D. We can recommend taking a look. We would have loved to check out some of the recent SACD-compatible Blu-ray Disc players but sadly Oppo, Denon, Marantz, McIntosh and the others were all absent at this year's IFA.
Amazon TV series sale: over 50% off on selected DVDs and BDs Amazon DVD is celebrating the return of the TV season with a Fall TV Sale: Over 1000 TV DVDs and Blu-ray Discs up to 54% Off, and deals from $5.99 including The Office, 24, Mad Men, Entourage and many more. The sale runs until September 30, 2009 while supplies last.
Firmware v3.00 As announced by Sony simultaneously with PS3 Slim, today sees the release of the first major system software update since some time, version 3.00. For owners of 'fat' PS3s, the following changes may be of interest because they further improve its capabilities as a media player:
As mentioned before, bitstreaming output of Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio is hardware-dependent, not just software-dependent. For more about the new features check the US PlayStation blog, this official overview (in Japanese) by SCEJ or this article by Impress' AV Watch (also in Japanese). If you're interested in PS3 Slim, follow the link below by all means. Just be aware it does not play SACD.
Denon adds second universal BD player Like Marantz, Denon has added another universal disc player with Blu-ray Disc, Super Audio CD and DVD-Audio to its range: the DBP-4010UD (the US typenumber is DBP-4010UDCI; spec sheet here), which sits below the recent flagship model DVD-A1UD(CI). After all, $1,999 is a lot more affordable than $4,500.
One detail worth noting here: According to the manual (see page 14), with SACD playback you'll get only only 44.1 kHz 16-bit PCM output via HDMI, so you've got to rely on Denon Link for DSD output or the discrete outputs for high-quality analog audio. For an overview of all SACD-compatible Blu-ray Disc players check our overview.
Latest SACD/BD release from 2L: Grieg The sixth release by 2L of a hybrid SACD and pure audio Blu-ray Disc combined in a single package (but sold at the price of a single disc) is of a piano concerto composed by Edvard Grieg, performed by the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra conducted by Rolf Gupta. The performance was recorded in DXD. The BD contains high-resolution stereo and surround sound in up to 7.1 channels, the SACD 5.1.
The title is also available for download in 24-bit 192 kHz FLAC format but unfortunately not (yet?) in DSD.
Latest brand with BD/SACD player: McIntosh McIntosh, another brand from the Denon-Marantz stable officially known as D&M holding, has announced it'll be releasing what has become the norm for high-end Blu-ray Disc players: a universal disc player that features SACD and DVD-Audio playback. Like all others except the Oppo and PS3, this one's price (in dollars, euros or pounds) will be well into the four figures. The exact amount has not yet been disclosed. The player will come to market in October.
Features include:
You can find the McIntosh together with all other BD/SACD players in our overview. We're left to wonder meanwhile whether Sony's ES range will finally (after Oppo, Denon, Marantz, Lexicon, Cambridge and McIntosh) get its own SACD-compatible Blu-ray Disc player. Next week we can expect the product announcements for the 2009 Berlin IFA and shortly after that for the CEDIA, where last year Sony presented their high-end BD and SACD separates, the BDP-S5000ES and SCD-XA5400ES. This week in Japan they've only announced a new very slim BD player (the BDP-S360) and their new range of BD recorders.
PS3 costs reduced by 70% During a conference call for investors following Sony's Q1 09 financials, Sony Corp's CEO and Executive Vice President Nobuyuki Oneda revealed that manufacture costs of the PlayStation3 have dropped over time by 70%, TVG reports. That number is another substantial step forward from the 50% estimated by iSuppli last December and, according to Sony, "on schedule." The cost reduction has of course been achieved by shrinking of the Cell processor from 90nm via 65nm to the current 45nm and of the RSX graphics chip from 90nm to 65nm, and the removal of a number of features: 4-way USB ports, memory card readers, PlayStation2 emulation and, sadly, SACD playback. This is all the more a pity because the latest generation energy-efficient PS3 with its reduced fan noise could have done some very quiet audio performance. If you're interested to see what PS3 Slim looks like on the inside have a look at this teardown by iFixit.
SCE giveth and taketh away features The long-awaited price cut for PlayStation3 is here, as expected in the form of a thoroughly redesigned and slimmed-down console. It's not called PSthree (but then again neither was the slim PlayStation2 really called PStwo) but simply PS3 Slim as Sony prefers. The PS3 branding may be long accepted by everyone else but for SCE is an evolution from PLAYSTATION 3 and PlayStation 3. The model will be called CECH-2000.
The specs in a nutshell:
Yes, it has thinner and less wide but even deeper than it already was, resulting in a somewhat odd, almost square form. Very different from, say, PS2 Slim.
Note also how installation of Linux is no longer supported. PS3 Slim will be released into markets worldwide on September 1st -- now there's a logistical challange -- running on system software v3.00, which will be made available to the installed base on the same day. We can only hope Linux support is not removed from that. A new feature is BRAVIA Sync, Sony's name for CEC on HDMI. Again, it's not clear whether this feature is added to old models with the new firmware or only to the new ones. The price will be ¥29,980 in Japan, $299 in the US, €299 in Europe and, we expect, £299 in the UK which, knowing the actual exchange rates between these currencies, only goes to show the importance of psychological pricing. It's a drastic and impressive price cut, achieved of course by an equally drastic redesign. It could be expected that Sony would drop some features along the way. It's just a pity culling SACD playback couldn't have waited until the introduction of PS3 Slim (at least the fourth internal design iteration of PlayStation3 if not the fifth or higher) because otherwise there would be some 30 million SACD-compatible PS3s in the world now, more than twice the number of other SACD functions (SACD/CD players, 'universal' DVD players, Home Theater in a Box units, etc.) Fortunately, you can still buy SACD-compatible PlayStation 3s. Removal of the Linux option is also striking. After all, unlike with SACD playback, we assume there is no hardware penalty for it, i.e. no impact on the BoM (Bill of Material).
The power consumption has been reduced further but although no fan and fewer cooling holes are visible on the pictures the press release speaks of reduced fan noise so apparently it's not a fanless product yet. We're very eager to see the inside of PS3 Slim. According to Sony, it uses a 45nm Cell processor. Presumably, the RSX is still at 65nm process technology. For sure, the two aren't merged yet. That, combined with the still rather large footprint of the new console, is why we expect another redesign with a substantial shrink some two, three years down the line. PS3 Slim & Compact anyone? Let's hope the best of it. May the life cycle of PS3 last as long as Sony plans. Update: As it turns out, BRAVIA Sync is hardware-dependent. Sony has replaced the HDMI Si9132 chip by a newer type. This new HDMI chip also supports proper output of Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, i.e. without conversion to high-resolution multichannel PCM. Now the PS3 Slim's optical drive does not support SACD playback but the question whether DSD output is now possible is not academic, because likely DSD Disc format is supported. We'll check with Sony and let you know. One new feature that will work also on older hardware is simultaneous audio output via HDMI and optical.
* Update 2: Sony has confirmed to us that despite the new HDMI chip and bitstreaming output of Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA, DSD output remains absent. DSD Discs will give high-resolution PCM output via HDMI, also on PS3 Slim.
More music in 5.1? New releases by Pixies and Procupine Tree Label A+R (Artists in Residence) has issued a collectors box containing most of the Pixies' works, titled Minotaur. The set comes in two versions: a $495 limited edition and a $175 deluxe edition. Both include all five Pixies studio albums (Come on Pilgrim, Surfer Rosa, Doolittle, Bossanova and Trompe le Monde) on "24k layered CD" and BD, plus a DVD with all videos plus a 1991 concert at Brixton Academy. The limited edition adds all albums on 180g vinyl, an art book and more. It's not exactly clear what's on the BD and DVD. Some sites like nylvi state albums "mastered in 5.1 surround sound" but according to these interviews with Black Francis in Wired and A+R founder Jeff Anderson in Rolling Stone the albums have not been remastered.
Ealier, 4AD reissued three Pixies albums on SACD. Prog Rock band Porcupine Tree, who in the past have released 5.1-channel mixes of many of their albums on DVD-Audio, have issued their new album The Incident -- besides a 2CD edition -- on plain old DVD-Video which, according to the band's site contains a (standard-resolution?) 5.1-channel mix plus a high-resolution stereo mix. Probably the former is in Dolby Digital (or perhaps DTS but claimed to play on any DVD player) and the latter in PCM. Again, there is a limited deluxe edition including vinyl (2 LPs), a hardcover coffeetable book and other goodies. However, no BD, no DVD-Audio, no SACD here.
Two years of PS3SACD.com Woohoo! Today markes the second anniversary of this website. A heartfelt Thank You goes out to all visitors, posters, shoppers and everyone who has helped spread the word and promoted this site elsewhere on the web. We hope you'll continue to frequent this site with as much joy as we have running it.
Second label to issue same music on SACD and 'BD Audio' Audiophile label Stockfisch Records from Germany follows in the footsteps of 2L from Norway by releasing a high-resolution multichannel recording on both Blu-ray Disc and Super Audio CD. The final album of singer-songwriter Sara K. -- she has announced she'll withdraw from the music business after this album -- Made in the Shade, which earlier this year appeared as a hybrid multichannel SACD, is now also made available as an audio-only Blu-ray Disc containing the same music in DTS HD Master Audio 5.1, PCM 5.1 and PCM Stereo. As opposed to 2L's release however, the two discs aren't combined in the same package but sold individually.
From the same artists, Stockfisch earlier issued the album Hell or High Water on SACD and XRCD. Before that, she was signed to Cheskey Records, who issued her album Play on Words on SACD. All are hybrid multichannel SACDs.
PlayStation, Korean models We haven't often reported on the South Korea market, probably because the situation and the SKUs offered there are not very different from the Japanese, North American and European ones. Perhaps that's why we haven't seen the search term "Korean models" show up in our site statistics like we have with Japanese models. Now however we have a very good reason to: As Siliconera reports, Donghae City played host to the first Korean Invitational World Sand Sculpting Championship. Sony Computer Entertainment Korea (SCEK) showed up and joined the sand sculpting fun, and afterwards issued an official press release along with some nice pictures.
Yet another BD/SACD player: Cambridge Audio It's taken a fair amount of time after the introduction of PS3 before we saw the first SACD-compatible BD player but now they're coming one after the other (see more universal players here). The latest brand to announce one is Cambridge Audio. The model is called azur 650BD.
Besides BD Profile 2.0 (BonusView and BD-Live), SACD and of course CD and DVD-Video also DVD-Audio and HDCD are supported. Apparently the on-screen menus, or the Graphical User Interface if you will, look very similar to the Oppo's. The rear panel however suggests these two players do not share the same chassis.
The azur 650BD is scheduled for release in November 2009 at a price of €799.
New homepage design Accumulating all the news posted here since the beginning some two years ago this page had gotten a little heavy: over 4 MB. This must have caused fairly long loading times for visitors who come to this page first time, with a clear cache. All news from before 2009 is now moved to this separate news page. To be sure, this page contains all news, including the latest. The homepage size is now reduced to under 2 MB, hopefully halving the loading time. To maintain compatibility with external links to older news articles on the homepage, those entry points have been maintained with the article headers, which now link to this news page. In that respect, the index.html page is now truly an index page. We hope you'll like it and will keep visiting.
