[the_pauley]

Is Sony abandoning the SACD format?

Remember those 15 Bob Dylan albums that Sony released as Hybrid SACDs in digipaks a couple of years ago?

Then for some mysterious reason they released these as remastered CDs in jewel cases, when there was no need to as the SACDs had the remastered CD layer on already.

Well for anyone else who is waiting for the second wave of Dylan SACDs, don't hold your breath.

"Bob Dylan" (the first album) and "The Times They Are A Changin'" have just been reissued, but straight on to remastered CDs with no SACD release.

Is this a sign of the oft rumoured abandoning of the format by Sony?

Just a thought - before abandoning a new format, wouldn't it be an idea to promote it properly first?

To be honest, SACD has been running along for a while now without much support from Sony Music. Sony don't seem to have figured out yet that continuously producing new products then not supporting them properly isnt going to do them any favours in the long term

[Kenny Glasgow]

SACD versions due October....whcih October I don't know

[the_pauley]

Thanks fo rthe heads up Kenny - almost bought these on CD. Any other SACD Dylan titles coming with these two in October?

[Kenny Glasgow]

Pauley

I don't know and my source isn't from Sony. They keep changing their minds. For instance Blood on the Tracks was mixed in 5.1 but at the last minute the went for the stereo mix!

While we are on the subject of Dylan, whats a good place to start giving his stuff a listen? Also whats the song where the video is just him with sheets of paper with the lyrics on?

[the_pauley]

Kenny - my Blood on the Tracks SACD has a 5.1 mix.

Mandel - the song you are talking about is Subterranean Homesick Blues from the album Bringing It All Back Home.

This is an excellent album and as good a place as any to start. Dylan has worn many different musical hats over the years and this is a 1965 album that saw him in transition from acoustic troubador to rocker. In its LP form the album had one side acoustic, in the familiar style of the previous three years or so, and one side the new electric Dylan. So it gives you a taste of both.

The two albums that followed this are absolute classics and should be part of any decent music collection, namely Highway 61 Revisited (1965) and Blonde On Blonde (1966). The above mentioned Blood On The Tracks (1975) is another gem.

If you want to get an overall feel of 60s-70s Dylan try Greatest Hits and More Bob Dylan Greatest Hits. More... is a double CD with quite a few classic tracks exclusive to only that album, and both have been superbly remastered lately and can be picked up quite cheaply - regularly sale items in HMV, Virgin and Music Zone. Plenty of other good stuff too, but you've enough to be going on with there.

Later years from the '80s onwards have been patchy but the odd gem has emerged. For example his last album Love & Theft is one of the greatest things he has ever done - raw and raucous at 60 years of age!

[Rock Da Bass]

Sony seem to have a surprisingly bad track record with establishing AV formats. Betamax, Minidisc, SACD and next probably Blu-Ray.

RDB

[MartinImber]

Originally Posted by Rock Da Bass

Sony seem to have a surprisingly bad track record with establishing AV formats. Betamax, Minidisc, SACD and next probably Blu-Ray.

RDB

Looks at AV Rack

Betamax - check (950) - and I have a Sanyo HiFi jobbie next to the PC
Minidisc - yup - and in the car
SACD - and DVD-Audio - yes

[FeisalK]

Originally Posted by Rock Da Bass

Sony seem to have a surprisingly bad track record with establishing AV formats. Betamax, Minidisc, SACD and next probably Blu-Ray.

RDB

its probably just because their successes have been spectacular in comparison - CD, Walkman, PlayStation

[PJTX100]

Originally Posted by MartinImber

Looks at AV Rack

Betamax - check (950) - and I have a Sanyo HiFi jobbie next to the PC
Minidisc - yup - and in the car
SACD - and DVD-Audio - yes

At least you didn't go for DCC... or DAT... or did you? ...PJ

[stasis]

It would be a sad day if SACD format was to dissappear. Could not imagine loosing the quality multi-channel mixes of classics such as Dark Side OF THE MOON and Peter Gabriels UP. DVD based systems need this type of format to sound good.
High prices and lack of material are holding it back.
Would love the Wall and other classics on this format. Why are new releases not out automatically on this format.

