Subject:DVD-A or SACD? Which would you choose?

Posted by: nlamartina

Date:4/19/2001 1:01:27 AM

Here's an interesting question (totally off-topic, but I
figured since a lot of sound engineers and enthusiasts hang
around here, why not)... In the upcoming (read: possible)
high-tech format battle, which would you prefer? Digital-
Versatile-Disc-Audio (DVD-A), or Super-Audio-Compact-Disc
(SACD, aka Scarlet Book)? Yeah yeah yeah... I know Redbook
is king and will be for years, blah blah, but think of this
as the "trapped on a desert island with just one to choose"
kind-of question. Would you go with DVD-A's minor foothold
in an already-DVD-friendly market? Or would you go with
SACD's backward-compatibility with current CD players? Does
the 2.8224 MHz sample rate of an SACD sound enticing? Or
unnecessary? Is PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) sufficient for
the representation of sound as we know it? Or would DSD
(Direct Stream Digital) be the way to go? Both formats hold
about 8 Gigs. Both are high-fidelity beyond description.
Both are new and exotic technologies, yet fundamentally
different. Which would you prefer in the ideal (fantasy)
world? Tell me your thoughts...

Nick LaMartina