Second Marantz BD/SACD player If $5,999 is too heavy for your budget or 19 kg is too heavy for your equipment rack (yes, rack mount brackets are optionally available separately) then perhaps the Marantz UD9004 is not your choice but you may want to consider the UD8004. At 17 kg it's not exactly lighweight either but the $2,199 price tag makes it a whole lot more affordable. It dispenses with some of the build quality and audiophile circuitry but it's no slouch either. There are no pictures of it yet but Marantz has announced this new model for October, two months after the flagship model. Both fit nicely with the AV8003 and MM8003 amps and play multichannel SACD. Reportedly, the UD8004 even plays DVD-Audio, a spec point that's still fuzzy about the UD9004. Some people who covered the UD8004 elsewhere suggested it fits nicely with the PM8003 but that's a stereo amplifier so why bother? If the AV8003/MM8003 combo is out of reach, may we instead recommend the SR6003, SR5003 or SR4003 7.1-channel AV receivers? We'll keep you posted and have added the new universal player to our overview.
THX-certified BD/DVD/SACD player Lexicon has announced its first Blu-ray Disc player and like the universal DVD/SACD players RT-10 and RT-20 before it this BD-30 is quite a versatile type, supporting BD, DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, SACD and all the other usual formats. According to Lexicon this is going to be the first THX-certified BD player.
You may notice the Lexicon's back panel bears a striking resemblance to the Oppo BDP-83's rear and although the two products share a lot of specs and, no doubt, many components they are not quite identical products. The Lexicon for instance sports an RS-232 port for interfacing with home theater control systems. This and the certification Lexicon hopes will justify its $3,499 price tag -- seven times that of the Oppo, putting it pretty much on the same level with the Denon and Marantz competition.
For more SACD-compatible BD players check our overview.
Meanwhile Sony has announced three more BD players for the US market, the BDP-CX960, the BDP-CX7000ES and the BDP-S1000ES. The former two are 400-disc mega-changers. Both the BDP-CX7000ES and the single-disc player carry the ES subbrand yet only the changer (like the BDP-S5000ES) looks as if it was designed for the ES range while the BDP-S1000ES -- like the similarly styled but bulkier BDP-S2000ES before it -- seem to have got the ES badge slammed onto it as a cheap marketing trick. Most disappointly however, none of the models support SACD.
Dedicated BD music page on Amazon Amazon.com now has a page that effectively lists available Blu-ray music discs: http://www.amazon.com/tag/blu ray music disc It's not a page designed specifically by Amazon but based on tags assigned by users yet it works quite alright. Included there are all of the titles we listed here earlier plus some more, such as these new titles by Surround Records:
From now on if you're shopping for music on BD just follow the above link or this button:
Wheatus' new record downloadable in DSD US pop-rock band Wheatus have released their new EP/mini-album Pop, Songs & Death: Vol. 1 The Lightning EP. You can download it from their website. It's available in various formats including 320 kbps MP3, losless AAC, lossless WMA, 88.2 kHz 24-bit FLAC and, most interestingly, DSD -- the format in which the music was recorded.
The site says about this: "FLAC is for advanced users only; DSD is for audiophile maniacs." How much one pays the band have left entirely to the downloader's discretion. So, yes, you can download all six tracks for free. If you pay $5 or more, you get 'intimate acoustic recordings' of two of the tracks plus a comic book in PDF format. We applaud this brave move and hope more bands will follow this example. If you want to find out how to make a DSD Disc that plays on your PlayStation 3 or Sony SCD-XA5400ES, read our DSD Disc guide. Bear in mind that all PS3 models play DSD Discs. To find out more about the record, join the discussion.
Michael Jackson on SACD That Michael Jackson's best-selling Thriller album is available as a stereo SACD is no news. That it almost was released as a fully loaded SACD including a surround sound mix is however unknown to most. In 2000 or 2001, Sony Music hired sound engineer and mixer Mick Guzauski to work with Jackson on creating 5.1-channel mixes of Thriller as well as all his other albums. Roger Friedman of Fox News wrote about this: I am also told that Jackson has spent not only millions on the making of Invincible, but millions more on the planned re-release of his catalogue by Sony this fall. All of his albums, from Off the Wall through HIStory, were remixed for the new Sony Super Audio CD format. But Jackson, working through an engineer, went through 50 different mixes of each song from each album. "He went through them and over and over again. It's not like they hadn't already been remastered for CD in the first place. And it was the same engineer who did it the first time. The guy just leaks money." Guzauski tells about how he did the surround mix of Thriller in this interview with Mix Online. In a later interview with the same magazine he says about this project: There are other surround projects where I got more inside the band, [but those] will probably never come out for political reasons. One was Michael Jackson's Thriller. The changes with Sony and with Michael mean that will probably never come out, but that was a lot of fun. In 2001, Sony Music released a remastered version of Thriller on CD (the Special Edition) that contained various bonus materials. These are not included on the 1999 SACD, which just contains all the original tracks in stereo. Also the 25th Anniversary Edition released in 2008 was issued on RBCD only. The package did include a DVD but just with videos. Remarkably, none of Jackson other albums were ever released on SACD, not even in stereo-only versions. One can only hope the recent resurgence of interest in Michael Jackson and his work will change this. Whether the passing away of the artist means the veto on the multichannel mixes is over will only be known to those familiar with the details of the contracts. We sincerely hope they'll see the light of day after all, be it on SACD or any other medium. It would be a magnificent way to celebrate the musical legacy of the undisputed King of Pop.
Oppo BD/DVD/SACD player now available The long awaited Oppo BDP-83 with Blu-ray Disc, DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, Super Audio CD and HDCD playback as of today is finally shipping and available from retailers such as Amazon. By the way, so are the Marantz UD9004 and the Denon DVD-A1UD. You'll find them in our brand new overview.
SACD/BD player overview For what it's worth, we've added a simple overview of Blu-ray Disc players that feature Super Audio CD playback, like the Marantz, Denon and Oppo we reported about earlier. You can find it here. Also the 'sitemap' is new.
Another firmware update Or the same one? SCE has issued system software version 2.80 and according to their blog, "the playback quality of some PlayStation 3 format software has been improved". That sounds strikingly similar to what was said about v2.76.
Multiple new bundles Several new bundles have been announced, all of them with the current (SACD-less) 80GB model: Two in Europe, both priced €399; one with inFamous, the other with Ratchet & Clank: Quest for Booty. The latter includes a second DualShock3 controller. The US gets a $399 bundle that includes MLB09 The Show and a Blu-ray Disc of the Quantum of Solace movie.
Update: We've found Amazon Germany offers two different Ratchet & Clank PS3 bundles, each with two Platinum Edition games included: one with Gran Turismo 5 Prologue added, the other (at €499!) with Heavenly Sword added.
New details about Marantz SACD/BD player New details of Marantz' pretty universal player UD9004 (earlier coverage here) have surfaced, including this picture which nicely shows an equally sized Super Audio CD and Blu-ray Disc logo snugly sitting side by side.
More pictures, including rear panel and inside views, can be found here (Japanese) and here (German). The UD9004 may not be going to be the most expensive SACD player ever, it will likely be the priciest BD player so far at ¥577,500 (some $6,000 or €4,300). Judging by the back panel, this unit will fit excellently with the AV8003 pre-amp and MM8003 multichannel power amplifier combination (previous coverage here), as opposed to the earlier SA8003 SACD player which is stereo only. Marantz' other BD players including the new BD7004 don't feature SACD playback. Meanwhile there is still no announcement of BD/SACD player from Pioneer or Sony, other than PS3. Update, August 2009: The UD9004 is now available for order from Amazon.
DSD downloads by 2L Norwegian music label 2L, who we've covered frequently following their string of releases on dual-disc (no, not DualDisc) SACD + Blu-ray Disc of high-resolution multichannel recordings, offer downloads in many formats on their website. These include both high-resolution and multichannel options, such as 24-bit 192kHz stereo FLAC (losslessly compressed PCM) and 24-bit 96kHz 5.1-channel FLAC. Most interestingly however, 2L also offers some DSD downloads of the Nordic Sound sampler of 2009. Unfortunately, these files are not in the DSF flavour of DSD that PlayStation3 (and the Sony SCD-XA5400ES) can handle. 2L has not yet answered queries from us as to whether they'll consider issuing DSF files but when we discussed these downloads with an engineer at Korg (we asked "aren't these in professional DFF format instead of 'consumer' DSF format, making it impossible for PS3 owners to use these files?") he gave us the following interesting answer: "These are in DSDIFF format instead of DSF format. AudioGate can handle both formats, and can create DSD-Disc from any format including PCM using its strong format converter. VAIO can also play back DSDIFF files as well as DSF files, so I think it's better to have DSDIFF downloads than having nothing at all. DSF file format is quite a new format, and currently, there aren't any software or recorders (besides ours) in the studio or in the record company that can handle DSF format, which makes it hard to start DSF downloads. With the debut of AudioGate v2.0 at the AES Munich, the industry is now aware of DSF/DSD-Disc, and it's starting to change. Other companies who have been developing DSD equipment are trying to support DSF, so I believe it's just a matter of time." If you're interested in creating DSD Discs to play on your PS3, check our DSD Disc guide.
New DSD writing software from Korg and Sony Korg has issued a new version of AudioGate (v2.0.0) which enables you to burn a DSD Disc as well as an audio CD with ease. All you have to do is to import your recordings, insert a blank disc, and hit the newly added "Burn Disc" button. AudioGate will do the rest for you, and you'll get a DSD Disc which can be played on PS3 -- all models, not only SACD-capable models -- and Sony's SCD-XA5400 ES series SACD player.
You can download this software for the following platforms: Sony meanwhile has released an update of the DSD Direct Writing software for VAIO PCs, version 1.0.00.04130. It solves the issue of not being able to create a DSD Disc after PxEngine is installed.
New 2L title 2L, the classical music label from Norway that released the first music-only Blu-ray Disc, bundled with a hybrid SACD, has issued a fifth title in this dual format: Flute Mystery by the Philharmonia Orchestra and Vladimir Ashkenazy.
All PS3 models will play most of the audio versions included in this; if you've got the right model you'll be able to access every individual version.
Minor firmware update SCE has issued system software version 2.76. According to their blog, it "improves the playback quality of some PS3 format software". That means games.
Oppo BDP-83 confirmed to play DVD-Audio Oppo's first Blu-ray Disc player, the BDP-83 we reported about earlier, is finally confirmed to perform DVD-Audio playback -- a feature Oppo had all the while planned to implement but until now couldn't commit to. This makes it very much a universal disc player (counting out some obsolete formats like HD-DVD and LaserDisc) and the first BD player to support both SACD and DVD-Audio. The only other DVDA-compatible BD player thus far was the Panasonic DMP-BD10A. Other SACD-compatible BD players include those from Marantz, Denon, ezGear and of course PlayStation3. PS3 may be capable of playing DVD-Audio too but it will require a hack to do so. It's not yet proven it's feasible.
