Delos International Emphasizing SACD, But Not Dropping DVD-A

Contrary to rumors circulating on the Internet, audiophile recording label Delos International is not abandoning the DVD-Audio format. A quick call to the Hollywood, CA–based company cleared up some confusion created when a few people noticed that "DVD-A" doesn't appear anywhere on the Delos homepage.

"Although it's true that we are emphasizing SACD for the immediate future, we have not given up on DVD-Audio," said a spokesperson who requested anonymity. "Our strength is in sound recording, and we feel that SACD, being a sound-only format, is where we should concentrate our efforts at the moment. We have just released three new SACD titles and will be issuing five or six more this year."

The company recognizes the enormous audio potential of DVD-A, but believes that most owners of DVD players will expect visual images too—something Delos prefers not to create in-house. "DVD is primarily a visual medium. We have a wonderful working relationship with Paramount, but our own technical expertise with video is nowhere near the level we need to do justice to video projects. It's simply not what we do best."

Delos has always served the audiophile market, and will continue to do so, the spokesperson said. That market appears to be heading strongly in the SACD direction, with new titles appearing every few days from dozens of labels, and SACD players becoming increasingly affordable. We expect to talk soon with Delos' Grammy Award–winning engineer John Eargle about his company's intentions.

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