You say "The point is that, for the vast majority of music listeners, CD quality is the best they're going to get, unless they invest in a whole new system and replace their entire music library. That doesn't sound very tempting to most listeners."
We aren't talking about most listeners, please understand that, the original question was to the ability of the ipod as an audiophile device. Audiophiles are not "most listeners" They ALREADY have the dream system, they actually CARE about audio quality, they WANT high resolution audio wherever they can get it. The original question was NOT "Will joe blow like the ipod?" The answer is hell yes. The point I made in my original post was that the crowd of people who consider themselves audiophiles would typically not call anything "audiophile quality" that is at or below the sound quality of a Discman.
If you wish to make backups of your DVD-A or SACD you could patch the 5.1 outputs from your DVD-A or SACD player into any recording device you wish, there is no copy protection on those outputs. Is it possible to rip or copy one of these formats in the digital realm? Don't honestly know, I've never had to make one. Hopefully by the time I need to make a copy of a disc I own, someone will have cracked the copy protection, just as they did with DVD.
You said "If not, it's just another attempt for the industry to make more money while not offering much in return, as well as trying to lock-in more customers with their crap formats." I'm sure many people said the same exact thing about DVD in its infancy. It's hard to say what the future for high res audio is, but any kind of progress to the aging CD Audio is very welcome in my book, just as an update to DVD in the form of HD-DVD is highly anticipated by many.
I actually don't listen to too much indy music. I don't listen to top 40 either. When at home, we will listen to Jazz, blues, some cheesy 80s new wave stuff.
I can agree with you that hopefully there will be a portable player that lets me play DVD-A and SACD. I know that the ipod plays music now at the highest resolution available to the majority, but AGAIN..we are not here to discuss the majority, we are speaking of audiophiles and their taste for quality. The audiophile community is far from "the majority of music listeners"
Yes I own an ipod, 10gig, luckily never had any battery flat out die but the battery life is much shorter than a Discman for obvious reasons, this is to be expected. I really enjoy my ipod for what it is, I even like using it as a portable hard drive, but when it comes to audio quality, I will take a CD player ANY DAY.
You said "It would be great if you would answer the questions I posed.. Would you mind?" What question is that? If you mean the backup question, I offered some comment to that but don't have a more definitive answer.
About the web site, there's no need to get personal now and I would appreciate it if we would keep things focused here, but since you brought it up... The company I work for just absorbed another studio and changed names, the old website is gone and there is a placeholder obviously. We recently posted several job listings on industry message boards. Many applicants wanted to see the type of work we do so I put a link to the reel on there for the time being. Our site does not get any traffic other than the job applicants I referred there. I was not really thinking of the general public when I added the link, I will go ahead and change that.
I do get it. I can clearly see both sides of this story as an ipod owner and an audiophile. THe ipod is a fine mp3 player, but its not an audiophile grade component which has been my point the entire time. I brought up CDs and higher res audio simply as a comparison to show that cd quality is now close to the bottom of available sound quality. We have both gotten off track here, but lets get back to my original points that YOU or anyone with any intelligence can not disagree with. Sound quality of CDs is better than compressed audio. Higher Res formats such as SACD and DVD-A sound far better than CD. If compressed audio is at the bottom of that list and CD audio is not far ahead, How in hell would you rate it as an audiophile grade device. NOBODY in their right mind who is passionate about sound and video would choose an ipod over a dedicated cd player or dvd-a for critical listening. NOBODY!
The ipod is good for what it does, playing compressed audio, YES YOU ARE CORRECT it can playback sound at cd quality, It can do NO better than the original CD. It is still at the very bottom of the audio quality food chain. It is at or below CD quality, it is far far below 2 channel 192/24 audio. Its like calling a Yugo a luxury sedan. It can do many of the same things as the really nice cars but there is a world of fucking difference between one and the other.
Look, I think you're a fucking moron, and you probably think I am one too, lets just drop this shit.
I didn't mean to upset you, you're obviously a big fan of Apple and their technology, Ipod is a great MP3 player best mp3 player in my opinion. I am not arguing that the ipod isn't the best mp3 player, I think it is, but it is FAR from an audiophile grade device. I find nearly everything you said to be bullshit.
"Uncompressed AIFFs, that you can drag _directly_ from the CD to the iPod" I originally said that to match the audio quality of the original CD you would need to rip cds as uncompressed AIFF files and copy them to the ipod, this makes no fucking sense to pay $400 for what essentially turns into a glorified CD player without expansion capability. CD player expansion is endless, just buy more discs. Ipod has no removable storage to expand on. Unless you want to have it constantly chained to your mac/pc. If you go to a used store and buy some CDs, can you pop them in your ipod and enjoy? No, you need to rip and copy and blah blah blah. SO it has actually LESS value than a CD player in that respect. AGAIN why the hell would you spend that time and money to basically create an exact copy of a CD when you could just listen to the CD right away in the first place. Another issue is Battery life. Nobody here is going to argue with me that the ipod battery life can not match that of a Discman that uses off the shelf AAA batteries.
"The ipod is what it is, a portable player of compressed music files. Huh? Have you not been listening? " Obviously you were not listening when I stated that the true value of the ipod comes when listening to compressed music. Using it as a glorified CD player is not of any value. Using it as a palm pilot is of not much value, it is a compressed music player. It can do other things as well, but that is not its main focus or its strength. GO back and read my post if needs be. The ipod can do several things but it can only do one thing really well, it is designed this way to be an EXCELLENT mp3 player, not an excellent pda or an excellent uncompressed audio player.
"who obviouly have bought in to the music industry's upgrade cycle.. you're buying DVD-A and SACD? There just isn't a demand for it. "
I have bought into nothing except quality sound. The music industry sucks, but if they can produce a reasonably priced product that is clearly better than the existing CD, people will notice. Head over to avsforum.com and tell me if you think there is no demand for higher quality sound. Check out the new SACD and DVD-A shop sections on amazon.com. I assure you there is a demand for it that is growing everyday. Just because you are content with today's technology doesn't mean the rest of us are. Your comments here sounded pretty lame " what makes you think they want 'better' sounding?" Gee dave, what makes me think people want DVD or HDTV or even CD vs tape? Shit, why do I have a speedy computer at work when I could have an older pentium pro? My question for you is what makes you think people want "inferior" sound?
