Phil A
Senior HTF Member
Also, the current dominant format, CDs, have been around for about 20 yrs. The public (I believe it constitutes about 94% of sales of all music formats sold today) has endorsed it for the fact it does not wear like tapes or vinyl and is a convenient storage size. Consumers also like the format since one can stick and it and play, select track nos. in the home, car or portable devices. Retailers also have embraced it for its compact size. Pricing of CD is established within the marketplace. That is why it is called the compact disc. LDs (yes I own them too and a couple of players) also do not wear like tapes but did not catch on due to costs and the size of storage of the format with both retailers and consumers.
DVD-Vs eclipsed LDs and VHS for its quality, sound and compact size popular with both retailers and consumers. The size of the case of a DVD-V (except for thickness) was made to correspond to the size of VHS tapes.
We now have 2 hi-rez formats. SACD, which as a similar size case and retains all of the features that have been broadly embraced by the general public for music listening. Unless they are hybrids, SACDs are not compatible with current CD hardware. SACDs appear to be headed to that direction. Sony's prices for discs are still too high for the general public to accept it. If hybrids are to sell, they need pricing close to CDs of today. While I have no problem with them, single layer discs are not going to make it with the general public.
The other format, DVD-A, is banking on the fast track success of DVD-V. Unlike SACDs, there is no uniform standard as to the size of the media cases. I have DVD-As of 3 sizes, CDs, DVD-As and DVD-Vs. Not a good uniform solution to home or retail storage. With the exception of Warner's smart move on pricing, prices for discs are still too high for the general public to accept it. If DVD-As are to sell, they need pricing close to CDs of today. In addition to no uniform case sizes, there is no uniform standard of resolution, labeling and how the discs are authored so one can play them with or without a monitor. Major labels have been slow releasing software as well.
The masses (not me) seem to want quantity as much so or if not so more than quality. MP3 is very popular and prices are falling on devices that can be used as music services vs. CD changers. So we have 2 hi-rez formats that are trying to sell better audio quality than CDs to a public that seems to like low-rez (no insult intended to anyone's tastes) stuff like MP3 and DD and DTS. I think most of the public would rather have a concert DVD-V vs. a DVD-A or even an SACD, assuming videos of the same stuff are available. Hardware prices of universal players, combo DVD/SACD, combo DVD-A/DVD-V players are falling to the point that more average consumers will have them. So I don't think the hardware side will be as big an issue as what is available to buy and at what price on the software side.
I think that the next year or two will make it clearer which of the 2 formats will be much stronger. In the absence of radical changes, I don't foresee as many thread discussions such as these happening after that point. For now it is hypoethetical.
DVD-Vs eclipsed LDs and VHS for its quality, sound and compact size popular with both retailers and consumers. The size of the case of a DVD-V (except for thickness) was made to correspond to the size of VHS tapes.
We now have 2 hi-rez formats. SACD, which as a similar size case and retains all of the features that have been broadly embraced by the general public for music listening. Unless they are hybrids, SACDs are not compatible with current CD hardware. SACDs appear to be headed to that direction. Sony's prices for discs are still too high for the general public to accept it. If hybrids are to sell, they need pricing close to CDs of today. While I have no problem with them, single layer discs are not going to make it with the general public.
The other format, DVD-A, is banking on the fast track success of DVD-V. Unlike SACDs, there is no uniform standard as to the size of the media cases. I have DVD-As of 3 sizes, CDs, DVD-As and DVD-Vs. Not a good uniform solution to home or retail storage. With the exception of Warner's smart move on pricing, prices for discs are still too high for the general public to accept it. If DVD-As are to sell, they need pricing close to CDs of today. In addition to no uniform case sizes, there is no uniform standard of resolution, labeling and how the discs are authored so one can play them with or without a monitor. Major labels have been slow releasing software as well.
The masses (not me) seem to want quantity as much so or if not so more than quality. MP3 is very popular and prices are falling on devices that can be used as music services vs. CD changers. So we have 2 hi-rez formats that are trying to sell better audio quality than CDs to a public that seems to like low-rez (no insult intended to anyone's tastes) stuff like MP3 and DD and DTS. I think most of the public would rather have a concert DVD-V vs. a DVD-A or even an SACD, assuming videos of the same stuff are available. Hardware prices of universal players, combo DVD/SACD, combo DVD-A/DVD-V players are falling to the point that more average consumers will have them. So I don't think the hardware side will be as big an issue as what is available to buy and at what price on the software side.
I think that the next year or two will make it clearer which of the 2 formats will be much stronger. In the absence of radical changes, I don't foresee as many thread discussions such as these happening after that point. For now it is hypoethetical.
