SACDs: Dual Layer vs SACD Only (1 Viewer)

[Grant B]

Generally I think too much when I am stuck commuting and I guess traffic has been pretty bad.

I was wondering if the dedicated SACD disk has something (even better audio?) than the Dual Layer?
Since the dual layer is backward compatibile, it dawned on me there is no real reason to even have the non-cd version unless there was something that it did have over the dual.

Or am I trying to apply logic to the recording industry which is futile

 

[Phil A]

If you're talking hybrids vs. non-hybrids, the issue may have to do more with royalties for the extra CD layer vs. sonic quality. Yes you are correct it would make sense to have a single disc that can be played on any CD hardware but when it comes to the music industry, it does not automatically translate into real down to earth logic.

 

[Grant B]

Thanks, that's what I was afraid of

The non hybrid just didn't make sense unless there was something extra or the lawyers and accountants invented it for devious reasons

 

[Jesse Skeen]

At least in the beginning, there were fewer plants that could manufacture the hybrid discs than the SACD-only discs. Still, it would have made a LOT more sense to make every disc a hybrid- you wouldn't believe the number of people who buy a SACD-only disc then return it because it won't play on their Bose

 

[Phil A]

Yes there was a shortage of capacity in the beginning as Jesse noted but the dispute moved on to The Harry Fox agency which represents the artists - http://www.harryfox.com/index.jsp which reportedly wanted triple royalties for a disc containing a CD layer and both a stereo and multi-channel SACD layer. Between the royalty issue and the fact that the general public was not as enthusiastic about the format as the much smaller audiophile market. They also failed (both DVD-A and SACD to really attempt to educate the general public not to mention clueless Best Buy or Circuit City employees). I personally don't mind single layer discs as anything I use in the car I make a CD-R of - don't like storing my media in the car environment.

The music industry seems to blame everything on file sharing w/o addressing the fact that many people think music media is overpriced for the value given (e.g. an album with a handful of good songs) and their own internal paying of too much money for certain artists. I see the format as no more of a niche market if and until HD DVD (or Blu-Ray) gets rolling and they start releasing stuff on hi-rez multi-channel as each of those formats can handle I believe up to 8 channels of 192/24 audio.

 

[Paul.S]

Grant, single layer SACDs were Sony's unsuccessful attempt to use their software to leverage hardware sales/growth of the format.

-p

 

[Danny Tse]

With the exception of one SACD title each, Universal released the Peter Gabriel and the Police catalog on single-layer SACDs in the US (these titles are hybrid SACDs elsewhere). Beck's "Sea Change", Diana Krall's "When I Look In Your Eyes", soundtrack to the movie "O Brother, Where Art Thou?", etc. are amongst other single-layer SACD titles released by Universal and its affiliated labels.

 

[Paul.S]

Duh. I knew that about most of those titles, Danny. Brain fart. Post revised. Sony released the most single layers.

Heck I even have the Peter Gabriel SA-CDs. :b

-p

 

[Seth--L]

One advantage of SACD only discs is increased storage capacity. BIS has managed to jam 20+ hours of Bach organ music onto 5 single layer stereo SACDs (MSRP $35).