Super-audio CD: an introduction

Super-audio compact disc (SACD), conceived and developed by Philips and Sony, is viewed as the successor of the standard CD. In March 1999 the standard was set, and Scarlet Book version 1.0 was released. Since then, the format changed from an audiophile release format to a mass-consumer format. Not only does SACD provide an enhanced listening performance to the end-user, it also provides strong copy protection for the music industry. These aspects, in combination with a basic introduction in signal processing for super audio, are discussed The article is concluded with an overview of some of the latest developments in high-quality DSD generation.