On January 28th Blu-ray.com reported that Neil Young is working on plans to release his Archives series on Blu-ray! I just discovered this while looking for information about this releases lengthy delay. Being a huge Neil Young fan this disk is a definite buy for me if it is released this decade. I am surprised that no one else has mentioned this release in the BD forum. Is anyone else looking forward to viewing and listening to this release?

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=900
/Maybe one day the Rust Never Sleeps concert will be released on Blu-ray! :D

This looks to be 2.0 compatable and will have 10 discs.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g7PU369D66DFPT3h6RDkR9s61AnQD90GAE0G0

I saw this as well, looks very interesting.

Not sure I want to buy it though, with 10 discs the price could be fairly intimidating.

Any hope of getting this via Netflix? (I doubt it)

Not sure I want to buy it though, with 10 discs the price could be fairly intimidating.

The five-disc Blade Runner wasn't bad price-wise.

My big question-- will there be tracks from The Mynah Birds?

The five-disc Blade Runner wasn't bad price-wise.

My big question-- will there be tracks from The Mynah Birds?
Yup and The Squires

I have everything Neil Young has ever released and will buy this in a heartbeat. Problem is that given Neils track record I would be very surprised if he and his people will get this out in 2008.

It'll be interesting to see what audio format he will choose for this release. His archive project has always been seen as a audio project mainly. There has been various video supplements to the already released CD/DVD volumes but for those the DVDs are mostly to be able to present 24/96 sound quality.

Yup and The Squires

Woo-Hoo! I'm buying!

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/ptech/05/06/young.bluray.ap/index.html

"SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- Rocker Neil Young plans to release his entire music archive on Blu-ray discs, a sign that the discs' capabilities are building appeal among musicians as well as movie studios."

"Previous technology required unacceptable quality compromises," he said in a statement. "I am glad we waited and got it right."

I hope this set is released in MC, but based on Neil's shift away from MC to stereo on his hi-rez releases, I'm not holding my breath. I'll buy it anyway.

fyi: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1026841

I tried to open this in the appropriate thread, and decided upon the less travelled audio area... not sure it matters one way or another, but, well, there you go...

The video linked makes me =very= excited for these releases... Alas, as obsessive collector I'd even pick up the 80s stuff that frankly sucks (anybody listen to Trans recently? :) )

I have everything Neil Young has ever released and will buy this in a heartbeat. Problem is that given Neils track record I would be very surprised if he and his people will get this out in 2008.
No doubt. I've been waiting for Decade 3\Archives for 12+ years but perhaps this time it'll finally happen.
There was a video posted on his website a few years back where he strolls through his tape vault. Unbelieveable.
Apparently, he has tapes of literally every concert he's ever played.
Plus when he records an album, there's huge amounts of stuff that never sees the light of day.
Neil is the best and Neil live is even better.:)

The five-disc Blade Runner wasn't bad price-wise.

My big question-- will there be tracks from The Mynah Birds?

Blade Runner was cheap because the other discs were just alternate versions of one film. If there's 10 discs of non-repeating content you can bet that its going to be expensive as hell.

I hadn't been to Neil's site in a few months and picked up this quote from the N Y Times;
"Storage is the only limit," Young said, and recommended the Sony's PlayStation 3 as the best way to view his project.

Looks like I'm set:D

If there's 10 discs of non-repeating content you can bet that its going to be expensive as hell.And your point is?

And your point is?

That IMO this will be priced much higher per disc than Blade Runner for the reason I stated. It really wasn't hard to comprehend.

Not to get into it but what disc set hasn't been priced higher per disc than Blade Runner. It was an incredible bargain and cheaper than many single disc releases.
Yeah, a 10 disc set is going to be expensive.
I'm just happy as hell that I'll have the opportunity to buy it.

well blade runner was really only 3 blu ray disks

2 of the disks were regular DVD's

Between this and the recent success of the Nine Inch Nails Ghosts I-IV, it seems like HD Audio may be back in business!!! Hopefully this will be the success some of high-rez music junkies hoped SACD would be.

I've been working with Neil and his production people on the release of this disc, so I can provide some answers. This disc will be in 24/192 audio. There won't be any Mynah Birds here (he thought that was going back a bit too far to be relevant to the core fan base). As of now this should be on track for a fall 2008 release. As to price, his response was "a lot"...

- Talk

24/192? wow...trying to capture every bit there, isn't he...? good stuff.

Neil Young can thank Napster for selling me on this set. I have been listening to compressed MP3's of Neil for the last six years after discovering his wide range of music online, and now I am ready for the real deal, 24/192 audio. I see this as my opportunity to legally replace my collection of Neil albums. I am ready! Anyone living in the Houston area when this is released can feel free to drop by my place to jam.

put me down for this too :)

Neil Young can thank Napster for selling me on this set. I have been listening to compressed MP3's of Neil for the last six years after discovering his wide range of music online, and now I am ready for the real deal, 24/192 audio. I see this as my opportunity to legally replace my collection of Neil albums. I am ready! Anyone living in the Houston area when this is released can feel free to drop by my place to jam.

You do know that quite a few of Neils albums are available in different forms of high resolution audio and have been so for awhile? Granted not 24/192 but still.

Not saying this won't be the holy grail and Neil has made us wait for his various projects but he has also been one of few in the rock world going to bat for great audio quality for years.

You all should hear Neil Young Live at Massey Hall if you have not already. Great music @ 24/96 but lousy video. If the new stuff is close to this than count me in.

