[Floodedstatue]

Spotted on Ebay a couple of weeks ago that 2 people were selling DualDiscs.

DualDisc (incase you are unaware) is a CD on one side and a DVD on the other. They have just finished a trial in 2 states in the U.S. (Seattle and MA I think), and they are not on retail sale anywhere yet. But I thought I'd take a chance and see what one was like.

I bought Audioslave's album. For starters, the case/packaging is very swish. The case has a rounded end and a click-open mechanism.

In terms of content, the CD-side contains the full 14-track album. The DVD-side contains the album again (no enhanced sound that I'm aware of), 3 music videos for Cochise, Show Me How To Live & Like a Stone, and a documentary with background footage, and live performances of Gasoline & Set It Off.

It's a promising format, but I cant help but feel there is as much content as you would get out of a bonus CD/DVD. I think to really take advantage of the format, they would be better mixing the album in 5.1 or DVD-Audio and putting that on the DVD-side.

This was ofcourse only a trial, so they were never likely to go all out on it. Whether it turns into a full-scale assault on the market remains to be seen. It depends whether record companies (Sony are pioneering this) are willing to put ANOTHER format onto the market. People get confused enough about SACD, hybrid or not hybrid, 2channel or 5channel, DVD-Audio, HDCD - another format may just be pushing the boat out a little too far. But atleast they're thinking about these things

[PaulBoy]

Floodedstatue ... as you suggest maybe a bit of a wasted opportunity here with this version of DualDisc - the idea is fine but surely the way to get more than a passing interest is to take SACD Hybrid on and have CD & multi channel on either side - I'd snap them up!
I saw the Back In Black DualDisc on Ebay but like the Audioslave one there is no multi channel version which IMHO would be awesome (my fav hard rock album ever!)
Hopefully they'll rethink the concept (?)
Paul
PS I hear there's a new Dream Theater DVD on its way