Interesting read - I had not heard of some of the inventions (not that it means much)!
http://www.audioholics.com/editoria...s-in-consumer-audio-video-electronics-history
Enjoy....
Yes, I read it. I am in general agreement, but some stuff is so obscure and never actually got off the ground, like Elcaset. Really, is that worthy of mention on the same scale of flop as Betamax, 3-D video or Quad Audio?
I also notice audio writers for over a decade have been consistently in a big hurry to write off SACD as dead, lumping it with the failed DVD-A. Surely, it failed to meet Sony's initial expectations financially, but it ain't dead yet. His obscure point about lack of bass management was solved well over a decade ago. And, no, Bluray has not come remotely close to supplanting it for music, as he alleges. And, no, there is no big movement toward BD audio/video music releases, as he says. He also fails to take note of the many millions of Universal disc players sold that support it.
Yes, I agree it is a small niche, however there are no separate industry sales numbers for SACD. If one is a rock music lover with tunnel vision, I can see where disc availability seems mighty skimpy, almost comatose. But, in the classical niche, it is a different story. It is tiny compared to CD, no doubt. But, are many thousands of classical releases, and they keep on coming. It remains unquestionably the leading medium for music in the Mch niche.