Sony and Philips Complete Version 1.0 of Super Audio CD Specification; Scarlet Book Format Specification Version 1.0 To Be Released Shortly

Business Wire, March 4, 1999

EINDHOVEN, The Netherlands--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 4, 1999--Royal Philips Electronics and Sony Corporation today announced the completion of Version 1.0 of the Super Audio Compact Disc (SACD) format specification. The format specification will be released to licensees early this month to allow hardware manufacturers and software providers to begin preparing products for launch in the coming months.

"We are very pleased to be announcing version 1.0 of the Super Audio CD specification," says Wally Heijnemans, Director of standards R&D within Philips System Standards & Licensing. "Achieving this milestone allows manufacturers and record companies to start making final products for the consumer."

The Super Audio CD is a next generation music carrier that provides ultra-high quality stereo and multi-channel sound playback at full resolution in up to 6 channels. It incorporates advanced copy protection and anti-piracy features, such as visible and invisible watermarking, which were designed in response to strong requests from the music industry. In addition, the Super Audio CD offers a hybrid disc that allows it to be played back in all existing CD players.

Ultra-high quality Super Audio CD sound is made possible by Direct Stream Digital (DSD) recording technology. DSD is a 1-bit recording process that uses a sampling rate of 2.8224 MHz to achieve a frequency response of 100 KHz and a dynamic range of over 120 dB across the audible range. It accurately reproduces the analog waveforms to capture the full nuance and atmosphere of the original source recording. Support for the Super Audio CD has been growing steadily as an increasing number of artists, sound engineers, and audio critics have recognized the potential of DSD recording technology to deliver pure sound with unparalleled clarity, space, and atmosphere.

"The sound quality of the Super Audio CD is outstanding," said Mel Ilberman, Executive Vice-President of Sony Music Entertainment Inc. "Sony Music has always had a great interest in DSD recording, and we are pleased to offer both our artists and our customers this incredible new 'pure audio' format. "

A variety of prototype DSD production tools are currently available, and a full range of professional audio equipment is under development. Several companies have already announced products that can be used for DSD production, including high performance analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters, a professional DSD recorder, and a professional DSD editor.

In addition, Philips and Sony have been working with highly respected audiophile labels, recording studios, and major record companies over the past months on a variety of experimental DSD-based recording projects. In fact, a number of CD titles already on the market were recorded in DSD and then down converted to the CD format. The superior sound of these CDs illustrates the versatility of a DSD production system, which can also be used to produce conventional CDs, as well as Super Audio CDs.

The first SACD players and related consumer products are expected to be launched on the Japanese market later this Spring, and product launches in Europe and the USA are expected to begin towards the end of the year.

Those interested in producing Super Audio CD related hardware or software products are encouraged to contact Sony and Philips for further information.