Will Microsoft kill DVD-A and SACD?

Zaikes,

There is such a thing as multi-channel HDCD. My business neighbor is a post production recording studio. When I first purchased my Sim Audio Eclipse with HDCD the engineer was surprised, and wondered why it had HDCD but wasn't multi-channel.

I haven't seen nor heard of any HDCD multi-channel recordings myself, but that doesn't mean they don't exist or as others suggest - can't be made.

As for the MS purchase of HDCD, it must have a catch. Maybe MS wanted the PMD digital filter to launch some proprietary copy protection. There are a lot of companies who've been trying (one way or another) to skin that cat. Microsoft might believe they have a new wrinkle.

As for the SACD DVD-A formats, there are even better formats in existence (that use similar recording techniques to SACD). Various recording studios (engineers) are trying to sell these to the big boys. ...But there's too much investment in the current formats (and constant infighting amongst the various 'players') - All vying for control.

I, like most of you am very mistrusting of MS, and if the purchase of HDCD leads to lower-tech & lesser sound then they ought to be strung up by the nads.

Zaikeman's and Awdeeofyle posts are well stated and right on,IMO. I'd just add that HDCD is an improved redbook CD format, but it is still 16/44 technology and thus does not have near the potential of either SACD or DVD-A, each of which have several times the storage capacity of a redbook CD. My Levinson 360S DAC does decode HDCD, and while I like it, it's a relatively minor improvement over a "regular" well recorded CD. In fact, I think the best CDs are those done using JVCs XRCD2 system.

Could it be that MS wanted the HDCD technology for some other purpose? Cheers. Craig

I hope so, then he and Karl Rove can take over the rest of the world and show us how we can all, finally, be happy - just as the Constitution says we should be!! Alas, I just don't think with this Enron/WorldCom inconvenience that we are going to see that anytime soon. Why don't people just leave poor 'lil Bill and the rest of his friends in the corporate aristocracy alone, they only care about you?

Thanks for the belly laugh, Lugnut.

As to why MS is interested in HDCD. Might it relate to the long rumored potential sales of music by the record companies directly over the internet. These would likely be compressed and perhaps HDCD will make them more palatable.

To answer your question (IMO): Microsoft will try to kill or steal anything they can't control. I hope Twl is correct and they won't be able to get it to work -- but that's never slowed them down before. My anticipation is that without an initial corner on the market and without the ready means to corner the market, they won't be able to function since the notion of competition is beyond their experience (let's see if their foray into video games pays off -- we're in trouble if it does). Sorry, but I had to get that off my chest -- for those who've read my posts, you know I rarely fly off the handle, but microsoft invading our passion is cause enough for nightmares.