You say "The music industry better not try to push a new format, consumers are still pissed about replacing their tapes and records." Just like consumers are pissed that they are being forced to go out and buy DVD players and DVDs? The freakin things have jumped off the shelf at record setting rates. Those consumers can't be too pissed about having to replace their old tapes. Probably because they and anyone with half a brain will tell you that if you offer a substantially better product with additional value and sell it at a fair and reasonable price, people will embrace it.
Ask an audiophile which they would prefer as their main source, an mp3 player or a dedicated cd player. Shit ask me, I am an audiophile, it is ultimately up to me to decide what is and isn't up to par. I have stated that it is not up to my standards, and millions of audiophiles would agree with me. We can appreciate that it is the best of its breed but to put it in the same category as audiophile grade cd players and SACD is just ignorant. Tell you what dav
Crap in, crap out is what they always say. So let me get this right; because I'm stupid. The ipod is limited only by the quality of the source, so if I want quality that is at the very least, comparable to a CD, I have to rip uncompressed aiff files. I buy the CD, rip it, transfer the big ass files over to the ipod which has limited storage for such big freakin files, then I have something that is nearly as good as the original CD right? Whats the fuckin point man? Time is money and the time it just took to do all that combined with the large price tag of an ipod ($400 for 20gig) makes this a lame proposition. Of that 20gig you can fit 34 uncompressed CDs, all the cost and time involved, seems better to me to just buy a freakin cd player.
If an audiophile had $400 to spend on a source component for high quality sound that he wanted to hook up to his stereo, do you think he would buy an ipod or would he buy an equally priced and FAR superior sounding CD player.
The ipod is not a good PDA, it is not a good game machine, it is not an audiophile grade music player. Sure it can kinda, sorta be used to very limited extent in that capacity, but you would be foolish to lump it in the same category as the real things. The ipod is what it is, a portable player of compressed music files. It does this better than any other mp3 player I think and I appluad its success. An audiophile grade piece of equipment it is NOT.
To address Dave's comment, Many people in their right minds DO want DVD-A and SACD now. If you haven't noticed, almost every manufacturer is making a universal DVD-VIDEO, DVD-A, SACD player that is very affordable. For several years now surround processors have been equiped with 5.1 analog inputs, now they have firewire and HDMI to support multichannel audio over a digital connection (copyprotection bullshit and all). If you have not heard 2 channel 192/24 audio on a great sounding system, you are missing out (I prefer the high res 2 channel to the sometimes gimmicky 5.1 mixes). I was buying a DVD-A the other day at a store and the clerk asked what DVD-A was. Rather then explain the technical specs behind it, I asked him if he remembered how he felt when he first compared an old VHS tape with a brilliant looking DVD video.
The CD is outdated just as the VHS tape was, now its time for something higher quality. When the DVD was introduced, it took off because the qualityh was great and the value was tremendous. If the music industry can do the same, with special bonus features, improved quality and fair pricing, maybe it can save their sorry asses.
Im sorry, did you just use the term audiophile quality in reference to lossy compression found in AAC and or MP3?
AAC, as improved as it is over mp3, is still far below it's CD Audio source. Even CDs are no longer audiophile quality as high resolution audio discs gain popularity. CDs are for the average joe, when you say Audiophile quality, you should really be speaking of 2 channel 192/24 DVD-Audio and SACD.
Your point is still taken, I just felt the need to nitpick.
Just this week I purchased Learning Perl 3rd edition. This is my first attempt at programming. As a systems admin I think perl will really help me out day to day. I have heard pros and cons to Perl as a first programming language but would love to hear the/. perspective.
To complete the gift for your geek make sure you include a small gift certificate to your local used record store
Also set aside an entire weekend of free time for him/her because that's what a music lover will need when faced with the staggering vinyl selection at Amoeba. Best of all, Vinyl can often cost a few pennies to a few dollers, far cheaper than CDs. And guess what, NO DRM!!! and NO extra money going to the RIAA (Assuming you are buying USED)
What geek wouldn't want to flip off the recording industry while enjoying a geeky vintage medium like Vinyl.
Vinyl does not sound better then CD, and many prfer the warm analog sound of vinyl to the harsh processed tinny sound of CD, but don't try to argue which is better, they are just different. Everyone has their favorites.
They just had to step in and lend a hand. Perhaps this is a new direction for the Ronald McDonald House Charity, giving back to all the poor soles who one way or another lost their music:o(.
Yes except for the fact that they always manage to screw up my lunch order. Rather then giving me britney spears, knowing my luck I would get Yanni Live At The Acropolis
Well Duh! Of course we are deleting all the music files from my computer. How else am I going to have enough disk space for all the pirated HD broadcasts I will be downloading?
I rarely ever go to the movies, maybe once every year or so. What's the point, damn teenagers being obnoxious while trying to act cool, shitty picture, bad seats, cell phones, $11 movie tickets and of course the salty nasty popcorn with delicous tox yellow sludge butter.
I love movies, that is the main reason I purchased my TV and all the accompanying home theater gear. I may not be as extreme as not going to the movies in 10yrs, but I purposely avoid them like the plague.
Movies I saw in the theater this year because I couldn't wait.... Lost In Translation
Movies I saw last year because I couldn't wait.... The Roayl Tenenbaums.
Everyone around me gives me crap because I never saw matrix or lord of the rings or harry potter until it came out on DVD.
Im fully aware the Bravo DVD player does not require HCP over DVI. At the same time, it does not provide the same high quality upconversion over the component outputs on the unit. Check all the postings on avs forums, that is where I read that the upconverting feature only works well over the DVI.
Samsung's unit makes it clear right on the box that it will not send the upconverted video over the component conection.
