The CD is slowly becoming outdated: The silver disc has been around for more than 20 years. However, it remains unclear who will succeed the Compact Disc. Two candidates are available: the Super Audio Compact Disc (SACD) and DVD Audio.
Both formats offer significantly better sound quality than the CD. However, many questions remain unanswered.
"The SACD is the natural successor to the CD," says Petra Siegfanz, Senior Product Manager at Philips in Hamburg. Together with Sony and other manufacturers, the company is betting on this format. Panasonic, on the other hand, is promoting — also in collaboration with other manufacturers — DVD Audio. And at Panasonic in Hamburg, it is naturally claimed that DVD Audio is the rightful heir to the CD.
Record labels would likely prefer to see DVD Audio or SACD quickly replace the CD, says Christoph de Leuw from the Stuttgart-based magazine "Audio." On one hand, both formats offer added value that could potentially be sold at a higher price than CDs. Additionally, the new discs have better copy protection.
The Super Audio CD is based on a technology called DSD. DSD stands for Direct Stream Digital. It uses a 1-bit analog-to-digital converter with a sampling frequency of 2.8 kilohertz. The music is recorded directly as a high-resolution digital signal. While frequencies above 20 kilohertz are filtered out on the CD, the frequency range for SACD extends up to 96 kilohertz. This allows for better reproduction of analog sounds.
The DVD Audio achieves a sampling rate of up to 192 kilohertz and a resolution of 24 bits in stereo operation. "There are no audible differences in sound between SACD and DVD Audio," judges de Leuw. Both standards also allow for surround sound. However, DVD Audio is designed to be more multimedia-friendly: "It can also store images and texts due to its large storage capacity," explains a spokesperson from Panasonic in Hamburg. This allows for still images and short video clips to be viewed on the television or interviews to be read while enjoying the music.
If one were to consider this a disadvantage for the SACD, it is offset by the fact that an SACD disc can also be played in a conventional CD player — provided it is a hybrid disc. "Currently, most SACD titles are offered as hybrids," says Petra Siegfanz from Philips. These silver discs have a CD layer in addition to the high-density layer (HD) important for SACD. A hybrid SACD in a CD player will only provide CD quality — for full sound, a SACD-capable player is required.
In contrast, a DVD Audio cannot be played on a CD device. A DVD player that can read this format is necessary. Christoph de Leuw advises against relying solely on one format: "It's best to buy a universal player that plays all formats." A good quality device can be found starting at around 800 euros. However, the rest of the system — for example, the speakers — must also be of a certain quality to truly enjoy the enhanced music experience.
For those who want to listen to more than just classics and current hits on DVD Audio or SACD, it is still challenging at the moment. According to Petra Siegfanz, there are currently around 1900 titles available as SACD. There are not many more for DVD Audio either. In consumers' perception, SACD and DVD Audio are still not present, says de Leuw.
However, the expert doubts the success of SACD and DVD Audio for another reason: It is likely to be fundamentally difficult for a new physical media carrier to establish itself. "The media landscape has changed. Perhaps the time is more ripe for downloading or streaming music." The traditional payment for an entire CD is also in question: People are increasingly reluctant to pay for 20 tracks when they only like three. Furthermore, the success of Apple's iTunes online music store shows that many customers are not concerned about better sound quality. After all, download songs are still of a lower audio quality than CDs.
Source: WEB.DE Portale
More information:
Sony Music - Super Audio CD
Philips - Super Audio CD
Panasonic - DVD Audio
Both formats offer significantly better sound quality than the CD. However, many questions remain unanswered.
"The SACD is the natural successor to the CD," says Petra Siegfanz, Senior Product Manager at Philips in Hamburg. Together with Sony and other manufacturers, the company is betting on this format. Panasonic, on the other hand, is promoting — also in collaboration with other manufacturers — DVD Audio. And at Panasonic in Hamburg, it is naturally claimed that DVD Audio is the rightful heir to the CD.
Record labels would likely prefer to see DVD Audio or SACD quickly replace the CD, says Christoph de Leuw from the Stuttgart-based magazine "Audio." On one hand, both formats offer added value that could potentially be sold at a higher price than CDs. Additionally, the new discs have better copy protection.
The Super Audio CD is based on a technology called DSD. DSD stands for Direct Stream Digital. It uses a 1-bit analog-to-digital converter with a sampling frequency of 2.8 kilohertz. The music is recorded directly as a high-resolution digital signal. While frequencies above 20 kilohertz are filtered out on the CD, the frequency range for SACD extends up to 96 kilohertz. This allows for better reproduction of analog sounds.
The DVD Audio achieves a sampling rate of up to 192 kilohertz and a resolution of 24 bits in stereo operation. "There are no audible differences in sound between SACD and DVD Audio," judges de Leuw. Both standards also allow for surround sound. However, DVD Audio is designed to be more multimedia-friendly: "It can also store images and texts due to its large storage capacity," explains a spokesperson from Panasonic in Hamburg. This allows for still images and short video clips to be viewed on the television or interviews to be read while enjoying the music.
If one were to consider this a disadvantage for the SACD, it is offset by the fact that an SACD disc can also be played in a conventional CD player — provided it is a hybrid disc. "Currently, most SACD titles are offered as hybrids," says Petra Siegfanz from Philips. These silver discs have a CD layer in addition to the high-density layer (HD) important for SACD. A hybrid SACD in a CD player will only provide CD quality — for full sound, a SACD-capable player is required.
In contrast, a DVD Audio cannot be played on a CD device. A DVD player that can read this format is necessary. Christoph de Leuw advises against relying solely on one format: "It's best to buy a universal player that plays all formats." A good quality device can be found starting at around 800 euros. However, the rest of the system — for example, the speakers — must also be of a certain quality to truly enjoy the enhanced music experience.
For those who want to listen to more than just classics and current hits on DVD Audio or SACD, it is still challenging at the moment. According to Petra Siegfanz, there are currently around 1900 titles available as SACD. There are not many more for DVD Audio either. In consumers' perception, SACD and DVD Audio are still not present, says de Leuw.
However, the expert doubts the success of SACD and DVD Audio for another reason: It is likely to be fundamentally difficult for a new physical media carrier to establish itself. "The media landscape has changed. Perhaps the time is more ripe for downloading or streaming music." The traditional payment for an entire CD is also in question: People are increasingly reluctant to pay for 20 tracks when they only like three. Furthermore, the success of Apple's iTunes online music store shows that many customers are not concerned about better sound quality. After all, download songs are still of a lower audio quality than CDs.
Source: WEB.DE Portale
More information:
Sony Music - Super Audio CD
Philips - Super Audio CD
Panasonic - DVD Audio
