Chemical Brothers new DVD single

[Mozza]

Apologies first if this has already been discussed but what the hell is going on with the DVD single of Star Guitar?! I picked this up today expecting it to make full use of my HiFi and now how ******** off am I!

The menu is encoded in Dolby Digital, even if it a 10 second sample that keeps on repeating. But why oh why are the video and additional tracks only encoded in 2 channel stereo?!?!?

I would have expected the Chemical Brothers more than a lot of bands to use digital sound on a digital format so what were they thinking? It's possibly the biggest waste of £3 I have spent in a long time. Even the video itself is pants despite what others were saying in another thread last week. :mad:

[sbooth]

Well if that's the case i'm sticking with the cd. I thought it would be 5.1. The Orbital and Underworld DVD albums sound so good in 5.1. Thought that the Chemical Bros would go that route as well even though it's a single. :(

[RoyJones]

Sorry to disagree but this is one of the best £3 I've ever spent. It might not rock your rears but as it is encoded in full on LPCM 1563 Kbps it should rock your ears.
And what a bloody great video.

Try the Mercury Rev DVD single for size if you want a poorly encoded disc. £2 and all you get is a very grainy Reading video in poor old Dolby Digital 2.0 @196Kbps.

For 5.1 sound get the "It's not the end of the world" (brand new video) (much better than the LP version). by SFA's.
Still even tho it's 5.1 it's only encoded @ 465Kbps.

[DMillburn]

Originally posted by RoyJones
For 5.1 sound get the "It's not the end of the world" (brand new video) (much better than the LP version). by SFA's.
Still even tho it's 5.1 it's only encoded @ 465Kbps.

Is it just a different video or a different mix as well? Just wondering if it is still worth getting if you have the "Rings" dvd album - love that but not sure about £5 for one new video.

[mr.nick]

Originally posted by RoyJones
Sorry to disagree but this is one of the best £3 I've ever spent. It might not rock your rears but as it is encoded in full on LPCM 1563 Kbps it should rock your ears.
And what a bloody great video.

I'll backup Roy here - remember this is only a transfer of the promo video to DVD, not an experiment in 5.1 mixing. Most, if not all DVD singles will be exactly the same.

Should also still be worth £3 since it's meant to have an extra Pete Heller mix not available on any other format.

[Spinning Plates]

If you want really crappy 2 channel quality you should check out Muse - Bliss: Dvd. :(

[FlangeMonkey]

[Dunce mode]

OK I may be being very thick here, but are these DVD singles hybrid DVD/CD discs....in other words are they capable of being read in regular CD players as well?

[/Dunce mode]

I remember reading a while back that some bands had thought about doing this...Björk for instance was mentioned I think.

[mr.nick]

Originally posted by FlangeMonkey
in other words are they capable of being read in regular CD players as well?

Generally the lead track is the only DVD only part of the single with the others being CD and DVD compatible, although there are exceptions.

[Noel M]

Originally posted by Spinning Plates
If you want really crappy 2 channel quality you should check out Muse - Bliss: Dvd. :(

Totally agree. At least most DVD singles come with PCM stereo which is significantly better than CD quality. The Muse one is Dolby Digital 2.0, which is pretty pointless, as it is <i>worse</i> than CD quality. To top it all off Muse didn't even include the video of the song, just a 'Making Of Bliss'. Now, there's a totally useless DVD single.

[gZa]

Originally posted by Noel M
Totally agree. At least most DVD singles come with PCM stereo which is significantly better than CD quality.PCM stereo <B>is</B> CD quality. :brickwall

Generally if a Music DVD has a choice between Dolby Digital 2.0 (compressed) or PCM Stereo (uncompressed) the PCM stereo sounds far superior.

[FlangeMonkey]

Originally posted by mr.nick


Generally the lead track is the only DVD only part of the single with the others being CD and DVD compatible, although there are exceptions.

Cheers for clearing that up....I don't feel quite as clueless now!

[mjb1975]

I hate it when labels release singles without taking advantage of the DVD format. I'm hoping DVD singles are encouraged and, while I don't tend to buy singles, I'm buying DVD singles to help support their sales - this is the way I'm hoping single releases go.

However, I always check the single in question cos there's far too many that just have a tiny feature on rather than the video of the single (and possibly something more).

[Ghost Dog]

I think all DVD singles should only have LPCM (like the Chemical Brothers, REM etc.) or DD5.1 such as SFA and Bjork. Why some are released with DD2.0 I don't know as it sounds rubbish. I was very dissappointed with the Mercury Rev DVD single the sound is appalling quality when compared to the SFA and Chemicals brothers ones released the same day.

[richie99]

Come on guys, stop moaning about the sound - just be thankful for one of the best videos of the year so far. Michel Gondry is genius ! Having done vids for Bjork and Daft Punk, he comes up trumps again here.
I'm ****** impressed :D

[tj_director]

while on the topic -- fans of 5.1 DVD singles SHOULD pick up 'Super Furry Animal's' new single -- 'It's not the end of the world'

It's a really nice package, that picked up for 3 quid on impulse. I've never really heard their music before.. but fortunately i kinda like them now...

The menu is class if vague, the video itself is also class, and the pic. quality is excellent and so too is the 5.1 mix. There's also some other cool stuff on it, including an audio only version with lyrics on screen, and a short clip of (i assume) them dropping a TV out of a hotel window, and more...

Surely the SFA are fans of DVD!!! pick it up!!! and at 3 quid! ****!! that's 25% cheaper than most of your typical CD singles, with their crappy ECD vids. ;)

as for the Chemcal Brother's new video -- it's great in one respect, that feeling you get when you see why is so raved about, you honestly wouldn't know it unless you paid attention to it. But after watching it a few times, it is effectively still just a camera sitting in a train, not the most visually exciting thing. But the highest praise for the guys who made it!!!! gotta love all the little details, like the reflection of the passengers -- class!! :o