An open letter to the SACD software and hardware industry

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  • Frank T.
    Junior Member
    • Oct 2003
    • 25

    An open letter to the SACD software and hardware industry

    Having become quickly a die-hard afficionado of multi-channel (ONLY) SACD recordings, I fear for the future of the format and have sent an eMail letter to a dozen SACD content providers which I duplicate here and humbly ask everyone with influence to carry the message on:

    SACD technology is on its way into a dead end, its software suppliers could equally be its gravediggers

    Dear Sirs,

    for 6 years I have been running a home theatre store with the focus on high end video projection and multi-channel surround reproduction. Multi-channel audio has never been a customer request, but now that I have experienced various multi-channel SACDs that could hopefully change...could if only you would!

    Most annoyingly I have come to notice that there is practically nowwhere a clear distinction between a stereo only or a true multi-channel SACD.

    Simply labelling an SACD "Hybrid" - as amazon.com does - is just as confusing as the DVD classification "Dolby Digital" which can contain anything from 1.0 mono to 5.1 discrete multi-channel sound.

    This is extremeley counter-productive to the SACD format: Frankly I didn't notice a significant improvement comparing an old CD with the latest SACD version (Peter Gabriel's SO ) and will - like consumers before me - return the SACD to amazon for refund.

    I wonder which people the SACD manufacturers consider as target audience: the vanishing, wealthy upper-class stereo audiophiles or the broader exposure to the global market with its many home theatre multi-channel surround systems?

    I wonder if somebody had delusions of grandure, thinking the SACD in the audio world would be what DVD had been in the video one?

    DVD was replacing an outdated video system poor in picture and sound (VHS) but with instant picture and stereo sound improvement plus inherent (to be discovered) 16:9 picture enhancement and discrete multi-channel surround sound.

    Besides, DVD is the de facto major threat to the SACD format on the one hand, providing multi-channel encoded music programs (with picture!) while on the other hand latest Dolby Pro Logic II technology allows multi-channel surround sound experience with any standard CD!

    The original idea, to have a CD which plays in every household CD player but simultaneously contains amazing multi-channel reproduction potential for upcoming home entertainment upgrades was truly intelligent and great.

    But it seems about time to execute this idea rather to resell consumers less data compressed stereo versions of CD titles they already own - add to this that only very few consumers will be able to appreciate the stereo sound improvement while general audiences will abandon the SACD format, feeling ripped off and cheated!

    At the current time, only multi-channel SACDs carry the potential to get the format ahead, until visual song texts and pictures become a standard attribute to stereo SACDs (which would be - at best - a bonus but not the required improvement).

    But they need to be highlighted as "multi-channel"!

    As the software and hardware dealer in the front line it is my job to thrill and fascinate my customers and potential SACD adopters. But unless the industry provides the adequate means for that (multi-channel) I might just as well continue to advocate music DVD programs with either Dolby Digital or DTS discrete multi-channel sound instead.

    Please give my thoughts some considerations, before greed to recycle will cause a major collapse of the SACD format.

    Yours Sincerely, Frank T.




    Frank T.
    Frank T.
  • BeeBop
    Junior Member
    • Oct 2003
    • 21

    #2
    Amen brother. I have redbook and sacd versions of a couple of releases and quite franky, I cannot tell them apart when listening in stereo. There is no way I would shell out the extra bucks for a SACD/DVD-A audio stereo release. When I look at the list of audio releases I am finding that few are multi-channel and most are just the same-old same-old at a higher price. What planet are these guys living on?

    Comment

    • jimmyp58
      Super Senior Member
      • Aug 2003
      • 1449

      #3
      Beautifully written Frank T. but I think the real source of the problem is the major company itself --- SONY. Think back years ago when Beta Hi-Fi was their format. Most, if not all, audiophiles would say that Beta's sound was far superior to VHS and that perhaps the picture quality from Beta had a clear advantage over its VHS counterpart too. What was the major advantage of VHS over Beta? The amount of time on the tape. What did Sony do? Nothing, they let the product wither without even attempting to bring out a competitive alternative. They showed no loyalty to the scores of customers that bought their product and believed in the format. The result. Beta died, VHS prevailed, and a ton of customers had to go out and get a new machine as well as new software. Thanks Sony! And by the way, Sony eventually brought out their own VHS machines and folks bought their units because it was/is the belief that no one does this stuff better than Sony --- so they essentially doubled their money!

