Where is Sony going/taking us next?

Here's an article where Sony's President admits to consumer misses, http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=609749

The question remains, will their new strategy take them away from niche markets such as SACD?

Comments?

 

The article doesn't mention anything about SA-CD directly, but I don't come away from it with the feeling that SA-CD will fit into any new strategy.

 

With the exception of Playstation2, Sony is getting creamed in all of the major consumer electronics markets. I expect -- and the article suggests -- that senior management will focus on major products that will be market leaders, rather than engineering leaders. I suspect that the new management team would view SACD as an instance where the company unsuccessfully followed its engineers rather than its marketers. In other words, this change does not look good for niche products IMO.

 

I agree with that, but if Sony would only add DSD to the Blu-ray spec, it could at least keep SA-CD on life support for a while to come, but that is also seeming less and less likely as time goes by.

 

I dont think Sony gives a rats **** about SACD. It was an experiment that didnt sell well, even tho it sounded great. I think their attitude is, "Lets Move On" to something that will sell.

 

DSD mastering is still alive and well. Fortunately that's going to survive.

Note also, the ATRAC players Sony put out (that didn't do mp3?) sold poorly. Now they're going to have to go for what the public wants, and it's not SACD.

SACD is not dead, but it's not working for Sony themselves, and they need to get their stock up.

 

From TWICE (This Week In Consumer Electronics), dated March 21, 2005. You will need to register with them to get the full article, but here it is. Well, most of it*....

http://www.twice.com/article/CA5120...date=03/21/2005

Sony Steps Up Components, Systems

By Joseph Palenchar -- TWICE, 3/21/2005

Las Vegas — Sony stepped up its Dream System and ES-series receiver selection, launched its first PC-networked shelf system, and expanded its selection of SACD/DVD-Video players with HDMI outputs that up-scale video sources to the high-definition 720p or 1,080i formats.

Here's what Sony unveiled to dealers at its recent line show, here:

Among six new Dream Systems, three are Sony's first with HDMI output, all capable of HD up-scaling. All are DVD/SACD-equipped.

SACD: Several new SACD/DVD-Video players feature up-scaling HDMI output. Previously, the company offered only one SACD/DVD player with up-scaling HDMI output, at $300. The new HDMI models include the $499 400-disc SACD/DVD changer, a single-disc model at $200 and an ES series reference player.

In an expanded 11-SKU component-SACD selection, most new models feature DVD-Video playback.

ES Series: The series gets its first wall-hanging speaker system to complement flat-panel displays; a new reference SACD/DVD-Video player; and three new receivers, including its highest priced receiver to date at $2,000.

The reference SACD/DVD player, at $1,199, features up-scaling HDMI output, iLink SACD output, vertical-edge compensation to eliminate stair-step distortion and a 14-bit 216MHz video DAC.

*I edited out the non-SACD related news.

BTW, Sony also introduced new MiniDisc recorders/players.

 

I saw this at Best Buy last night, still in the box (a HUGE box btw!):

Sony DAV-LF1 sacd/dvd Platinum Dream System

 

The stuff in soundboy's post was already in the pipeline and does not reflect input from the new management team. In any event, the issue is not the hardware; it is certainly possible now to buy a fabulous hi rez player at a reasonable (or unreasonable) price. The problem is buying the software you really want at any price.

 

Not true - The DA9000ES is Sony's highest priced receiver to date @ $4500.

 

Question: Where is SONY going/taking us next?
Answer: To the cleaners!

 

Mike

 

That's the same feeling I got from this article.

Quite precisely.

 

I'm intrigued by the new reference DVD/SACD player. When will it be out?

 

Now, it appears that Sony may also be shifting their position on Blu-ray, as this article from MacWorld appears to indicate. This ruins my hopes of DSD being added to the Blu-ray spec.

 

Yes, it seems that Sony has decided to move away from format wars and make things backwards compatible. If DualDisc is any indication of this new corporate policy we are headed for a more 'compatible' world where lack of quality is the rule to reap the profits.

 

Mark Wilder, Vic Anesini, Joe Palmaccio and Darcy Proper are going to continue to remaster practically everything "classic" in sight including Jazz, Rock and Pop forcing us mercilessly to get the remasters and buy one more time.

 

Right you are Metoo! Think of what VHS and cassettes did for video and audio!

Seriously, Sony's MO has always been to create complete new bull---- formats, even as recently as the Digital 8 and Micro MV debacles. I think they really enjoy making things like Video 8 obsolete so that we need to migrate huge libraries to other formats.

A pox on them. I have enjoyed watching Panasonic and Samsung leapfrog over Sony in sales.

Enough with the formats....please!!!



Dan

 

YES! There's hope for us

 

A redbook disc is still just 44.1 PCM, regardless of how it got noise-shaped through DSD, SBM, K2, etc. Do DSD-mastered CDs sound better than Steve's discs (or any other well-mastered CD)?

 

They can sound very good if they are mastered well.

 

So should Steve stop using AF's custom DAC? Would the Doobies gold disc have sounded better if it were mastered using DSD?

 

I think Sony and all the labels are still trying to figure out what to do about the iTunes universe and MP3s...I suspect they will let SACD remain a niche market via hardware support on the pro and consumer side but focus energy on BluRay and HD-DVD formats which may mean a hirez PCM layer, maybe, if we are lucky. My hope is that with the giant storage of these new formats, they will have 24/192khz 5.1 capability.

 

Don't know how using a custom DAC would help. Can you explain that? I could understand a custom ADC.

 

Probably not. I am saying for the average CD mastering facility that uses digital EQ, DSD mastering could improve fidelity. Everyone does not have converters, and fantastic analog EQ's like Steve does.

However, if they were mastered to DSD, and then released in that format (SACD) they could sound better. I am sure that Steve much prefers mastering SACD's over redbook. More of that master feel is retained on SACD.