If you can’t wait for surround sound to come to AM and FM radio or satellite radio doesn’t deliver as much surround sound music as you’d like, you can opt for a DVD-Audio or Super Audio CD (SACD) player. Both play CD-size DVD-based 5.1-channel music discs.

DVD-Audio and SACD are heralded as the multi-channel successors to the two-channel CD, first marketed in Japan in 1982 to free music enthusiasts from the limitations of analog formats. The CD format, however, is by no means on its last legs. Audio suppliers sold 37.7 million home, car and portable CD players in 2004, according to CEA estimates. On top of that, suppliers in 2004 shipped an estimated 22.1 million home and portable DVD players, all of which play CDs.

Long ago, however, engineers recognized the limitations of the CD and pushed the two-channel, 16-bit, 44.1 kHz-sampling-rate technology to its limit. 

High-Capacity Discs:

Then came DVD-Audio and SACD with their promise of higher fidelity, surround sound and other features made possible by a data-storage capacity of up to 4.7 GB per layer (more than six times that of an 80-minute 700-MB CD.) SACD discs offer up to two high-density layers for a total of 8.5 GB of storage capacity, and DVD-Audio discs provide up to four layers for a total of

17.1 GB.

DVD-Audio and SACD discs outperform CDs in every respect. The DVD-based formats provide a resolution and clarity that captures the subtlest nuances of a live performance. Even more compelling is their ability to deliver multiple music channels through a surround sound speaker system to create a sense of realism lacking in two-channel recordings. 

Surround Experiences:
Artists and producers use surround channels to create a variety of virtual experiences. Some producers put you in the middle of the audience at a concert so you can hear applause coming from all directions while the music blasts away from up front. Others use the surround channels to deliver the reflected sounds that give individual concert halls their own distinctive acoustic ambiance. This brings the audio industry closer than ever to achieving the goal of reproducing a live performance realistically. More adventuresome artists use the surround channels to generate special effects or place back-up singers or instruments around and behind you.

Most marketers contend the surround sound experience, not simply the promise of better sound quality, will sell the new formats. Marketers agree that most consumers are happy with CD’s sound quality and that it'll take a surround sound experience to entice them to trade up.

Marketers also admit that the new formats’ impact on the audio industry won’t be as significant as CD’s impact was in the 1980s and 1990s. CD represented a radical departure from the past, a leap from the bandwidth-constricted analog world to digital. The sonic and convenience advantages were self-evident to consumers who grew up with analog cassettes and big vinyl long-playing (LP) records. The DVD-Audio and SACD formats, on the other hand, are evolutionary rather than revolutionary, marketers admit.

Multi-channel Awareness:

By most accounts, people are primed for a multi-channel music experience because of their familiarity with home theater surround sound. In fact, 33 percent of U.S. households were equipped with a multi-channel home theater system as of January 2005, up from only 23 percent in January 2001, CEA consumer surveys found. Consumers also have familiarized themselves with multi-channel music through the purchase of millions of multi-channel music videos on DVD-Video disc.

DVD-Audio and SACD, however, surpass DVD-Video in sound quality, in part because DVD-Video uses lossy perceptual-coding technologies to compress audio by up to 12 to 1. DVD-Audio and SACD, in contrast, use lossless audio-compression technologies.

Other Features:

To broaden their appeal, DVD-Audio and SACD discs simultaneously deliver two- and multi-channel versions of the same material. Two-channel aficionados won’t be alienated, and people who lack multi-speaker audio systems won’t be left out.

As a further enticement, both formats display song titles, lyrics, graphics, background information about the band, other text information and multiple still images on a connected TV screen. The DVD-Audio format adds the ability to store music-video clips in DVD-Video format.

Backward Compatibility:

Significantly, one of two layers on an SACD disc can be reserved for standard CD audio, making it possible for consumers to buy a single “hybrid” disc that plays in high-resolution multi-channel on SACD players and in lower resolution stereo on existing CD players. Such “hybrid” SACD/CD discs ease consumers’ transition to the SACD format by making it possible to buy a single disc that plays on SACD players and on CD players.