I've been working with Neil and his production people on the release of this disc, so I can provide some answers. This disc will be in 24/192 audio. There won't be any Mynah Birds here (he thought that was going back a bit too far to be relevant to the core fan base). As of now this should be on track for a fall 2008 release. As to price, his response was "a lot"...
- Talk
Thanks Talk.
My post re: the Mynah Birds was from some of the original info on "Decade 3" which turned into The Archives some time ago.
If you ever get to talk to Neil again, please tell him that his core fans have been waiting for this music for a long, long time.
Personally, I'd be happy if he included everything.

24/192? wow...trying to capture every bit there, isn't he...? good stuff.

I think it's amazing that we can decipher 48kHz... Not to mention the 96kHz on some discs... But 192kHz... all in one second, lasts.. Just a second!

Thanks Talk.
My post re: the Mynah Birds was from some of the original info on "Decade 3" which turned into The Archives some time ago.
If you ever get to talk to Neil again, please tell him that his core fans have been waiting for this music for a long, long time.
Personally, I'd be happy if he included everything.He did mention this is the sort of thing which would be a natural to make available via a BD-Live download from the Archives. I'll be sure to mention it next time I talk with his production folk.

- Talk

I wonder how much video we can expect from this set. If video is present will we get small clips or full songs and shows? Don't get me wrong, getting what was seen from the Java conference looks amazing. I am really looking forward to getting Neil Young's 1973 album "Time Fades Away" officially released in digital format. I cannot wait to get a clean cut without the small pops and skips that is present on the record rip version I have now.

I wonder how much video we can expect from this set. If video is present will we get small clips or full songs and shows? Don't get me wrong, getting what was seen from the Java conference looks amazing. I am really looking forward to getting Neil Young's 1973 album "Time Fades Away" officially released in digital format. I cannot wait to get a clean cut without the small pops and skips that is present on the record rip version I have now.What!? You never bought the album?!
Actually this one may not be in the BD set as it was released in 1973 although the live sets date from 1971 and 1973 and the BD set only goes through 1972.
I've also heard that the tapes from the album have been trashed and are unusable. Hard to believe coming from an archivist like Neil but sh!t happens.
The thing that will be tricky is the chronology of the songs.
Does the BD set go by the year the song(s) was recorded or the year it was released. Many times this is vastly different.
Among other things, Journey Through the Past falls squarely in this time frame, as does live CSNY from Deja Vu :D

He did mention this is the sort of thing which would be a natural to make available via a BD-Live download from the Archives. I'll be sure to mention it next time I talk with his production folk.

- Talk

It would be awesome if Mynah Birds stuff would be available via BD-Live. Almost as good as if it were on the disc. ;) Makes it worth having a 2.0 player.

Just checking to see if anyone has any updates on this one?

I saw a post somewhere about it being up for pre-order on some European site with a price of around 200 euros.

The latest street date is said to be Nov 4 - Election Day, or the day prior.

The European site cdon.com has it listed for 225 Euro.

http://www.blu-ray.com/search/?action=search&section=movies&keyword=neil+young (note the release date)

http://www.thrasherswheat.org/2008/08/archives-and-sugar-mountain.html

http://www.uncut.co.uk/news/neil_young/news/12014


In the meantime, here's an audio clip to hold you over http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbWS4c_PUgw

The latest street date is said to be Nov 4 - Election Day, or the day prior.

The European site cdon.com has it listed for 225 Euro.

http://www.blu-ray.com/search/?action=search&section=movies&keyword=neil+young (note the release date)

http://www.thrasherswheat.org/2008/08/archives-and-sugar-mountain.html

http://www.uncut.co.uk/news/neil_young/news/12014


In the meantime, here's an audio clip to hold you over http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbWS4c_PUgw

The price cdon.com lists is for the DVD version. They list the bluray without price. Not sure why as both are priced in Warner Europes database. The bluray should be roughly 25% higher than the DVD version.

I revealed the Nov 4 date and rough pricing here before any of the sources listed above did. Guess it disappeared in that crash that took out a weeks worth of posts.

I'll try to find out if there is any new info tomorrow.

Sorry if I'm the bearer of bad news. From a source within Warner I'm now told this has been pushed back to early 2009. No further info.

Sorry if I'm the bearer of bad news. From a source within Warner I'm now told this has been pushed back to early 2009. No further info.

Bummer. This was on my Christmas list so to speak.

Word from Engadget is that the Blu-Ray of this has been cancelled with only a DVD version. Anyone with any concrete knowledge?

Word from Engadget is that the Blu-Ray of this has been cancelled with only a DVD version. Anyone with any concrete knowledge?

This makes no sense given Neil Youngs statement about wanting to wait to release these until they could be given the proper AQ treat which only BR can provide. I read that they are simple delayed until 2009.

There was a BillBoard article that at first indicated it would be DVD only. Then later in the day it was 'silently corrected' to say BluRay only, which is what it still says:

< snip >
"The bad: Young's endlessly delayed "Archives Vol. 1 (1963-1972)" is officially pushed back to some point in 2009. Young has waffled about whether the project will only be available on Blu-ray and DVD or whether there will be CDs sold; the latest word from Reprise is that "Archives" will be Blu-ray only."
< snip >

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003873425

Fantastic. I don't have access to the Billboard article (blocked at the office). Thanks for the update.

Hey Hey My My
Will the archives ever arrive
Thought they would be ready for Christmas time
The people have been waiting since 89

Sorry if I'm the bearer of bad news. From a source within Warner I'm now told this has been pushed back to early 2009. No further info.

If there ever was a time I didn't want to be able to say told you so ...

I saw a preview of one of the actual discs last night at a Producer's Guild event at Pixar, it looks even better than the preview shown at JavaOne last spring... No word as to release date, however.

- Talk

I saw the demo @ Pixar last nite too. Pretty kewl.

