Linn Products has announced that it plans to demonstrate a Linn branded «Multi-Format» player which would include both SACD and DVD-A playback at the upcoming Consumer Electonics Show in Las Vegas this January.
They have also announced that Linn has successfully demonstrated the Linn Silver Disk Engine OEM Development System to senior representatives of the Sony Super Audio CD Business Centre at Linn Headquarters in Glasgow, Scotland. According to Linn officials, everyone involved in the project and the demonstration expressed their satisfaction with the progress of this initiative for specialist audio firms.
Linn sees their work on the development kit and the multi-format player as a natural evolution from their role as one of the first companies to release music on Stereo SACD disc through their Linn Records division.
The Linn Silver Development Kit is the result of a project between Linn and Sony to develop and deliver a Super Audio CD rapid development kit for specialist audio manufacturers. After receiving the green light from both Linn and Sony Officials, the Silver Disk Development Kit is now ready for sale to audio firms planning to manufacture players under their own label.
Details About the Linn Silver Development Kit
According to Linn, the development kit is a very flexible platform to quickly develop new SACD players. It will enable manufacturers to develop equipment to play Super Audio CD (SACD), CD, DVD-Video, DVD-Audio and «many other formats».
The Linn Silver Disk Engine Development System will allow specialist audio manufacturers to individually determine the type and quality level of the audio, video, power supply, ergonomics and styling in their players using this kit. The kit has «open interfaces that support the rapid integration of its technology into each company’s product plans».
The development kit system will be shipped to audio manufacturers within 28 days of receipt of a pro forma payment. Linn will also offer partner OEMs a choice of two disk loading mechanisms — a standard mechanism using conventional plastic components and a higher quality device that uses a metal drawer.
Linn officials also say that several high end and mainstream audio companies have expressed interest in the Silver Disk Development Kit. Announcements about the use of the kit is up to those firms in terms of revealing whether or not they are using the technology in their player development work.
Linn Plans to Introduce a SACD/DVD-A Player at CES 2003
To show their confidence in the Silver Disk Development Kit, Linn officials tell us that they will be using the SACD engine in this development kit and expect to have a prototype ready of one such product for demonstration at the upcoming Consumer Electronic Show (CES 2003) in Las Vegas this January.
Linn says that the player under development is a multi-format player that plays SACD discs as well as other disk formats (CD, DVD Video and DVD Audio). They are hoping to debut the as yet unnamed multi-format player at CES 2003. Linn expects the retail price of this new player to be in the region of around $8,000 (US dollars).
Comments from Linn
Linn Officials made the following comments about the significance of the SACD Silver Disk Development Kit and the SACD format:
«All specialist audio companies, like Linn, welcome the new Sony and Philips Super Audio CD music format. This advance for high quality multi channel recorded sound and improved phase correct stereo is a most welcome development. We are all stakeholders in this new Super Audio CD format. We all want to help make it a success. It will introduce music lovers worldwide to an unimagined level of sonic accuracy. End users, retailers, software and hardware manufacturers, the studio and broadcast industries, musical performers and all the other parties involved will benefit because we all need a better format.»
Ivor Tiefenbrun, Managing Director for Linn Products added
«For music lovers who want a better sound than is currently available, the SACD format is the only game in town. As a high performance entertainment systems provider for music, cinema and multi-room, we know that our customers would really appreciate a ‘universal’ player that plays Stereo CD, SACD, multi-channel SACD for music and DVD audio and cinema. That is why we are developing such a novel machine. Linn’s original engineering work gives us an advantageous position in this emergent field, which offers superior sound reproduction and the hope for the future growth and prosperity of the specialist audio industry. Because Linn is a manufacturer with unique capabilities, we are also happy to share our technology with other specialist companies, even direct competitors.»
High Quality, Metal Drawer Option of the Linn Silver Development Kit
