Post by Big Ears September 22, 2010 (1 of 198)
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Hi
I am frustrated and perplexed re what the future is for SACD. I have been searching the net for information but not finding any authoritative reference to what has happened or where things are going.
I am a newbie and am in the throes of buying some sacds to try out my brand new cd player. A Yamaha CD S1000 which I bought as a CD player but it also plays SACD. I previously was unaware of the existence of higher quality cds .
I understand SACD was developed by Sony and others. Have they now discontinued their interest in this technology????
If so Is anyone else looking to pick up their work??
Are there any other websites or forums that can assist me please.
More importantly what will replace SACD
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Big Ears said:
More importantly what will replace SACD
Virtual downloads (DSD files).
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Big Ears said:
Are there any other websites or forums that can assist me please.
You should be able to find all the needed information on this site.
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Big Ears said:
I understand SACD was developed by Sony and others. Have they now discontinued their interest in this technology????
No, Sony has recently started implementing SACD playback in all their blu-ray players, the company also continues to produce stand-alone SACD players. They are involved in the recent SHM-SACD project.
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Big Ears said:
If so Is anyone else looking to pick up their work??
Super Audio Center, Korg, Analogue Production, MFSL, Soundmirror and others
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Post by Claude September 22, 2010 (6 of 198)
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audioholik said:
Virtual downloads (DSD files).
I rather think they will be PCM-based, because of the widespread hardware support for PCM.
But still a major problem is multichannel playback, because very few PC soundcards or streaming servers can play hi-rez multichannel files, and those files are huge.
So I can't see downloads replacing classical SACDs in the near future. For stereo releases and reissues, downloads would be ideal, as there is no production cost involved. The hi-rez master/re-remaster made for the CD project could be transferred to hi-rez files, which can be sold over iTunes etc.
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I just do not see this as a burning question. Right now, SACD is still hanging in there with enough classical repertoire (barely) plus new releases, but enough good recordings to be my everyday listening choice. Of course, my listening preference is strongly in favor of hi rez multichannel, so there is not much of an alternative. I just do not listen to stereo anymore. Since my machine also plays Blu-rays, I can also dabble in the tiny trickle of BR music selections and in BR opera, which is quite stunning. Will BR eventually compete with and vanquish SACD for music? It's possible, but years off, in my view, as are hi rez Mch downloads.
I think you will see SACD supported in terms of equipment for years to come. The trend now is to stereo SACD/CD players and to Mch Universal BR/DVD/SACD/CD players, so there is an abundance of equipment, as well as the off-the-shelf chip components to make it work. For example, every Sony BR machine currently supports SACD from the cheapest $250 MSRP on up. Similarly, Oppo, which has been quite successful, remains committed to SACD. That's not all suddenly going to go away. In fact, a fair number of Home Theater afficianados are beginning to discover the merits of SACD on their Universal players.
Whatever happens, there is not much you or I can do, one way or the other. There is nothing to buy right now or any other action to take. Hi rez PCM downloads are in their infancy and still suffer from long dowload times for most people. They are not sufficiently user friendly for me at this point, nor, I daresay, for the mass market, at least not in hi rez. Downloads in Mch are almost non-existent currently, so I could not care less about them. I would not want to bet that we will ever see dowloads in DSD.
I'll take whatever comes in hi rez Mch. Investing in an SACD disc today, I have no doubt will provide years and years of listening pleasure, even though new formats will eventually come along. Someday, you yourself might decide to upgrade to Mch, and most of the SACD's you buy today will be there to rediscover in stunning hi rez Mch.
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Claude said:
I rather think they will be PCM-based, because of the widespread hardware support for PCM.
I think we can forget about the widespread adoption of high resolution downloads, it will be a niche for audiophiles, and they will choose whatever format sounds better.
The future Super Audio Center efforts to bring 128fs DSD downloads to our homes (also a development of their 128+ technology) will be of greatest importance and will have a direct effect on the future of hi-rez.
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Post by wolf359 September 22, 2010 (9 of 198)
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Fitzcaraldo215 said:
Hi rez PCM downloads are in their infancy and still suffer from long dowload times for most people. They are not sufficiently user friendly for me at this point, nor, I daresay, for the mass market, at least not in hi rez. Downloads in Mch are almost non-existent currently, so I could not care less about them. I would not want to bet that we will ever see dowloads in DSD.
I agree with Fitzcaroldo on this, in addition I can order an SACD from anywhere in the world and because its a universal standard and no geographic restrictions it should play without problems. With computer based technology the men in suits will almost certainly impose a restriction based upon where you are in the world using the excuse of "rights" as per the regional coding found on DVD/BR. Many parts of the world simply do not have the suitable computer infrastructure to allow fast reliable downloads, all of this is without the problems and cost of downloading and printing out sleeves, notes etc. It is also a pretty safe bet that company A will use a differing method of downloads to company B etc each with its own weaknessess and strengths.If it catches on it will be almost certainly the preserve of the audiophile, there is nothing to tempt the cheap and often illegal MP3 user to it.
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Post by jdaniel September 22, 2010 (10 of 198)
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Fitzcaraldo215 said:
I'll take whatever comes in hi rez Mch. Investing in an SACD disc today, I have no doubt will provide years and years of listening pleasure, even though new formats will eventually come along. Someday, you yourself might decide to upgrade to Mch, and most of the SACD's you buy today will be there to rediscover in stunning hi rez Mch.
If one is speaking of longevity only, if SACD makes it another 10 years, it will have lasted almost as long as CD at this point.
Lp's roughly '55 to '80, CD's roughly '85 to '10 and SACD's from '00 to '10.
In terms of decades, is there anything "permanent?"
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