LegendsOfJazz
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Legends of Jazz brings Dolby TrueHD to Blu-ray
One of the ways Blu-ray has trailed HD DVD so far is inclusion of advanced audio codecs, but that will start to turn around later this month when Legends of Jazz "Showcase" is released. As we noted when the series first aired on PBS, it was produced in HD and 5.1 surround sound to enable viewers to fully experience the musicians featured. This disc will be the first Blu-ray release to include a 24-bit Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack (along with Dolby Digital 5.1and PCM Stereo options) that Dolby Labs exec Craig Eggers says captures "every nuance" of the performance. In Europe a copy will be included with each Samsung BD-P1000 Blu-ray player, somewhat bittersweet because it doesn't support Dolby TrueHD. The Playstation 3 will, but what other upcoming players can decode the audio format is unclear. Still, especially if you've got a PS3 preordered and an HDMI 1.3-capable receiver at the ready -- who doesn't? -- a better way to experience the 13 performances will be hard to find after its release October 24th, with an MSRP of $34.98.[Via The Man Room]
Legends of Jazz series hits PBS-HD
The Washington Post did a nice writeup Friday on this new PBS series. We know from our comments how much everybody enjoys their productions and this looks to be another quality one. Host Ramsey Lewis highlights a different theme and talks to some of the world's best musicians in each half hour segment, all produced in HDTV and 5.1 surround sound.I first heard about this series last fall when it was supposed to air, but didn't know what had happened to it. If you're at all a fan of the music or maybe even if you're not yet, go to the official website and find out when it is airing in your area, it is definitely worth catching.
