Pure Audio Blu-Ray - Why do we need yet another format?
From the time of its general introduction in 1983, Compact Discs and CD players have become a familiar part of consumer hi-fi systems. The method of operation has been consistent during that period: put a disc in the tray; accept track 1 by default or select another; press Play. No other setup was expected or available.
The DVD was introduced in the late 1990s primarily to carry movies as a replacement for consumer videotape formats. All user interaction was intended to be directed by a remote control, with visual feedback from the screen that was automatically available in a home-video system. High-resolution audio was not a primary factor in the initial design of DVD, in part because the data capacity of a DVD, although considered large at the time, was insufficient to carry multi-channel uncompressed LPCM (for example)
The introduction of the Blu-ray disc (BD) format in 2006 offered sufficient data capacity for high-resolution audio to be considered practically and without compromise. More importantly, the basic specification of the BD included a wider range of lossless audio coding options, including up to 8 channels of high-resolution LPCM.
Like their DVD precursors, BD players are designed to be used in conjunction with a video screen, and so screen-based visual feedback was again assumed for operational control. While this will be satisfactory for some users, many audio users will still prefer the simplicity of CD operations. Additionally, in many consumer hi-fi systems, there will be no existing screen and the extra cost of providing a screen just to see the menu could make the high-resolution audio proposition impractical.
It is possible, without making any changes to the BD player, to provide the necessary functionality for screen-less playback of high-resolution audio. The necessary functionality can be provided using programming that is included at the authoring stage of the disc and the resulting discs will play back correctly, as designed, on all Blu-Ray players (including soft players & the PS3) without any problems.
The Solution
In conjunction with Super Audio Mastering and MSM Studios GmbH, Opus Productions are very pleased to announce a new alliance with the sole aim of providing you with the very best quality available in Digital Audio - Pure Audio Blu Ray and full BDMV authoring.
Pure Audio Blu-Ray (PA-BD) is designed to work in exactly the same manner as a CD - you load the disc, press PLAY and off it goes with no need at all to have a screen connected for navigational purposes. This is where the similarity ends, however, as PA-BD allows us up to 4 different audio streams per disc that are accessible from the coloured buttons on the remote control and this will remain constant across all titles.
Naturally, those users who do have screens connected to their players cannot be expected to put up with a black screen, so there is also navigational, audio stream and track information available onscreen which also facilitates easy access to any value added content that may be included as well.
The Benefits
With the simplicity of a CD combined with both stereo & surround sound in the same quality that was heard in the studio, it's hard to think of any actual drawbacks to PA-BD and when you factor in the possibilities offered by the inclusion of value added content such as promotional video in full HD & networking to portable devices via M-Shuttle this looks like a winning format. Add to these obvious advantages that these discs will play on all Blu-Ray players, including the PS3, with no complicated setup issues or firmware upgrades required because ther Java programming guarantees full compatibility and the relative simplicity with which these discs can be produced means that the record industry & the labels can all get behind a common format.