Dynamic Range
This. One thousand times this.
I own recordings from the 1970s, 40 years ago!, with sound quality 100 times better than most of what's been produced in the last 10 years. This whole "hi def" thing is yet another ploy to get you to re-purchase what you already own all over again. You can re-format crap sound all day. It's still crap sound.
To the record companies: Get good audio engineers back in the studio. Listen to well-produced albums from 40 years ago, hang your head in shame at the low-quality mush you've been churning out, and FIX IT!
They knew how to produce great sounding recordings 40 years ago, They still do, and hint, it has nothing to do with "hi def".
Biting the hand that feeds IT