New Depeche Mode album out in 5.1 The band from Basildon have recorded a new studio album, Sounds of the Universe. Mute Records have released it today. The label has been a staunch supported of SACD, issuing their previous album Playing The Angel, the live album 101 and remasters of all nine preceding studio albums on the format (see the end of this page) but no more: SotU comes in various editions including, besides the basic CD album, a deluxe edition on CD+DVD and a deluxe box set consisting of three CDs, a DVD, two 84-page hardcover books, posters, postcards and other trinkets.
The DVD included with both deluxe editions contains a 5.1 mix of the entire album as well as the 'B-sides' from CD 2 in 24-bit 48kHz DTS and Dolby Digital. Perhaps the lack of an SACD edition should come as no surprise after Mute reissued Yazoo's complete works, In Your Room, on CD+DVD instead of SACD.
Pioneer introduces SACD player with DLNA Pioneer has announced a new SACD player for the Japanese market, or rather an SACD receiver because this device has an integrated amplifier. The product has an ethernet port and is DLNA-compliant. That doesn't mean however that it will send SACD music through the home network: Like PlayStation3, the PDX-Z10 is a DLNA client, not a server -- you can access media (DRM-free audio in MP3, WMA, AAC, WAV and FLAC format) stored on your local network. We're still hoping a future PS3 software upgrade will add the server possibility.
An iPod connection is also integrated but it's not iPhone-compatible. An optional Bluetooth 2.0+EDR adapter is available separately. In the area of sound quality Pioneer claims use of Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) technology. We suspect this refers simply to the DSD processing. Note that the amplifier is stereo only.
New IR remote control options for PS3 In the beginning, there was the official Sony PS3 Blu-ray Disc remote. With this, you could conveniently use your PlayStation3's excellent media playback capabilities (including Super Audio CD and of course Blu-ray Disc) without having to resort to the awkward use of the game controller for this. Now while most consumer A/V devices use infra-red signals for remote control PS3 relies on BlueTooth. This eliminates line-of-sight problems associated with normal remotes but rules out use of most other remotes. A number of companies have devised different solutions for this. Nyko has introduced a dedicated product for PS3, the popular 'Blu Wave' remote which uses regular IR transfer and a receiver in the form of a USB stick to get the signal into the console. An affordable and effective solution.
Logitech is about to release a special PS3 adapter PS3 for their Harmony range of universal remotes, the E-R0001. The company has yet to issue detailed information about the introduction date, price and exactly which Harmony remotes will be compatible but has admitted the product plans after details leaked via the FCC site. With a Harmony remote and this adapter you should be able to conveniently control BD and, presumably, SACD playback on your PlayStation3 as well as a host of other devices. Audio Authority meanwhile has issued a more generic solution that should work with just about any programmable remote, the C-1071 BlueBeam IR-to-BlueTooth converter picured below. Don't be mislead by the USB connection here: that's a power supply option, as an alternative to a powerpack or batteries. The converter doesn't need to sit next to your console; it relays the control signals by up to 30 feet via a wireless BlueTooth connection. The adapter supports many functions including macros (that you can create using a PC set-up utility) and discrete on/off, making it a good choice for custom installers and system integrators.
Gundam on Blu-ray Disc + Blu-spec CD If you've got a PS3 and are interested in anime as well as Blu-spec CD (besides Blu-ray Disc) then this Japanese release may be just the thing for you: Gundam 00 Complete Best. The standard version consists of a CD and DVD but the deluxe version is issued by Sony on Blu-spec CD plus Blu-ray Disc.
Firmware v2.70 released SCE has today issued system software update version 2.70. In the audio department, they've added a Dynamic Normalizer. For video, they've added the possibility to offload movies purchased from the PlayStation store to an external hard disk. You can later restore these to the internal hard disk when you want to play them again. You can also transfer videos purchased from PSN for PSP* to PS3 for playback. Other improvements deal with online functionality. Japanese readers check this overview. * PlayStation Portable -- not Pit Signal Processing
2L continues BD/SACD releases Hot on the heels of the Nordic Sound sampler follows the fourth BD/SACD combo release by 2L, Mozart/Grieg vol II: Werke für 2 Klaviere by the Dena Piano Duo. The album with music in 5.1-channel and stereo, produced entirely in DXD, was released last Friday. Owners of the right PS3 models can enjoy every version included on either disc, of course.
25 jazz albums to be reissued on SACD After the Fantasy 45 series and 25 titles in the Blue Note Reissues, Analogue Productions will in the course of 2009 release 25 albums in the Impulse! Reissues series.
The first two titles by Gil Evans and Charles Mingus will be issued in April.
Marantz next with BD/DVD/SACD player After Denon, Oppo, ezGear and of course Sony's PS3 Marantz is the next brand to release a Blu-ray Disc player that supports SACD, reports bluray-disc.de. The UD9004 ('UD' stands for Universal Disc player, we presume) will be presented at this year's High End show in Munich. As soon as we've got pictures or pricing information we'll let you know.
New MoFi SACDs Pop/rock music news: Mobile Fidely Sound Labs will reissue several vintage albums on 'Ultradisc UHR™ SACD' shortly:
All are Original Master Recordings hence in stereo.
SACD/BD sampler from 2L Lyndberg Lyd, the Norwegian record company known in short as 2L, has released a third Super Audio CD/Blu-ray Disc combi pack. It's a sampler titled The Nordic Sound and it includes a selection of recordings by the artists from the 2L stable. Most tracks were originally recorded in DXD and have been converted to DSD for SACD and downsampled to 192 kHz for BD. The two discs contain the exact same music. The album is also available for download -- not in DSD format but as 320 kbps MP3 and 24-bit FLAC with a choice between 96 kHz stereo, 192 kHz stereo and 96 kHz 5.1-channel.
Earlier two-disc SACD/BD releases by 2L include Divertimenti and SONaR.
HDMI-to-analog audio converter Japanese company Lancerlink has introduced a nifty little device that a lot of people may have been waiting for. The HD-R121AD takes HDMI input, decodes multichannel LPCM (7.1, 5.1 or 2-channel) and feeds the decoded signal to multichannel analog audio outputs.
On the other side the HDMI signal comes out again so you can easily still feed it to a display, for instance.
This must be welcome news to owners of an AV receiver without HDMI who are not yet ready to replace their AVR but wish to use it with a PlayStation3 or other Blu-ray Disc player. It seems like an odd product choice to use mini jacks instead of regular 'RCA' type connectors but conversion cables are probably bundled. The dimensions of the box must have played a role here. Then again, why not make it a little larger to facilitate normal plugs? Wo do not know whether this product is going to be sold outside of Japan but it's for sale here and the company web site provides links to Amazon Japan for most of their products. Update: The product is also available in the west, only under different brand names. In the UK for instance it is sold as the Cypress CLUX-11SA HDMI v1.3 repeater with audio decoder from vendors such as CYP and Letropacks.
Sony plans hybrid PS3 game/movie discs According to an article in Video Business, Sony plans to introduce BD discs with a movie as well as a PlayStation3 game on them, thus better using Blu-ray Disc's 50-GB capacity (and competing in a way the Xbox360 and Wii with 9GB per disc cannot follow) but especially providing more value for money. The movie and game will, of course, be 'tie-ins'. Though details are still sketchy, Sony's statements suggest the movie could be in full HD resolution with a portable digital copy for transfer to PSP. Interesting plans. May we suggest adding in some more interesting content, for instance a nice 5.1-channel soundtrack of the same movie and/or game?
New DSD Recorder For those interested in making recording DSD Discs (or even actual SACDs, but you'll need yet more stuff for that), Korg has this month introduced a successor to its MR-1000 1-bit DSD Recorder: the MR-2000S. With its rack mounting brackets (if not its reported list price of $2,499) it is squarely aimed at professionals. The device can handle 2 tracks, so for 5.1-channel recordings (which is supported by SACD but not by DSD Disc, so far) you'll need three of these products working in tandem, something enabled by an OS upgrade.
As a consumer you may want to stick with the 'prosumer' MR-1 model. For a complete overview of DSD recorder have a look here.
New firmware update soon Sony has announced it'll issue system software v2.60 shortly. New media features include DivX 3.11 playback and a Photo Gallery application. Some previews are posted in the US PlayStation blog.
More PS3 bundles coming Limited edition decorated PlayStation3 models just keep on coming, in Japan at least. Two weeks ago we saw units with Biohazard 5 and Yakuza themes, this week we get (well, it's really coming April 16 but it was announced today) a PS3 in Final Fantasy XIII style.
It's a 160-GB model, which does not feature SACD playback, just like the 80-GB model that comes in the Killzone 2 bundle which will be heading to Europe soon.
LaserDisc news LaserDisc news? In 2009? Well, Pioneer has announced it'll stop production of LaserDisc players after 29 years, since it's become difficult to obtain certain components. Pioneer has been a staunch supporter of the LaserDisc format. So staunch in fact that many people believe they invented it while in fact Philips deserves that credit. Another common misbelief is that LD is a digital format. The video is really analog, and the first couple of years (until after CD had become a successful spin-off product) even the audio was analog. The only digital thing on the the disc was the time code (for CLV discs) and the frame number (on CAV discs).
Apparently it took Blu-ray Disc to succeed where DVD failed: killing of the first-generation optical video disc. It also means Pioneer will not come with a super-multi-format player that supports LD, CDV, VCD, SVCD, DVD and BD (although the company has made players that support CD, CDV, LD and DVD), let alone one that also supports SACD. A pity. We would have loved a player that spanned four generations of optical disc (12 inch, 12cm infra-red, 12cm red and 12cm blue). In a way, Pioneer has been a champion of multiformat players, being one of the first brands (if not the first) to introduce a product that supported both SACD and DVD-Audio. There's never been a LD player with SACD playback but the two formats do have something in common: LD uses an FM-modulated A/V signal, which is very similar to the pulse-density modulation system that forms the basis of DSD. Pioneer has also more or less pioneered (no pun intended) the use of optical discs for use with home videogame consoles (if we overlook CD-i and 3D0 for a moment) before the advent of PlayStation 1, in 1993, to be exact: the LaserActive system, a hybrid of a LaserDisc player and a Sega Genesis/MegaDrive, which played Mega LD, a special type of LD-ROM disc. LaserDisc, we salute you. We will remember you fondly.
BD-Audio... At PS3SACD.com we don't usually pay much attention to classical music (of which lots is released on SACD) but we'd like to mention we noticed Surround Records, a US label, last year has started releasing classical music mixed in 7.1-channel 24-bit 96-kHz DTS-HD Master Audio, on (mostly audio-only) Blu-ray Disc and initially even on HD-DVD. Remixed probably because we recall seeing most of these titles released earlier in 5.1-channel on DVD-Audio. The product notes on Amazon state: "Please note that this record was originally produced for 5.1 and presented for 7.1 surround sound reproduction to provide you with unique acoustic reality experience."