The BD will feature 24-bit 192kHz audio (codec wasn't mentioned.) When you play a track you get a cute 1080p video of a vintage audio medium playing the song, e.g. 45rpm phonograph, 8-track, etc. You can then select and peruse thru original disc artwork, articles, photographs, etc. which go along with the particular song (or its era) as you listen. For the BD-Live section, we were shown that as additional media becomes available (e.g. more photos, articles, audio, video clips, concert posters, etc.) you will be able to browse thru it on a graphical timeline, and then select and download the items you wish to your player (stored on local persistent storage.)

The BD set is in NO WAY cancelled.

I saw the demo @ Pixar last nite too. Pretty kewl.

The BD will feature 24-bit 192kHz audio (codec wasn't mentioned.) When you play a track you get a cute 1080p video of a vintage audio medium playing the song, e.g. 45rpm phonograph, 8-track, etc. You can then select and peruse thru original disc artwork, articles, photographs, etc. which go along with the particular song (or its era) as you listen. For the BD-Live section, we were shown that as additional media becomes available (e.g. more photos, articles, audio, video clips, concert posters, etc.) you will be able to browse thru it on a graphical timeline, and then select and download the items you wish to your player (stored on local persistent storage.)

The BD set is in NO WAY cancelled.

Sounds cool. I so look forward to this.

The bonus DVD that you could get with the Greatest Hits CD has what sounds like a similar look where a vinyl disc is playing on the screen. Looks pretty cool. Think the sound is 24/96 on that one. Obviously this will be way nicer.

Already looking forward to what they can do with an Archives 2 going into the mid/late 70s where they are likely to have much more videomaterial. Hopefully that one will be out before I'm dead.

I saw the demo @ Pixar last nite too. Pretty kewl.

The BD will feature 24-bit 192kHz audio (codec wasn't mentioned.) When you play a track you get a cute 1080p video of a vintage audio medium playing the song, e.g. 45rpm phonograph, 8-track, etc.

Actually I don't think that the video for this was 1080p - based on the sizing I would say it was 720p.

I would agree though that this is one of the coolest examples of interactivity I have ever seen. Neil Young + blu-ray fans are going to be blown away by this release.

Actually I don't think that the video for this was 1080p - based on the sizing I would say it was 720p.

I would agree though that this is one of the coolest examples of interactivity I have ever seen. Neil Young + blu-ray fans are going to be blown away by this release.Good eye, but it was just an artifact of the projector. The video being output was 1080i and somewhere in the PS3 -> HDMI -> DVI chain something was dropping the aspect ratio information, so the PS3 had to be set to 720p in order to get proper aspect ratio projected. Otherwise it came out super-wide-and-squashed, which looked far worse than going with 720 (which further was probably 1080 downrezzed to 540 internally in the PS3, then upscaled to 720).

Rest assured the final video should look great (other than some of the archival video which has source material limitations).

- Talk

Thanks Talk & ToEhr for throwing a bone that at least this set hasn't been cancelled, again, yet.
Has anyone ever communicated to Neil or anyone in his retinue that the repeated announcements and inevitable cancellations over the last 19 years, of this mythic Archives set is starting to piss-off his most ardent fans?, i.e., me.

I guess there's no real answer to my question but this is approaching bad joke status.
I'm happy you guys got a taste of it as it appears truly doubtful that many others ever will.

Thanks Talk & ToEhr for throwing a bone that at least this set hasn't been cancelled, again, yet.
Has anyone ever communicated to Neil or anyone in his retinue that the repeated announcements and inevitable cancellations over the last 19 years, of this mythic Archives set is starting to piss-off his most ardent fans?, i.e., me.I did have the opportunity to spend some time with him during the initial announcement. He's simply such a purist with regards to how his material is presented that it's one of those things that there's always another tweak or improvement that can be made. I'm confident this one will see the light of day (on Blu-ray) within a few months, however.

- Talk

has -any- of the material been mixed in surround?

I just saw Neil in concert this evening. He is a true artist, and has not slowed down one bit. I am truly looking forward to this blue ray release. Its amazing when you can here the thunder of the audience singing along with him.
I didn't know his wife was his back up vocalist.
Gary

Archives only coming to DVD? (http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/146470-neil-young-preps-live-lp-bumps-archives-release-back)

Strange.

Their source is billboard.com, which is the first article posted.. Not new information.

I did have the opportunity to spend some time with him during the initial announcement. He's simply such a purist with regards to how his material is presented that it's one of those things that there's always another tweak or improvement that can be made. I'm confident this one will see the light of day (on Blu-ray) within a few months, however.

- Talk
Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us, Talkstr8t. I'm glad you haven't been scared off by some AVS users.

Their source for that bit of info comes from Reprise, not Billboard.

The article says:
The Billboard.com report notes that the release of the career-spanning sets has been pushed back to sometime next year, and that, according to a Reprise rep, Archives will come on DVD but not CD or Blu-ray.So this appears to be based on the same Billboard article which initially claimed it would be DVD only, but then was corrected to say Blu-ray only.

- Talk

BD and DVD are up for pre-order on Amazon. The release date is currently set for January 27th, 2009.

$301.99 (the dvd is $240, so there's a $60 premium for better video and audio quality, plus BD-live)


http://www.amazon.com/Neil-Young-Archives-1963-Blue-Ray/dp/B001B8PV4U/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1225382775&sr=1-2

This is great!!! Thanks for the link!!! Pre-ordered.

I'm considering putting in a pre-order. Does anyone know if amazon does an authorization on your credit card at the time of pre-order for the full amount or is all the visa interaction done when it ships? $300 is a lot of cash but I may very well pay it.

They charge you only when the order ships. Please let this ship in January.

Looks like the release date is 1/27/2009

Looks like the release date is 1/27/2009Wanna bet?

