Surroundablog

More DualDisc fallout and foul up and f*** up

Editor's note: I don't know whether DualDisc works or not. Onkyo issued an advisory in November to the effect that they were going to investigate. Since then, my DV-SP800 has idling waiting to chew up the new format. Five months later...and no investigation. Jim Farber of New York Daily News writes...

Two weeks ago, Bullets & Bombs reported on the soaring sales of DualDiscs, the music industry's latest format of choice. The next week, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal echoed my cheery pronouncement.

But after the column appeared, a bunch of readers and retailers wrote in to say they've experienced technical difficulties with the double-sided doodads.

Jeff Lega, who runs The Record Store in Hopewell, N.J., wrote: "I really don't care for DualDiscs. They may be loaded with extras, but the majority of my customers, when buying a disk, want to play it in their cars [and those] players can scratch the CDs due to the extra bulk of the attached DVD. I can only imagine what it will do to the DVD side when the disk is loaded into a DVD player — they're more sensitive when it comes to scratches."

Deadwing DVD-Audio delayed...a little bit

Editor's note: special thanks to Marty Saletta for the heads up on PT..

The DVDA version of the new Porcupine Tree album will be issued by DTS on 10th May 2005. The album has once again been mixed into DTS 5.1 Surround in collaboration with Grammy award winning producer Elliot Scheiner. As well as bonus video material and photo galleries, the DVDA includes three exclusive surround sound bonus tracks: Mother And Child Divided, Revenant (the music from the deadwing.com website), and Half Light.

Otherwise, the regular release...Atlantic says, "Due to an unprecedented surge in demand for Deadwing at UK retail, and the disruption to manufacturing and distribution services over Easter, Atlantic Records are in the unfortunate position of being unable to supply all the orders for the album to make a March 28th release.

However, in order to give fans the chance to buy and listen to the album before the UK tour starts, we have been able to provide Amazon with enough stock so that they can still hold the March 28th release. Other retailers (HMV, Virgin, MVC, independent stores etc) will have the album instores from April 4th. Thus, fans keen to buy the album before the shows can go to www.amazon.co.uk and pre-order there. Pre-ordering in good time should enable the album to be despatched to arrive on the 28th March."

Please note that this does not affect the full retail release date of 28th March in other European countries.

Star Wars: Return of the Sith in 5.1

Editor's note: The third installment of the Star Wars franchise is coming out for the May long weekend. A 5.1 version of John William's original score will be released in early May.

          Trailer-trash here....may the surround be with you...you Yogurt you...

March 16, 2005 on IGN.com

Revenge of the Sith Rocks!

While Star Wars fanatics every where are bracing themselves for the release of Episode III on May 19th, hardcore fans can at least get their musical fix several weeks early.

The original motion picture soundtrack to Episode III will again feature a brand new score crafted by legendary Hollywood film composer John Williams. Williams has written the scores for all of the Star Wars films, as well as such seminal works as Jaws, E.T., Superman, and numerous other classic blockbusters.

For this latest installment of the saga, Williams has composed a new score utilizing familiar themes and musical motives so as to link it with his earlier scores for the previous five Star Wars films. The London Symphony Orchestra, with Williams conducting, performs the original score. The L.S.O. is the same orchestra that recorded Williams' original Star Wars score 28 years ago and has continued to perform the score for each successive chapter of the saga.

The Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith Soundtrack will be released to stores on May 3rd and will feature a 70-minute bonus DVD entitled Star Wars: A Musical Journey that features 16 brand-new music videos set to selections from all six of John Williams' Star Wars film scores and has been designed around a timeline that will take the viewer chronologically through the entire saga. Each movement is introduced by actor Ian McDiarmid (who plays Senator Palpatine in the films) and features a spectacular montage of images, complete with excerpts of the original dialogue and sound effects, set to Williams' legendary music which has been newly remixed and remastered in 5.1 surround sound. Williams' principal theme from the new score, entitled "Battle of the Heroes," will be featured in a music video created by Lucasfilm.

Additionally, the soundtrack packaging will also include liner notes from George Lucas plus an exclusive fold-out poster featuring a montage of images from the film.

10 inch nails...err...more news on new DualDisc

In a Q&A with fans on NIN.com, Trent Reznor revealed even more info about the upcoming album, With Teeth. He said that the album, which comes out May 3, will be released in a regular CD format and also as a DualDisc. "The DualDisc will contain higher resolution stereo mixes as well as surround mixes I was involved in," writes Reznor. "If you like The Downward Spiral in surround, get ready - we went a step further. The video for 'The Hand That Feeds' will also be included."

He also discussed the packaging, saying, "As far as the packaging, we're doing something that feels right to me but deviates from the norm. I have always thought the format of the CD effectively put an end to album artwork. There simply isn't enough real estate on a CD. We designed something that feels in touch with how people experience music in 2005. We will be opening ourselves up for criticism here but I assure you when you see the big picture, it will all make sense."

Reznor wrote that he does not foresee releasing any remix CDs for With Teeth, but that "there is another record in the works that I hope to release in a timely fashion." The With Teeth tour kicked off last night in Fresno, and Reznor has promised another round of U.S. dates in the fall..

DUALDISC SURVEY - TELL US WHAT YOU THINK!

Here's your chance sportsfans. Tell Sony-BMG exactly how you feel about their AC\DC "Back in Black" DualDisc and you too could win 5 of their biggest DD titles that may or may not play in your stereo. Some retailers are reporting that they are seeing 3-4 DD returns a week...