The current catalog (see overview) includes music by Bach, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Vivaldi, Rachmaninov, Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, Wagner, Grieg and Nina Rota. We expect to see more releases in the future. Where, for instance, is the BD of Uncommon Mozart? Surround Records has also issued other music on BD in 7.1, such as this ambient piece Mysterious Aqua - Music Experience in 3-Dimensional Sound Reality.
For more information refer here.
Two new decorated consoles Two new PS3 bundles are launched in Japan and both are decorated. One nicely, the other gorgeously.
Both come with DualShock 3 controllers (one with two, the other with one) and 80GB HDD capacity but, we must assume, without SACD or PS2 compatibility.
PS3 truly offering 3D Various reports (this one by Kotaku uses a brilliant photoshop job) indicate Sony will start offering 3D content on PlayStation3 starting this year. This may sound odd because PlayStation content is already generated in 3D since the days of PS1 but what is meant here is stereoscopic video output. What surprises us is that everyone seems to expect using monitors that require glasses, mimicking the techniques used in movie theaters like anaglyph 3D or polarization (where this is probably the only feasible solution) while there is technology available that doesn't force the user to don any glasses, such as the autostereoscopic displays offered by Philips' spin-off 3D Solutions. These monitors use a lenticular screen, like the 3D postcards you may remember from decades ago. The other thing that struck us in these reports is the statement by Neil Schneider, President and CEO of Meant to be Seen (MTBS) that “the best part is console support will only need a bios upgrade to work.” “We are told that the ability to add this capability via bios may be unique to Sony PS3 versus the other console solutions.” BIOS? Does PS3 have a Basic Input/Output System? Isn't that Wintel PC territory? We assume they mean a system software update, but never mind. Exciting news is that the 3D output shall work with both games and (special) Blu-ray Discs. 3D-BD still needs to be standardized but we wouldn't be surprised if PlayStation3 turns out to be the first player capable of decoding such discs, and the only player that can be upgraded to do so. We're looking forward to PS3D.
More BD/DVD/SACD players coming Yet another SACD-compatible Blu-ray Disc player (following Denon and Oppo) is coming to the market, and a budget one at that. The ezGear BluCobra EZ3000 (no, we hadn't heard it this brand before either) is a Profile 1.1 i.e. BonusView BD player. Outputs include HDMI 1.3 though it's not clear whether DSD streaming is supported. The player is announced for March (2009 we assume though the EZ000's product page currently states 2008 but hey, the year is still fresh and we all have to get used to it still) with a reported MSRP of $400.
Wishing you a Blue 2009 We wish you a happy new year with lots of interesting releases in terms of music, movies and games to play on PS3. To start the new year of well, Amazon.com runs a special buy two blu-ray discs, get one free promotion (on select titles) between January 6 and 16.
PlayStation3 cheaper but still loss-making, says iSuppli More than two years after their cost analysis of the first-generation PS3 console, industry watcher iSuppli has done a tear-down of the third-generation PS3 hardware and concluded that the bill of material (BOM) has decreased from over $840 (for the 60GB model) to $449 for a current unit -- we presume they used a 40GB model.
Business Week quotes an iSuppli analyst, Andrew Rassweiler, stating that Sony has in many cases combined two or more chips into one, or integrated some low-level chips. More precise: When it was first released, the PS3 sported a total of 4,048 different parts, including those in the handheld controllers. Now, that number has come down by about 30%, to 2,820. "At the end of the day the PS3 is doing the same thing it did before, but with two-thirds as many parts." Of course this statement is not entirely true. SACD playback and PS2 compatibility have been sacrificed in the current generation to save costs. One thing that surprises us about the BW article as well as coverage by Gamasutra and other publications is the conclusion that the PS3 is near break-even. Even if we neglect the difference between BOM and manufacturing price -- the factories will want to earn some money on production, especially since Sony has outsourced manufacturing of PlayStation3 hardware to contractors like AsusTek, Hon Hai Precision, FoxConn Electronics and Maintek -- there is a (likely larger) difference between that and the retail price, a difference called dealer margin. No retailer would be prepared to make shelfspace available for a product they couldn't make a profit on. Even though they may settle for a lower margin on hardware than on games and peripherals, Sony will still need to supply them the hardware at a price well below the $399 street price. We can understand most games publications focus on the big three platform owners, the game developers and publishers but we're surprised Business Week and even iSuppli seem to ignore distribution.
WipEout HD free trial demo Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has released a playable demo of WipEout HD in the PAL PlayStation Store, as announced on ThreeSpeech. We can strongly recommend this title, not just for its fantastic visuals and gameplay but also, if not foremost, because of the brilliant soundtrack, remixed in 5.1. See our earlier coverage. There's an in-game upgrade for the store trial to the actual game at £11.99/€14.99. We assume the availability of the trial version is temporary but no timeframe has been disclosed. Release in other territories has not been announced either. Merry christmas!
The Police on Blu-ray Disc Sting (or at least his record company, A&M) has always been a bit of an early adopter when it comes to new disc formats for releasing his music on. We've got LaserDiscs of Nothing Like the Sun - The Videos, The Soul Cages Concert, Unplugged and The Police's Every Breath You Take - The Videos; a 'CD-i Digital Video' of Ten Summoner's Tales (even though it's not very interactive and practically works like a Video-CD it's really a 'Green Book' disc, not a 'White Book' one); a Video-CD of Fields of Gold - the Best of Sting; DTS-CDs of Ten Summoner's Tales (we do not cease to wonder why this 5.1-channel mix was never issued on SACD) and Brand New Day; a DVD-Audio of Nothing Like the Sun; SACDs of Brand New Day, Sacred Love (released in America on DVD-Audio instead) and Every Breath You Take - The Classics plus DVD-Video releases of Bring on the Night and ...All This Time, oddly without a DTS soundtrack. Now there's Certifiable, the live registration of a concert in Buenos Aires from The Police's reunion tour, released on Blu-ray Disc and presented in 1080p high-definition video, with 96kHz/24-bit audio in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and 2.0. It comes with two audio CDs. There's a great review of it on The Digital Bits here.
By the way, Certifiable is also issued on DVD-Video and Bring on the Night has been reissued on Blu-ray Disc. The Bits reviews it here.
Hybrid DVD/Blu-ray Disc launched A group of Japanese companies has announced they've developed a hybrid DVD/BD disc. Unlike we suggested two weeks ago, it's not a double-sided 'flipper' disc with DVD on one side and BD on the other but a single-sided disc that uses much of the same principle as the hybrid CD/SACD disc: there's a fully reflective layer that can be read with the old format's laser frequency, hidden behind a semi-reflective/semi-transparent layer that's transparent i.e. invisible at the old frequency but reflective at the new frequency; in this case a red laser of 650nm for DVD and a blue laser of 405nm for BD, respectively (for some more illustrations see the coverage by AV Watch).
BD/DVD Hybrid Disc structure It's been a while since we last heard of hybrid disc structures in the HD era of blue lasers -- probably since Warner's Total Hi-Def (THD) format, a HD-DVD/Blu-ray Disc combination which never materialized. We're surprised it comes this late -- some two years after the launch of Blu-ray Disc. Late, because one would expect such a hybrid format to be a temporary vehicle to help the transition from the old to the new format. Perhaps the consideration is that the early adopters don't need such a hybrid but to conquer the masses it is needed. Parallels with 'single-layer' SACD and the hybrid SACD come to mind. While we will not engage in predictions about the success of the hybrid DVD/BD (we think it's an interesting and viable idea) we will say we don't expect the format to have particular relevance for BD's appeal for audio applications. After all, what should the DVD layer add here? DVD-Audio content? Likely, the installed base of BD players already eclipses DVD-Audio's. No, for audiophiles only a hybrid with CD or rather SACD (or both) like we proposed would be needed but a relative niche format can do little to help a fledgling mass-market format truly break through. On a positive note, it seems that PS3 is compatible with the new disc. That suggests that at least this format has been anticipated for long. It's not clear whether PS3 can play both layers and if the UI offers an option to switch between them, like with hybrid SACDs. That's important because the content of the one layer is not necessarily just a lower-resolution version of the other's. Besides, you may like to do A/B comparisons. We'll report back as soon as we know more.
SACD top 10 of 2008 'tis the time of the year for overviews so here's a rundown of the ten best-selling SACD titles as far as our statistics go:
The most popular hardware year-to-date sold through this site is: If you're still thinking what to ask or give for Christmas, rest assured these are all fine choices. If you're looking for something different, you may take a look here:
Two RBCD flavours merged? Although we made a suggestion in this direction just over a month ago (in our coverage of Blu-spec CD) we doubt this is what gave them the idea. Two of the process improvements introduced to create better 'Red Book' CDs have been combined now. JVC's 2K HD technology, an improved mastering process, is combined with a MemoryTech disc replication technology that uses glass (which is harder and supposedly clearer) instead of polycarbonate as substrate material, an approach similar to SHM-CD. The resulting disc is referred to by the two as K2 HD Mastering + Crystal Disc. For more details and graphs refer to this (Japanese) article.
While we applaud combining these two technologies rather then letting them exist side by side for us it doesn't go far enough. There are more 'competing' technologies that really are no substitute for one another but actually complementary. Most importantly, it's still a red book CD with 16-bit 44.1-kHz stereo PCM sound. Why pursue (sub)marginal improvements in this format while since nine years there's a standard that's a major leap forward in terms of fidelity (yet still maintains compatibility with CD players) -- Super Audio CD.
Many of the RBCD improvements listed in our earlier article below could be applied to the CD layer of SACD, some even to the SACD layer or the overall disc yet the only real combination we've seen are a couple of hybrid SACDs where the CD layer is HDCD-encoded, mostly by Fim (First Impression Music).
PS3 and Japanese models Occasionally we check our site statistics to see what search terms people use to find our page and one of the terms that shows up in the top twenty this month is the phrase "Japanese models". We could imagine these searchers are actually looking for photo models rather than product types, so in order to not disappoint these people when they visit this site we'll post a picture here of a couple of charming Japanese booth babes.
Of course it's completely on topic since they're posing with an equally pretty PlayStation3 and not just a gratuitous image to beautify the page, let alone some shameless attempt to increase the site's ranking. If we find a picture of a Japanese model holding an SACD disc for sure we'll post it here too.
PS3 'Movie Pack' One more bundle for the holiday season, for Europe that is: a 'Movie Pack' consisting of an 80GB PlayStation 3, DualShock 3 and a BD copy of 300, for the surely symbolical price of £300. In case you were wondering: Like all recent bundles, this concerns a model without SACD or PS2 compatibility.
There's a similar movie pack with I Am Legend bundled.
Sony BD/DVD/SACD Home Theater Systems? While wondering what's taking Sony so long to release an SACD-compatible Blu-ray Disc player other than PS3 (like Oppo and Denon have) and focusing on the ES series, we may have been sleeping all along. Here are two Sony-branded integrated systems (BD/DVD/CD players with integrated AV receiver) usually referred to as Home Theater Systems or, outside of North America, Home Cinema Systems, which all appear to offer SACD playback, according to the SonyStyle site:
Some of the other details make us wary. The feature list shows "SA-CD : Yes". Yet it also says "DVD-Audio : Yes". While it's not impossible this is correct, it's unlikely. It would make this the first Sony product ever to support the 'rival' format. Sometimes such things do happen. At some point Sony DVD players have started offering DVD-RAM playback -- the above products included, apparently. In this case however we suspect the product manager who filled out this table may unintentionally have overstated the capabilities.