      Fast forward to the middle 90's. Recordable CDs were starting to gain traction but the price tag was outrageous. Sony introduced MiniDisc which was a wonderful design and allowed users to record software optically by making their favorite "mixes", etc. It was also nice because if you wanted to listen to music while jogging, etc., their portable unit didn't have the same bouncing problems a portable cd unit had because of the design of the casing around the recorded material. It took them years to come out with shock absorbing cd units. Anyway, Sony brought this out and a bunch of folks, though not nearly as many as the Beta folks, embraced this technology and bought the units. What did Sony do? Nothing and they essentially let the format die. No marketing, no enhancements, no nothing. I still have my original MiniDisc unit and all it is is an expensive paperweight. And what did Sony eventually do? They were the last to bring out a recordable cd unit and scores of folks buy their units each and every day. Are we seeing a trend here yet?!

      Now for SACD. I concur wholeheartedly with the stereo vs. multi-channel issue. But I ask you, how much energy do you want to invest in a mega company such as Sony that doesn't give a hoot about you, your store, your feelings, your money, your time...? They recently talked about changing the SACD format to SACD II that would have deeper encryption principles in order to make it more difficult to dupe as well as video output. They were supposed to make an announcement a few months ago on this but all is quiet thusfar. They even went to speculate that SACD II would NOT be backward friendly. So do they really care about you and/or your opinion? Heck no! Sorry, but they are going to do whatever they want and my hunch is, they're going to let this technology die and eventually DVD-A will be the sole survivor. Guess what? Lots of SACD hardware and software owners will get the shaft again! But you know what? People will complain but eventually they'll go out and buy a dvd-a machine (if they don't have a universal player) as well as software. And by the way, Sony will have a dvd-a machine of their own someday so that the unknowings will think they need to get a Sony machine because Sony is quality! YUCK!!!

      I guess sending letters is therapeutic and all but unfortunately until the masses stop buying their products and see them for the ripoff artists they are, they'll keep doing whatever the heck they want to do to us.

      Jim
      jpiscitello@ameritech.net

      Comment

      • Frank T.
        Junior Member
        • Oct 2003
        • 25

        #4
        While I do not expect my letter to have a significant impact (call me "Don Quichote" :LOL: ) it was merely a reaction to announcements made by a Sony Manager at the International "Funkausstellung" Electronics Fair in Berlin end of August: Together with Philips and others they seriously intend to have 20.000 (Twenty-Thousand) 8O SACD titles out by Christmas season - to me it seemed clear they were referring rather to recycling than remastering for multi-channel.

        While you are right in regard to Sony's lackluster attitude in previous years (Beta failed mostly because Sony asked for licenses, while Matsushita gave out VHS specs for free - an attitude, given Taiwanese and Korean competition, both changed when they introduced S-VHS or videoHi8 in 1990), there is a wind of change within Sony these days.

        Admitting their faults, Sony is recruiting again old Esprit line dealers and tries a fresh start - I guess time will tell how serious the Sony renaissance is to be taken.

        SACD will not suceed with the "sound showers" to be posted at points of sales globally for the Christmas season.

        SACD could have a chance of suceeding once mail order companies like Amazon.com stop lamenting about all the SACD returns they receive on a daily basis and make a clear distinction between stereo and multi-channel.

        SACD multi-channel has another chance of suceeding if more content providers make samplers available (since your choice is limited you at least want to know what you'll be hearing).

        I'm currently only aware of samplers from DMP (my favorite!), Telarc # 1 and # 2 and Concord with its beautiful Jazz recordings - Which ones have I missed (hints appreciated)?

        In the case of Concord you will notice that they took the effort of remixing their original master recording tapes into multi-channel sound. Kudos! I consider Concord a role-model!

        Back in 1984 my love affair with the CD started with Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon.

        Now, in 2003 my love affair with the SACD started with the same title, mastered from the original quadrophonic recording.

        I can only this: Fight for the format, pester people in the software and hardware industry until they get it right - even if it is just for their own financial good.




        Frank T.
        Frank T.

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