It took until late 2004, however, for DVD-Audio discs to become backward-compatible with CD players. At that time, major music companies launched the first hybrid CD/DVD-Audio discs and first CD/DVD-Video discs. Both types are called DualDiscs and are priced competitively with CDs. Music companies see DualDiscs as a way to reenergize sales of traditional packaged music media in the music-download era.

By January 2005, 95 DualDiscs were available to U.S. consumers, supporters said. The dual-sided discs feature a CD layer on one side and a single DVD-Audio or DVD-Video layer on the other side. The CD side can be played in almost all standard CD players but might not be playable in every CD player in existence because the CD-data layer resides at a depth that differs slightly from the data-layer depth of a standard CD. They also might not be playable in some slot-load CD players because they’re slightly thicker than a standard CD.

The RIAA is licensing the Forum-approved technology, and under the license terms, all CD-side tracks must appear on the DVD side, which can include additional versions of those tracks as well as music videos, interviews, photo galleries, web links, concert footage and lyrics.

From the start, however, DVD-Audio discs have been backward-compatible with DVD-Video players, which the Digital Entertainment Group (DEG) expects to be in more than 80 percent of all U.S. households by the end of 2005. To achieve this compatibility, most DVD-Audio discs feature a duplicate music program in multi-channel Dolby Digital, the compressed format used to reproduce soundtracks on DVD movie discs. Some DVD-Audio discs also feature backup DTS Surround, an audio format used on select DVD movie discs.

To further stimulate the two formats’ acceptance, all DVD-Audio players and all SACD players play CDs. In addition, all home DVD-Audio players play DVD-Video discs, giving rise to the term DVD-Audio/Video (DVD-A/V) player. Most SACD players also play DVD-Video discs. 

Universal-Players’ Big Boom:

Despite initial fears of a DVD-Audio/SACD format war, technology advances made warfare obsolete. In 2005, at least 19 consumer electronics brands planned U.S. availability of so-called “universal” players that play DVD-Audio discs, DVD-Video discs, SACDs and CDs. That’s up from two companies in 2002. Many of these companies are expanding their selection in 2005, and many plan eventually to replace all of their SACD and DVD-Audio players with universal models.

Given that some major music companies support DVD-Audio while others support SACD, a growing selection of universal players could overcome consumers’ reluctance to choose sides. That, in turn, could encourage music companies to expand their selection of DVD-Audio and SACD titles. 

Availability, Affordability:
The first DVD-Audio players appeared in the U.S. in mid-2000. The first SACD players and discs appeared in the second half of 1999 and delivered only two-channel music. Multi-channel SACD players hit the stores in early 2001.

The first players were pricey: about $3,500 for the first SACD player (without DVD-Video playback) and as high as $6,000 for later models. The first two home DVD-Audio players, which also played DVD-Video discs, were priced at a suggested $999 and $1,199.

What a difference a few years make. In 2005, prices for DVD-Audio/Video players start at about $99, and universal players start at around $129. Consumers also can find an SACD/DVD-Video player at less than $200 and a 400-disc SACD/DVD-Video megachanger at around $399. Also in 2005, the industry’s first universal megachanger, a 400-disc model, is expected to debut.

While prices are coming down, selections are growing. In the U.S., about 40 companies planned in 2005 to offer DVD-Audio, SACD or universal players for the home. That’s up from 13 at the end of 2001.

Systems Approach:
Those numbers include SACD, DVD-Audio and universal players sold as part of HTiB systems. HTiB systems incorporate all of the speakers and electronics needed to add surround sound to a TV, and more often than not, they include a DVD-Video player.

In 2001, the industry’s first SACD-equipped HTiBs became available, followed in 2002 by the first HTiBs equipped with DVD-Audio players and first HTiBs equipped with universal players.