[the_pauley]

Exactly. If they're hybrids then there is no need to release a standard CD version. Joe & Josephine public have their CD layer and the enthusiasts have the SACD.

Making a single disc rather than two versions would seem to make more financial sense too from a manufacturing point of view.

A couple of years back lots of people were buying the Dylan and Stones reissues, blissfully unaware that they were buying SACDs. Quite a few of my mates were surprised to find this out, but were more than happy with the superb sounding, newly remastered CD layer.

Nothing to stop manufacturers releasing everything as hybrids. Sony should be leading the way in this.

[FeisalK]

I think there was a kerfuffle with the royalties supposedly to be paid for two (or even 3) copies of the work on a single release - redbook, sacd stereo and sacd multichannel

[MartinImber]

Originally Posted by PJTX100

At least you didn't go for DCC... or DAT... or did you? ...PJ

DCC no DAT no

DAT looked good though!

[dynamic turtle]

Isn't everyone bored of the DVDA/SACD "to be, or not to be" debate?

I know I am

[expat]

Originally Posted by PJTX100

At least you didn't go for DCC... or DAT... or did you? ...PJ

I bought a Sony DAT recorder in 1992 (I think) and put it to good use for close to ten years, being a late adopter of CD burning technology...
I eventually transferred my DAT recordings (over 120 hours worth) to CD.
I was looking for a means to make 1-to-1 digital copies of music from CD. I don't think there were many alternatives in 1992.

Originally Posted by dynamic turtle

Isn't everyone bored of the DVDA/SACD "to be, or not to be" debate?

I know I am

No offense to the thread starter, but every forum seems to have on it about every week or two a thread to the effect of:
This SACD isn't coming out, SACD must be dead
or
Some guy working in a shop said Sony aren't making SACD players any more (obviously the least biased people to talk to )
or
SACD is dead, Sony aren't promoting it (since when were they ever doing much promotion anyway)...

What would make a much more realistic thread:
SACD is about to die, because forums are full of threads saying it's going to die, which will reduce the number of new people getting into the format. This is a variation on the old saying "If a man thinks he is going tomorrow, he'll probably find a way to make it happen"

Lets maintain a bit of positivity!
Here endeth

[eviljohn2]

I'm not sure it is dead - over the last 6 months there have been several notable releases including War of the Worlds, Brothers in Arms and The Downward Spiral.

By it's very nature though it's only really for the dedicated music peeps which drastically limits the market.

[stasis]

Any information available on when the Genisis classic The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway comes out on SACD. The original release scheduled for April has been delayed. Dont know much about previous debates on multi channel music on the forums but i am sure that the band would have used this format if they had the technology at the time. I am sure this will be a great multi-channel mix.

[the_pauley]

SACD is about to die, because forums are full of threads saying it's going to die, which will reduce the number of new people getting into the format.

No, I'm sorry, but SACD will not die just because people report the indifference, non-promotion and lack of support by Sony for the format.

It will die through that very indifference, non-promotion and lack of support.

Why do ludicrous things like wasting time, money and effort in marketing two seperate releases of the Dylan discs for example? We don't need a SACD release and a re-mastered CD release - we've already got the remastered CD layer on the SACD. Last time we were lucky the Dylan SACD releases came first and the shops were full of them, without most retailers realising they were SACDs. Notice however when the CD reissues became available, the SACDs vanished from the shelves. A wonderful own goal by Sony. Whoever the marketing genius behind that was should be shot.

This time around however, the next wave of reissues is appearing on CD months before the SACD releases. What's the betting we'll not see the SACDs filling the stores like last time?

When a new release is mixed for hi-res, just release the SACD and nothing else - people equipped with CD players only can still buy and use the product. Is that such a radical concept for the companies to grasp? Also, if expense is an issue forget the added expense of 5.1 remixes of material that was recorded and mixed and intended as 2 channel stereo, and spend the money on purpose made surround recordings of new material to show the format off at its best.

