SACD vs DVD-A (Business/Marketing reason)

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Originally Posted by JSE

So..... why not just buy the CD or MP3 to begin with? You and I and other "audio enthusiasts" can see the benefit but like I mentioned earlier, the general masses don't want an SACD that can only be played on a SACD player even if they can rip it to MP3 where it becomes just another MP3 quality music file. Why spend more to get the same thing? Again, I'm saying this from a general consumer's point of view. Most people don't care about Hi Rez because they are completely happy with their CD and MP3 music. That's were SACD and DVD-A fail. If it ain't easy, consumers will not embrace it. One day the industry will realize that it really is not about the ultimate in sound but rather the ultimate is convenience and value, for most.
JSE

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Funny - I was in a Tower Records store while in LA last week and noticed they had their SACD's intermixed with the regular cds, most of them at the same price. So, the unknowing consumer buys a high resolution SACD possibly without even knowing it. They did have a separate section for DVD-A's however. But about half the time when I ask what section the SACD's are in I get a blank look. I once asked in a Sam Goody's where I can find the DVD-A section, and I was taken to the concert DVD's (DVD-V's). No wonder the monkey's confused ;-)

I see what you saying, but I think with should have succeeded because you can listen to the high rez at home (on your main home theatre), and the standard quality in the car and on MP3. Most people won't care about the quality in the car or on MP3s, but will enjoy the multi-channel sound on the AV system. I'm saying they COULD have won the battle, and had the ammo to do it with - but didn't use it correctly.

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Originally Posted by Dolby

I'm saying they COULD have won the battle, and had the ammo to do it with - but didn't use it correctly.

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Agreed. It was a cluster from day one. Great product, horrible business plan!

JSE

I solve the problem of finding SACDs/DVDAs by skipping the stores and looking at www.elusivedisc.com

Amazon also has sections devoted to each although I wish the selection was greater,

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Originally Posted by Pyrrho

Philips and Sony are not really trying to make SACD succeed. If they really wanted it to succeed, they should release EVERYTHING they have on SACD disc, so that there would be a decent selection of titles. As it is, they put only a few titles out, so they guarantee that the format will never gain much acceptance.

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I doubt it was never specifically intended for the mass market. It suspect Sony/Philips' base scenario was that it would serve a niche, audiophile market. This is, at best, what has come to pass.

The essense of niche marketing is that you serve a small group of consumers with atypical needs and desires and that you charge them a premium for your product. I suspect that Sony/Philips big disappointment is they haven't been able to sustain very high-markups on SACD hardware and software.

So why didn't audiophiles go for it in bigger way? Dunno. But I can think of a couple of things and both pertain to audiophile conservatism:

• Multi-channel never became a big driver; most hard-core audiphiles remained content with 2-channel.
• Vinyl media and tube electronics remained the fixation of a significant portion of audiophiles.

(There is a connect between the two; how practical is a six channel tube amp?)

Personnaly I believe the many audiophiles' stated interest in maximum high fidelity sound quality is not reality. They prefer "musicality" to true hi-fi, and musicality is defined to be what they are getting from the antiquated technology.

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Originally Posted by Feanor

I doubt it was never specifically intended for the mass market. It suspect Sony/Philips' base scenario was that it would serve a niche, audiophile market. This is, at best, what has come to pass.

The essense of niche marketing is that you serve a small group of consumers with atypical needs and desires and that you charge them a premium for your product. I suspect that Sony/Philips big disappointment is they haven't been able to sustain very high-markups on SACD hardware and software.

So why didn't audiophiles go for it in bigger way? Dunno. But I can think of a couple of things and both pertain to audiophile conservatism:

• Multi-channel never became a big driver; most hard-core audiphiles remained content with 2-channel.
• Vinyl media and tube electronics remained the fixation of a significant portion of audiophiles.

(There is a connect between the two; how practical is a six channel tube amp?)

Personnaly I believe the many audiophiles' stated interest in maximum high fidelity sound quality is not reality. They prefer "musicality" to true hi-fi, and musicality is defined to be what they are getting from the antiquated technology.

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I dont belive that most audiophiles remain content with 2ch. I think most people that buy music{12-25 or so} would rather have quantity over quality like mp3. Stuff we talk about here are amoung a small group compared to the overall audio buying public. I have a 18 and 20 year old and they could care less about multi-channal but they care about 1000 songs on a mp3 player. They dont sit and listen,they are on the move when they listen.