In 2005, about three major companies planned to offer DVD-A/V HTiBs with prices starting at around $249. Two companies planned to offer SACD/DVD-Video HTiBs at prices starting at about $499. And at least four companies planned to offer universal-player systems starting at about $399, up from one company in 2003.

Also in 2005, DVD-Audio playback is turning up in compact music systems from at least two suppliers. Compact systems, small enough to sit on a desk or shelf, consists of a pair of small speakers packaged with one or two modules that incorporate CD player, AM/FM tuner, amplifier and, in many cases, a cassette deck.

Software Update:

Like the hardware selection, the software selection is growing. The number of DVD-Audio titles in the U.S. grew to more than 700 titles by early 2005, according to the DVD-Audio Council (www.dvd-audio.org), a group formed specifically to promote the DVD-Audio format. Only 145 titles were available at the end of 2001.

In the SACD format, the number of titles worldwide grew by about 1,000 to roughly 2,700 at the end of 2004, most of which were available in the U.S. through import distributors and specialty online retailers, according to www.SA-CD.net, an online SACD resource. About 2,400 of those titles are available in the U.S., according to SACD co-inventor Sony. That’s up from only 275 titles at the end of 2001, Sony said.

Initially, software in either format cost around $25, but most titles are now at or close to CD prices to stimulate sales.

Despite the growing selection of titles at lower prices, software sales have been tepid at best. In 2004, consumers bought about as many DVD-Audio and SACD discs as vinyl long-playing records, according to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Marketers cite multiple reasons, including:

•  Consumers’ focus on downloading and recording music in such compressed formats as MP3 or Windows Media Audio (WMA),

•  The high volume of consumer advertising for MP3-type headphone stereos,

•  Music companies’ growing focus on developing a business strategy that taps into consumer demand for MP3-type music,

•  Divided support among the major music companies for each format, and

•  Limited ability to enjoy the formats outside the home.

Mobile Multi-channel Potential:

For the most part, consumers who purchase DVD-Audio or SACD discs must play them through home audio systems to hear what they offer. Only the DVD-Audio format is available in aftermarket car audio systems, and then only in a handful of high-priced products.

Car DVD-Audio has taken awhile to reach the market, in part because autosound suppliers and automakers have been waiting for the installed base of home players to grow. They’ve also waited for automotive-grade DVD mechanisms to come down in price and grow more robust. More important, autosound suppliers are focusing on such growth markets as satellite radio, mobile video entertainment systems that parents buy to entertain their children on trips, and CD-receivers that either play back MP3-encoded CDs or play music stored on connected MP3 portables.

Unfortunately, the car could be the venue with the most potential for enjoying multi-channel music. That’s because at home, most consumers listen to music in the background while they’re doing chores or engaged in other activities. That takes consumers outside the surround sound sweet spot, where the benefits of multi-channel music are most dramatic. In contrast, people in a passenger vehicle are always surrounded by speakers. On top of that, the car is the only place where many consumers get the time to do serious music listening.

In 2000, only one aftermarket company offered an in-dash car DVD-Audio player, but in 2005, at least three companies were expected to offer car DVD-Audio players. All are high-end models whose prices ranged from about $900 to about $2,400. Those models included such sophisticated features as LCD screens to view DVD movies in surround sound.

Among automakers, DVD-Audio is posting minor gains. For the 2005 model year, DVD-Audio is standard equipment in the Acura TL and Acura RL. At least one European automaker was expected to offer DVD-Audio in calendar year 2005 in the U.S., and one large U.S. automaker and other European automakers were expected to offer the technology in calendar 2006.

By early 2005, car SACD players weren’t available from automakers or from aftermarket suppliers.

Bridge to Youth:
Sensing a need to tap the phenomenal popularity of compressed-music portables, the DVD Forum in 2004 adopted the aacPlus codec for use on optional compressed-music track on DVD-Audio discs. The approval by the official DVD-standards organization opens the way for future DVD-Audio content to be transferred to compressed-music portables and to home music jukeboxes that store music files on internal hard disk drives.