Perhaps "DVD-Audio : Yes" means it can play the DVD-Video-compatible audio tracks that all such discs have (any DVD player can) and maybe "SA-CD : Yes" means it can play the CD layer of a hybrid SACD. With the feature list drilling down to such a deep level of detail it's remarkable they haven't specified it like "Hybrid Disc (SA-CD/CD) : No/Yes" (or ~Yes/Yes, whichever applies). Especially considering the list does include the following lines:
Which may shed an interesting light on the shape of things to come. While at it, may we suggest a hybrid BD/SACD perhaps? While making it a hybrid BD/SACD/CD with Blu-ray Disc on one side and Super Audio CD and Red Book CD on the other is theoretically feasible within the boundaries of the standards but it sounds extremely challenging. Just the 'DSD layer' on one side and BD on the other must be perfectly technically feasible and no more complicated than a BD/DVD hybrid (which, admittedly, we have yet to see). It would be a perfect option for a label like 2L Music, who have released two (classical) titles each consisting of a Blu-ray Disc and a (hybrid) SACD: Divertimenti and SONaR (discussed in this thread). In the case of another Home Theatre System, the DAV-IS50, SACD (which may very well be supported in an HTS without BD playback) is indicated on the features page but denied on the specifications page, which is inconsistent and confusing. We'll check with Sony and let you know as soon as we learn more. Update: One of our readers reports he has inquired with Sony Customer Service who confirmed the SACD playback for the BDV-IS1000 yet upon delivery of the system it turned out it actually didn't support SACD. Update 2: We've got confirmation from Sony HQ in Japan that the two BD systems play neither SACD nor DVD-Audio. The pages referenced above should be adjusted shortly.
Denon BD/DVD-Audio/SACD player Denon today announced it's first Blu-ray Disc player that supports Super Audio CD and DVD-Audio as well as of course DVD-Video and plain old CD -- the oddly named DVD-A1UD. (Would 'UD' denote Universal Disc player? That seems like such a moving target.) Denon's previous BD player was called DVD-3800BD.
The set will support BD-ROM (BD-Video and BDMV), BD-R/RE, DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, DVD-R/RW, SA-CD, CD, CD-R/RW. There's no mention of VCD or SVCD (but who wants to play such low-resolution formats in this HD age?) nor of DVD+R/RW (though there's a good chance those will play anyway). There's no HD-DVD which may disappoint some and lead to other to debate this is not a truly universal player but Denon's never been in the HD-DVD camp. Furthermore there's support for DivX6, WMA, MP3 and JPEG. The set also features an SD/SDHC slot. Of course it has HDMI output but it's not clear whether DSD streaming is provided on it or only via the proprietary 'Denon Link'. BD-Live (profile 2.0) is promised as an upgrade. Until then you'll have to make do with BonusView (profile 1.1).
The DVD-A1UD will be available in black and silver from January 2009 on at a price of ¥546,000. It may beat the Oppo BDP-83 to market by a narrow margin. These are the first BD players besides PS3 that play SACD as well as BD. It's also the first BD player since Panasonic's first-generation DMP-BD10 that plays DVD-Audio, and likely the first BD player to support both high-end audio formats. But perhaps the reason for the slight Oppo delay beyond the 2008 holiday season is they're still working to make it DVDA-compatible, regardless of the significant price difference. The Denon price translates to $5,875 while the Oppo will cost something between $499 and $999.
In the meantime we'll stick with the wonderful media player that is PlayStation3 while hoping next year's Sony ES range will bring us a BD/SACD player. A BDP-SA5500ES perhaps?
Firmware v2.53? Kotaku last week reported about an imminent release of system software v2.53 for PS3 -- supposed to provide full-screen video for Adobe Flash Player -- so we've kept an eye on it but to this date neither SCEA's blog nor their update page (or SCEJ's/SCEE's for that matter) shows any such news, instead still advertising v2.52. Update: A few hours after posting this, v2.53 is up after all. More on AV Watch (Japanese).
Happy Thanksgiving! We wish you a very joyful Thanksgiving Day and an equally enjoyable Black Friday.
Black Friday is almost here In the US it's alsmost Thanksgiving Day and the Friday before that as a form of (recent?) tradition is a national bargain day known as Black Friday. Amazon.com will also have some special offers. In the meantime, PS3 is featured in three different Amazon.com bundles (each with a game, one or more BD movies and PlayStation3 Blu-ray Disc remote control) ranging from $199 to $229. Which bundle will actually make it is a matter of voting. If you vote for the winning combination you stand a chance to buy the bundle at the advertized price. You can vote here. One note: Each bundle features an 80GB model but we cannot tell for sure whether it's SACD-compatible. Considering the packshot shows a DualShock3 controller we suspect it's the incompatible 2008 model. Still, it's incredible value. Compare it to this bundle featuring the same 80GB PS3, Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction and Casino Royale (the first Daniel Craig James Bond movie) on BD, without the remote -- suggested retail price $399...
One 80GB PS3 bundle that is supposed to give you SACD playback is the once-hard-to-get MGS4 bundle. Walmart (no, we're not affiliated with them) now offers it at a mere $399. If they run out you can always look for one here. At the time of writing, the 80GB PS3 Motorstorm bundle is $399.
PS3 turns two PlayStation3 was launched (in the US) two years ago today. That means it's got at least eight more years to go to fulfill Sony's ambitions of a ten-year life span and to outsell PS2 by shifting 150 million units. Let's hope it all comes true and Sony (and other record companies) supply this massive market with lots of SACDs and, further down the road, high-resolution multichannel music downloads perhaps.
Oppo BDP-83 news Oppo has released proper pictures of its first Blu-ray Disc player, the BDP-83 we reported about earlier -- the first device since PlayStation3 to support Super Audio CD as well as BD. You can clearly spot the SACD logo, next to a DVD-Video logo. DVD-Audio support is still not confirmed, as is DSD streaming via HDMI.
The release date is not firm either yet but unconfirmed reports indicate it will not make it before Christmas and shift into 2009. For those interested to stay informed about any updates Oppo has created a registration form.
First 160-GB PS3 bundle Europe, or at least Scandinavia, seems to have the honour of getting the first bundle of the 160-GB PlayStation3.
As we reported earlier, although this model is now the top of the range, it is compatible with neither SACD nor PS2. It does come with a DualShock 3 controller and vouchers for four PSN games (GT5: Prologue, Quest for Booty, Last Guy & Super Stardust HD), according to Kotaku. Update: It's been spotted in other European territories as well, notably the Benelux countries.
Blu-spec CD: yet another attempt at a high-quality audio format The Blu-ray Disc format today has given rise to another 'high-quality audio carrier': Blu-spec CD, announced today by Sony Music Entertainment (SME).
No this is not DSD, DXD or high-res PCM on a BD-ROM disc, thus creating something like a BD-Audio disc. It's yet another flavour of good old Red Book CD (RBCD), the original Compact Disc Digital Audio format we've known for over 25 years. If we interpret the information (from the Japanese press release) correctly, the idea is to apply a blue laser (as used with Blu-ray Disc) instead of a conventional infra-red laser to cut a more precise CD master with more perfect pits.
This technique leads to more accurate read-out of the (16-bit 44.1kHz PCM stereo) digital audio signal.
While this is surely an interesting method to improve sound quality, we must note that Blu-spec CD is not really a new format but a new technique applied to an existing format -- CD. It's applied to one specific step of the whole CD making process, namely the cutting of the physical CD master. It competes with other attempts at establishing new standards for making CDs:
And above all, of course, it competes with Super Audio CD for the affection and money of consumers interested in superior sound quality. As you can see from the above overview, all of these approaches relate to different parts of the creation and manufacturing process, so there seems to be no technical objection why all of these couldn't be combined into an ultimate single high-quality carrier. That could be an RBCD but we suggest is be a hybrid SACD. Where DSD-CD, HDCD, XRCD and Blu-spec CD can create a better CD layer, we think use of a blue laser could also make a yet finer SACD layer (typically recorded using a red laser) while the more transparent 'super high material' of SHM-CD and the special silver alloy coating of HQCD would make a better disc overall. The objections are not even political but of course of financial nature. These various process improvements are surely patented and the record companies plan to license them to others, perhaps even each other. Now if only they could get their act together, agree on a cross-licensing agreement and create this ultimate carrier. We're not going to speculate about the name this should take (SHM-DSD-XR-HD-SA-CD anyone?) but of course, we are pessimistic this will happen. More likely in music shops selling physical media, already facing difficult times (not only the brick & mortar stores but probably also the online retailers) you're going to see separate racks for XRCDs, SHM-CDs, HDCDs, Blu-Spec CDs and SACDs next to the regular CDs. Sadly, the consumer will not have much choice other than between the original CD and one of these new formats: as these are 'proprietary' formats, you're not going to see a single album released in multiple formats. If this were to happen, inventory/stocking problems would get even worse. On a side note: a warning is in place here: If you see a title with too many of the above disc format's logos on them, it's probably a fake from China, just like these albums by Abba, the Bee Gees, Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, U2, Kiss and Enigma (the latter branded as a DSD CD) we've come across. China Record Co likes to wow its customers but it's pure cargo cult.
Sony Music will launch Blu-spec CD in Japan (as ブルースペックCD) by reissuing 60 back catalogue albums in the new standard. And to be sure: as these are essentially Red Book CDs, all PS3 models are compatible with Blu-spec CD. Discuss this topic in our forum.
Firmware v2.52 issued In other news today, SCE has issued system software v2.52, reportedly fixing a flaw with text entry by means of USB/Bluetooth keyboards.
Firmware update v4.30 Sony has issued firmware v4.30 to address playability issues with the James Bond Blu-ray Discs (reported earlier here). Version 4.30? Yes, that's for the BDP-S300 player. As far as we can find, PS3 does not suffer from this issue so no firmware upgrade is needed at this time. Some other BD players do however. See the official Blu-ray Disc Association's page.
Yet another 80GB PS3 bundle Yet another 80GB PS3 bundle, and like all other recent ones it's the model without SACD playback.
It's going to be released in Japan November 27th at ¥46,980 and will come with two DualShock 3 controllers and a copy of Winning Eleven 2009, the Japanese name for Pro Evo soccer.
3rd Genesis SACD box available finally The third Genesis SACD box we reported about earlier (the one with remasters of albums from their earliest years) is actually available from today.
Blu Halloween If you're in the mood for some Halloween/horror movies on BD or DVD you may want to check out this selection.
Firmware v2.50 released Sony has issued firmware v2.50 today. New 'media' features include Flash Player 9 support and more fine-grained volume control. For a complete overview check the ThreeSpeech blog or Wikipedia. There are no new SACD features.