I was afraid this would happen. I bought a TV last year that has one of the finest quality pictures you can get, ask anyone on AVS Forums, the pioneer elite pro 520 is amazing. I had it calibrated by a world renowned ISF engineer friend who works on Pixar, ILM and PDIs monitors. $6000 later I'm dialed into HDTV nirvana. but my TV does not have DVI digital connection with copywrite protection crap. Just good ol analog component video inputs. I was bummed when they came out with the new DVI input but thought nothing of it since I could enjoy every bennefit without it.
That was until they started making inexpensive DVD players which would upconvert the 480p material to 1080i. Wow, this sounded AWESOME, but oh no, they only allow this upconversion to take place over the DVI connection. Why you ask? Copy protection, the powers that be would not allow samsung to send high res upconverted video over an analog connection which could easily be recorded. So here I am ready to buy a new DVD player just for that feature, getitng rid of my perfectly good exisitng player, but oooooh noooo, you dont have DVI with HCP so you must be a pirate. Which makes me wonder, who the hell is going to be trading uncompressed HD video files of some shitty sitcom over the internet? I dont see this as an immediate threat.
Same thing will happen with the broadcast flag, they will use it to screw over all the suckers like me who dont play by their rules. They are slowly eliminating what we used to be able to do with our electronics.
So yes, I can keep using my tv and the existing hardware, but their plan is to make the shit obsolete every few years. Every time they introduce some manadatory copy protection and it gets cracked, they change the specs, make it illegal to use anything but those specs, making upgrades impossible because it would sacrifice the integrity of their precious copy protection.
This rant wasnt very coherent, no real good points were made and it wasnt really well thought out. I have so much freakin anger and hatred for the RIAA, MPAA right now that it makes it difficult to think.
Useless? Its called PERSONAL LEARNING EDITION, Not the personal profit edition. There is absoltely nothing preventing an interested user from learning the basics and beyond of Maya. It's not like a nag box pops up EVERY time you want to open hypershade or outliner. Watermarking is annoying of course but if this product is intended to give users a free method to LEARN, a watermark isnt going to interfere with that. You will still see accurate results of your render.
If you claim it is useless I really need to ask what it is you are trying to do with it? If you want to use it for billable hours, yes it is uselss and this product is not for you. On the other hand, If you are trying to put together some work for a demo reel to get a real job in the business this PLE will do just fine. As someone who receives and views artist reels every week, the watermark does NOT bother us. We are judging the quality of your work which will shine even through a watermark. In fact If I saw a reel come through that was watermarked to shit, it would tell me that this artist chooses to use legal software rather than cracked copies like everyone else. I would admire that kind of integrity in a prospective employee.
When I was teaching myself 3d animation it was with an educational edition of 3dsmax which I actually had to pay for from the University bookstore. When I later got into the business and I expanded our CG dept, we stuck with 3dsmax because it was what I knew. Had Maya Personal Learning Edition been around during my self teaching days, I would have given it a shot. If that were the case perhaps I would have a shelf full of Alias software now where all our Discreet boxes are.
Alias knows that the future 3d artists of tomorrow are young kids with no money. They choose to embrace them and provide free software and tutorials and learning resources. They are expecting a return on that investment and will probably get it. It also stregthens the community, now many more people can write "maya for beginners" books or publish online tutorials because maya is available to everyone, the audience grows.
Brilliant scheme that is so simple. Try before you buy, get em hooked while they're young. Win their loyalty now and they will come back as paying customers in the future.
Is there a definitive point in time, a single event that started this all?
DRM this, RIAA that, MPAA my freakin head is spinning. When did DRM become so damn vital to companies like these? Was it napster that freaked everyone?
Because of all this crap, A friends ISP got shut down because someone complained to his upstream provider that one of his users was sharing software, no warning, no proof, no due process...crazy.
I spend $6000 on an HDTV last year that is already obsolete because it doesnt have the flavor of the month DVI copyrite protection connector. Hey man, check out this bad ass new DVD player that upconverts to 1080i, oh what you dont have DVI with HDCP, oh im sorry youre fucked. We had the 15pin RGB connector, then component video, then firewire, then DVI, then DVI with HDCP, and now we have HDMI. make up your freakin minds.
Or how about a cd I bought that would play in my high end REGA Jupiter cd player because it had copywrite protection.
I upgraded my video card and had to reactivate Windows XP on my workstation at work. What a pain in the a$$ I paid for the windows license.
This shit makes physically ill to the point where I want to start firebombing some of these companies.
I obviously blame these corporations and industry groups, but what started it all? Why are they so convinced that anyone using a computer is out to ruin them.
Why am I being affected by all this crap, I dont fileshare, I dont rip CDs for friend, I dont steal cable. Im a somewhat honest consumer, why am I getting nailed with all this crap that really isnt going to make ANY dent in actual piracy?
Are you listening to me Microsoft, RIAA, MPAA, Sony, Adobe, Disney and all you other fuckers. You cant stop piracy, all youre doing is driving me freakin nutts, and Im your paying customer!!!
Mod me down people, I got more karma then Manny and Nomar have homeruns.
(for you geeks, The Boston Red Sox are a baseball organization, baseball is a sport played outside during daylight hours, sometimes inside stadiums, and sometimes at night with lights on. Sports like baseball are great for exercise and socializing with others)
Installed from Windows update or direct link from the web, results would be the same, bizzare software conflict that silently corrupted all my 3d scenes.
Now think about this one AC, what type of computer user is going to actively seek out the latest patches via MS website and install them, probably a more technically skilled user.
The novice or clueless user who has Microsoft change their computer completely behind the scenes without any notice or intervention could run into problems. Should those patches corrupt their system or conflict with software, is that novice going to be able clean up the mess? Not likely. But they may have a chance, if they were presented with a box saying "Hey Im going to install the following updates that address these issues, do you agree to install these?" Then the newbie user would at least have a small clue as to what the hell is going on with their computer.