There is a trailer for this release on the DVD audio disc of Neils new release Sugar Mountain which was put out to relieve the pain of yet another delay of the archives.

The dvd audio (24/96) comes as a bonus disc with the regular cd.

It looks pretty good and says it will be available on blu-ray and dvd. A couple of weeks ago I heard from sources with Warner that this had now been changed to blu-ray and cd. No regular dvd. Who knows but I guess this could have been changed after the Sugar Mountain discs were manufactured.

Back to waiting.

Wanna bet?

Looks like the release date is 1/27/2009



It's been pushed to February 24th. http://www.amazon.com/Neil-Young-Archives-Vol-1963-1972/dp/B001B8PV4U/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1228493753&sr=8-2


I think sales for this are going to plummet now that Neil's said this will eventually come out on cd and itunes.

http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2008/12/04/neil-young-therell-never-be-another-crazy-horse

The planned January 27th release date is a “non-starter for certain” and it will be out “perhaps March or April.”

Maybe it will be out by Christmas '09.

This quote from Neil made me laugh:

It’s old, so it doesn’t really matter when it comes out.

I love Neil & his music as much as anyone but I'm beginning to think that Archives is going to be released as an epitaph.

and the story continues

latest from Warner is that Archives is now pushed to May. In the meantime we will get yet another album called Fork in the Road. Coming in late March.

it was supposed to be released today, but i havent found it in store anywhere, yet... has anybody had any luck..?

I stopped paying attention when they announced the price. I don't blame the retailers for not stocking this thing, if it did indeed street today and wasn't bumped to May.

Says not yet released on amazon.com and no date.

The Canadian MSRP is $687.56 :eek::eek::eek:

When I saw that I gave up on ever planning to own it.

Word has it the discs'll be released individually as well as in the box.

Warner Europe has a new release date of June 3 (pick your year). There are also wholesale prices and order numbers etc which I've never seen before so we are getting closer.

All 3 formats. CD, DVD and Blu-ray

Hard to compare prices. Seems like European prices with VAT etc would be around 300 USD for the Blu-ray. Typically the US price would then be USD 220-250 or so. The DVD version only slightly less but the CD version should be almost exactly half of Blu-ray

No info on what's actually included.

The date is finally set for June 2nd and there are more details and track listings as well as ordering info (and a message from Neil on the benefits of purchasing the Blu-Ray version of the set) on Neil's website at the following link:

http://neilyoungarchives.warnerreprise.com/shop/vol1/?cmpid=neilyoung/092003/nyhomepage/link

This is the first "brief" review that I have seen:
http://www.tonepublications.com/spotlight/neil-young-archives-vol-i-1963-1972/

I want to get more info about the MP3 files that are said to be available.

Amazon.com states:
"Included in the durable custom display box are a digital download card to access MP3 files of all 128 audio tracks"

I want to know what kind of DRM I can expect, can I burn the songs to a data CD, load them onto my ipod, make a music CD? Depending on how the music can be used could add more value to the set.

/Thanks for the update Stan.

I want to get more info about the MP3 files that are said to be available.

Amazon.com states:
"Included in the durable custom display box are a digital download card to access MP3 files of all 128 audio tracks"

I want to know what kind of DRM I can expect, can I burn the songs to a data CD, load them onto my ipod, make a music CD? Depending on how the music can be used could add more value to the set.

/Thanks for the update Stan.

MP3s don't have any DRM so you can burn them any way you like.

Unpacking Neil Young ARCHIVES Vol. 1 Blu-Ray
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GFaVs2QYSE

It is really going to happen!

Neil Young: Archives Vol. 1 Blu-ray Review w/ HD screen captures. :D

Blu-rayDefinition.com (http://www.blu-raydefinition.com/reviews/neil-young-archives-vol-1-blu-ray-review.html)

I got this in Europe today.

European release plays fine on a US region a Panasonic BD-55.

Everything I've sampled so far sounds great although I haven't had time to check exactly what my Panasonic outputs through the analog cables.

There are also additional hidden tracks listed on each disc not listed on the track by track listing in the review above.

Each song has a "video" much like on the dvd audio releases he has put out for awhile. Only each song seems to have a different one instead of the same for the whole disc.

It also came with a bonuscopy of the Live at Sugar Mountain cd/dvd release that came out a few months ago. G0uess it was to late to incorporate that one into the box. It's not mentioned anywhere on the packaging. Unfortunatly it's not blu-ray. But nice anyway.

The other thing in the black box is a whiskey a go-go post it block and a card with info for mp3 downloads of all the audio.

Not pictured is also a long narrow poster of the drawer with files in that I'm sure you have seen.

Here's some pics opening the box. Sorry about the phonecamera quality.

Been trying to check out any BD-live stuff but there doesn't seem to be any as of Monday night.

Either that or something is wrong with my connection but it works for firmware update and says network connecting when reading disc. Never really used BD-live before so I'm not sure.

I can get to a message on all discs that says

New bd-live content may be available. But the player is unable to connect to the internet. Please check your connection.

Again, not sure, maybe thats what comes up when bdlive is 'turned off' at the other end.

When inserting a disc it warns that it can take several minutes to load all content. For a Panasonic BD-55 it takes about 10 seconds.

Neil's Archive Vol1 is a reality.
Hell hath certainly froze. :D

yeah, feels wrong somehow... congrats to y'all!!!

Ugh, avoid this one. Slathered with EE and DNR.

















:p

I'm confuesd. So only the Journey Through the Past disc is in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and the other discs are LPCM (192kHz/24-bit)?

Yes other than the movie, the rest of the music is 2 channel stereo and that quality differs based on the way your running your audio from your player.

