Both offer surround-sound music at a quality that approaches the original studio master recordings from which they are made

/in /by

Two incompatible high-resolution audio formats, Super Audio CD (SACD) and DVD Audio (DVDA), were introduced in 2000. Both offer surround-sound music at a quality that approaches the original studio master recordings from which they are made. (Standard compact discs degrade sound quality due to format limitations.) Both formats can be added to new DVD players for an additional for an additional $25-$250 per format, depending on the quality. SACD was originally supported by Sony. While Sony has abandoned the format, it has since won support from numerous classical music and jazz labels that sell in small numbers to “audiophiles.” DVDA was backed by the DVD consortium. However, few recording studios embraced the format, and few popular music recordings have been released in either format. Unlike DVD video, most consumers remain uninterested in high-resolution audio. Why do you think high-resolution audio has remained a niche product?