I think tis best to alert the novice users, educate them on whats going on, not give them some false sense of security. "Oh my computer is fine, I dont need to be aware of viruses and exploits, because my computer is doing it all for me automatically, and gosh darnit, I trust those geniuses up in redmond to do whats best for me"
If you were a tech support guy and got a phone call "Hey all my.max scene files are corrupt" tech: "Has anything changed on your computer recently" "I have no idea"
Wouldnt you rather get "Well recently I was alerted to a critical update by Microsoft, it was a patch called Ms03-026 or something and it was for some RPC vulnerability, whatever that is!"
Which call would you rather get? I would rather speak to the user who has a slight clue as to what the hell is happening. Amazing, isn't it ?
Getting back to the article, I dont think its a good idea to make windows updates automatic and mandatory. I think they should have several more levels of notification and warning. Are you ready to surrender full control of your machine to Microsoft or any other third party? Im guessing not many people here are.
One of the most interesting books I've read all year was "Bringing Down the House : The Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas for Millions" by Ben Mezrich
Using team play, probability, counting on a never before seen level, these guys took casinos for millions.
I first heard of it here on slashdot I think. I am not a gambler, I am not a mathmetician, but this book got me hooked from the begining and kept me on the edge until the end. A must read!!
I work for a post production company, recently was in the final week of a 3month long project; A full 30sec CG commercial for Clorox. So it's the final days before deadline and I'm working 100+ hr week, the worm is about to hit and I download the latest security patches, all is well...or so I thought. In my half-awake, overworked not quite alert fashion, I agreed to let windows update do its thing, a decision I now regret. It installs the latest patches including the one for RPC, and I continue with my work. I work through the weekend in "3d Studio Max" made by "Discreet" Saving my work diligently as I go. On Monday the other folks in the office come in and alert me to a minor problem that every time they try to click on one of my.max files in explorer, explorer.exe crashes. Just hovering over the damn thing causes a crash ( explorer in detail view, without the web features on) I checked the files myself and they all seem to work fine, but nobody else can open or render them. I check google, I check Discreet's support forums...nothing. Then I remember that I windows update ran over the weekend and 2 patches were installed, the DirectX patch and the RPC patch. Because 3dsmax utilizes directx or opengl for viewport rendering, I started there. Interestingly, there is no easy way to remove that patch, there is no listing for it in add/remove, I found an entry for it in the registry and called MS security dept to help me remove it, they had no fuckin clue. I tried my best and all my.max scene files were still coming up corrupt. So then I switched gears and tried removing MS03-026. BINGO. This little shit had caused every.max scene file I created over the weekend to be totally corrupt. I lost about 36hrs of work at a time where I couldn't spare a minute. Thanks Microsoft and Discreet!
I posted my story to the discreet support site, a couple days later discreet posted an official response, confirming what i had posted. Some customers were notified via email, many were not. A lot of people got screwed like I did with this bizarre conflict.
I learned my lesson, don't click on Windows system dialog boxes when you are half asleep and unable to make sound decisions.
Imagine how much more Apple would have sold if they could sell to windows and linux users. My coworkers have Ipods but under windows, so no luck right now. In the future im SURE they will.
I've even tried services like Rhapsody through Speakeasy. Again, a slick looking interface that only works in Windows.
No brushed metal interfaces, no prorietary software, just give me a website with a link with a file I can pay for and download and listen to.
In a related article, recent studies show that Apple zealots will buy just about anything as long as it has a candy colored apple logo and some brushed metal interface.
As much as I'm against the DRM and the low bitrate itunes uses, I actually see this as a good thing. The more successful this is, the better my chances of getting an online song service that suits me better. Maybe iTunes will make some changes and remove the DRM, maybe they will offer higher bitrate songs. If they do not, maybe someone else will do it in apple's footsteps.
Now all that needs to happen is for Apple to go out and get a massive catalog of Indy music they can represent, give profits to the artists and kill the big record labels.
Anyone else worried about the quality of the net degrading? How long until peopel are so fed up that they just stop using it?
Ok So I'm not going to stop using the net, I will continue to do what I always have done. When a website resorts to these Ad tactics, I either a) give them money to stop as is the case with slashdot. ONLY if the content on the site is worth the price they are asking though b) use the handy features of phoenix to make the site usable, block ads from this server, nuke this image, dont allow pop ups or javascripts. or c) stop using the site all together.
I imagine these ads will piss off users and confuse the hell out of net illiterate types, to the point where they just stop visiting that site. What good is running a website and selling advertising space if NOBODY is watching anymore? Seems to me if sites are so desperate for advertising dollars, there is a better, less intrusive way to do it. Or maybe they should call it quits.
I like my slashdot subscription, but im curious if they makes more money from me removing the ads or from me viewing the ads?
This article said the ads would be 300k. Imagine some poor sap on dialup who has to download that crap when he is quickly clicking through links and subjected to 4 or 5 of these stupid things.
If I ever get one of these awful ads shoved in my face, I assure you I will not be coming back for seconds.
I am an audiophile and even bigger videophile. But your joke is damn funny. I will have to remember that one.
You have to be able to laugh at yourself sometimes. Spending thousands of dollars on interconnects and speaker cable, yeah its pretty fuckin silly and we deserve to be made fun of. But the difference is worth it to us, its what we love, it makes us happy, It's our money to spend and we get a great return on enjoyment.
My family gives me a hard time for spending so much money on AV gear, but they always want to have parties at my house to watch the Superbowl or Masters or NHL playoffs or Oscars on one of the best HDTV sets money can buy.
Again, I loved your joke, I'm going to use it myself.
You said "Now that I get tons of properly-labeled, decent quality MP3's, with no DRM, flat monthly fee, and unlimited downloads"
I hate kazaa and most all p2p apps. I like the idea I just don't care for the hassle and time involved. Its like that linux expression, "Mp3 downloads on kazaa are only free if your time is worth nothing, and quality means nothing to you"
I had never looked into emusic, but if it is in fact flat fee, unlimited downloads, no DRM, I think I may take a look at it. Thanks AC.
Slashdot Mirror
You say "The point is that, for the vast majority of music listeners, CD quality is the best they're going to get, unless they invest in a whole new system and replace their entire music library. That doesn't sound very tempting to most listeners."
