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Apart from Warner flexing its rock catalogue and some wannabe labels it has practically zero industry support. How may labels have signed on to DVD-A this year? Any? It should have been strangled at birth.

I really feel that they play to two different crowds. DVD-A attempts to capture the same group of people that will use it as an extension of their home theaters, whereas SACD is going after the audiophile. DVD-A has more mid-fi gimmick appeal, SACD is high end. SACD seems to be touting the "best sound or reproduction", DVD-A is going to capitalize on the family's need for the latest. As Forrest Gump would say, "and that is all I have to say about that!"

I own both. SACD is a superb high resolution music-only format, while DVD-Audio offers not only high-resolution music, but music videos, on-screen lyrics, photo galleries, video interviews, etc. In short, SACD is audio-only, while DVD-Audio is audio and video. I LOVE and support both formats!

Opps... The way you phrased your question, the answers you provided do not make sense. The answers you should have provided are: "Yes, there is no conflict!" and "No, this is war!" You have them backwards.

They have both lost and CDs will keep selling, the record companies just got too greedy this time. But, who knows&#!51;the record companies always seem to get what they want.

Who cares about the Elcaset of Y2K+2? I'm happy as a clam digitizing my LPs. At some point, the music biz may realize that their not in the business of selling things, but music. Then they'll give us high def downloads via the Internet. Imagine the money they could make if they'd charge 6 bucks per 24/96 album -and no watermarking!

It's a war, but so far, both camps seem unwilling or unable to launch an all-out assault on the marketplace. I mean, where are the digital outputs on the players, so consumers can use the same bass management, channel balance and time delay dsp that they use now? And where are the new-music recordings by mainstream artists? And last but not least, where is the concensus on how to record in multichannel? (Engineers, producers and artists who locate instruments and voices in the back channels should have mixing board twiddling rights revoked!)

Format war? What format war? The only format war that is visible from a consumer point of view is the war between CD and MP3 (and between the consumers and the Big Five). DVD-A? SACD? As a consumer, I have never heard of them!

Of course this is war, they can't both survive on a large scale any more than Beta and VHS could or CD and vinyl. One has to go. Its time to get in the trenches and get this squabble over with. Come on Fremer, it's paint balls from ten paces. Ive had enough of this vinyl nonsense! Shiny silver discs rule!

Does going to war require a battlefield? I'm not sure either one has made it there, yet.

No, there's no format war. This isn't VHS/Beta, because back then, consumers, in general, actually cared and were lining up behind one or the other. High-Rez digital is a solution in search of a problem, and that's why there is no war because, for most people, neither format is an object of desire. This is not to say that DVD-A or SACD aren't good—it's just that any consumer oriented format is consumer driven, not audiophile driven. The audiophile community, in the broad scope of consumers, is no more that the size of a flea on an elephant's butt.

BUT I have nothing against if SACD and DVD-A would coexist. I have bought a SACD-player and im ready to by a DVD-A player too. My favourite populare artists are by warner.

And I couldn't care less because I won't jump in until it is fully digital

Both formats hold promise, and yet, neither deliver. Obsessed by paranoia and greed, the book-cooking companies have forgotten about content, sound quality, fair pricing, and fair treatment of those who make music. As long as copy-protection schemes and MC confusion take priority over art production and sound quality, I'll invest only in Red Book software and gear. I hope for a true Renaissance in music recording, including the now defunct radio.

Neither format is strong enough yet to support an all out war. I keep saying it most people do not like the idea of 5, 6 or even 7 speaker hanging all over their living space. Two speakers are hard enough to place in many instances. Since these new formats depend mostly on the advantages of multi-channel sound they will never ever be as popular as two-channel stereo.

Many times over the years the American public has shown that it will only support one format. In the mainstream market there is only room for one of them to prosper.

You blew the phrasing of your question! Need an editor

The PR spin may say there is no war, but let's be realistic, the content providers know that one will win and one will lose. Some may think that universal players are the solution, but retailers are not going to stock triple inventory (CD, DVD-A, SACD) for every title. The implications would be a drastically reduced selection for consumers or higher inventory and carrying costs (and higher prices). Of course this is a war. In order for high-rez audio to succeed in the marketplace, one of these formats has to succeed and so long to the runner-up. I'm betting on SACD because a "fully loaded" disc with CD, 2channel SACD, and multi-channel SACD all on one disc just makes so much sense. The DVD Audio consortium has recently come out in favour of 5.1 DVD-based players for cars. What? we're going to have to upgrade our car systems too? I don't think so. DVD-A is still-born. In the greater Toronto Area (over three million people) there's hardly any DVD-Audio software out there. A visit to the big downtown record stores will produce just a handful of titles. SACD isn't much better. The sooner one of these formats dies off, the sooner I will consider buying a high-rez player. Until then, my two year old Linn Genki is serving me and my 400-plus CD collection very well, thank-you.

I say not sure due to the lack of promotion of DVD-Audio. Plus the scarsity of software is apalling! Damn it, hasn't Sony made enough from its royalties due to the CD? [Isn't that reason enough to hate the SACD?] I've heard nothing about which is the better sounding that is definitive. Shame on the magazines for this!! But bet on this, 10 years from now, there willbe another "latest & greatest." Disgusting!!

You miss one category: WHO CARES? I will listen to my vinyl until it melts.

No one outside of places like this cares. The average person has never heard of either format. Until they reach the saturation level of LP's, cassettes and CD's, this is just the el-cassette and DCC all over again.

Of course they are not in a format war! You need large numbers of troops to wage a war, and I have yet to meet someone who has enlisted in either camp. I guess the format war is not on home ground yet. Maybe they are competing to see who can sell less of a new audio format?

There's no big interest in either format.

Until DVD-A disks contain a Red Book CD layer (is that even possible?), there is no war or conflict. Hybrid SACDs will run DVD-A out of town should they ever be produced at a level even hinting at mass production! DVD-A has to flood the market with inexpensive hardware - car audio, boomboxes, walkmen, etc. That's the only chance. The public, however, sees DVD dash anything to equal movie though, so education will be steep and probably insurmountable.

They'd like us to think there is no conflict because these format wars kill sales. But this is war.

Just wish there were more smoke and flames . . . . WE NEED SOFTWARE! I've heard both sound very fine, but the SACD decks were introduced as super audiophile and have for me so far outstripped the ability of the DVD-A decks to sound their best. More puh-leez! And in spite of the "Let's get along" attitude of both format pushers, it is a war—for your pockets! No doubt about it!

I used to think there was a format war going on, but I was wrong. Now I perceive there's pent up demand for both SACD and DVD-A, and both will thrive when we get more hardware and software on the market, granted also the copy protection B.S. gets cleared out of the way. I'm noticing that quite a few otherwise apparently adequate new format playback units don't do HDCD, so that might be the format that's to perish.

Who cares?

SACD being an audio only format I really don't see any conflict. I intend to purchase both DVD-A and SACD players. Although I only one rig, it is heavily biased towards music. My neighbors like the surround sound with movies and TV, so do I for that matter. When it comes time for music it's straight thru the preamp with no buggering of the signal. I will admit I have not heard DVD-A's on a good rig and I may change my mind when I do. For now it's 2 speakers good 4 speakers bad.

If the irrelevant fighting the immaterial can be characterized as war, then, 'yes'.