Several SACD titles selling well... (1 Viewer)

[Lee Scoggins]

http://www.audioasylum.com/forums/hi...es/156615.html

Interesting article that shows some strong weekly sales for several Super Audio series. The DSOTM is doing very well considering it's been out a while. Hopefully this will lead to more Pink Floyd albums in Super Audio.

This kind of performance should likely lead to more titles for us consumers over the long run.

 

[Ron Reda]

Hopefully this will lead to more Pink Floyd albums in Super Audio.

Fingers crossed. WYWH on SACD would sound amazing!

 

[FeisalK]

only in multichannel though

in the future all music will be multichannel, and stereo would be a downmix by player DACs

 

[John Geelan]

I'm also hoping SACD sells well so we can get more Classic Rock on the format.

Of course WYWH would be awesome in SACD Surround (I have a DTS version that rocks!)

We need THE WALL on SACD too!!

 

[robertLP]

Yeah, the album has been doing very well since 1973...

What we really need is a side-by-side comparision of a new album that gives consumers a choice of two formats: the CD version for $13.99 or a SACD hybrid for, say, $15.99. Then we'll have a much better idea of how many people are interested in the high rez/MC version.

 

[Marc Colella]

What we really need is a side-by-side comparision of a new album that gives consumers a choice of two formats: the CD version for $13.99 or a SACD hybrid for, say, $15.99. Then we'll have a much better idea of how many people are interested in the high rez/MC version.

Or we can look at the sale numbers for those single-layer SACDs. It's not a coincidence that we've never heard any sales figures for these single-layers SACDs. When sales are that low - you try not to advertise it.

 

[Kevin T]

in the future all music will be multichannel, and stereo would be a downmix by player DACs

i'm crossing my fingers and really hoping not as i still prefer straight two channel.

kevin t

 

[KeithH]

Marc said:

Or we can look at the sale numbers for those single-layer SACDs. It's not a coincidence that we've never heard any sales figures for these single-layers SACDs. When sales are that low - you try not to advertise it.

Agreed. Let's not forget that the vast majority of blockbuster SACDs that have come out in recent months are hybrids.

I'd like to see some hardware sales figures too. Yes, most of Sony's SACD players also play DVDs, but I'd like to know how these players are selling relative to Sony's standard DVD players.

 

[Mark Hedges]

in the future all music will be multichannel, and stereo would be a downmix by player DACs

I would be very dissapointed if this were to happen. That was what some DVD-A's did and is part of the reason why DVD-A isn't really well accepted among the audiophile community. As far as SACD goes I have yet to come across a multichannel mix that I clearly prefer over the 2 channel mix.

Mark

 

[Lee Scoggins]

Agreed. Let's not forget that the vast majority of blockbuster SACDs that have come out in recent months are hybrids.

Marc and Keith, I think you are both missing the point.

The fact that SACD has a hybrid option and DVDA does not at this point is a STRONG REASON why SACD has gathered more interest and more titles.

That an artist or band can be assured of some reasonably good level of sales is the major step toward their releasing the album in the first place.

Also, as I repeatedly say all that matters are total unit sales from a revenue standpoint. The more dollars people see in a horrible music market, the stronger the interest will be.

I also disagree with Marc's comment that SACD sales have been disappointing on single layer SACDs. This is pure speculation, but my friends in the business indicate otherwise. If you speak with David Chesky and others at Chesky Records their SACDs have been selling very well...if you speak to Chad Kassem of Acoustic Sounds you get an even more enthusiastic response. So the high end market has really embraced the format.

If you look at DSOTM or Rolling Stones, you see evidence that the masses have bought in as well, even though there is no capability for any statistics on who bought for redbook or hirez layers.

If DVDA can offer flippers that work and are accepted then we may see that DVDA attracts more artists as well.

I would like to see both standards adopted as well done DVDA can sound almost as good as SACD, and both are a far cry better than redbook.

 

[FeisalK]

what am I missing here? if SACD and DVD-V/A are essentially using the same disc media why can't DVD-A have a Redbook layer? or was that an arbitrary decision not to have one?

