D/T Hi res files

[Peter1960]

I decided to buy the art book package for the new album as I wanted to hear the hi res versions of the tracks. I don't actually have a CD player as such; all my music is stored on a NAS network drive and streamed using a Bluesound Node 2i player.

I had assumed that the hi res files could be isolated on the DVD / blu ray disk and I could then transfer them to my NAS drive, so that they could be "played" by the Node 2i. However, I am unable to see the hi res files separately - I can see the stem files for "Untethered Angel" but the only other items are video and audio files, which, I assume, will together make up the 5.1 tracks, animation and hi res files.

I downloaded an app called "Movavi video convertor", hoping that I could use it to extract the hi res files so that they could be transferred to my NAS drive; however, it is not possible to do this as the disk is copyrighted (perhaps understandably, to prevent it from being copied).

Does anyone know how I might be able to extract the hi res files, separately from the other items on the disks, so that they can be transferred to my NAS drive ? I could play the blu ray disk through my blu ray player, which is connected to my hifi system; however, I would prefer to have the files in my music library on the NAS drive with all my other tracks. This will then save me having to put the blu ray disk into the player every time I wish to play the album ( I find streaming much more convenient than physically playing CD's !!).

Thanks for your help and I look forward to your suggestions.

BTW - great album !!

[Progmetty]

Some very knowledgeable fellas talking about a similar topic here https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=53448.0

[chudm]

you could use dvdfab to extract the 5.1 audio mix to flac, or downsample the 5.1 to stereo flac

[faizoff]

So when you play the Blu-ray or DVD and play the 5.1 mixes, do you have an option to choose audio streams? I saw that even the self-titled album DVD that was only advertised as 5.1 had a stereo track which was higher resolution than the CD. They might be referring to that as the hi-res files rather than having them separately available.

[JRuless]

So when you play the Blu-ray or DVD and play the 5.1 mixes, do you have an option to choose audio streams? I saw that even the self-titled album DVD that was only advertised as 5.1 had a stereo track which was higher resolution than the CD. They might be referring to that as the hi-res files rather than having them separately available.

Yes. There are 3 options.

96/24 Stereo LPCM
DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
96/24 5.1 LPCM

[Peter1960]

As noted in the previous post, if you insert the blu ray disk you have the option of playing either the 5.1 mix or two versions of the 24/96 (hi res) files, one of which appeared to be a combination of the two.

I suspect that it will not be possible to extract the hi res files themselves for playing via a a network streamer, but if anyone is able to do this, I would be interested to know how they did it !

[chudm]

As noted in the previous post, if you insert the blu ray disk you have the option of playing either the 5.1 mix or two versions of the 24/96 (hi res) files, one of which appeared to be a combination of the two.

I suspect that it will not be possible to extract the hi res files themselves for playing via a a network streamer, but if anyone is able to do this, I would be interested to know how they did it !

i think it wont be possible, you just need to extract the audio using dvdfab, and it will convert what you choose to flac

[faizoff]

So when you play the Blu-ray or DVD and play the 5.1 mixes, do you have an option to choose audio streams? I saw that even the self-titled album DVD that was only advertised as 5.1 had a stereo track which was higher resolution than the CD. They might be referring to that as the hi-res files rather than having them separately available.

Yes. There are 3 options.

96/24 Stereo LPCM
DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
96/24 5.1 LPCM

That's great to know, once I get my blu-ray I will rip that stereo track and convert to flac. I use makemkv to rip into a raw MKV file and then extract the audio stream using MKVToolNIX GUI. After that the resulting .mka file with audio only and chapter markers is easy to convert to flac using foobar with its FLAC plugin.

I know it sounds laborious but once you do it, it then becomes quite straightforward to deal with after. Plus I'm sure there are other programs that do it straight to FLAC but this has been my method for a while.

[nobloodyname]

Well... my verdict this evening, having alternated the vinyl, CD and every version of the audio on the blu-ray, is that everything except the vinyl is brick-walled to cluck. It all sounds awful. Thing is, the vinyl ends up sounding muffled by comparison.

But it's the vinyl that offers the best aural experience once you realise it's not muffled; it's just not been beaten to an absolute pulp.

The music, however, is sublime.

Oh, bonus point: the 5.1 mix appears to bring nothing to the party whatsoever. Sorry, DT.

Edit: it's boiling my blood listening to the 5.1 mix. Whoever's responsible for this utter abortion of a brickwall should be summarily tarred and feathered. It's THAT bad. I mean, seriously, why make an album this good only to allow it to be royally fucked over like this? Sorry if I sound cross... it's because I am. In fact, I am fucking livid And the CD is as bad.

