Apple and Hi Rez

[redm]

Originally Posted by jdandy

Derek.......No one can deny Apple brought low-res into the mainstream.

lol

[redm]

After reading Robert Hutton's actual post, the entire idea hinges on a source. The rest of his theory sounds a bit shaky too, that HD Tracks is no longer getting content because of the coming Apple takeover, which also sounds a bit shaky.

You can read claims like this going back a couple of years, I'm not sure this is more credible. I would speculate Apple would go after a service like Spotify before focusing on Hi-Res, Spotify is eating their lunch, not HD Tracks.

[Family Progtitioner]

I don't think apple could care less about hi-Rez, a niche of a niche product. Like the previous poster said, they need to get into subscription streaming like spotify and beats.

[asindc]

Originally Posted by Still-One

Dan
Apple is at the mercy of the content providers just like HDTracks and any other hi-rez site out there. We know that there have been many current hi rez offerings that have been shown to be nothing more than 16/44 masters. Apple has been asking for higher rez sources for some time now but push-back from content providers has slowed any traction.

I am not sure if the pricing model is understood or clear. They note that Apple might charge $1 more for hi-rez. If that is per album then the current screwing we are getting from HDTracks will be short lived. If that is per track then their pricing will be in line with the current hi-rez offerings.

We recently ran a comparison on 5 albums from iTunes at 256 versus a burned copy of a CD. It was virtually impossible for anyone to repeatedly identify the source correctly.

I'm not very optimistic that Apple will deliver the goods to my satisfaction, for the reasons Dan touched on in his post. That said, I hope they build some type of viable hi-rez platform in which they take advantage of their economic clout within the industry and price their offerings competitively. I think hi-rez files are generally overpriced relative to the physical media counterparts, and if Apple does offer competitive pricing, I imagine HDTracks, Linn, and others will quickly follow suit.