I'm confuesd. So only the Journey Through the Past disc is in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and the other discs are LPCM (192kHz/24-bit)?

blu-raydefinition.com is listing Journey Through the Past with both DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English 96kHz/24-bit LPCM stereo.

So, does Amazon have a pre-order up for Archives Vol 2 yet? ;)

Every disc in the set is absolutely full of DNR and EE - it's wax city part 23! :D

I'm hoping i'll be able to pick it up some day though.

This morning when I started up a disc a message appeared

You have recieved new materials from NY

Which you could choose to download or not. It seemed slow, probably took 5 minutes on my very fast broadband.

There was then a choice to go directly to the timeline to access. Again, haven't really used bd-live before so not sure how it should look/behave.

I had disc 6 in and the instructions says downloaded material should appear as blue pins on the timeline. Accessible just as the white pins that are there to start with. So on this disc which I had not played before there were 2 pins, but both white. So not sure if those were newly downloaded or there to start with.

Or maybe bd-live checks for any download to go with any of the discs but it will only be available when putting the right disc in. Which would be a bitch with so many discs.

So still not sure where that downloaded bd-live stuff went.

I've also noticed that not all discs are set up the same.

On the Massey Hall disc you can only see the timeline for that period. On Fillmore East there is no timeline. None of them have the drawer with folders opening that is on all(?) the others. Both of these seems pretty close to the previously released dvd-audio versions in layout and content. I've sold off my copies so I can't compare but can't remember anything different. On most others you can also see the timelines for the other discs.

On one disc i forgot which one when viewing photos etc you could access press clipping and memories by pressing left/right on the remote and everything kinda rotated to the other section. This actually was much better but on all/most others you had to go back out to the meny to access the different sections.

blu-raydefinition.com is listing Journey Through the Past with both DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English 96kHz/24-bit LPCM stereo.

This is correct. Or at least those are the choices you get in the meny so I would assume it is.

Regarding some comments about video quality. Most of the video stuff is extremely interesting but it is also taken from sources which may be the best available but are in most cases far from a quality that would normally even be considered for bd release (exception mainly being Journey Through the Past). I'll just mention though the discrepancy in using 24/192 audio and being very vocal about audio quality issues while at the same time seemingly not really putting much attention to video issues. It's not a part of this set but the 3 videos part of the cd/dvd release of his newest regular album fork in the Road is webcam quality (seriously). So, no it does not seem as if video quality is anywhere near as important to Mr Young as audio.

Ok, so finally found that bd-live content.

Again, putting in ANY disc seems to trigger the download option if there is anything new at all.

By entering the timeline where you can 'see' all years you can go through the screens (about 10 in all) and bd-live material is marked with a blue pin. Regular material is marked with a white pin but is obviously only available/visible with the disc from that period inserted. The blue pins seems to be available from all discs with a timeline (not Massey Hall and Fillmore East)

While not ideal (it still takes awhile to go through the different screens to find a blue pin) it's a workable solution. problem is if new ones will be marked differently later. I mean if there are 20 blue pins it will be difficult to know which one is new after seeing that something has just been downloaded.

Anyway, Neil mentions on his site a different version of 'I Wonder' as likely being the first bd-live material. When first accessing it takes probably 30 seconds for it to play (despite already being downloaded). However a second run through starts as fast as what's on the discs to start with. Putting in a different disc (not sure why that would matter) again makes it take the 30 seconds.

I picked up the Blu-ray set yesterday and have not had a chance to listen much yet, just a few of the tracks, but the 192 / 24 sounds nice so far. The only note of concern, it took up to 5 minutes to load up a disc (five minutes of the spinning 45 rpm icon!). This using a SONY BDP-S500 with the most recent firmware ( Jan. 28/09). After successful loading, the Shakey splash screen and then the menu page, hitting enter on the remote will start the the music, so there is no need to turn on a monitor just to listen to music....or so it seems on the couple of discs I tried. To me this is a good point as I hate messing around with video menus just to play music......e.g. DVDA discs.

Cheers,
P.E.Hannon

if you turn off the internet connection it will load faster.

16x9:

My SONY player is a profile 1.0 (aaaacck !!, older model and maybe upgraded in the fall) and is therefore not connected to the internet. As a matter of course, I will not be connecting to the internet anyway as I only have dial-up internet connection at home (technologically in the 20th century!) even if I get a profile 2.0 player.

What a way to get the masses involved with the technology, having to wait 5 minutes just to listen to the disc. The first couple of times I tried discs (0 and 1) I thought the player had hung up (shades of the James Bond movies!). The next time I let the 45 rpm icon run it's course and timed it at a touch over 5 minutes (!! along the lines of the new T2 disc, but If I remember correctly, it was only a couple of minutes before start up) then the shakey splash, then finally the menu page. At least you should not need a monitor just to play the music (in glorious 24 / 192) as the first choice on the menu, once you get there is "play all". I did not try out any of the special features so I do not know if they are instantly available or if there will be another load cycle. Hopefully the load times will improve with the newer generations of players.......

Cheers,
P.E.Hannon

16x9:

My SONY player is a profile 1.0 (aaaacck !!, older model and maybe upgraded in the fall) and is therefore not connected to the internet. As a matter of course, I will not be connecting to the internet anyway as I only have dial-up internet connection at home (technologically in the 20th century!) even if I get a profile 2.0 player.

What a way to get the masses involved with the technology, having to wait 5 minutes just to listen to the disc. The first couple of times I tried discs (0 and 1) I thought the player had hung up (shades of the James Bond movies!). The next time I let the 45 rpm icon run it's course and timed it at a touch over 5 minutes (!! along the lines of the new T2 disc, but If I remember correctly, it was only a couple of minutes before start up) then the shakey splash, then finally the menu page. At least you should not need a monitor just to play the music (in glorious 24 / 192) as the first choice on the menu, once you get there is "play all". I did not try out any of the special features so I do not know if they are instantly available or if there will be another load cycle. Hopefully the load times will improve with the newer generations of players.......