Edit 2: and don't get me started on the animation for Pale Blue Dot. Good GRIEF!

[faizoff]

nbn, care to share your audio setup?

[chudm]

Well... my verdict this evening, having alternated the vinyl, CD and every version of the audio on the blu-ray, is that everything except the vinyl is brick-walled to cluck. It all sounds awful. Thing is, the vinyl ends up sounding muffled by comparison.

But it's the vinyl that offers the best aural experience once you realise it's not muffled; it's just not been beaten to an absolute pulp.

The music, however, is sublime.

Oh, bonus point: the 5.1 mix appears to bring nothing to the party whatsoever. Sorry, DT.

Edit: it's boiling my blood listening to the 5.1 mix. Whoever's responsible for this utter abortion of a brickwall should be summarily tarred and feathered. It's THAT bad. I mean, seriously, why make an album this good only to allow it to be royally fucked over like this? Sorry if I sound cross... it's because I am. In fact, I am fucking livid And the CD is as bad.

Edit 2: and don't get me started on the animation for Pale Blue Dot. Good GRIEF!

i was hoping this wasnt the case, the SC 5.1 was ok, and not brickwalled, well, it was smart to only buy the vinyl haha

[Groundhog]

Well... my verdict this evening, having alternated the vinyl, CD and every version of the audio on the blu-ray, is that everything except the vinyl is brick-walled to cluck. It all sounds awful. Thing is, the vinyl ends up sounding muffled by comparison.

But it's the vinyl that offers the best aural experience once you realise it's not muffled; it's just not been beaten to an absolute pulp.

The music, however, is sublime.

Oh, bonus point: the 5.1 mix appears to bring nothing to the party whatsoever. Sorry, DT.

Edit: it's boiling my blood listening to the 5.1 mix. Whoever's responsible for this utter abortion of a brickwall should be summarily tarred and feathered. It's THAT bad. I mean, seriously, why make an album this good only to allow it to be royally fucked over like this? Sorry if I sound cross... it's because I am. In fact, I am fucking livid And the CD is as bad.

Edit 2: and don't get me started on the animation for Pale Blue Dot. Good GRIEF!

Thanks for this info. I bought the blu-ray and vinyl in the hopes of them having better mastering. I only have had the chance to listen to the BD 24/96 stereo. While it does sound fuller and smoother than Deezer Hi-Fi the dynamic range seemed to be the same and this just confirmed.

I am glad that the vinyl at least is not brickwalled. I just moved into a new house and I need to do some installing before I have my full home theater setup and vinyl player in place. Even though the digital versions are brickwalled the mix and the poduction is much better than that of the previous Mangini era records. So I am expecting the vinyl to sound really good.

It is a shame that the blu-ray, hi-res files and the 5.1 mix has the same amount of dynamic range compression than the digital stream and the cd. Even though I hate brickwalled sound I can somewhat understand it on the master that is meant for streaming, but this does not make any sense. People who are buying the blu-ray, hi-res files, 5.1 mix and the vinyl are after the best possible sound quality. Why aren't these all with dynamic mastering?

[nobloodyname]

Well, others will hopefully have a more positive experience than mine. I can't guarantee the 5.1 has the same DR as the CD since I didn't objectively test it. But cranked it loud, it sounded brick-walled.

Regarding the vinyl, if I get a chance over the coming days, I will try recording the output from my turntable through another PC to see if it's different (ie less muffled-sounding).

faizoff, I have a Sony DN1050 amp and a Sony BDP-S7200 blu-ray player hooked up to Tannoy Mercury floor-standing speakers with matched rear satellites. With my PC, I'm listening through Logitech Z906 5.1 speakers, and Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro headphones (they're open-backed). My turntable is an Audio-Technica AT-LP5. None of my equipment is particularly special but it's not quite entry level, either.

[chudm]

thats a shame! who would want a brickwalled 5.1 master? this happened with DT/TA, it seems it was a smart choice to buy the vinyl

[faizoff]

faizoff, I have a Sony DN1050 amp and a Sony BDP-S7200 blu-ray player hooked up to Tannoy Mercury floor-standing speakers with matched rear satellites. With my PC, I'm listening through Logitech Z906 5.1 speakers, and Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro headphones (they're open-backed). My turntable is an Audio-Technica AT-LP5. None of my equipment is particularly special but it's not quite entry level, either.

