Surroundablog

CD/DVD Hybrid Arrives in Fall

By Christopher Walsh NEW YORK (Billboard) - The major record labels and 5.1 Entertainment Group will release the first titles on DualDisc -- a two-sided CD/DVD hybrid -- Oct. 26. The labels made the announcement Aug. 24 at the National Assn. of Recording Merchandisers Convention in San Diego. The DualDisc launch follows what the group of labels calls an overwhelmingly positive response to testing of the format in Boston and Seattle. A DualDisc is a standard audio CD on one side. Flip it over, and it's a DVD that allows high-resolution surround-sound audio, video, ROM capability and such additional content as lyrics, still photos, biographies and discographies.

Uncle Kracker's 'Seventy Two and Sunny' CD, Mixed in SRS Circle Surround(R), Receives Nomination at Surround Music Awards

8/26/04 SANTA ANA, Calif., Aug 26, 2004 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ --

SRS Labs, Inc. (Nasdaq: SRSL), a renowned provider of audio, voice and surround sound technologies, announced today that country-pop artist Uncle Kracker's "Seventy Two and Sunny" has been nominated for a prestigious Surround Music A ward in the category of Best Standard Resolution.

The multi-platinum Uncle Kracker first gained notoriety as Kid Rock's DJ in the Twisted Brown Trucker band. Uncle Kracker is the co-writer of numerous Kid Rock hits and has three Top Ten singles of his own, including "Follow Me," "Drift Away" and "In A Little While." In addition, Uncle Kracker landed the number one spot on the coveted Country chart with "When The Sun Goes Down," a duet featuring Kenny Chesney. His new single, "Rescue," penned by Diane Warren, is also showing strong growth on the radio and will soon be released to the country marketplace.

The award will be presented at the Third Annual Surround Music Awards scheduled for August 31 at the Highlands nightclub in the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel in Hollywood. The CD was mixed and encoded in SRS Circle Surround that allows a 5.1 surround sound mix to be delivered over a standard CD. Circle Surround-encoded CDs are 100 percent compatible with any CD or DVD player and can be enjoyed in surround sound when hooked up to a home theater system that includes a surround decoder. The powerful benefit of Circle Surround for artists and record labels is that Circle Surround-encoded CDs are also compatible with stereo headphones or with a traditional two speaker stereo system so one mix and one CD will satisfy all listeners and playback systems.

SRS Labs and Lava Records also announce today a two-year licensing production agreement furthering the possibility of collaborations for future music productions with Lava's roster of artists and Circle Surround technology.

Koch jumps into SACD by releasing 4 remastered albums from the Kinks

Koch Records continued their Super Audio CD releases this week with the first 4 in their series of remastered SACDs by the Kinks. The release follows Koch's initial release earlier this month of two Remastered SACDs by County Music artists Robert Earl Keen. The release is the beginning of what will be 15 Kinks Remastered SACDs in the months ahead. According to the liner notes in the series "In celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the Kinks' first album, all 15 original RCA and Arista Kinks albums have been remastered for release on Hybrid SACD.

Lost in the Middle

By: Mark Fleischmann August 22nd 2004

A scandalous number of multi-channel mixes are no more than glorified quad. The center channel loudspeaker is the most important one in any surround system. Failure to use it properly is holding back the development of surround sound as a music medium. It’s not the only thing inhibiting music in surround—record-company apathy and stereo’s dominance in downloads are bigger problems. But it worries me that a listener getting his first taste of music in a 5.1-channel format might not hear it at its best.

DTS Entertainment Announces Feature-Loaded DVD-Audio Version of The Polyphonic Spree's ``Together We're Heavy''

August 24, 2004] AGOURA HILLS, Calif. DTS' (Digital Theater Systems, Inc.) (Nasdaq:DTSI) entertainment label, DTS Entertainment (DTSE), announces a September 14th street date for the 5.1-channel surround sound DVD-A of The Polyphonic Spree's second release, "Together We're Heavy." With the stereo version just released in July, "Together We're Heavy" is a masterpiece of pure creativity that melds many different styles of music -- from David Bowie to The Beatles, from Pink Floyd to The Beach Boys.

Pioneer to Introduce New Smart Theater Systems with Wireless Rear Speaker

By Dale Hug, JCNN Aug 26, 2004 Tokyo (JCNN) -

The Smart Theater S2, due out in mid-October, is Pioneer's latest 5.1ch home entertainment surround sound system that features a 2.4GHz digital wireless rear speaker. The product employs the company's proprietary DIRECT DIFFUSE sound technology to deliver high-fidelity 5.1ch sounds. The product supports a wide variety of the latest surround formats, such as MPEG-2 AAC, Dolby Digital, DTS and Dolby Pro Logic II. It packages an AV amplifier, two front speakers, a center speaker, a sub woofer, a wireless rear speaker, and a transmitter. The transmitter measures 255x58.5x121mm and weighs 0.6kg. Also available is the Smart Theater HT1, which includes a digital wireless speaker and a transmitter. The company will produce 2,000 units of the S2 and 4,000 units of the HT1 per month. All models are open-priced.

A sweet spot for every listener

By ERIC A. TAUB New York Times News Service

The growth in sales of large flat-panel televisions and digital surround-sound systems raises a question: With great pictures and audio in the home, what's the point of going to the movies? Dr. Karlheinz Brandenburg, director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology in Ilmenau, Germany, proposes an answer. Mr. Brandenburg has developed Iosono, a new sound system that equally envelops every listener in the audience. Using computers, sound-processing algorithms and an array of speakers, effects can even be made to seem as if they are coming from outside the auditorium. The source may sound distant, or so close that it is perceived to be right behind a listener's ear. A helicopter can be made to sound as if it is flying across an auditorium, for example, while the footsteps of individuals can sound as though they are moving in unison from left to right.

Music industry banks on DualDisc

By Alex Veiga ASSOCIATED PRESS SAN DIEGO - Recording companies looking to wring more profits out of music sales are hoping to sell retailers on a new hybrid CD that offers standard CD audio on one side and the enhanced sound, video and other media capabilities of a DVD on the other. Dubbed the DualDisc, it was the focus of a rare united presentation by recording companies at gathering of music retailers this week. The DualDisc comes at a time when some in the music industry speculate whether music fans have come to devalue the 20-year-old CDs compared to the varied content available on DVDs. Recording companies say the higher quality sound and multimedia content they can put on a DualDisc will enable them to offer a better value to music fans.

For Concerts in the Car, Surround Sound Wraps Passengers in Music

By IVAN BERGER Published: August 16, 2004 REALITY is a good model for a sound system, and in the real world sound comes at us from all directions. Even in a symphony hall, where the orchestra performs front and center before an audience, much of the sound that reaches listeners doesn't come directly from the stage; first, it reflects off the walls and other solid surfaces of the auditorium. It makes sense, then, that surround-sound audio technology, already a fixture in millions of family rooms with home theater systems, is becoming an increasingly popular option for cars. Next year, about 30 models will offer surround sound as factory-installed equipment, including luxury sedans like the Acura RL and Cadillac STS.

THIRD ANNUAL SURROUND MUSIC AWARDS

NEW YORK, NY (August 3, 2004) --

The finalists in all categories have been announced for the third annual Surround Music Awards (SMAs), which are produced by CMP Information and sponsored by Dolby. The winning titles will be announced at a star-studded event taking place August 31, 2004 at The Highlands in Hollywood, CA. The evening will feature a musical tribute to 2004 Surround Pioneer Award recipient Herbie Hancock by an all-star band, as well as many other surprises.