Sony and Phillips also need to raise awareness of the product and promote the format properly, and in particular raise the awareness of the backwards compatability and sonic benefits on standard CD players,

Then we wouldn't have ludicrous situations like Music Zone cancelling their order for Brothers In Arms when they found out it was a SACD, because -as the staff in their branches insist on telling me- "SACDs won't play on ordinary CD players". Arrrggh!!!

Indifference and a seeming inability to market properly on the part of the manufacturers and ignorance on the part of the retailers (HMV - "SA what???") is what will kill off the format - not people voicing their exasperation about the situation on an AV forum.

[the_pauley]

I'm not sure it is dead - over the last 6 months there have been several notable releases including War of the Worlds, Brothers in Arms and The Downward Spiral.

That's three in six months. Hardly going to make the undecided rush out and kit up, is it?

And all those nice expensive national TV ads for War of the Worlds going out at prime time and not one mention of the term "SACD" to be heard. Were they afraid of a millions of people becoming aware of the format all of a sudden?

Talk about missed opportunities...

[FeisalK]

Originally Posted by stasis

Any information available on when the Genisis classic The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway comes out on SACD.

I read somewhere on HTF PG nixed the release at the last moment. no official news though

i wish i wish i wish Marillion would do a multichannel mix for Misplaced Childhood at least

[Andy Leitch]

Originally Posted by FeisalK

i wish i wish i wish Marillion would do a multichannel mix for Misplaced Childhood at least

Me and you both mate.

I've got the 24 bit remasters....and I'm just itching for the back catalogue to be released on SACD.

I think it will happen sooner or later, as Marillion, (in their current guise), don't seem to miss many marketing opportunities.

Originally Posted by the_pauley

No, I'm sorry, but SACD will not die just because people report the indifference, non-promotion and lack of support by Sony for the format.
[...]
Indifference and a seeming inability to market properly on the part of the manufacturers and ignorance on the part of the retailers (HMV - "SA what???") is what will kill off the format - not people voicing their exasperation about the situation on an AV forum.

No, but it hardly helps now does it

[the_pauley]

So following that line of reasoning there should be no criticism or concern expressed about anything on the forums, just in case we hex our good luck or it gets worse or something?



Furthermore I would argue that it does help. For example I have on several occasions pasted a link to a thread on this or other AV Forums in my correspondence to a company, just to give them a flavour of public opinion re. their product / service / whatever (DVD Soon being the latest recipient).

Perhaps if more people made their opinions known to the manufacturers rather than "keeping it zipped", there might be the scintilla of a chance that something might actually change.

[alexs2]

One of the biggest problems with the whole Hi-res audio thing has been the relatively poor advertising,and rather lukewarm output of discs to support it,in whichever of the formats you choose.

If one,or both bite the dust,it will be an immense shame,as both have their merits,and can,given sufficiently good source material,sound superb.

Sony has been "rumoured" to be moving away from SACD for quite a while now,and DVD-A has undergone any number of releases and re-releases,but as to the industry's true intentions,no-one really seems to know...which brings us back to the poor advertising and marketing.

[FeisalK]

Originally Posted by Andy Leitch

Me and you both mate.

I've got the 24 bit remasters....and I'm just itching for the back catalogue to be released on SACD.

I think it will happen sooner or later, as Marillion, (in their current guise), don't seem to miss many marketing opportunities.

that's an interesting thought.. a email to marillion.com might push a bit

[Kenny Glasgow]

Pauley

should have said Desire

Originally Posted by the_pauley

So following that line of reasoning there should be no criticism or concern expressed about anything on the forums, just in case we hex our good luck or it gets worse or something?



Furthermore I would argue that it does help. For example I have on several occasions pasted a link to a thread on this or other AV Forums in my correspondence to a company, just to give them a flavour of public opinion re. their product / service / whatever (DVD Soon being the latest recipient).

Perhaps if more people made their opinions known to the manufacturers rather than "keeping it zipped", there might be the scintilla of a chance that something might actually change.

My little rant wasn't mostly aimed at you. I have nothing against people stating their opinions, just there has been a spate of extremely speculative posts on the net to the affect of "SACD is dead lolz1!!!!!1, someone said so". I apologise for the inaccurate way I tried to make my point...