Cheers,
P.E.Hannon

As I wrote on the last page my Panasonic BD-55 region A 2.0 loads the discs in less than 10 seconds (from the screen appearing with a warning it could take several minutes). When you choose something most of the times the load icon doesn't even show and the few times it does it's only for a half second or so.

This load time is less than several movies I've experienced. The BD-55 is soon a year old and already replaced by a new generation. It loaded and played well with firmware 1.7. I then upgraded firmware to current 1.9 which works just as well.

I also have a Samsung BD-P1400 region B which is probably about 18 months or so old and 1.1. As you described it takes much much longer. at first I tried with the firmware I had in the player which was from jan 08. The initial screen took probably 30 seconds instead of a few and the load icon took 4 min 10 seconds. It doesn't really make you wait going to the timeline or the song drawer to check for individual songs. I then upgraded to the latest firmware from dec 08. It now took 'only' 1 min 30 sec. No significant difference when accessing stuff.

The updated firmware also fixed a problem where on disc 4 (the only one tested) there was something wrong when navigating the timeline. This was fixed by the firmware update.

BUT and this is a big BUT and it's still a BUT for the latest firmware. When looking at pictures, memorablia etc with the 1.1 Samsung player the music is not continuous!!! There is a break in the music for a few tenths of a second every time you switch items on the screen. Since (apart from sound quality) the chance to browse stuff while listening to the music is probably the most pushed feature I've seen in promoting the blu-ray this is a major disappointment.

So apparently if you have anything less than 2.0 it seems like you have to wait several minutes (although upgrading your firmware could cut it in third, your mileage may vary), you can listen in the highest quality and you can check out all the other material but not at the same time like you have been led to believe.

EDIT: I'm actually unsure if my BD-P1400 is 1.1 or 2.0. Seems like when introduced it was supposed to 'be upgradable' through firmware to 2.0. Not sure what it actually qualifies for with the latest firmware but it FAILS to play the archives set as intended.

PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU CAN PLAY THE SONGS STRAIGHT THROUGH WITH PERFECT RESULTS IT'S ONLY WHEN BROWSING ITEMS ON THE DISCS WHILE PLAYING THE MUSIC THAT THERE ARE PROBLEMS (WITH AT LEAST ONE CONFIRMED MODEL).

I know some BD Live content is deactivated for Canada. Can any Canucks tell if this is the case for the Neil Young set?

oh, you've got to be kidding me (ordered it a couple hours ago...)

what's your source for this?

****

oh, wait. You mean, like on Disney discs that have BD live missing? Well, on other Warner BDs it's not an issue....

don't do that to me. :)

Sorry, not trying to start a panic... it just sounds like the first title where I'd be interested in the BD-live features, and I've been recently frustrated with titles like the Disney ones which are deactivated for Canada.

Just a quick update to my post above about the over 5 minute load time.....I put in disc 0 to have my first listening session with these discs.....the main menu came up in less than a minute!!!! A loading message, the shakey splash then the main menu. The next time I will try without the Pioneer 111 plasma turned on when I am in music listening mode (and do not want any video distractions). I hope the quicker load times are the norm.

Cheers,
P.E.Hannon

Just listen/viewed: Topanga 3(1970) and North Country (1971-72). I am a NY fan and have most of his Albums- & and had the 1972 Lps.
First off there is allot of information here and it's not as intuitive as one would like- but you have to learn how the navigation works. & I haven't gotten through all material and options yet. SQ is good and PQ is what it is .
I have a Oppo BR-83'. The load time was a little long but not really an issue and not as long as i heard here... back a few threads.
I hope the best for NY with this style of DVD-V. It's certainly an ambitious project But it's not going to be for everyone . They state the Audio quality is 24/192 it does sound Good with the Oppo discrete 2ch. analog set up. But having a hard time hearing a distinctive better SQ over my CD collection (only compared 2 so far)/
The menu audio options for camera and interviews is a very good quality thou..
db

t

DAB--I'm interested when you say your "cd collection" are you meaning regular neil young albums on cds or do you also have the new cd only version of this set?
I assume that this project has offered a chance for a complete remastering of Neil's catalog, as his early catalog has never been redone for cd.
so which cds are you comparing?
I really want the bd set, but there is no way I will pay the absurd price.
I love Neil and have seen him many times in concert, but this project is confirmed to be 4 sets, and will end up being over $1000 for the whole thing at the current price.
that's just insane imo.

I am not going to criticize this "project " until i understand a little more how to operate/navigate through the various menu options. However, i just ran into this feature i do not understand on the -Topanga 3(1970)- disc. The OSD show 18 tracks but i am stuck on 11 and can not go further and have number of other navigation issues. It could be the Oppo FW- I'll check from them where everything stands. But for this price???????? There is a large learning curve here....
db
Beta Test #9

Hello DAB, I have the Oppo BDP-83 as well. I have only tried Disc 0 and 1 of Archives, but everytime I attempt to navigate the menus or access the file cabinets on the disc, the Oppo freezes and I have to implement a hard stop. I have tried playing the discs with BD Live off and on, with no sucess. Also, tried unplugging the unit.

Just be patient--very sorry to say. I can nav- somewhat better{newer FW} and know most of the work around tricks.
Oppo- is working hard with all the firmware people to work this out- we all know NYA- has issues. I even know some of the people who have worked on the project..