Cool setup. I too have an open-backed pair, and a comparable one to the DT 990, the Sennheiser HD6xx for PC playback. What software do you use? I use JRiver Media Center to organize and play my music and it utilizes the motherboard's realtek audio chip ALC892 on exclusive mode quite well.

I have a Logitech Z506 5.1 setup though I mostly listen on my headphones. I'm thinking of getting either a DAC/AMP or a better soundcard, haven't decided yet. Music is definitely a lot more fun to listen to after upgrading my audio gear.
 

[Groundhog]

Well, others will hopefully have a more positive experience than mine. I can't guarantee the 5.1 has the same DR as the CD since I didn't objectively test it. But cranked it loud, it sounded brick-walled.

Regarding the vinyl, if I get a chance over the coming days, I will try recording the output from my turntable through another PC to see if it's different (ie less muffled-sounding).

faizoff, I have a Sony DN1050 amp and a Sony BDP-S7200 blu-ray player hooked up to Tannoy Mercury floor-standing speakers with matched rear satellites. With my PC, I'm listening through Logitech Z906 5.1 speakers, and Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro headphones (they're open-backed). My turntable is an Audio-Technica AT-LP5. None of my equipment is particularly special but it's not quite entry level, either.

Did you try the BD hi-res stereo? I may have to eat my words about the stereo track... I did some more listening with the 24bit 96 kHz stereo and to me it does sound fuller and smoother than Deezer and the CD. And contrary to what I first thought this is because it has a better dynamic range. I also noticed that the beginning riff of the Paralyzed in the left channel echoes to the right channel. You cannot hear this echo in the CD version nor in the Deezer stream. I am after all glad I got the BD as at least the hi-res stereo is better. I briefly tried the LPCM 5.1 and played it back as stereo and it sounds a lot louder than the stereo. This suggests that the 5.1 mix is louder / mpre brickwalled. Unless there is something else that makes the 5.1 signal louder compared to the stereo.

[thunderdog10]

dr loudnesswar.com shows the cd and 96/24 files as avg dynamic range as 6 but the blu ray stereo as 11.  so it seems the blu ray stereo is alot better. I dont have mine yet so cant tell you for sure

[nobloodyname]

Did you try the BD hi-res stereo? I may have to eat my words about the stereo track...

Oooh, interesting. I'll have a listen tomorrow. Thanks for heads-up.

[Tunnel Vision]

I ordered the blu-ray version of D/T. How would I go about ripping the high-res files and saving as FLAC? The CD mix is a bit too loud for me so I"m really looking forward to the high-res versions.

[faizoff]

I pasted this earlier in the thread.

I use makemkv to rip into a raw MKV file and then extract the audio stream using MKVToolNIX GUI. After that the resulting .mka file with audio only and chapter markers is easy to convert to flac using foobar with its FLAC plugin.

[Dtman2112]

After purchasing the album on HD Tracks and then realizing it was also brickwalled, I emailed them politely asking for a refund. I thought you guys would be interested in reading the reply.

“There is nothing inherently wrong with the source files and we have received no other complaints. Please note, we do not record or master anything here at HDTracks. We receive the most up to date masters from our record label partners as does every high res retailer. The labels only provided what they have. Each retailer receives the same files. Each label has their own recording/mastering process. There is no universal standard. But we do ask that every label provide the best quality possible. Sometimes the clarity of the high res mastering may present qualities that were unnoticeable or masked in previous formats or versions. We do ask every label to take note of this when remastering.

If those issues and "loudness wars" are a factor in your decisions then you might want to forgo a future purchase, as we have limited reasons for returns.

Sincerely,
Josh”

They DID issue me a refund, at least.

[KevShmev]

I'd chalk it up to a lesson learned and read reviews beforehand before buying again.  It is disappointing that the HD version isn't any better, but it is what it is.

[chudm]

After purchasing the album on HD Tracks and then realizing it was also brickwalled, I emailed them politely asking for a refund. I thought you guys would be interested in reading the reply.

“There is nothing inherently wrong with the source files and we have received no other complaints. Please note, we do not record or master anything here at HDTracks. We receive the most up to date masters from our record label partners as does every high res retailer. The labels only provided what they have. Each retailer receives the same files. Each label has their own recording/mastering process. There is no universal standard. But we do ask that every label provide the best quality possible. Sometimes the clarity of the high res mastering may present qualities that were unnoticeable or masked in previous formats or versions. We do ask every label to take note of this when remastering.

If those issues and "loudness wars" are a factor in your decisions then you might want to forgo a future purchase, as we have limited reasons for returns.

