The Super Audio CD format was introduced in 1999.[1] Royal Philips and Crest Digital partnered in May 2002 to develop and install the first SACD hybrid disc production line in the United States, with a production capacity of up to three million discs per year.[2] SACD did not achieve the same level of growth that compact discs enjoyed in the 1980s,[3] and was not accepted by the mainstream market.[4][5][6]