Rush concert on BD The Rush SACDs that were to be expected at one point never materialized -- MFSL (Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs) got a license for Permanent Waves and other albums yet could only do a Gold CD reissue -- but now there's a Blu-ray Disc going to be released of their Snakes & Arrows live album. The concert was recorded over two nights at the Ahoy Arena in Rotterdam. The complete show plus additional footage will be there.
It will be issued (November 25) on DVD and Blu-ray Disc, both as 3-disc sets. The Digital Bits report the BD specs are not disclosed yet while the DVD will contain Dolby Digital and PCM 5.1 audio. We doubt that, since that would make it a DVD-Audio disc. We'll let you know as soon as we've figured out the details.
Low-cost 80GB model coming to Japan The low-cost 80GB model is also going to be released in Japan by the end of this month (October 30), Sony announced today at the Tokyo Games Show. It will be available in colors Clear Black, Cermaic White and Satin Silver, and in two bundles: GT5 Prologue Spec III and Little Big Planet. Prices will range from ¥39,980 to ¥44,980. The typenumber is going to be CECHL00. As with the western model CECHK~ this SKU with have just two USB ports, no PS2 compatibility and, moreover, no SACD compatibility. To help overcome the USB port limitation, the company has also introduced a separate USB charger with two ports.
New pop/rock albums on SACD SACD releases in the pop and rock genres may be few and far between nowadays but they do keep coming. Universal Music Group has its Deluxe Edition series. Unfortunately not quite all albums in this series contain SACDs. We can think of many where this would have fit excellently, such as ABC's The Lexicon of Love (and some of the tracks have been remixed in 5.1 for the DVD compilation). Yet the series does include a couple of clasic pop albums on SACD including Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, The Who's Tommy and The Moody Blues' Days of Future Passed. UMG now adds to this Black Sabbath's Paranoid (released October 21, 2008)
and Emerson Lake & Palmer's Brain Salad Surgery (released October 7, 2008).
From 4AD (but issued by Mobile Fidelity) comes another Pixies album remastered on SACD: Bossanova (released October 14, 2008), which follows the earlier Surfer Rosa and Doolittle. MusicDirect, who own MoFi, also lists Foghat's Fool for the City on its website; date to be confirmed. It's going to be a numbered limited edition SACD. By the way, if you search Amazon.com for "Foghat SACD" you'll find this interesting sampler: 10 Great Artists, 10 Great Songs. The indication that this is an SACD must however be a mistake because (a) it's a Warner release and (b) its release predates the SACD format by several years... Update: It appears the Black Sabbath release does contains two CDs and a DVD-Video disc with Dolby Digital 2.0 and DTS 5.1 (both regular 48 kHz 16-bit) but no SACD.
First-ever PC with SACD support Another first in the history of SACD: the first-ever PC that plays SACDs. It's the Sony VAIO JS1-series 'all-in-one' lifestyle PC. According to the press release, "this can handle Super Audio CD (SA-CD), allowing the JS1 to record, edit and play music at SA-CD quality, and even upgrade older recordings to the new standard.
What's a little confusing is the drive. The specs mention "Optical: DVD±RW/±R DL/RAM." That could refer to DVD formats this PC's drive is capable of reading but we assume what's meant is this drive can record them. That makes this not only the first PC drive ever to support SACD playback but the first DVD writer drive that's compatible with SACD. What's more, several of the PR pictures show a BD-R sitting in the tray. Now this may not guarantee anything but at least it suggests BD-R playback. More likely we can expect Blu-ray Disc recording. That makes this one of the most universal drives of all time, and the first SACD-compatible BD drive outside of PS3. We'll let you know when Sony gets back to our query. Update: The press release turns out to have been confusing and confused. Confusing in the sense that this PC cannot handle SACD -- the processor could but the drive can't. The author must have been confused because although this PC comes with SonicStage Mastering Studio which can handle DSD, the DSD Disc format still only supports stereo -- not 5.1. The question about the DVD/BD writer remains unanswered. Update 2: Sony Europe press centre has revised the press release per October 13. Any reference to SACD or 5.1 is now gone. Also removed are the pictures showing a BD-R disc in the tray, implicitly answering part of our question about the drive's capabilities. Presumably it's a CD/DVD writer with no BD support.
New Pioneer A/V Receivers Pioneer has recently added two new AV receiver models in Japan and Europe: the SC-LX71 and SC-LX81. Of course, with features like Dolby TrueHD, DTS HD Master Audio (and likely DSD input -- the brochure isn't explicit about that) via HDMI these receivers are designed to make a nice stack in combination with the BDP-LX71 Blu-ray Disc player and the DVD-LX50 DVD/SACD player. With 7.1-channel PCM input they'll work very nicely with a PS3 too.
Firmware v2.43 relevant for Japan only A new system software version, v2.43, is available. According the the official PlayStation Blog, "unlike previous updates, firmware v2.43 is specific to the Japan region, and only PS3 users there will be required to install the update. PS3 users in all other regions will not be prompted to download v2.43. However, if you manually initiate a firmware update by clicking on “System Update” under the XMB’s Settings icon, the v2.43 update will be available, regardless of where you are located. Users outside of Japan do not need to perform this update if your PS3 system software is on version v2.41 or later. However if you do perform the update, it will not cause any issues with your system or add any new functionality." Reportedly, the changes are for the release of rental content in the PlayStation Store.
WipEout HD release imminent The long-awaited PS3 game in the wipEout series, wipEout HD, is due for release worldwide on 25 September, ten days from today, SCE has announced on its blog. As transpired earlier, the game will be PSN-exclusive i.e. only available via the PlayStation Network.
As also reported before, the soundtrack will be in 'Dolby 5.1', whatever that means precisely (we're thinking plain vanilla Dolby Digital or, better for in-game use, Dolby Digital Live). The game will offer the option to race to any custom playlist from your HDD. We're hoping the audio tracks will be accessible outside of the game as well but have to assume by now the soundtrack will not be released on SACD or even DVD (like the soundtracks of the original wipEout game, wipEout 2097/XL and wipEout Pure were issued on regular Audio CD). Songs remixed to multichannel for the game are:
Three new Marantz receivers Marantz has added some new models to its AV receiver range: The SR6003, SR5003 and SR4003. All of them can handle 7.1-channel PCM via HDMI (and as such are well-suited for hooking up to a PS3) while the first two also accept DSD input. List price is $1199/¥120,000, $799/¥87,000 and $549, respectively.
Oppo: First BD/DVD/SACD/CD player other than PS3 In other CEDIA news, Oppo has beaten Sony's Home AV division (as well as Philips, Pioneer, Marantz and other brands) to it: making the first combined Blu-ray Disc/DVD/Super Audio CD player other than PlayStation3. Besides BD, DVD-Video and SACD the product named BDP-83 will also play CD and HDCD. DVD-Audio support Oppo is reportedly still working on. None of Oppo's websites we're aware of has any details about the upcoming multi-format player but people who have spoken with Oppo on the showfloor (they don't have their own stand but exhibit this prototype at the booth of Anchor Bay, whose VRS chipset they're using) say it should be out this winter. We'll post some proper pictures when we get them.
Top-of-the-line Sony receiver At CEDIA, Sony has shown the same ES series equipment introduced last week at IFA, plus another new 7.1-channel, DSD-compatible AV receiver: the DLNA-compliant STR-DA6400ES. It will be available in September for about $2,000 and sounds like a nice companion for a PlayStation3.
Yet more PS3 bundles coming to Europe Also the Little Big Planet PS3 bundle coming to Europe contains the new 80GB PlayStation3, meaning it will not play SACD.
New PS3 bundles coming to the continent SCEE will release at least two new bundles in Europe -- one with a movie, the other with Gran Turismo 5.
Reportedly, the bundles (€399 and €449, respectively) will only make it to mainland Europe -- not to the UK. Be aware that although both include an 80GB PS3, neither provides SACD playback. These are the new 80GB models.
First Sony SACD player with DSD output via HDMI It had been a while since Sony last released a dedicated SACD player but this week Sony hits back with a new potential masterpiece, the ES series model SCD-XA5400ES. While the front looks familiar -- it basically uses the same front panel as its predecessors SCD-XA9000ES (the model with i.Link) and SCD-XA3000ES, SCD-XA1200ES and the DVP-NS9100ES -- its rear panel indicates the internal circuitry of this device must be quite a radical departure. Like PlayStation3, it's no longer got analog multichannel outputs, just stereo (although in the case of this ES model they're balanced outputs). It does however have one important feature that PS3 lacks: DSD output via HDMI. It's the first Sony player to do so (though it's not quite the first brand to do so; see this list). Previously, only DSD output via i.Link was available. It's also the first SACD player (besides PS3) that can handle the DSD Disc format. The new player features Sony's proprietary H.A.T.S. (High-quality Audio Transfer System) that was used previously with i.Link between the SCD-XA9000ES and STR-DA9000ES, and between the SCD-DR1 and TA-DR1.
To enjoy DSD decoding in the receiver, you'll need the new Japanese TA-DA5400ES model, the new STR-DA4400ES model for European and American markets (see below), the earlier STR-DA5300ES (see further below) -- or a different brand altogether. Check this list or our store. The American and European prices for the player have not been announced but some retailers' websites suggest a $1,499 street price. The Japanese price is ¥176,400. We're still dreaming of an ES series player that combines BD, DVD, SACD and CD playback all in one. Until that becomes a reality (PS3 is still the only device in the world playing SACD as well as BD) one will need separate devices and to fill this gap Sony has announced an ES series BD/DVD/CD player, the BDP-S5000ES -- a model that appears to be more worthy of the ES subbrand than the earlier BDP-S2000ES, which had virtually the same cabinet as Sony's other second-generation BD players. The BD player, SACD player and AV receiver look like they make a terrific combination together.
At IFA, Sony has also introduced several other Blu-ray Disc players, including the global models BDP-S350 and BDP-S550 but also the BD-compatible home theatre system (integrated player/AV receiver) BDV-IT1000, possibly a strictly European affair. Update: It appears the SCD-XA5400ES can output PCM via HDMI but will only do so for Red Book CD -- not for SACD; there, only DSD output is provided. There seems to be no setting or option to let the player convert DSD to high-res PCM, while with PlayStation3 this is the only way. This means that for owners of an AV receiver that handles PCM via HDMI but not DSD, the 5400 is not a good choice but a proper PS3 is. For those whose receiver can decode DSD however it's a great choice. Update 2: Kal Rubinson reports that the SCD-XA5400ES can actually output high-resolution PCM, provided that the receiving processor sends the proper EDID (Extended Display Information Data) message across HDMI. Not all AV receivers may do so and there is still no manual setting on the SACD player for selecting/switching this.
Amazon Blu-ray Disc sale: up to 50% off Amazon has another Blu-ray Disc sale with up to 50% off on titles including No Country for Old Men, The Bank Job and The Prestige. There are further pre-order bargains on Iron Man (Ultimate 2-Disc Edition), Band of Brothers and The Ultimate Matrix Collection.
The promotion ends August 29.