We aren't talking about most listeners, please understand that, the original question was to the ability of the ipod as an audiophile device. Audiophiles are not "most listeners" They ALREADY have the dream system, they actually CARE about audio quality, they WANT high resolution audio wherever they can get it. The original question was NOT "Will joe blow like the ipod?" The answer is hell yes. The point I made in my original post was that the crowd of people who consider themselves audiophiles would typically not call anything "audiophile quality" that is at or below the sound quality of a Discman.
If you wish to make backups of your DVD-A or SACD you could patch the 5.1 outputs from your DVD-A or SACD player into any recording device you wish, there is no copy protection on those outputs. Is it possible to rip or copy one of these formats in the digital realm? Don't honestly know, I've never had to make one. Hopefully by the time I need to make a copy of a disc I own, someone will have cracked the copy protection, just as they did with DVD.
You said "If not, it's just another attempt for the industry to make more money while not offering much in return, as well as trying to lock-in more customers with their crap formats."
I'm sure many people said the same exact thing about DVD in its infancy. It's hard to say what the future for high res audio is, but any kind of progress to the aging CD Audio is very welcome in my book, just as an update to DVD in the form of HD-DVD is highly anticipated by many.
I actually don't listen to too much indy music. I don't listen to top 40 either. When at home, we will listen to Jazz, blues, some cheesy 80s new wave stuff.
I can agree with you that hopefully there will be a portable player that lets me play DVD-A and SACD. I know that the ipod plays music now at the highest resolution available to the majority, but AGAIN..we are not here to discuss the majority, we are speaking of audiophiles and their taste for quality. The audiophile community is far from "the majority of music listeners"
Yes I own an ipod, 10gig, luckily never had any battery flat out die but the battery life is much shorter than a Discman for obvious reasons, this is to be expected. I really enjoy my ipod for what it is, I even like using it as a portable hard drive, but when it comes to audio quality, I will take a CD player ANY DAY.
You said "It would be great if you would answer the questions I posed.. Would you mind?"
What question is that? If you mean the backup question, I offered some comment to that but don't have a more definitive answer.
About the web site, there's no need to get personal now and I would appreciate it if we would keep things focused here, but since you brought it up...
The company I work for just absorbed another studio and changed names, the old website is gone and there is a placeholder obviously. We recently posted several job listings on industry message boards. Many applicants wanted to see the type of work we do so I put a link to the reel on there for the time being. Our site does not get any traffic other than the job applicants I referred there. I was not really thinking of the general public when I added the link, I will go ahead and change that.
I do get it. I can clearly see both sides of this story as an ipod owner and an audiophile. THe ipod is a fine mp3 player, but its not an audiophile grade component which has been my point the entire time. I brought up CDs and higher res audio simply as a comparison to show that cd quality is now close to the bottom of available sound quality. We have both gotten off track here, but lets get back to my original points that YOU or anyone with any intelligence can not disagree with.
Sound quality of CDs is better than compressed audio. Higher Res formats such as SACD and DVD-A sound far better than CD. If compressed audio is at the bottom of that list and CD audio is not far ahead, How in hell would you rate it as an audiophile grade device. NOBODY in their right mind who is passionate about sound and video would choose an ipod over a dedicated cd player or dvd-a for critical listening. NOBODY!
The ipod is good for what it does, playing compressed audio, YES YOU ARE CORRECT it can playback sound at cd quality, It can do NO better than the original CD. It is still at the very bottom of the audio quality food chain. It is at or below CD quality, it is far far below 2 channel 192/24 audio. Its like calling a Yugo a luxury sedan. It can do many of the same things as the really nice cars but there is a world of fucking difference between one and the other.
Look, I think you're a fucking moron, and you probably think I am one too, lets just drop this shit.
I didn't mean to upset you, you're obviously a big fan of Apple and their technology, Ipod is a great MP3 player best mp3 player in my opinion. I am not arguing that the ipod isn't the best mp3 player, I think it is, but it is FAR from an audiophile grade device. I find nearly everything you said to be bullshit.
"Uncompressed AIFFs, that you can drag _directly_ from the CD to the iPod" I originally said that to match the audio quality of the original CD you would need to rip cds as uncompressed AIFF files and copy them to the ipod, this makes no fucking sense to pay $400 for what essentially turns into a glorified CD player without expansion capability. CD player expansion is endless, just buy more discs. Ipod has no removable storage to expand on. Unless you want to have it constantly chained to your mac/pc. If you go to a used store and buy some CDs, can you pop them in your ipod and enjoy? No, you need to rip and copy and blah blah blah. SO it has actually LESS value than a CD player in that respect. AGAIN why the hell would you spend that time and money to basically create an exact copy of a CD when you could just listen to the CD right away in the first place. Another issue is Battery life. Nobody here is going to argue with me that the ipod battery life can not match that of a Discman that uses off the shelf AAA batteries.
"The ipod is what it is, a portable player of compressed music files.
Huh? Have you not been listening? "
Obviously you were not listening when I stated that the true value of the ipod comes when listening to compressed music. Using it as a glorified CD player is not of any value. Using it as a palm pilot is of not much value, it is a compressed music player. It can do other things as well, but that is not its main focus or its strength. GO back and read my post if needs be. The ipod can do several things but it can only do one thing really well, it is designed this way to be an EXCELLENT mp3 player, not an excellent pda or an excellent uncompressed audio player.
"who obviouly have bought in to the music industry's upgrade cycle.. you're buying DVD-A and SACD? There just isn't a demand for it. "
I have bought into nothing except quality sound. The music industry sucks, but if they can produce a reasonably priced product that is clearly better than the existing CD, people will notice. Head over to avsforum.com and tell me if you think there is no demand for higher quality sound. Check out the new SACD and DVD-A shop sections on amazon.com. I assure you there is a demand for it that is growing everyday.
Just because you are content with today's technology doesn't mean the rest of us are. Your comments here sounded pretty lame " what makes you think they want 'better' sounding?"
Gee dave, what makes me think people want DVD or HDTV or even CD vs tape? Shit, why do I have a speedy computer at work when I could have an older pentium pro? My question for you is what makes you think people want "inferior" sound?
