The Compact Disc revolutionized the meaning of audio when it hit the market in the 80s. It was a significantly different technology than cassettes and the LP which were previously the most commonly used technologies by the consumers. The Compact Disc involved the usage of an optical media with a high data capacity thus enabled purely digital audio to be recorded on discs. The CDs have been widely accepted by the consumers however, the need for better technologies never ends. That's why consumer electronics companies have come up with enhancements in digital audio technology. This time two formats have been proposed: DVD-Audio and Super Audio CD. The most important improvements for these were in sound quality. Both of them offer 6-channel audio in various formats. They require special players for optimum performance however, most of the players capable of playing one format do not play the other format. This is the result of the ongoing war among the formats. DVD-Audio is a totally new technology, which has features like the ability to store video clips or any other video content.
DVD-Audio discs contains only 6-channel audio. SACD is more like an enhancement of the CD rather than a revolutionary new development. Standard SACDs are played exclusively in special players-alongside hybrid discs, that can be played in regular CD players. However, the audio quality improvement will be marginal and the sound will be stereo instead of 6-channel. In the near future, these discs could be played in PCs without any problems, as special chips supporting these two formats will be released. The war between these formats goes on. The duality caused a deep scepticism in consumers, making them doubt about which format to adopt. That's why the transition from CD to DVD-Audio or SACD is very slow. However as the prices go down each year, the demand for players and discs will increase.

Eren Tezmen (MAN/III)