Vote

Interesting question. I have a universal player so I can access both formats. They are both fairly equal in quality, but the menu on DVD-Audio will hold people back from it, but it just may survive as well. I don't think it has as good a chance, unless its titles are better—which, so far, has not been the case. SACD—or both—can only survive if people realize how great the sound really is, especially when an inexpensive high-rez player outperforms an expensive CD player.

This will help clear the confusion between DVD for video and for audio. It will make the audio format clear cut from the video format.

SACD will survive because of Sony's refusal to look stupid again. Remember BETA vs VHS? They'll stick with it this time. If they don't, I won't buy their stuff anymore.

DVD Video has already won. Without DVD Video neither of the new audio formats would gan sufficient market "critical mass" to survive. DVD-Audio will survive only because it is a cheap'n'easy sideshow to DVD Video. Sigh.

It's obvious that issuing titles on either format makes little money for the major labels. If it did, there would be tens of thousands of titles in print, and the major labels would be in heaven. Instead, both formats can only survive as niche "audiophile" formats similar to gold-plated CDs or direct-to-disc LPs.

All spinning media with spiral patterns of pits will be replaced by tiny harddrives (without moving parts) that contain 10 gigabites of surround sound in 32-bit/192kHz resolution.

It looks like SACD hybrids will survive as the successor to the CD for those who want tangible possession of their music collection. DVD-A continues to be an awkward, inconsistent format.

I cannot see DVD-Audio survive, SACD has been embraced industry wide, and has the advantage that recording engineers are also supporting it as a superior recording medium. Lets get on with it!

I believe SACD will survive and maybe someday replace CD. However because of the higher resolution of SACD and DVD-Audio many listeners are just now discovering how BAD CDs actually sound and I believe this is one of the main reasons Analog Vinyl LPs are making a comeback as they are the highest resolution yet with 2 channel stereo to boot! Most listeners are not (may never be) ready for multi-channel, well maybe the MP3 crowd but that's another story.

It may be economical enough to produce multi mode players which feature SACD, Video Play and DVD A in one package.

What good are either of them without a large selection of software?

Idiots out there will buy any bullshit!!!

In a market that still considers CDs to have excellent sound and MP3 downloads to be acceptable, there is no future for either format. Since the driving force for both SACD and DVD-A is not sound but digital rights management, typical consumers see no reason to repurchase yet another version of music they already own. Consumers ultimately behave in a rational manner and are not stupid. If sound quality is their highest priority, my guess is they will choose vinyl. I am not a vinyl Luddite, but the recent resurgance of vinyl proves there is a demand for high resolution that neither SACD nor DVD-A will be able to meet.

SS: Pretending the vaugaries of market dynamics has anything at all to do with enjoying music reproduction is not in the Xmas spirit, For SHAME!

High quality sound.Very good transients and detail.

I used to think just one would make it, but the growing availability of universal players ensures that both formats can coexist indefinitely. Plus, you just know the record companies would love to kill the CD, in favor of the protectability of the new formats. But I think the mass market will move to online distribution; either to home PCs, or to in-store kiosks. CD will probably die a slow, lingering death over the next 10 years or so, because it is so well established at this point. Which leaves SACD and DVD-A to be supported, in the short-term at least, by music lovers and audiophiles—those to whom music is much more than a mere commodity to be consumed and deleted. And I suppose LPs will continue to flourish at some beneath-the-radar level for the forseeable future.

I voted for SACD a couple of years ago and am now happy with the amount of SACD software being issued.

I think only SACD will survive. I bought a Betamax video - so I'll just wait and see what happens (I'm not going to bet on the wrong horse again).

Cd compatibility. More title selection. Greater user satisfation and ease of use. Growing label support for sacd. Sound that is superior to pcm.

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I really do not know if DVD-Audio will survive but SACD has enough market penetration and Audiophile acceptance that will help it make it through.

The average person just does not want either format. Perfect Sound Forever!

SACD requires costly recording and editing equipment and has what some consider a serious low-level noise problem that can't be overcome without going back to the old "brick wall" filters. DVD Video is a huge success and will be around a very long time. DVD-Audio recordings can be produced by most recording studios with only an incremental increase in cost. I have a very low-cost universal player, a Pioneer DV-563A, that is an amazingly good, but not totally flawless, CD player, so I would not hesitate to buy an SACD I wanted now since I know I can play it forever.

It will survive, but probably more as an obscure item for the mass market, as vinyl does. The fact that Stereophile covers more SACD than DVD-A may point for the defunction of the latter. Also to point out is the fact that advertising for vinyl (and SACD) is alive and well in the pages of Stereophile, which I think points to the market share of both formats. That's not the case for DVD-A.

right now they have 1gb chips..In the future they will have 100gb chips..no need for disk

Most folks I know are not audiophiles and none of them are willing to participate in yet another round of hardware and software purchases just to have the next new thing in their equipment racks. They already think I'm nuts to have spent the price of a Boxster on my gear, but I join their approach to the new formats. I'd rather have a new Koetsu. They have DVD players and CD players, as do I, because they bring a new facility to the table. The silvery discs are convenient, but none of us need a whole new gear set and a whole new set of disc storage racks. Even my local retailer, an honorable dealer, is not pushing either format, though he has both available.

For the less than 1%'ers it is a hopeless case. Joe Blow is never going to go for yet another confusing Audio (Let's empty your wallet) format of stuff we already have. It's sad that my Mini-Disc player/recorder is not going to survive because nothing would tickle me more than having SAMD's. At least it would all be in place ie: Super Audio, Compact size in a protected environment and could be brought into the full digital realm. I do not see wear everyone is going to go for either format which is not any different than the plain old redbook cd, of course we enthusiast know better but not Joe Blow who buys cd's at the counter of a truck stop!

We shouldn't be surprised if either or both hang on for five years, but we should be astonisheed if both SACD and DVD-A are still around in 10 years.

Both need to get into mass markets to survive. That means into the low-end systems that non-audiophiles buy. The closest I have seen so far, is DVD-A going into a new Acura model. So far Sony had refused to put SACD into normal consumer products. And neither has been seen at mass-market retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target. Until they do, neither will have a chance to survive.

I'm hopeful that both hirez format will survive, especially as universal disk players become less expensive.