 

[Lee Scoggins]

if SACD and DVD-V/A are essentially using the same disc media why can't DVD-A have a Redbook layer? or was that an arbitrary decision not to have one?

There are several reasons:

1. Super Audio and DVDA audio have different disc specs and entirely different replication processes. They also have very different recordings processes.

2. Hybrid capability was part of the Super Audio spec from the beginning but was not envisioned for DVDA, a fairly sizeable mistake on the DVD working group's part.

3. Warners and others have been experimenting with making two separate layers - one of each and then fusing them together however there appear to be issues of thickness, in that some players cannot read the discs. I have heard that AIX has had some success in playing it back but that the DVD group will not recognize it as part of the DVD spec. It's not clear to me that having it recognized is all that important as long as it works. Warners is threatening to move forward anyway I hear.

4. DVDA does have the capability for DTS surround playback but that does not allow redbook playback.

I hope that clears it up a bit.

One really has to wonder why we could not get the big five to agree to one hirez format. A few decisions the other way and we may have had a real chance to get hirez established into more mainstream homes.

I see one of two things happening:

a. the two formats get established as standards that coexist and labels continue to compete for similar dollars.

b. labels recognize the missed opportunity and go back to the drawing board and do something new for BluRay hidef discs which will hold a lot more data.

It's interesting to note also that the rumored SACD II has still not shown up so Sony must be happy with SACD specifications as they stand now.

 

[FeisalK]

Lee thanks for the info

I still don't see why you couldn't take a blank hybrid disc and write DVD-A onto the layer intended for SACD.. although that's me not having done any research as yet. I promise to read up and not ask silly questions

One really has to wonder why we could not get the big five to agree to one hirez format.

I imagine Sony & Philips having invested some amount into DSD R&D want to capitalize on it while they still have patent rights; if only they'd stuck to the original premise of using it as an archival format and putting albums out as hi-rez PCM we'd have one standard

 

[Lee Scoggins]

if only they'd stuck to the original premise of using it as an archival format and putting albums out as hi-rez PCM we'd have one standard

I think sony had been working on DSD well before the DVD came out so its hard to know who to "blame" for the dual formats. I believe also that Sony & Philips thought backward compatibility to redbook was really important, and so far that appears to be right...

 

[Brian-W]

I also disagree with Marc's comment that SACD sales have been disappointing on single layer SACDs. This is pure speculation, but my friends in the business indicate otherwise

VINYL still outsells both SACD and DVD-A combined

 

[Lee Scoggins]

VINYL still outsells both SACD and DVD-A combined

Uh, yeah...three things:

1. These numbers are based on Soundscan which does not pick up most of the online retailers so it is not known with certainty that the above statement is true.

2. LP is doing very well as we long-time Mike Fremer fans know. More evidence that hirez sells?

3. If LP does in fact outsell SACD, does that mean that SACD has numbers that are too low to report as Marc suggests? No. In fact, both LP and Super Audio are doing well.

Does Super Audio sell platinum every time? Of course not but there is a nice profitable niche for hirez formats and it could widen.

 

[JordanS]

I don't know jack squat in terms of DVD-A or SACD. I know I love the sound of them both; and to me, that is all that matters!


My first choice would be Pink Floyd's "ANIMALS" album from 1977. Then WYWH and Meddle!

 

[Lee Scoggins]

My first choice would be Pink Floyd's "ANIMALS" album from 1977. Then WYWH and Meddle!

That would be my choices as well.

Can you imagine the "machine" in hirez?!

 

[Rachael B]

...me, I'd like to see the insainity of Spirit's FUTURE GAMES or The Dukes Of The Stratosphear's (XTC by their other name) 25 O'CLOCK in M/C hi-rez. Them's some freaky albums full of sound effects that could be very amusing in M/C hi-rez.

 

[Rachael B]

...or how 'bout some Parliment/Funkadelic/Brides Of Funkenstein or George Clinton and/or Bootsy...? Brides Of Funkenstein would be dyno-might in M/C, IMO...