Sincerely,
Josh”

They DID issue me a refund, at least.

yeah man, the HDtracks version after ADTOE sucks to be honest, they have the same brickwalled master and DR as the cd...

always check this before buying

http://dr.loudness-war.info/album/list?artist=dream+theater&album=

I was ripping today the 5.1 mix from breaking the fourth wall, and downsampling it to 2.0 because it sounds better than the HD tracks version, i didnt check the DR but its better, im still waiting for my vinyl version of Distance over time, but it seems its better than the cd

[nobloodyname]

I pasted this earlier in the thread.

I use makemkv to rip into a raw MKV file and then extract the audio stream using MKVToolNIX GUI. After that the resulting .mka file with audio only and chapter markers is easy to convert to flac using foobar with its FLAC plugin.

Okay, here's a question for you

I've managed to get .mka files from the blu-ray using your method. But I am struggling to get 44.1k/16-bit wav files from them. I've tried using Foobar but it's outputting in an unrecognised bitrate (I am trying to get them passed through the DR meter). Any ideas?

[faizoff]

Hmm not sure I had that issue. I looked at the files that I last ripped (Rush 2112) which lists as 3266 kbps bitrate and retains the 96k/24 bit depth. I never uploaded to the DR site so I don't know what they require for upload.

[nobloodyname]

The issue turned out to be that the files were 96000 Hz. Found that out when I suddenly thought why not try using Audacity! You can flip the project rate (measured in Hz) so tried exporting to wav files once again once I'd changed to 44100 and bingo, job done.

So here's the output for the conversion from the stereo files on the blu-ray (converted to wav files at 41000 Hz).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 DR         Peak           RMS          Filename
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 DR11     -0.01 dB    -13.64 dB    01 Untethered Angel.wav
 DR11     -0.15 dB    -13.62 dB    02 Paralyzed.wav
 DR12     -0.00 dB    -14.09 dB    03 Fall Into the Light.wav
 DR11     -0.45 dB    -13.54 dB    04 Barstool Warrior.wav
 DR11     -0.59 dB    -13.53 dB    05 Room 137.wav
 DR11      over        -12.54 dB    06 S2N.wav
 DR12     -0.00 dB    -15.24 dB    07 At Wit's End.wav
 DR11     -1.47 dB    -16.95 dB    08 Out of Reach.wav
 DR12     -0.00 dB    -14.09 dB    09 Pale Blue Dot.wav
 DR12     -0.48 dB    -14.21 dB    10 Viper King.wav
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Number of files:    10
 Official DR value:  DR11

==============================================================================================


For immediate comparison, here's the assessment for the CD (converted to 320 Kbps).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 DR         Peak           RMS          Filename
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 DR6     -0.00 dB     -7.85 dB    1-01 Untethered Angel.mp3
 DR6     -0.00 dB     -7.51 dB    1-02 Paralyzed.mp3
 DR7     -0.00 dB     -8.22 dB    1-03 Fall into the Light.mp3
 DR6     -0.00 dB     -7.76 dB    1-04 Barstool Warrior.mp3
 DR6     -0.00 dB     -6.98 dB    1-05 Room 137.mp3
 DR7     -0.00 dB     -7.58 dB    1-06 S2N.mp3
 DR8     -0.00 dB    -10.03 dB    1-07 At Wit's End.mp3
 DR7     -0.00 dB     -9.89 dB    1-08 Out of Reach.mp3
 DR6     -0.00 dB     -7.95 dB    1-09 Pale Blue Dot.mp3
 DR6     -0.00 dB     -7.63 dB    1-10 Viper King.mp3
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Number of files:    10
 Official DR value:  DR7

==============================================================================================

[nobloodyname]

Here's the visual comparison for Viper King. To summarise, the top one is the export from the stereo track on the blu-ray (converted to wav at 44100), the bottom is the CD via MP3 (at 320).



Is there any easier way to post images here, incidentally, rather than having to go through the old Photobucket routine?

I couldn't (work out how to?) embed the image, but you can see the full image here at Google Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/h4tkSYqEgSMeo49R6

[Bolsters]

You can't upload images to the forum directly so you'll always have to link from another site. Imgur is probably the best/easiest these days though.

[faizoff]

I use imgur as well.

So the bluray stereo looks promising over CD version, now just have to wait for the bluray artbook set.

[chudm]

Here's the visual comparison for Viper King. To summarise, the top one is the export from the stereo track on the blu-ray (converted to wav at 44100), the bottom is the CD via MP3 (at 320).