You say "The music industry better not try to push a new format, consumers are still pissed about replacing their tapes and records." Just like consumers are pissed that they are being forced to go out and buy DVD players and DVDs? The freakin things have jumped off the shelf at record setting rates. Those consumers can't be too pissed about having to replace their old tapes. Probably because they and anyone with half a brain will tell you that if you offer a substantially better product with additional value and sell it at a fair and reasonable price, people will embrace it.
Ask an audiophile which they would prefer as their main source, an mp3 player or a dedicated cd player. Shit ask me, I am an audiophile, it is ultimately up to me to decide what is and isn't up to par. I have stated that it is not up to my standards, and millions of audiophiles would agree with me. We can appreciate that it is the best of its breed but to put it in the same category as audiophile grade cd players and SACD is just ignorant.
Tell you what dav
Crap in, crap out is what they always say. So let me get this right; because I'm stupid. The ipod is limited only by the quality of the source, so if I want quality that is at the very least, comparable to a CD, I have to rip uncompressed aiff files. I buy the CD, rip it, transfer the big ass files over to the ipod which has limited storage for such big freakin files, then I have something that is nearly as good as the original CD right? Whats the fuckin point man? Time is money and the time it just took to do all that combined with the large price tag of an ipod ($400 for 20gig) makes this a lame proposition. Of that 20gig you can fit 34 uncompressed CDs, all the cost and time involved, seems better to me to just buy a freakin cd player.
If an audiophile had $400 to spend on a source component for high quality sound that he wanted to hook up to his stereo, do you think he would buy an ipod or would he buy an equally priced and FAR superior sounding CD player.
The ipod is not a good PDA, it is not a good game machine, it is not an audiophile grade music player. Sure it can kinda, sorta be used to very limited extent in that capacity, but you would be foolish to lump it in the same category as the real things. The ipod is what it is, a portable player of compressed music files. It does this better than any other mp3 player I think and I appluad its success. An audiophile grade piece of equipment it is NOT.
To address Dave's comment, Many people in their right minds DO want DVD-A and SACD now. If you haven't noticed, almost every manufacturer is making a universal DVD-VIDEO, DVD-A, SACD player that is very affordable. For several years now surround processors have been equiped with 5.1 analog inputs, now they have firewire and HDMI to support multichannel audio over a digital connection (copyprotection bullshit and all). If you have not heard 2 channel 192/24 audio on a great sounding system, you are missing out (I prefer the high res 2 channel to the sometimes gimmicky 5.1 mixes). I was buying a DVD-A the other day at a store and the clerk asked what DVD-A was. Rather then explain the technical specs behind it, I asked him if he remembered how he felt when he first compared an old VHS tape with a brilliant looking DVD video.
The CD is outdated just as the VHS tape was, now its time for something higher quality. When the DVD was introduced, it took off because the qualityh was great and the value was tremendous. If the music industry can do the same, with special bonus features, improved quality and fair pricing, maybe it can save their sorry asses.
Im sorry, did you just use the term audiophile quality in reference to lossy compression found in AAC and or MP3?
AAC, as improved as it is over mp3, is still far below it's CD Audio source. Even CDs are no longer audiophile quality as high resolution audio discs gain popularity. CDs are for the average joe, when you say Audiophile quality, you should really be speaking of 2 channel 192/24 DVD-Audio and SACD.
Your point is still taken, I just felt the need to nitpick.
Just this week I purchased Learning Perl 3rd edition. This is my first attempt at programming. As a systems admin I think perl will really help me out day to day. I have heard pros and cons to Perl as a first programming language but would love to hear the /. perspective.
Before I send those out, do you prefer isle or window seat?
"ipod? ogg? bah! what you really want is a good turntable!"
Speaking of good turntables, for those who are not wanna be DJs and just want to listen to music, try the
Linn LP12
or the more afordable but still enjoyable Rega Planar line
To complete the gift for your geek make sure you include a small gift certificate to your local used record store
Also set aside an entire weekend of free time for him/her because that's what a music lover will need when faced with the staggering vinyl selection at Amoeba. Best of all, Vinyl can often cost a few pennies to a few dollers, far cheaper than CDs. And guess what, NO DRM!!! and NO extra money going to the RIAA (Assuming you are buying USED)
What geek wouldn't want to flip off the recording industry while enjoying a geeky vintage medium like Vinyl.
Vinyl does not sound better then CD, and many prfer the warm analog sound of vinyl to the harsh processed tinny sound of CD, but don't try to argue which is better, they are just different. Everyone has their favorites.
I guess McD's was so heart broken about all those poor users deleting their music files
:o(.
They just had to step in and lend a hand. Perhaps this is a new direction for the Ronald McDonald House Charity, giving back to all the poor soles who one way or another lost their music
Yes except for the fact that they always manage to screw up my lunch order. Rather then giving me britney spears, knowing my luck I would get Yanni Live At The Acropolis
Well Duh! Of course we are deleting all the music files from my computer. How else am I going to have enough disk space for all the pirated HD broadcasts I will be downloading?
I rarely ever go to the movies, maybe once every year or so. What's the point, damn teenagers being obnoxious while trying to act cool, shitty picture, bad seats, cell phones, $11 movie tickets and of course the salty nasty popcorn with delicous tox yellow sludge butter.
I love movies, that is the main reason I purchased my TV and all the accompanying home theater gear. I may not be as extreme as not going to the movies in 10yrs, but I purposely avoid them like the plague.
Movies I saw in the theater this year because I couldn't wait.... Lost In Translation
Movies I saw last year because I couldn't wait....
The Roayl Tenenbaums.
Everyone around me gives me crap because I never saw matrix or lord of the rings or harry potter until it came out on DVD.
Im fully aware the Bravo DVD player does not require HCP over DVI. At the same time, it does not provide the same high quality upconversion over the component outputs on the unit. Check all the postings on avs forums, that is where I read that the upconverting feature only works well over the DVI.
Samsung's unit makes it clear right on the box that it will not send the upconverted video over the component conection.