Last of three Genesis SACD boxes about to be released The last of the three Genesis SACD boxsets is finally available for (pre)order.
Genesis 1970-1975 contains remasters of the first couple of albums:
All of the albums are hybrid SACDs with stereo and multichannel remixes. The boxset will be released September 30. It'll be available from Amazon.com at $139.98. We assume the SACD albums will also be available separately.
New 160GB PS3 model Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has today (at the Leipzig conference) announced a new PS3 SKU with a 160 GB HDD -- a big jump, since the 80 GB version was never introduced in Europe and the 60 GB was phased out quite some time ago. The PAL model will be introduced on October 31 at a recommended retail price of €449. SCEA confirms that also the US will get a 160 GB model and apart from the Hard Drive capacity it'll have the same specs as the new 80 GB model. That means no SACD and no PS2 compatibility.
1 year of PS3SACD.com PS3SACD.com is one year old today. We want to thank everyone who has contributed to its success: all visitors, everyone who's responded, all shoppers and especially everyone who has posted on the forum. Thanks for your continued support. Count on us to proceed with the same enthusiasm and dedication.
Amazon Summer Sale Amazon.co.uk has a Summer Sale with deals for movies (DVD), music (CD) and video games. The promotion runs until August 31st. Amazon.de meanwhile has SACDs on offer.
New Onkyo AV Receivers Onkyo has launched some new 7.1-channel AV Receivers with DSD input via HDMI. They support DSD processing as well as 'Direct Mode'. Other features include DTS-HD Master Audio / Dolby TrueHD decoding, THX certification and Windows Vista compatibility via a front USB port. The US gets the TX-NR906 (no SRP announced yet). Presumably this model is virtually identical to the Japanese TX-NA906X. Derived from this is the Integra DTX-9.9 (¥ 367,500). Similarly, the Onkyo TX-SA806X formed the basis for Integra DTX-8.9 (¥ 262,500).
Firmware v2.42 issues Firmware v2.42 is reported to have some issues. No further details are given but apparently it's less serious than the fall-out from v2.40.
New Sony receiver with DSD input Sony demonstrates its continued commitment to the DSD audio format by introducing a new A/V Receiver with DSD input via HDMI: the STR-DA4400ES.
The 7.1-channel receiver has got six HDMI inputs and a Cross Media Bar (XMB) user interface. Supported audio codecs include Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio. Too bad PS3 still doesn't output these except converted to PCM. The ES series model will be available in August for about $1,500.
Firmware v2.42 issued Sony has issued a minor firmware update, v2.42, to 'improve the playback quality of some PlayStation3 and PlayStation format software'.
New 80GB PS3 model coming to PAL land The as yet unnamed new 80GB model will go on sale in all PAL territories, simultaneously on August 27, says SCEE. The price will be €399 on the continent and £299 in the UK. It will replace the 40GB SKU. Now this may sound like good value for money until you realize $399 equates to €252 and to £199. In other words, the price of PS3 is 50% higher in Europe than in the US -- a discrepancy that tax differences alone cannot account for.
New 80GB PS3 model Although Sony hasn't said so explicitly, it looks like the newly announced $399 80GB model of PS3 will not have SACD playback. After all, except for the Hard Disk capacity the specs are the same as of the current 40GB model, according to the press release. It also means no hardware emulation for compatibility with PS2 games (nor software emulation, for now). There's no confirmation of the typenumber yet. As soon as there is, we'll update the overview in the FAQ. Until that time, expect confusion about the specs of 'the 80GB model', now that there are two.
iGoogle widget For your convenience, we've added a button that will put a PS3SACD.com widget on your iGoogle homepage. You'll find it at the top of this page.
Yazoo remasters in 5.1 Mute Records has recently issued remastered versions of Yazoo's albums that include a brand new 5.1-channel mix. Sadly it appears that unlike the Depeche Mode remasters (see coverage near the bottom of this page) Mute didn't choose SACD with DVD added: It's a boxset with three plain CDs and a DVD with the surround mixes. Still, this probably makes for some interesting music.
Firmware v2.41 issued As predicted, there's a v2.41 firmware release. Sony issued it yesterday to address the issues introduced with v2.40.
Firmware v2.40 withdrawn Yesterday, SCE put firmware v2.40 online. This release was highly anticipated because of many new features. Within hours however, users reported problems and Sony was forced to retract it. We expect we'll see a version 2.41 shortly. We'll keep you posted.
Firmware v2.40 due System software version 2.40 is due tomorrow. New A/V features include upconverting of video content (from 1080i to 1080p) on self-recorded Blu-ray Discs -- so-called BDAV discs -- as well as HDD, SD cards and Memory Sticks. New among the audio features is support of DTS-ES and DTS-96/24 for DVD and DTS-ES Matrix for BD playback.
Also added is support for MP3 Surround, a feature we suggested in our recent editorial. Thanks for that, Sony. We remain hopeful you'll follow up on our other suggestions too. Other v2.40 features are the in-game XMB and the new trophee system.
Sony BMG: BD Music survey and contest Sony BMG Music Entertainment has already released a number of music video titles on Blu-ray Disc and clearly is considering issuing more. Surround sound, high-resolution audio-only content is an option here. You can have a say, and could win 12 BD titles in the process. Fill out this survey to enter the contest (for US residents).
Firmware news Firmware news: v2.40 is near but there's v2.36 as an intermediate update. Meanwhile, PS3 Hacks has posted the elusive v2.00 -- the only version thus far that on the fly converts SACD's DSD audio to DTS Digital Surround sound for output via optical wire (see coverage from November below or the FAQ). We are not aware of any tricks to downgrade the system software version so until then this is only useful for those who are still at v1.93 or lower. Note: since it's only just been added you may find v2.00 at the top of the list; not between version 1.93 and 2.01.
SACD-compatible 80GB PS3 back in store Metal Gear Solid 4 is out and bundles with PlayStation3 are available in the main markets but there's an important difference: in North America, the MGS4 bundle contains an (SACD-compatible) 80-GB model while in Japan and Europe you can only get the 40-GB model instead.
North America only: 80GB, SACD-compatible
40GB, no SACD
Create your own DSD Discs Have you always wanted to make your own SACDs? Well, you can't unless you've got all the studio equipment and access to SACD disc replication facilities but what you can do at home is make DSD Discs, the closest thing to it. Basically they're DVDs (that you can record on your PC) with DSD audio on them. How to get audio in DSD? One possible choice that's in reach is Korg's professional but portable audio recorder, the MR-1 (for detailed specs and an explanation of the benefits of DSD recording, check the Korg website; for a review read this).
To learn how to make your own DSD Discs, check this comprehensive guide, included on our site courtesy of Desertsky.
Dead Can Dance SACD Collectors Box The SACD reissues of all nine Dead Can Dance albums (see our earlier coverage) will soon also be available in a nice slipcase. The collectors box set will be released on June 30. You can preorder it here.
PS3 firmware upgrade v2.35 Sony has issued a new system software update, v2.35. As usual with 'intermediate' updates (where the first decimal isn't raised but the second is) there are no new features, only 'stability improvements'. Remarkably, it doesn't solve the widely report GTA-IV bug either.
Invisible Home Cinema with Sony Bravia Theatre furniture For those who wish to have a 5.1 surround sound set-up without all the cables and, moreover, without the numerous speakers about the room, Sony Europe has introduced some new models of its Bravia Theatre furniture pieces. With their 'hidden speaker' they provide 'invisible home cinema'. Interestingly, they operate with HDMI, passing through 1080p video and, importantly, decoding high-resolution multichannel PCM -- as provided by PS3, although this option is not mentioned in the press release.
There are two models: RHT-G900 and RHT-G1500. The main difference appears to be that the former has an extra shelf while the latter is wider. Note that these are not '2.1' or even '1.1' home theatre systems. Sony emphasises that every channel has its own speaker and amplifier so there's no downmixing and virtualisation going on here. Update: The Register has published a review of the RHT-G500 and an alternative by Sharp, the AN-PR1500H.
Firmware v2.30 adds DTS-HD Master Audio System software version v2.30, announced last week, has become available today in Japan, Europe and North America. The key new feature is DTS-HD Master Audio decoding. That means that instead of feeding the bitstream to your receiver via HDMI the PS3 will convert the signal to high-resolution multichannel PCM for output via the same port. Of course, your receiver must be able to handle that audio format otherwise it's still no use.
SCE added the following specific details:
The formulation of the first item strikes us as remarkable since – as far as we're aware – PS3 does not offer an option to stream the original audio signal via HDMI, only the PCM conversion. In fact, this is valid for all the high-resolution audio formats: Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD, DTS-HD Master Audio and, notably, DSD. You can read and discuss our comment in the forum.
BBC iPlayer for PS3 System software version 2.20 may be barely two weeks old but already the release of v2.30 is imminent. Sony has revealed on its PlayStation blog that one of the key additions will be DTS-HD Master Audio output. Other new features include the revamped PlayStation Store. In other news today, an (unofficial) BBC iPlayer for PS3 has become available. You can find it here. Note: it will only work in the UK.
Great new Marantz gear for BD/SACD/PS3 Marantz has developed some very nice kit to accompany PlayStation3 as well as other Blu-ray Disc players and especially SACD players. Among its many fancy features the AV8003 can count:
Marantz AV8003 The AV8003 is not an AV receiver -- it's a 'networking AV PreAmp/Processor'. In other words, it requires a separate power amplifier. This is where the MM8003 comes in -- an 8-channel power amp.
Marantz MM8003 We could be mistaken but judging by their design, the two products appear to be part of Marantz's Reference Series. That would be great to see: Marantz finally upgrading this segment of their range to multichannel. Thus far, their top-most equipment has been stereo only while 5.1-channel sound and beyond has been reserved for their 'lower' ranges. The mind boggles. Let's hope Marantz will offer a matching BD player (not the BD8002) and, above all, a matching SACD player. Until that time we'll stick with our PS3... The AV8003 and MM8003 don't come cheap at $2,599.99 and $2,399.99 SRP respectively but we reckon they make a great set-up. In fact, considering the engineering and the sheer amount of features that went into them they are in fact a real bargain.
All nine Dead Can Dance albums on SACD After all this time, Dead Can Dance's complete set of albums is about to be released on SACD. The nine albums are scheduled for release on June 2. Other reports may mention a March 24 date but that was for Japan and has been postponed.
The discs will be hybrid but stereo-only. As a spokesperson of DCD's record label 4AD explains: "Unfortunately, due to the way DCD recorded, multi-tracks only exist of the first album and EP. […] We did want to do surround mixes but without multis there's nothing that can be done. Many of the albums were actually created in the final mastering where triggered samples (not on the multitrack) were mixed in live. This means that, apart from the stereo masters, there is no other recording containing all the musical elements." You can (pre)order all nine titles from our music page. A box set is expected later.
Europe may get another SACD-compatible PS3 Europe may again get another SACD-compatible PS3: According to British retailers quoted by CVG, an 80GB model is on its way to the UK (and presumably Europe) to reach shelves by the end of summer. It's unknown whether this concerns a model with the same specs as the American 80GB model i.e. SACD and PS2 compatibility. Sony will not confirm the rumour – nor deny it, for that matter. In the meantime, the 60GB model is still available.
