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The Super Audio CD |
Almost 20 years
after the launch of the Compact Disc the music industry has now
launched
the Super Audio CD or SACD. Developed jointly by Sony and Philips the
SACD
offers advantages over the 1982 CD with enhanced sound and more.
The SACD looks
and feels just like the standard 12cm CD but has a much greater digital
storage
capacity allowing more music, higher quality and more channels. A
hybrid
disc also ensured compatibility with existing CD players with
conventional
CD data stored alongside the new SACD data. Playing these discs in a
regular
CD player will produce the standard quality CD sound, but in the new
SACD
players the full potential is realised. SACD has three disc types:
(1) Single-layer discs that can be played back only on a SACD player. (2) Double-layer disks that hold almost twice the data of a regular SACD. (3) "Hybrid" discs that contain a single SACD layer with an additional CD layer, and can be played back in either CD or SACD players.
A standard CD holds 0.74GB of digital data, by contrast the single layer the SACD can store 4.7GB over six times more data. Dual layer discs can store a total of 8.54GB, they have very long running
times and can include multi channel applications, video and other applications.
(1) Single-layer discs that can be played back only on a SACD player. (2) Double-layer disks that hold almost twice the data of a regular SACD. (3) "Hybrid" discs that contain a single SACD layer with an additional CD layer, and can be played back in either CD or SACD players.
A standard CD holds 0.74GB of digital data, by contrast the single layer the SACD can store 4.7GB over six times more data. Dual layer discs can store a total of 8.54GB, they have very long running
times and can include multi channel applications, video and other applications.
| Specification: | Standard CD | New SACD |
| Disc diameter | 12CM | 12CM |
| Disc thickness | 1.2MM | 1.2MM |
| Data capacity (single layer) | 0.74GB | 4.7GB |
| Data capacity (dual layer) | n/a | 8.54GB |
| Specified running time | 74 Minutes | 100 Min(single layer) |
| Max number of tracks | 99 | 256 |
| Frequency range | 1Hz - 20Khz | 1Hz - 100Khz |
| Dynamic range | 96db | 120db |
| Sample rate | 44.1Khz | 2822.4Khz (2.8224Mhz x 64 times the CD) |
| Other information | CD-Text | Text/Video/Photos /Multi-Channel |
| SACD Players.
|
Several manufactures
are backing the SACD format. The player on the left is a Sony SCDXB770B
that is available
for ¤299.99 last time we checked from:
http://www.empiredirect.co.uk |
Multi channel sound.
SACD
multi-channel sound can
contain as many as six separate channels, each captured on disc at the
full DSD bit rate with the full DSD sound quality. Some producers will
use
the added channels to faithfully reproduce the precise acoustic
signature
of the performance space. Others will realise new creative
possibilities,
immersing the listener in a 360° field of sound. Multi-channel SACD
takes its place beside stereo SACD as another compelling way to enjoy
music.
Just one small problem..... There are two formats competing to replace the standard audio CD, the SACD and DVD-Audio (DVD-A), remember the Betamax and VHS battle that split the market. Right now most of the industry is backing DVD-A, with Philips and Sony being the major exceptions. Stay tuned.
Just one small problem..... There are two formats competing to replace the standard audio CD, the SACD and DVD-Audio (DVD-A), remember the Betamax and VHS battle that split the market. Right now most of the industry is backing DVD-A, with Philips and Sony being the major exceptions. Stay tuned.