I was afraid this would happen. I bought a TV last year that has one of the finest quality pictures you can get, ask anyone on AVS Forums, the pioneer elite pro 520 is amazing. I had it calibrated by a world renowned ISF engineer friend who works on Pixar, ILM and PDIs monitors. $6000 later I'm dialed into HDTV nirvana. but my TV does not have DVI digital connection with copywrite protection crap. Just good ol analog component video inputs. I was bummed when they came out with the new DVI input but thought nothing of it since I could enjoy every bennefit without it.
That was until they started making inexpensive DVD players which would upconvert the 480p material to 1080i. Wow, this sounded AWESOME, but oh no, they only allow this upconversion to take place over the DVI connection. Why you ask? Copy protection, the powers that be would not allow samsung to send high res upconverted video over an analog connection which could easily be recorded. So here I am ready to buy a new DVD player just for that feature, getitng rid of my perfectly good exisitng player, but oooooh noooo, you dont have DVI with HCP so you must be a pirate.
Which makes me wonder, who the hell is going to be trading uncompressed HD video files of some shitty sitcom over the internet? I dont see this as an immediate threat.
Same thing will happen with the broadcast flag, they will use it to screw over all the suckers like me who dont play by their rules. They are slowly eliminating what we used to be able to do with our electronics.
So yes, I can keep using my tv and the existing hardware, but their plan is to make the shit obsolete every few years. Every time they introduce some manadatory copy protection and it gets cracked, they change the specs, make it illegal to use anything but those specs, making upgrades impossible because it would sacrifice the integrity of their precious copy protection.
This rant wasnt very coherent, no real good points were made and it wasnt really well thought out. I have so much freakin anger and hatred for the RIAA, MPAA right now that it makes it difficult to think.
Useless? Its called PERSONAL LEARNING EDITION, Not the personal profit edition. There is absoltely nothing preventing an interested user from learning the basics and beyond of Maya. It's not like a nag box pops up EVERY time you want to open hypershade or outliner.
Watermarking is annoying of course but if this product is intended to give users a free method to LEARN, a watermark isnt going to interfere with that. You will still see accurate results of your render.
If you claim it is useless I really need to ask what it is you are trying to do with it? If you want to use it for billable hours, yes it is uselss and this product is not for you.
On the other hand, If you are trying to put together some work for a demo reel to get a real job in the business this PLE will do just fine.
As someone who receives and views artist reels every week, the watermark does NOT bother us. We are judging the quality of your work which will shine even through a watermark. In fact If I saw a reel come through that was watermarked to shit, it would tell me that this artist chooses to use legal software rather than cracked copies like everyone else. I would admire that kind of integrity in a prospective employee.
When I was teaching myself 3d animation it was with an educational edition of 3dsmax which I actually had to pay for from the University bookstore. When I later got into the business and I expanded our CG dept, we stuck with 3dsmax because it was what I knew. Had Maya Personal Learning Edition been around during my self teaching days, I would have given it a shot. If that were the case perhaps I would have a shelf full of Alias software now where all our Discreet boxes are.
Alias knows that the future 3d artists of tomorrow are young kids with no money. They choose to embrace them and provide free software and tutorials and learning resources. They are expecting a return on that investment and will probably get it. It also stregthens the community, now many more people can write "maya for beginners" books or publish online tutorials because maya is available to everyone, the audience grows.
Brilliant scheme that is so simple. Try before you buy, get em hooked while they're young. Win their loyalty now and they will come back as paying customers in the future.
Everyone wins in this situation.
Is there a definitive point in time, a single event that started this all?
DRM this, RIAA that, MPAA my freakin head is spinning. When did DRM become so damn vital to companies like these? Was it napster that freaked everyone?
Because of all this crap, A friends ISP got shut down because someone complained to his upstream provider that one of his users was sharing software, no warning, no proof, no due process...crazy.
I spend $6000 on an HDTV last year that is already obsolete because it doesnt have the flavor of the month DVI copyrite protection connector. Hey man, check out this bad ass new DVD player that upconverts to 1080i, oh what you dont have DVI with HDCP, oh im sorry youre fucked. We had the 15pin RGB connector, then component video, then firewire, then DVI, then DVI with HDCP, and now we have HDMI. make up your freakin minds.
Or how about a cd I bought that would play in my high end REGA Jupiter cd player because it had copywrite protection.
I upgraded my video card and had to reactivate Windows XP on my workstation at work. What a pain in the a$$ I paid for the windows license.
This shit makes physically ill to the point where I want to start firebombing some of these companies.
I obviously blame these corporations and industry groups, but what started it all? Why are they so convinced that anyone using a computer is out to ruin them.
Why am I being affected by all this crap, I dont fileshare, I dont rip CDs for friend, I dont steal cable. Im a somewhat honest consumer, why am I getting nailed with all this crap that really isnt going to make ANY dent in actual piracy?
Are you listening to me Microsoft, RIAA, MPAA, Sony, Adobe, Disney and all you other fuckers. You cant stop piracy, all youre doing is driving me freakin nutts, and Im your paying customer!!!
GO RED SOX!!!!! AL Division Champs here we come.
Mod me down people, I got more karma then Manny and Nomar have homeruns.
(for you geeks, The Boston Red Sox are a baseball organization, baseball is a sport played outside during daylight hours, sometimes inside stadiums, and sometimes at night with lights on. Sports like baseball are great for exercise and socializing with others)
Installed from Windows update or direct link from the web, results would be the same, bizzare software conflict that silently corrupted all my 3d scenes.
.max scene files are corrupt"
Now think about this one AC, what type of computer user is going to actively seek out the latest patches via MS website and install them, probably a more technically skilled user.
The novice or clueless user who has Microsoft change their computer completely behind the scenes without any notice or intervention could run into problems. Should those patches corrupt their system or conflict with software, is that novice going to be able clean up the mess? Not likely. But they may have a chance, if they were presented with a box saying "Hey Im going to install the following updates that address these issues, do you agree to install these?" Then the newbie user would at least have a small clue as to what the hell is going on with their computer.
