Bu Rant

There's been a lot of talk about Blu-Ray v. DVD v. download lately, but there are a couple things that don't get mentioned often in the debate.

1. Some Blu-Rays aren't really better.

Last week, I got House of Flying Daggers on Blu-Ray from Netflix. The story’s above average, and like Yimou Zhang’s previous film Hero, every shot is a work of art. However, the quality of the video on the disc was lacking. I can’t speak for the original theatrical release, but reviews and forum posts on the disc confirm the poor quality of the transfer. Even on my 32” Westinghouse, I could see lots of noise and was distracted by the lack of clarity within deep colors (a trademark of the director’s style).

More than a few Blu-Ray releases have been scarred by poor video (or audio) quality. Most recently, the Blu-Ray release of Gangs of New York has received some of the worst comments I’ve seen regarding video quality on a high-def disc. The original Fifth Element and Full Metal Jacket releases are examples of sub par releases where the studio has actually stepped up and remedied the situation with a new release.

2. Where are my special features?

One of the reasons I happily made the jump to DVD (other than video/span quality, lifespan, etc.) was for special features: deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes featurettes, commentaries, etc. One advantage that Blu-Ray boasts over DVD is the possibility for better special features: picture-in-picture commentaries, internet connectivity, and (with more space) more features.

Hellboy has seen several standard-def DVD releases, with the 3-disc director’s cut containing a wealth of bonus features, including a new commentary by the director. Fans who opt for the similarly priced Blu-Ray version will get a great video/audio bang for their buck, but will miss out on all the features found on the three-disc DVD.

Taking Gangs of New York as a case study again, the disc offers nothing that wasn’t on the two-disc DVD. The only apparent advantage of the Blu-Ray version, which costs $15 more, is the [assumed] jump in audio quality and not having to change discs halfway through the movie.

There are several examples of Blu-Ray releases that get everything right. Jumper is the best example I’ve seen. With next-gen commentary, an “animated” comic, and amazing video and audio quality, this release actually creates a highly enjoyable experience from a mediocre film.

If the big studios really want Blu-Ray to be the new media format (which is debatable), they’re going to have to do more than fatten release schedules and shrink the price gap; they’ll have to make all Blu-Rays obviously superior to their market-penetrated competition.

Record Shop

Circa 2001. I'm working at a regional music chain in Jackson, TN. This is both the best and worst job I've ever had. My musical vocabulary and frame of reference increases ten fold in the year or so I spend there, and I meet many people who positively influence my knowledge and taste. I also encounter countless "morons" who grate my nerves with their questionable taste and inane questions. Worst of all, I become a cultural elitist (partially due to the film education provided by a roommate and a video production course), a personality trait I have only wrestled into submission in the last couple years.

Present. Inspired by my newly acquired speakers, I've u-turned away from the internet as my primary source of new music. Over the last decade the mode of transfer from my music has shifted in much the same way as yours (you being the ubiquitous blog-reader) likely has: from exclusively CD to almost exclusively mp3 (or some other digital equivalent). Although I'm completely confident in the ability of a digital audio file to deliver an experience equal to that of CD, I'm not confident in the ability of my computer or iPod or internet storefronts to consistently deliver that experience. What follows is a list of my praise and gripes:

• The iPod classic and PC, while good in storage capacity, portability (iPod), and user friendliness, require add-ons (external DAC, controler/line-in adapter) for optimum performance.
• BLEEP, 7digital, Anthology Recordings, and similar sites have the quality right, but their selection is limited or caters toward a specific market.
• Amazon and iTunes (the two biggest digital music retailers) are headed in the right direction, but still aren't the perfect solution.
• Nine Inch Nails had a great idea with their latest release, but bandwidth was a problem early on.
  

The--possibly foolish--reaction has been to invest almost embarrassing amounts of cash on CDs, occasionally of tracks that I'd previously acquired (legally or otherwise). Not since my time at the CD store have I so haphazardly consumed round, silver plastic. In the last two weeks, I've popped into Barnes & Noble (of all places) to look for CDs. The first time I was hoping they might have the new Kills album, and last night I was taking advantage of their 40% coupon. Both times, I hoped--fruitlessly--to see my friend/acquaintance who works there.

During his appearance on All Songs Considered, Thom Yorke stated that he missed the experience of record shopping. My time shopping the decent-but-inadequate CD section of our local B&N became about an attempt to reclaim that music shop experience, and even though there was no one around who's taste I would turn to, I picked up the Nick Cave album that sat in my friend's recommendation slot by the counter.

I realize that the try-before-you-buy nature of mp3s and music blogs are a more efficient and streamlined method of achieving the same effect. But there's a unique experience in filing through rows of CDs or vinyl while chatting and listening to someone else's selection. I don't want to give up all that technology hath wrought, but I don't want to throw out the indie shops either.

In the spirit of that idea, and the upcoming Record Store Day, here are my favorite record stores:

Grimey's Nashville, TN
If I ever move to Nashville, this place will have something to do with that.
Memorable purchase: DJ Shadow Preemptive Strike (used vinyl)

Euclid Records St. Louis, MO
I've only been there once, but the layout, selection, and staff were all top-notch. I'll be making a visit soon.
Jason Molina Let Me Go, Let Me Go (vinyl/CD)

Last Chance Memphis, TN
Memorable Purchase: Hot Snakes Audit in Progress (vinyl)
Shangri-La Memphis, TN
Memorable purchase: Dead Kennedys Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables (used? vinyl)
When I lived farther down the Mississippi, these places (especially LC) were weekly stops.

The Disc Exchange Knoxville, TN
Another one I've only visited once . . . over five years ago, but they had a nice variety and friendly staff.
Memorable purchase: The White Stripes White Blood Cells (CD, original Sympathy for the Record industry release)

In apology of compression

from my personal blog:

I spent an hour or so organizing some of old CDs (mostly burned) and putting up some posters. On this week's episode of AV Rant, one of my favorite podcasts, Tom Andry expressed his puzzlement as to why someone would need to carry around 5,000 songs in their pocket. Although I share--less enthusiastically--in his lament of the shift towards music that is more compressed and, thus, less dynamic, I refuse to throw out thousands of babies with the mass-produced bathwater.

Even now, as I listen to last year's Myths of the Near Future from Klaxons, I'm mildly distracted by the bass clipping and overall lack of range. Whether it's the original mastering, the digital compression down to a wimpy 128-kbs AAC file, my $50 2.1 speakers, our living room's horrible acoustics, or a combination of all four, the delivery process leaves much to be desired.

However, I didn't get into music because an $800-pair of speakers dazzled me with an impressive sound stage. I love music because it speaks to me; it makes me feel something. The melodies dances around my brain when its absent. I get powerful urges to hear particular songs, and if the thirst goes unquenched, I'm mildly distracted. The best cure for what some might label an addiction, is my iPod classic loaded with 15,000 songs (three-fourths of my iTunes library), many of which are painfully compressed.

Although I'd love a 7.1 audio-centric home theater system featuring the Onkyo TX-SR605 receiver, Oppo's DV-980H up-converting player, and a set of Axiom speakers, I can't bring myself to save my monthly entertainment budget to get them. In the meantime, I looking for a good deal on MDR-V6 headphones, downloading 320 kbs torrents, and re-ripping some of my favorite albums in 256 kbs. That digital artifact I just heard in "Gravity's Rainbow" tells me that Klaxons CD is first.

Read the entire post here.