Is there any easier way to post images here, incidentally, rather than having to go through the old Photobucket routine?

I couldn't (work out how to?) embed the image, but you can see the full image here at Google Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/h4tkSYqEgSMeo49R6

great! seems so much better, did you try to check the 5.1 mix? does it have the same DR?

[JRuless]

I converted the DVD Stereo High Definition to WAV 44100 16 bits as well.
It's almost the same as the BluRay HD Stereo mix. But don't have a Blurayplayer in my laptop to rip, so instead used the DVD from the Artbook.
Yes! Dynamics 

DR         Peak           RMS          Filename
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 DR11     -0.02 dB    -13.60 dB    01_Untethered Angel.wav
 DR11     -0.16 dB    -13.62 dB    02_Paralyzed.wav
 DR12     -0.00 dB    -14.09 dB    03_Fall Into The Light.wav
 DR11     -0.40 dB    -13.55 dB    04_Barstool Warrior.wav
 DR11     -0.65 dB    -13.53 dB    05_Room 137.wav
 DR11      over        -12.54 dB    06_S2N.wav
 DR12     -0.00 dB    -15.24 dB    07_At Wit's End.wav
 DR11     -1.27 dB    -16.95 dB    08_Out Of Reach.wav
 DR11     -0.00 dB    -14.09 dB    09_Pale Blue Dot.wav
 DR12     -0.55 dB    -14.16 dB    10_Viper King (Bonus Track).wav
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Number of files:    10
 Official DR value:  DR11

[goo-goo]

So when you play the Blu-ray or DVD and play the 5.1 mixes, do you have an option to choose audio streams? I saw that even the self-titled album DVD that was only advertised as 5.1 had a stereo track which was higher resolution than the CD. They might be referring to that as the hi-res files rather than having them separately available.

Yes. There are 3 options.

96/24 Stereo LPCM
DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
96/24 5.1 LPCM

That's great to know, once I get my blu-ray I will rip that stereo track and convert to flac. I use makemkv to rip into a raw MKV file and then extract the audio stream using MKVToolNIX GUI. After that the resulting .mka file with audio only and chapter markers is easy to convert to flac using foobar with its FLAC plugin.

I know it sounds laborious but once you do it, it then becomes quite straightforward to deal with after. Plus I'm sure there are other programs that do it straight to FLAC but this has been my method for a while.

I kind of got stuck here. What do I have to do in MKVTool to get the mka file? Is there a simpler way to rip the audio from the blu ray? I have a Macbook Pro from 2012 so I may not have the chipsets to rip the audio.

[JRuless]

I used a tool called DVD Audio Extractor http://www.dvdae.com/
Full functions for 30 days. Can also rip from  Blu-ray.

[nobloodyname]

So when you play the Blu-ray or DVD and play the 5.1 mixes, do you have an option to choose audio streams? I saw that even the self-titled album DVD that was only advertised as 5.1 had a stereo track which was higher resolution than the CD. They might be referring to that as the hi-res files rather than having them separately available.

Yes. There are 3 options.

96/24 Stereo LPCM
DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
96/24 5.1 LPCM

That's great to know, once I get my blu-ray I will rip that stereo track and convert to flac. I use makemkv to rip into a raw MKV file and then extract the audio stream using MKVToolNIX GUI. After that the resulting .mka file with audio only and chapter markers is easy to convert to flac using foobar with its FLAC plugin.

I know it sounds laborious but once you do it, it then becomes quite straightforward to deal with after. Plus I'm sure there are other programs that do it straight to FLAC but this has been my method for a while.

I kind of got stuck here. What do I have to do in MKVTool to get the mka file? Is there a simpler way to rip the audio from the blu ray? I have a Macbook Pro from 2012 so I may not have the chipsets to rip the audio.

Below the 'input' box, under 'tracks, chapters and tags', deselect 'video'. That should automatically change the file format under that to .mka - assuming you're seeing what I saw this morning, of course!

[nobloodyname]

Here's the visual comparison for Viper King. To summarise, the top one is the export from the stereo track on the blu-ray (converted to wav at 44100), the bottom is the CD via MP3 (at 320).



Is there any easier way to post images here, incidentally, rather than having to go through the old Photobucket routine?

I couldn't (work out how to?) embed the image, but you can see the full image here at Google Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/h4tkSYqEgSMeo49R6

great! seems so much better, did you try to check the 5.1 mix? does it have the same DR?

No, sorry. I'm not sure how I would do that, to be honest. Downmix the 5.1 to stereo, I guess. Anyone else know?