DVD-A/SACD quality playback on Ipod

[micjh]

Hello,

I am sorry if this have been discussed before, but I did not see anything about this in my search.

I have a car that is able to play DVD-A discs, and I have noticed that they sound better (in my opinion) than my ipod playback through USB/Bluetooth streaming.

A couple of questions:

1) I know you cannot rip a DVD-A or SACD to your PC, but if a record company wanted to put out an album with the same type of 5.1 surround mix as they would have with a DVD-A, could they do that through a lossless formart like FLAC, etc.?

2) If they did produce a file like that, and say they made that file available via itunes or HD tracks, could an ipod/media player be able to play that file through a USB connection or bluetooth streaming?

I know that FLAC cannot be played on an ipod, but there are other formats that do. Would there have to a new ipod to be able to play this type of music? Also, would I have to upgrade my system to play it back in my car?

Sorry for the what if question, but I was just seeing if the technology is already out there. I also understand that it would take a lot for this to be available mainstream, but I thought I would ask.

Thanksfor humoring me!

 

[AdrianK]

1) I know you cannot rip a DVD-A or SACD to your PC, but if a record company wanted to put out an album with the same type of 5.1 surround mix as they would have with a DVD-A, could they do that through a lossless formart like FLAC, etc.?

With a few exceptions, DVD-A are entirely rip-able (2.0 and 5.1, MLP and PCM etc).

SACD rips are possible, but that's a whole other topic.

Of course, they could, some do.

2) If they did produce a file like that, and say they made that file available via itunes or HD tracks, could an ipod/media player be able to play that file through a USB connection or bluetooth streaming?

Bluetooth tops out at 723kilobytes/s, that not even enough for Redbook (CD standard) lossless audio. USB? Sure. Whether the iPod output's at that bit depth/sample rate and whether the car would interpret it is another matter.

I know that FLAC cannot be played on an ipod, but there are other formats that do. Would there have to a new ipod to be able to play this type of music? Also, would I have to upgrade my system to play it back in my car?

The max spec an iPod can play is 24bit/48KHz (2 channel) encoded as ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec). I'm not sure if this is the same for all iPods, but the Classic can.

 

[micjh]

With a few exceptions, DVD-A are entirely rip-able (2.0 and 5.1, MLP and PCM etc).

SACD rips are possible, but that's a whole other topic.

Of course, they could, some do.

I guess I was looking at outdated info on that. I would like to rip the DVD-A albums I have now so I do not have to keep them in my car (they are expensive). I am sure I would have to purchase software to rip and burn them onto a dvd-r. I am assuming it is pretty complicated to burn the DVD-A quality onto a dvd-r.

. Whether the iPod output's at that bit depth/sample rate and whether the car would interpret it is another matter.

If an ipod or media player were able to play this type of file, I personally would not know how to test the stereo to see if it actually working. I guess I would rely on sound alone, which can play tricks on my ears from time to time.

I appreciate your help. It seems like the only real option playing these mixes through disc format. Hopefully more options become available in the near future.

Thanks for your time!

 

[AdrianK]

I guess I was looking at outdated info on that. I would like to rip the DVD-A albums I have now so I do not have to keep them in my car (they are expensive). I am sure I would have to purchase software to rip and burn them onto a dvd-r. I am assuming it is pretty complicated to burn the DVD-A quality onto a dvd-r.

The watermarking protection scheme may put a spanner in that, depends if your discs contain a watermark (not all do) and whether your player bothers checking for them.

To get around that, I suppose you could reauthor - rip the audio from the disc (be it MLP or PCM) and create a new DVD-Video with high-res PCM (first suggestion that comes to mind, there's probably a better way).

 

[DustinT]

I'll say what you want to do is possible, but its a fair bit of trouble as you have to rip the audio and then find a compatible format to play it back in your car. And your iPod is never going to do multichannel audio out so the best you could hope for is a 2.0 and really high bit rates. There are methods to matrix a 4.0 channel setup from stereo but then your car would have to play it back.

Honestly, you can probably just copy the disks pretty inexpensively at home and use the copies in the car if you are worried about theft or damage. I think the iPod idea is possible but a real pain.