It will come about, in good time. It would be interest to hear from other player owners{non-oppo} to what they have been experiencing.
db

In case anyone is interested, PBS is broadcasting an American Masters episode tonite on N. Young.
Starts 9PM Pacific time.

sad to see the Oppo's barfing on this title, frankly it's why I'm weary to get rid of the PS3, regardless of player I upgrade to. For the life of the format, for better or worse, the one player that we -know- titles that make it acurately through QC won't be allowed to launch without testing on it is the PS3.

Sad, but true...

In case anyone is interested, PBS is broadcasting an American Masters episode tonite on N. Young.
Starts 9PM Pacific time.

Thanks for the infro. Is it going to be HD? It says 2009.

So how does the the ps3 handle the file cabinet shuffle? and info pin? paper clip?

sad to see the Oppo's barfing on this title, frankly it's why I'm weary to get rid of the PS3, regardless of player I upgrade to. For the life of the format, for better or worse, the one player that we -know- titles that make it acurately through QC won't be allowed to launch without testing on it is the PS3.

Sad, but true...

Just be patient--very sorry to say. I can nav- somewhat better{newer FW} and know most of the work around tricks.
Oppo- is working hard with all the firmware people to work this out- we all know NYA- has issues. I even know some of the people who have worked on the project..

It will come about, in good time. It would be interest to hear from other player owners{non-oppo} to what they have been experiencing.
db

Well you could read a couple of posts up. Two players described right there.

We don't all know NYA has issues. My Panasonic seems to play everything perfectly. So it seems to be 'some' players that have issues.

What are the problems navigating? Where do you need workarounds?

Reading Oppo threads I did see one reference to loading times of
'a couple of minutes'. This seems more like my 18 moths old Samsung than my 12 month old Panasonic. The Oppo has been talked about forever (and still isn't out to the general public). Makes you wonder how old some of the solutions it's using are.

From Threads above: From jpb123
"EDIT: I'm actually unsure if my BD-P1400 is 1.1 or 2.0. Seems like when introduced it was supposed to 'be upgradable' through firmware to 2.0. Not sure what it actually qualifies for with the latest firmware but it FAILS to play the archives set as intended.

PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU CAN PLAY THE SONGS STRAIGHT THROUGH WITH PERFECT RESULTS IT'S ONLY WHEN BROWSING ITEMS ON THE DISCS WHILE PLAYING THE MUSIC THAT THERE ARE PROBLEMS (WITH AT LEAST ONE CONFIRMED MODEL"

We are here to learn and get value out of being here and really don't study ever ones posts.
Oppo is still in Beta[with the help of EAP]. The Oppo is playing/handling about 85% of the content and the various menus navigation options. But there is allot going on in the disc's. So we could can expect some glitches with any player. The NYA is a new way of setting up the A/V experience. I want this to work and willing to work with it. I believe June 2nd was the US release date correct...? So let;s give us at least 30 day trial here. The players might be working fine it the operator's errors(ME).
db

From Threads above: From jpb123
"EDIT: I'm actually unsure if my BD-P1400 is 1.1 or 2.0. Seems like when introduced it was supposed to 'be upgradable' through firmware to 2.0. Not sure what it actually qualifies for with the latest firmware but it FAILS to play the archives set as intended.

PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU CAN PLAY THE SONGS STRAIGHT THROUGH WITH PERFECT RESULTS IT'S ONLY WHEN BROWSING ITEMS ON THE DISCS WHILE PLAYING THE MUSIC THAT THERE ARE PROBLEMS (WITH AT LEAST ONE CONFIRMED MODEL"

We are here to learn and get value out of being here and really don't study ever ones posts.
Oppo is still in Beta[with the help of EAP]. The Oppo is playing/handling about 85% of the content and the various menus navigation options. But there is allot going on in the disc's. So we could can expect some glitches with any player. The NYA is a new way of setting up the A/V experience. I want this to work and willing to work with it. I believe June 2nd was the US release date correct...? So let;s give us at least 30 day trial here. The players might be working fine it the operator's errors(ME).
db

Just saying it plays perfect in a 12 months old model. It's perfect navigational in a 18 months old model (problem is not playing sound without pauses while navigating). Are there any current generation players that have problems apart from the Oppo?

yeah, the PS3... :)

(see the other thread in Surround Music...)
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1026841&page=2

Serves me right for starting that thread over there...heh.

yeah, the PS3... :)

(see the other thread in Surround Music...)
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1026841&page=2

Serves me right for starting that thread over there...heh.

This from your post there (feel my respons has more value here)

oh oh... first major barf:

Disc 1 (of course, the second disc), go to Track one (Flying on the Ground...), click on the side thingy/easter egg, and try and play the video...

On my PS3 20gb, latest FW, it be a barfin'

****

Hrm, some amusing things here!

- the video for "Mr. Soul" died halfway through

- I stopped the BD, and restarted - I get a "This video cannot be playted. (80029940)" error on my ps3. Hitting PS button brings up a "do not enter"-like red circle with while line across it.

First (and so far only!) title to ever barf my PS3.



Do you mean the audio tape log with the KSAN radio interview excerpt? That has a 'video' same as many other audio excerpts which is a still picture and a 'wave' moving. Can you play other audio excerpts? Do you mean the Hollywood Palace video for Mr Soul. Both plays perfectly for me.

PS3 on the hardware side is not exactly new. Can the problems for some players be a hardware solution issue? The Samsung I discussed above is oldish and the Oppo seems to have been planned for a long time.

The good thing is that since at least one player seems to do everything perfect it's all there in the box and baring a playerhardware issue should be fixable for all other players. Strange though that the Panasonic BD-55 does it all fine on an old firmware like 1.7 (and possibly earlier, it's at 1.9 now).