System software v2.20 now released System software version 2.20, which adds 'BD-Live' functionality (see coverage from March 20 below) is now available for download from Sony.
Seven suggestions for Sony to reinvigorate SACD Sony has certainly done a lot for Super Audio CD by incorporating it in PlayStation3 but there are more things the company could do that would make existing owners, new PS3 buyers and other people interested in SACD happy. Read our two cents in the new editorial section.
System software v2.20 about to be released System software version 2.20, due 'late March' according to SCEE, will add Blu-ray Disc Profile 2.0, also known as 'BD-Live'. Other features include remote play enhancements for audio playback via PSP and a noise reduction setting for BD and DVD video playback. We'll keep you posted.
System software v2.17 released Sony Computer Entertainment has released (at least in Japan – it appears to work in Japanese initially) a new version of the PS3 system software, 2.17. As far as we know thus far it has no relevance to SACD playback. We also know not what happened to 2.11-2.16 but suspect these were internal release candidates that have not been approved.
New Nine Inch Nails album available in various high-res choices Nine Inch Nails have released their new album, Ghosts I-IV. Unlike their previous album, The Downward Spiral, this one will apparently not be released as an SACD. Instead, you can choose between a free high-quality (320 kbps) DRM-free MP3 download of the first nine tracks plus a 40-page booklet in PDF form, a FLAC-encoded (losslessly compressed) download of all 36 tracks priced USD 5, a 2-disc CD set priced USD 10, and a USD 75 deluxe package including a DVD-ROM that contains all tracks in multitrack format (so you can do your own mixing) and a Blu-ray Disc with the album in high-definition (24-bit, 96 kHz) stereo. So no multichannel mix, unfortunately -- although with the right equipment one could make this from the multitrack master...
The USD 300 super-deluxe limited edition package was sold out instantly. The BD version is scheduled for release on May 1. In the meantime you could join the discussion on our forum.
New PS3 model is just Satin Silver 40GB version Suggestions from sources such as Ars Technica and Kotaku about a 120-GB PS3 thus far have not materialized. In the meantime SCE Japan has announced a 'Satin Silver' version of the 40-GB unit dubbed CECHH00SS. The specs are exactly indentical to those of the 'Clear Black' and 'Ceramic White' models, meaning: no SACD. SCE America denies plans to introduce this version.
T3 meanwhile speculates about a slimmed-down PS3, referred to as PSthree. We think it's way too early in the console's lifetime to make that step. Even when after the Cell Broadband Engine also the RSX GPU gets shrunk from 90nm to 65nm the two may still be too large to make combining them on a single die economically feasible.
New PS3 model expected Speculation is rife about a new PlayStation3 model about to be announced. According to the rumour, the 80-GB version is on the way out in favour of a 120-GB version. Phasing out of the 80-GB model would explain why it wasn't mentioned when the 20-GB and 60-GB models were eliminated from the Japanese line-up last month. According to Consumer Electronics Daily of January 23, SCEA has filed with the FCC for a white model. We speculate the new typenumber will be CECHI00 and/or CECHI01. The big question, of course, is whether such a new model will retain the high-end specs of the 80-GB edition, especially SACD playback. Constituting already the fourth generation of PS3 in just over a year, it may be yet another cost reduction, for instance containing a 65-nm version of the RSX graphics processor. (The third generation uses a 90-nm GPU with a 65-nm Cell BE processor while in the earlier two generations both were made using a 90-nm process.) Keep an eye on this page for more information.
20GB and 60GB PS3 phased out in Japan SCE Japan announced it stops manufacture of the (SACD-compatible) 20GB and 60GB PS3 versions, focusing further efforts on the 40GB version (which does not play SACD). The press release makes no mention of the 80GB version.
Firmware update v2.10 SCE has issued firmware version 2.10 for PS3. New features of the system software include:
Check back here shortly for more information or join the discussion in the forum.
Last Genesis SACD box ready for pre-order Release is scheduled only for March 31, 2008 but the last box in the Genesis SACD reissue series is now available for pre-order from Amazon UK
Firmware update v2.01 The joy of having multichannel output from SACD over optical out has lasted only short: about two weeks. Earlier this week Sony released a 'minor update' of the system software, v2.01, to address "stability issues". For all the new SACD users that came on board a fortnight ago it's a major change though: optical output from SACD remains possible but just in stereo. This may explain why the feature wasn't documented in the first place. Apparently it wasn't supposed to be there at all. To all who don't have an HDMI receiver yet we suggest postponing the upgrading from v2.00 to v2.01 as long as possible and enjoying multichannel SACD while it lasts.
Music page added We've added a page with an overview of pop music titles on SACD. Even more so than other pages on this site it's a case of work in progress. We aim to greatly expand the number of vendor links but you can already have a look and click through.
SACD playback via optical digital output Important news for all PS3 owners (and wannabe owners) whose AV receiver doesn't feature HDMI or multichannel PCM decoding: While not yet publicly documented by Sony, it turns out that system software v2.00 enables SACD playback via optical digital audio output. Multichannel DSD gets converted to multichannel DTS! Join the discussion on our forum.
Firmware update v2.00 Sony has released firmware update v2.00. Going by the details they've published about it thus far (on the Japanese consumer site, the US consumer site and blog and the European press pages) no new SA-CD functionality is included. There is no word about a Blu-ray Disc profile upgrade announced earlier either, so surely we can expect more, significant upgrades in the future.
40GB PS3 coming to America Following Europe and Japan, North America now also gets the 40GB, SACD-less PS3 unit, at 399 US/Canadian dollars. The unit will be available from November 2, SCEA announced today. More importantly, the 80GB model's price is cut by $100 to $499 with immediate effect. We'd say: Get yours while you can.
As was to be expected, SACD-less PS3 units are going to be introduced in other regions than just Europe. Today, SCE Japan announced two new models, equal in spec to the 40GB type (CECHG01) announced just days ago in the old world. The difference between them: the colour -- the CECHH00 CW is the first white unit (the letters 'CW' denote Ceramic White).
The SACD-compatible 60GB and 20GB versions will remain available and be reduced in price: ¥54,980 and ¥44,980. Even at this lower price the 20GB model is still more expensive than the new 40GB model (¥39,980) but of course you get SACD for that (plus some other features; see the FAQ). Let's hope that Sony will continue offering a 'high-end' model with all the A/V features including SACD, next to pure game machines. To be sure: there is no SACD-compatible white PS3.
It's official: the future of SACD looks a little less bright today than it did just a few days ago. Perhaps a lot less bright. Sony has announced a cost-down PS3 model for the European market, dropping SACD support.
The new model, introduced at €399, has a 40GB Hard Disk Drive, two USB ports instead of four and lacks the multi memory card reader. Perhaps most striking is the discarding of backwards compatibility with PlayStation2. Remarkable because the emulation was already done in software anyway. The press release made no mention of the change concerning SACD but the spec list no longer specifies the format and the official pictures said it all. It's probably only a matter of time before these changes are introduced in other markets, too. What will happen to the 'high end' model that features SACD remains to be seen but one can wonder if Sony will continue that for long, so you'd better get one while you can!
The last two albums of Depeche Mode's remasters series, 'Ultra' and 'Exciter' are finally out. Like the other eight albums in this series, they consist of a hybrid multichannel SACD and a DVD containing the same tracks in PCM stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 at 24-bit 96 kHz, plus some additional footage.
On the hardware side, Pioneer has introduced a new AV Receiver and it looks like another flagship...
The SC-LX90 is probably a nice match for any Blu-ray Disc player including the PS3. With a price tag more than ten times that of the console however you may want to consider a different type such as Marantz' new SR5002.
Unlike some other models of the brand it doesn't have DSD input via HDMI but it does support multi-channel PCM through this port. At a price of $799 or €699 it's a lot easier on the wallet. Denon meanwhile has released its new top-of-the-line AV Receiver, the AVP-A1 HD, an "Ultra-Reference 12 Channel A/V Home Theater/MultiMedia Preamplifier with Network Streaming and Wi-Fi".
The price tag – don't be shocked – $7,000 suggested retail price, $5,998 street price. It also exists in silver, but probably only in Japan.
SCE has issued another firmware update for PS3, v1.93. It has no effect on SACD playback though.
The FAQ has undergone a major revision. It includes new chapters, new questions and includes a much more detailed table of contents for easier navigation. Also, the new layout should make it much better legible.
Sony has issued a new firmware update, v1.92, but it holds no new improvements for SACD over v1.90. Reportedly the benefits relate to the PlayStation Store and to PS2 software emulator for better backward compatibility.
At the Berlin IFA fair, Yamaha has introduced a new AV receiver with DSD input via HDMI as well as Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD High Resolution and DTS-HD Master Audio: the DSP-Z11. While these features makes this unit highly suitable for use with PS3 it can do a more – a lot more. In fact it is Yamaha's new flagship product. You may be interested to know the suggested retail price is EUR 5,500. We're not exactly sure at this moment about the differences between this model and the RX-Z11 announced for North America. Perhaps the typenumber's the only thing.
What’s new? This site is! Opened to the public on August 17, 2007, so forgive us if not everything looks polished and finished yet. In the meantime, do look around and let us know what you think and what else you’d like to see here.
Sony has announced a new range of ES receivers, the STR-DA3300ES, STR-DA4300ES and STR-DA5300ES. While, thanks to multichannel PCM input via HDMI, all of these are very well suited for use in combination with a PS3 we’d recommend the latter (incidentally named TA-DA5300ES in Japan). Not because it’s the most expensive at SRP $1,699 (we don’t receive any commission for this advice) but because it’s more future-proof. How? It’s the only model in this series with DSD input via HDMI – a feature we hope PS3 will be able to use in the near future.
Sony Computer Entertainment has issued a number of PS3 firmware upgrades that further improve the audio and video performance of the console. The latest is v1.90, released July 24, 2007. It’s great to see the engineers behind PS3 care so much about picture and sound quality. For more details about what these improvements mean for SA-CD playback, check out the FAQ.
On the content side, Virgin Records has started reissueing Genesis' complete works on SACD. The first box, consisting of albums from 1976 to 1982, is available since this Spring. The second box, 1983-1998, will be released this September. A third box with their early work is to appear later. This move resembles one by Mute Records, who have embarked on a program to release remastered versions of all Depeche Mode albums on SACD. For Genesis as well as Depeche Mode, the albums are remastered and remixed from the original multitrack mastertapes. The albums reissues each consist of two discs: a hybrid multichannel SACD, containing a remastered CD version and a stereo plus multichannel SACD mix, and secondly a DVD with the same multichannel mix in Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS, enhanced with all kinds of bonus materials. Beware however: In North America, both Genesis' and Depeche Mode's remasters are sold as CD/DVD combinations only, so without SACD! Fortunately, the SACD versions are widely available through import.
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and 
. It's the third one -- or rather the first one, depending how you count -- spanning the years 1970 through 1974. We'll add an Amazon USA link when it becomes available for pre-ordering there.