Have you checked out AC/DC's new Back In Black DualDisc? Have some thoughts on the subject? We want to know what they are! Take a minute to take our survey and we'll make it worth your while by giving you a chance to win a 5-pack of DualDiscs from our biggest artists!

Back In Black DualDisc - In Stores Now!
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The Back In Black DualDisc features AC/DC's Back In Black CD album (including "You Shook Me All Night Long" and "Hells Bells") on one side, and the OTHER SIDE is a DVD featuring the entire album in enhanced LPCM Stereo, the film The Story of Back in Black, featuring interviews with the band, archival footage, and in-studio performances of "Hells Bells", "You Shook Me All Night Long," "Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution," "Shoot to Thrill", and more!
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What is a DualDisc?
Click on one of the links below to get more details!
RealVideo | QuickTime | Windows Media: lo - med - hi

NIN on DualDisc..

All right sportsfans...in addition to the previously announced CD and vinyl versions, nine inch nails will also be issuing a DualDisc version of their new album "With Teeth". It is scheduled to arrive in stores on May 03rd via Interscope and will feature the album in surround sound, the video for the bands first single "The Hand That Feeds", studio performances of "The Collector", "Love Is Not Enough" and "Every Day Is Exactly The Same", a photo gallery and lyrics.

Kraftwerk's Minimum-Maximum Set Will Include Surround Sound SACD Discs

If you are interested in German-synth-inspired-cheese you'll be thrilled to learn that Kraftwerk is jumping on the surround-sound bandwagon. Apparently they're putting together a box set that will feature various formats.  Click here if you are interested ..otherwise; dont. Me...I'm more of a Tangerine Dream fan myself...

New piracy weapon: Dual CD-DVD discs

Editor's note: More DualDisc Babblerap
	By Robert Levine The New York Times
	Tuesday, March 22, 2005

When Matchbox 20's lead singer, Rob Thomas, was planning his first solo release late last year, he thought about ways to make the album a better value, in part to entice consumers who might be tempted to download his songs illegally.

"Obviously I don't want people to download my album," he said. "But you can't just complain that people are downloading music and not do anything."

In the past couple of years, some artists have included a second disc with bonus songs or a short DVD to win over potential file-sharers.

But Thomas's "Something to Be," set for release on April 19 by Atlantic, part of Warner Music Group, is among the first by a major artist to be released only on DualDisc, a format being introduced by the major labels that includes a traditional compact disc on one side and DVD content on the other. The DVD side includes the same album mixed in 5.1 surround sound so that it can be heard through home theater systems, as well as about 20 minutes of video - in Thomas's case, some documentary footage.

What's on the flip side of that CD? Increasingly, a DVD

Editor's note: here's an article from The Wall Street Journal that once again talks of the DualDisc revolution and hints at the future....a future in which we will only be able to buy music in the DualDisc format and all of our transportation needs will be handled by flying cars. ie. The new Rob Thomas will be released on DualDisc only. Anyways, the article ends with a potential throw-down concerning royalties. Publishers want double thje rate for double the play...labels want to pay nothing and be thanked for it...

ETHAN SMITH
The Wall Street Journal

When Bruce Springsteen's "Devils & Dust" arrives in stores next month, it will be more than just the singer-songwriter's 19th album. It will also be a milestone for DualDisc, the music industry's first major new physical format since the introduction of the compact disc more than 20 years ago.

The album will be the biggest title to date released exclusively as a DualDisc, which plays like a CD on one side and like a DVD on the other. The discs vary in price but generally cost around $1 more than CDs.

If it catches on, the format will make relevant again the question: "What's on the flip side?" Virtually all DualDisc titles use the DVD side to offer a surround-sound mix of the album, plus 28 minutes or less of video footage. In addition to a surround-sound mix, "Devils & Dust" will carry video footage of Mr. Springsteen performing several songs from the disc and discussing them.

The surround sound mixes can be played on standard DVD players through the same "5.1 surround" systems that DVD home theaters use. Establishing DualDisc would be a victory for the music industry, which has in the past few years failed to get a foothold for new high-end formats like "Super Audio CD," or SACD, and DVD-Audio. Both formats have been hobbled by high pricing and low penetration of the hardware to play it back. DualDisc, on the other hand, doesn't require any new hardware equipment.

Since an initial handful of DualDisc titles were released last fall, the new format has seen some success, including "Still Not Gettin' Any," from the pop-punk band Simple Plan, which has sold nearly a million DualDisc copies.

Dave Matthews on DualDisc

Dave Matthews Band are finally revealing more information about their new album, which is to be released May 10.

The new release is called "Stand Up" and the first single from the album is "American Baby." The song debuted Tuesday night on AOL and a select crowd heard the whole disc for the first time in the band’s hometown.

If you swing over to DMB’s album website, you can preview some of the new songs and see how they came to be in a series of videos they’ve posted for fans. In one of the videos, fans can see the band working on a new song that reportedly sounds like their hit, "Satellite."

Also on the website, they announced there will be a few versions of Stand Up available. It will be released in regular and DualDisc format. The DualDisc will feature a "making of" video. If you pre-order the album from their site, you will also receive an extra disc with three b-sides and two live tracks from last year’s tour.

There are still no Canadian dates planned for DMB on this year’s extensive summer tour.