This from your post there (feel my respons has more value here)

oh oh... first major barf:

Disc 1 (of course, the second disc), go to Track one (Flying on the Ground...), click on the side thingy/easter egg, and try and play the video...

On my PS3 20gb, latest FW, it be a barfin'

****

Hrm, some amusing things here!

- the video for "Mr. Soul" died halfway through

- I stopped the BD, and restarted - I get a "This video cannot be playted. (80029940)" error on my ps3. Hitting PS button brings up a "do not enter"-like red circle with while line across it.

First (and so far only!) title to ever barf my PS3.



Do you mean the audio tape log with the KSAN radio interview excerpt? That has a 'video' same as many other audio excerpts which is a still picture and a 'wave' moving. Can you play other audio excerpts? Do you mean the Hollywood Palace video for Mr Soul. Both plays perfectly for me.

PS3 on the hardware side is not exactly new. Can the problems for some players be a hardware solution issue? The Samsung I discussed above is oldish and the Oppo seems to have been planned for a long time.

The good thing is that since at least one player seems to do everything perfect it's all there in the box and baring a playerhardware issue should be fixable for all other players. Strange though that the Panasonic BD-55 does it all fine on an old firmware like 1.7 (and possibly earlier, it's at 1.9 now).

I haven't had any issues playing on my Panasonic BD80 either.

I'm just waiting for a 10% off sale or something like that before pulling the trigger.

has anyone compared audio quality of the archive releases of Massey Hall and Live at the Fillmore to the blu-ray versions? I'm really trying to talk myself into buying this but I'm having a lot of trouble justifying the cost. One of the reviews linked earlier mentioned the CSN+Y musicscene performance of Down by the River was included in the bonus bits...is it the complete song or just an excerpt? Again, I'm looking to justify the price, and having the whole performance would help-I can clearly remember that song 40 yrs later. Neil had just joined CSN and the Stills Young guitar interplay on that permance was probably the closest we could ever come to the Springfield live,,,or so I;ve always thought? How much Springfield is on this and what is the quality? Any respone on any of this would be much appreaciated...

I may have missed it, but any word on if the BR's work better with the Oppo BDP-83 6/11/09 Public Beta FW update?

Mike

No one cares to comment on the audio quality of the blu-ray?

The audio quality of the blu rays is amazing imho ......my advice is don't think too much about getting em just go and get em.

has anyone compared audio quality of the archive releases of Massey Hall and Live at the Fillmore to the blu-ray versions? I'm really trying to talk myself into buying this but I'm having a lot of trouble justifying the cost. One of the reviews linked earlier mentioned the CSN+Y musicscene performance of Down by the River was included in the bonus bits...is it the complete song or just an excerpt? Again, I'm looking to justify the price, and having the whole performance would help-I can clearly remember that song 40 yrs later. Neil had just joined CSN and the Stills Young guitar interplay on that permance was probably the closest we could ever come to the Springfield live,,,or so I;ve always thought? How much Springfield is on this and what is the quality? Any respone on any of this would be much appreaciated...

Pretty sure I watched that last night - it was complete...and stunning...:D Check out the timeline and look for a pin to find it...

well, its down to $239 at amazon,,,thanks for the info on DBTR Rshace.

I picked up the Blu-ray set yesterday and have not had a chance to listen much yet, just a few of the tracks, but the 192 / 24 sounds nice so far. The only note of concern, it took up to 5 minutes to load up a disc (five minutes of the spinning 45 rpm icon!). This using a SONY BDP-S500 with the most recent firmware ( Jan. 28/09). After successful loading, the Shakey splash screen and then the menu page, hitting enter on the remote will start the the music, so there is no need to turn on a monitor just to listen to music....or so it seems on the couple of discs I tried. To me this is a good point as I hate messing around with video menus just to play music......e.g. DVDA discs.

Cheers,
P.E.Hannon When I play on my Oppo, if I hit display it shows there are 2 audio tracks. I can only seem to access the first. Not sure if this is the 192k and the 2nd is 96k? Any idea how to do the switch?

Well I just paid $178 (w/ FREE shipping) @ DeepDiscount (link: http://www.deepdiscount.com/viewproduct.htm?productId=65481809) after using the 25% Off coupon code (SUPERSALE) and got $9.52 rebate using Bing.com website Cash Back promotion.

So I ended up paying $168 all told.

GREAT DEAL.

I've never ordered from them. How do I access the coupon?

never mind, I just ordered. thanks for the heads up Rieper.

Well I just paid $178 (w/ FREE shipping) @ DeepDiscount (link: http://www.deepdiscount.com/viewproduct.htm?productId=65481809) after using the 25% Off coupon code (SUPERSALE) and got $9.52 rebate using Bing.com website Cash Back promotion.

So I ended up paying $168 all told.

GREAT DEAL.
Thanks.:)
I just ordered.
That is finally low enough to make it a reasonable purchase (for me).

Mike

Well I just paid $178 (w/ FREE shipping) @ DeepDiscount (link: http://www.deepdiscount.com/viewproduct.htm?productId=65481809) after using the 25% Off coupon code (SUPERSALE) and got $9.52 rebate using Bing.com website Cash Back promotion.

So I ended up paying $168 all told.

GREAT DEAL.

Hello Rieper -
I when to the website but I didn't see any coupons, would you mind sending me the link for the 25% discount to buy the neil young blu-rays please?
Thanks, I will appreciated much!
Carlos

Well I just paid $178 (w/ FREE shipping) @ DeepDiscount (link: http://www.deepdiscount.com/viewproduct.htm?productId=65481809) after using the 25% Off coupon code (SUPERSALE) and got $9.52 rebate using Bing.com website Cash Back promotion.

So I ended up paying $168 all told.

GREAT DEAL.
I guess I should let Rieper respond but.....:)