One of the keys to SACD's potential acceptance within the mass market is the hybrid disc format, ensuring that all of those Stones, Dylan, or Pink Floyd discs can be purchased by consumers with regular CD players. Although the DVD-Audio camp has played with the idea of hybrid discs for its format, nothing has made it past the testing stages yet.

That hasn't stopped EnXnet and its marketing associate OneDisc Technologies: the firms have recently announced the first delivery to a consumer of a DVDPlus disc, which combines CD and DVD. EnXnet says that the unnamed customer has indicated "complete satisfaction" with the new product and is "very excited about the future of DVDPlus."

The company claims that its dual-sided, hybrid optical disc technology provides a DVD on one side and a CD on the other, and is being developed under license from Dieter Dierks, the owner of the technology and trademark. On DVDPlus discs the DVD side can accommodate both the DVD-Video and DVD-Audio formats.

EnXnet says that this initial product manufacturing run provides actual production samples "which several potential customers have been awaiting for final evaluation prior to placing orders for DVDPlus." The company's Ryan Corley reports, "Several of the best known entertainers and their staffs are very excited about our new products, and this first production run shows that all of our units are of first-class quality. They can now make a qualified commitment for DVDPlus."

In addition to the dual-sided disc technology, EnXnet says it anticipates including its EnXcase and DSTag security technology with all DVDPlus discs, beginning in the first quarter of 2004, "thus making them even more attractive to potential customers."