Is BR as a audio format already dead?

[Ajani]

As I said in the 'BluRay sales down' thread, if BluRay hi-rez audio happens at all, it will be a niche market exclusively. For even this to happen, it will need to displace SACD -- SACD is not dead or even dying but it is a small niche market. (The people who declare it dead aren't classical listeners; there is a small but quite steady stream of new classical releases.)

People just aren't that interested in hi-rez audio. 95% of listeners can't hear the differences on their equipment -- or maybe it's 100% if you acknowledge that more careful mastering is the real reason for the superiority of hi-rez recordings. Most of them don't care in any case. Hi-rez video, yes, but not for movies, for sports events, (where BluRay is irrelevant anyway).

Good points. Another major problem is that Multi-channel audio is a tough sell for many people. MC needs to appeal to:

1) The dedicated 2 channel crowd and convince them that 5 speakers and a sub in MC sounds better than 1 pair of high quality floorstanders (for the same price). That a Receiver and Bluray Player in MC sounds better than an integrated amp and cd player/turntable (for the same price).

OR

2) Existing HT owners. Keep in mind though that even some very high quality (and really expensive) HT setups aren't well suited to MC music. Some HT setups use dipole speakers, others use Surround speakers that don't really match the mains, some even have centres that don't match the mains. Finally some HT speakers work fine for movies but really sound like crap for music (prime example being the Bose systems I've heard. They do a decent job on HT but sound like utter rubish on music).

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Good points. Another major problem is that Multi-channel audio is a tough sell for many people. MC needs to appeal to:

1) The dedicated 2 channel crowd and convince them that 5 speakers and a sub in MC sounds better than 1 pair of high quality floorstanders (for the same price). That a Receiver and Bluray Player in MC sounds better than an integrated amp and cd player/turntable (for the same price).

Bluray music comes in many flavors. It is not just limited to multichannel. Every release I have seen has at least one 24/192khz PCM soundtrack. So you do not have to convince anyone to change or alter their setup. Their are enough tracks to serve even older setups with some justice.

OR

2) Existing HT owners. Keep in mind though that even some very high quality (and really expensive) HT setups aren't well suited to MC music. Some HT setups use dipole speakers, others use Surround speakers that don't really match the mains, some even have centres that don't match the mains.

Dipoles are not bad for mutlichannel acoustical music such as classical or jazz. Where it becomes a problem is when mixers use "artistic" choices and move various instruments around the room. IMO even with frequency balanced, voiced and phase matched systems this is unnatural even if coherent. With acoustical classical and jazz, the hall ambience is what comes out of the rear channels, and dipoles work quite well at dispersing this around the room. If mismatched speakers become a problem, just switch to the two channel mix. I have the same concerns about mismatched speakers as you, but it appear not to be stopping many folks from buying the disc. Their sales are doing pretty well.

Finally some HT speakers work fine for movies but really sound like crap for music (prime example being the Bose systems I've heard. They do a decent job on HT but sound like utter rubish on music).

Unfortunately as bad as they sound to us, is as good as these sound to the owner. I know too many Bose owners who brag about how good their systems sound while I throw up in my mouth

[Ajani]

Bluray music comes in many flavors. It is not just limited to multichannel. Every release I have seen has at least one 24/192khz PCM soundtrack. So you do not have to convince anyone to change or alter their setup. Their are enough tracks to serve even older setups with some justice.

Actually I don't disagree with your point. I should have added an introductory statement such as this:

There are two main draws to BluRay Audio (much like SACD/DVD-A) : 1) Higher Resolution & 2) Multi-channel audio.

I was refering only to multi-channel audio as a selling point, for those who are not really convinced that Higher Resolution makes that much of an audible difference (crazy as that might seem, keep in mind that many people swear that 128k MP3s sound as good as redbook cd).

Unfortunately as bad as they sound to us, is as good as these sound to the owner. I know too many Bose owners who brag about how good their systems sound while I throw up in my mouth

Sad but true

[Feanor]

Good points. Another major problem is that Multi-channel audio is a tough sell for many people. MC needs to appeal to:

1) The dedicated 2 channel crowd and convince them that 5 speakers and a sub in MC sounds better than 1 pair of high quality floorstanders (for the same price). That a Receiver and Bluray Player in MC sounds better than an integrated amp and cd player/turntable (for the same price).

OR

2) Existing HT owners. Keep in mind though that even some very high quality (and really expensive) HT setups aren't well suited to MC music. Some HT setups use dipole speakers, others use Surround speakers that don't really match the mains, some even have centres that don't match the mains. Finally some HT speakers work fine for movies but really sound like crap for music (prime example being the Bose systems I've heard. They do a decent job on HT but sound like utter rubish on music).

On your first point, IMO, it's pretty close. That is, for the same money, a multi-channel system is will bring as much or more satisfaction as a stereo, given well-made multi-channel recordings. Unfortunately it's seemingly hard from producers and engineers to make good stereo recordings, let alone M/C.

My own HT system is much less good than my stereo and much less good than it ought to be, (e.g. fronts, center, rears aren't perfectly matched). Nevertheless on good recordings the potential of M/C is revealed.