Petteri Pyyny
27 Aug 2001 13:26
Fight that will ultimately choose which "next generation" audio format is going to survive, took a yet another step today, when world's biggest record label, Vivendi's Universal Music Group, announced that it will release its titles in SACD format.
SACD, jointly developed by Sony and Philips, competes with DVD-A (DVD-Audio), developed by a consortium of consumer electronics companies, including also Sony and Philips. Warner is currently the only major record label supporting DVD-A, but it is rumoured that BMG is also going to support DVD-A. Meanwhile, Sony, has alreay released hundreds of titles in SACD format, priced around $20 - $25 in the U.S.
Both formats offer better audio quality than regular CDs -- most of new DVD players support DVD-A format, but SACD players require a separate SACD/CD player.