SACD - Dying already?

They are both dead. Mass storage device based music systems will make physical media obsolete soon enough. Witness iPOD, and the steady advancements in Media PCs. This will be a boon to both the music industry (reduced distribution costs) and the audiophile (true high resolution audio and reduced mechanical playback issues).

It has never been off life support.You slice the music listener pie and remove all who are either happy with redbook,or pursuing other delivery schemes and what's left is small consumer minority at best.Sony probably will support it fora long time,but new software is going to require visions of "big bank" to get steady rollouts of new releases from copyright holders.How many times have you wondered why "___" movie not out remastered on dvd.If that can happen on a format with large active base of money fisted ,consumers?Then multitude of new titles on SACD will remain tough.Someone pointed out Hybrids cast a wide net which is good.But when big selling SACD releases cause debate of quality or mastering choices,then war is still in the trenches.At the start when the world at large was paying attention,no hybrids from Sony,Bad start.No mobile either.I know moving car is not best enviroment,but the young set shows off thier gear for the most part parked and multi-channel would shine in mobile.It's about getting a coalition of willing adoptors to make labels take note.Labels like young consumers.Another pointed to hardball copyright owners wanting extra for hybrid plus a kicker for multi,par for the course in that world which is about number$.New format ideas may send SACD to Elcaset graveyard(worst case)or it may linger comatose many years(not worst case)like the mini.The longer it lingers the better chance something comes along that grabs hearts and purse strings.And "BIG" success will force labels to deal,exhibit"A" dvd.The saltwater has backed up on standard redbook CeeDees too which have struggled of late.

If it was never alive, how can it be dying?

The history of high end audio has always been taking mass media and squeezing the most out of it through great equipment. First with vinyl and later with CDs. I really believe that Sony set back the high resolution digital movement by introducing SACD to compete with DVD-A. DVD is the new mass media, witnessed by the unprecedented sales of DVD players since their introduction, not SACD. DVD-A is the next logical step, but Sony had to try to keep their market share and tried to get a leg up on the competition by introducing SACD before DVD-A was ready. DVD-A in turn was forced to rush out before it was really ready. It worked for the short term, but only appealed to audiophiles who were prepared to buy still more new equipment to play the new format. This only confused the public and alienated older folks like myself who recall the betamax debacle.

If not for SACD, DVD-A would be the new standard, we would have a hi-res format that was accepted by the public since they could be played in their new dvd players, and we would have started to fine tune the new format to everyones delight.

Now we are in danger of having mp3 become the new mass media, which will probably never (never say never?)have hi-res capability. Yes, SACD is dying, lets just hope it didn't kill hi-res digital in the process.