I think tis best to alert the novice users, educate them on whats going on, not give them some false sense of security. "Oh my computer is fine, I dont need to be aware of viruses and exploits, because my computer is doing it all for me automatically, and gosh darnit, I trust those geniuses up in redmond to do whats best for me"
If you were a tech support guy and got a phone call "Hey all my
tech: "Has anything changed on your computer recently"
"I have no idea"
Wouldnt you rather get
"Well recently I was alerted to a critical update by Microsoft, it was a patch called Ms03-026 or something and it was for some RPC vulnerability, whatever that is!"
Which call would you rather get?
I would rather speak to the user who has a slight clue as to what the hell is happening. Amazing, isn't it ?
Getting back to the article, I dont think its a good idea to make windows updates automatic and mandatory. I think they should have several more levels of notification and warning. Are you ready to surrender full control of your machine to Microsoft or any other third party? Im guessing not many people here are.
One of the most interesting books I've read all year was "Bringing Down the House : The Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas for Millions" by Ben Mezrich
Using team play, probability, counting on a never before seen level, these guys took casinos for millions.
I first heard of it here on slashdot I think. I am not a gambler, I am not a mathmetician, but this book got me hooked from the begining and kept me on the edge until the end. A must read!!
I work for a post production company, recently was in the final week of a 3month long project; A full 30sec CG commercial for Clorox. So it's the final days before deadline and I'm working 100+ hr week, the worm is about to hit and I download the latest security patches, all is well...or so I thought. In my half-awake, overworked not quite alert fashion, I agreed to let windows update do its thing, a decision I now regret. It installs the latest patches including the one for RPC, and I continue with my work. I work through the weekend in "3d Studio Max" made by "Discreet" Saving my work diligently as I go. On Monday the other folks in the office come in and alert me to a minor problem that every time they try to click on one of my .max files in explorer, explorer.exe crashes. Just hovering over the damn thing causes a crash ( explorer in detail view, without the web features on) I checked the files myself and they all seem to work fine, but nobody else can open or render them. I check google, I check Discreet's support forums...nothing. Then I remember that I windows update ran over the weekend and 2 patches were installed, the DirectX patch and the RPC patch. Because 3dsmax utilizes directx or opengl for viewport rendering, I started there. Interestingly, there is no easy way to remove that patch, there is no listing for it in add/remove, I found an entry for it in the registry and called MS security dept to help me remove it, they had no fuckin clue. I tried my best and all my .max scene files were still coming up corrupt. So then I switched gears and tried removing MS03-026. BINGO. This little shit had caused every .max scene file I created over the weekend to be totally corrupt. I lost about 36hrs of work at a time where I couldn't spare a minute. Thanks Microsoft and Discreet!
I posted my story to the discreet support site, a couple days later discreet posted an official response, confirming what i had posted. Some customers were notified via email, many were not. A lot of people got screwed like I did with this bizarre conflict.
I learned my lesson, don't click on Windows system dialog boxes when you are half asleep and unable to make sound decisions.
Imagine how much more Apple would have sold if they could sell to windows and linux users. My coworkers have Ipods but under windows, so no luck right now. In the future im SURE they will.
I've even tried services like Rhapsody through Speakeasy. Again, a slick looking interface that only works in Windows.
No brushed metal interfaces, no prorietary software, just give me a website with a link with a file I can pay for and download and listen to.
In a related article, recent studies show that Apple zealots will buy just about anything as long as it has a candy colored apple logo and some brushed metal interface.
As much as I'm against the DRM and the low bitrate itunes uses, I actually see this as a good thing. The more successful this is, the better my chances of getting an online song service that suits me better. Maybe iTunes will make some changes and remove the DRM, maybe they will offer higher bitrate songs. If they do not, maybe someone else will do it in apple's footsteps.
Now all that needs to happen is for Apple to go out and get a massive catalog of Indy music they can represent, give profits to the artists and kill the big record labels.
Anyone else worried about the quality of the net degrading? How long until peopel are so fed up that they just stop using it?
Ok So I'm not going to stop using the net, I will continue to do what I always have done. When a website resorts to these Ad tactics, I either a) give them money to stop as is the case with slashdot. ONLY if the content on the site is worth the price they are asking though b) use the handy features of phoenix to make the site usable, block ads from this server, nuke this image, dont allow pop ups or javascripts. or c) stop using the site all together.
I imagine these ads will piss off users and confuse the hell out of net illiterate types, to the point where they just stop visiting that site. What good is running a website and selling advertising space if NOBODY is watching anymore? Seems to me if sites are so desperate for advertising dollars, there is a better, less intrusive way to do it. Or maybe they should call it quits.
I like my slashdot subscription, but im curious if they makes more money from me removing the ads or from me viewing the ads?
This article said the ads would be 300k. Imagine some poor sap on dialup who has to download that crap when he is quickly clicking through links and subjected to 4 or 5 of these stupid things.
If I ever get one of these awful ads shoved in my face, I assure you I will not be coming back for seconds.
I am an audiophile and even bigger videophile. But your joke is damn funny. I will have to remember that one.
You have to be able to laugh at yourself sometimes. Spending thousands of dollars on interconnects and speaker cable, yeah its pretty fuckin silly and we deserve to be made fun of. But the difference is worth it to us, its what we love, it makes us happy, It's our money to spend and we get a great return on enjoyment.
My family gives me a hard time for spending so much money on AV gear, but they always want to have parties at my house to watch the Superbowl or Masters or NHL playoffs or Oscars on one of the best HDTV sets money can buy.
Again, I loved your joke, I'm going to use it myself.
You said "Now that I get tons of properly-labeled, decent quality MP3's, with no DRM, flat monthly fee, and unlimited downloads"
I hate kazaa and most all p2p apps. I like the idea I just don't care for the hassle and time involved. Its like that linux expression, "Mp3 downloads on kazaa are only free if your time is worth nothing, and quality means nothing to you"
I had never looked into emusic, but if it is in fact flat fee, unlimited downloads, no DRM, I think I may take a look at it. Thanks AC.