OTHER TECH

Remember not too long ago we had a little format war between HD-DVD and Blu-ray? Whether you think Blu-ray won or HD-DVD just lost, the result was that one format knew when it was time to take their ball and go home.

Before that, there was another little format war between DVD-Audio and Super Audio CD (SACD). Even when manufacturers responded by introducing universal DVD players capable of playing both formats, consumers responded with a resounding, "Ehh" as the masses decided they pretty much couldn't care less about either.

Over time, that little format war didn't end with a bang but more of a slow, lingering, raspy, death-rattle.

Or did it?

Turns out SACD has a little life left in it after all (despite the fact that Blu-ray boasts lossless, master-matching formats like Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio). In my CEDIA show floor travels I've stumbled across several machines that breathe some more life into the format for audio purists. And forget about multi-channel; all but one of these high-end machines eschews those pesky extra channels in favor of an ultra-sweet two-channel listening experience.

See what I mean by clicking on the image above, to see my short, but pungent image gallery.