The CD player is dead.......

And this thing continues on forever. A couple points, Kijanki. You give me Technobabble which is completely meaningless unless you take into account the attitude of the Industry that is producing the Technology. I have already covered the Industries attitude that first produced CD, the same attitude that the current Computer Industry embraces, the same attitude that you embrace. Most Customers are not Audiophiles and only care about (sic) Music, MP3 is good enough. Alright Mr. Technobabble, then remind me again what qualifies an Computer Industry with an MP3 Technological Attitude to replace the CD? Thank God we aren't exactly hiring overachievers to accomplish this task! If you were an Employer, would you seriously hire these people? Isn't that exactly what you are doing tasking them to replace the CD? I'm sorry, but these people aren't simply qualified to do the job, not with their MP3 attitude. I would love to see them do your Taxes with their barely good enough attitude, you would end up in jail for a very long time.
The fact that a majority of consumers still listen to CD's as opposed to SACD/DVD-Audio was a value judgement based on a comparison of the Sound Quality of all three Formats. The slight increase in Sound Quality of SACD/DVD-Audio over CD didn't justify the huge increase in additional costs. Sounds like a value judgement based on Sound Quality comparison to me! It is the 800 pound gorilla
in the room, how can you possibly not see it?
People (or Computer Industry) who believe that basic quality of MP3 is more than enough, are simply not qualified to replace the CD on technical grounds, as well as on so many other levels! What qualifies them? Would you hire a 2 year old Child to be your Lawyer? Well your going to lose! Performance will always count for something, even if most consumers could give a farthing about it! That is certainly NOTHING to be proud of, certainly nothing to be shoving down the throats of others! I am just completely baffled how viraciously everyone argues against higher performance versus MP3, and still call themselves Audiophiles. They seek the destruction of Higher Performance Formats to eliminate the competition to their Lower Performance sacred cow. We have seen this before (ad nausium) with LP and CD. This is nothing new! You aren't fooling anyone. We know want you want to do with eliminating the CD Format! I don't think that you can be more transparent!

Pettyofficer - A lot of words with a little or no sense plus unnecessary name calling. Stop using, man.

MP3 as perfect sound forever? Here we go again! I know that History has a tendency to repeat itself, but for crying out loud! Some of us are sick and tired of going in circles for Decades! Enough already! Not another Music Storage perfect sound forever, not another MP3 perfect sound forever, not another Downloading perfect sound forever! Not another WAV, FLAC, Loss-less Compression whatever perfect sound forever! Should I continue forever? Please, I pray you get the point by now! Why must I go through this, and you are still not convinced? Here's one, how about the anything but CD perfect sound forever? There you go, CD has been eliminated! How about the anything but LP perfect sound forever. Anything but SACD perfect sound forever-ditto DVD Audio? Will this possibly provide enough convenience for everyone? Maybe what we need is a big fat syrenge so you can inject your Music perfect sound forever!
Does that make your convenience juices flow? I thought it would.

O-Kay, Kijanki, I called you Mr.Technobabble. I take it back and apologize. You still don't get the point though! What I describe doesn't make any sense because what I desribe is exactly what you and the Computer Industry plan to do with the CD Format! Of course it doesn't make any sense, that is my point! You and your Industry are taking us down the exact same road when CD was first invented. You ever get the feeling of Deja-vue? Those LP's just had to go! Now it is the CD's that just have to go! Are we getting anything in exchange for all of this besides a downgrading of performance? Your right, it doesn't make any sense! I'm sick and tired of going in circles. What is this, Groundhog Day? What is so bizarre is that you aren't even aware that you are going in circles, scratch that, you are in extreme denial that you are dragging the rest of us in circles. Enough is enough, you are not getting the CD Format till you grow up-Period! You can't have it!
Now go cry to your mommy about it!

Pettyofficer - I don't know if music or computer industries are going to do anything with CD format. My impression is that they don't care. I like CDs and buy them but use computer server just for the convenience. I use Apple Lossless format (ALAC) and program that can convert any existing format (except SACD) and most likely future formats. I have two backups and they tend not to fail when in storage.

No matter how loud we scream for quality - nobody listens. CD sales are lower since CDs are way too expensive. Many people buy MP3 downloads instead for less. Also, as I said before, 90% of customers don't care about quality. I don't like it - just stating the fact. Even mixing and music compression suggests targeting boom boxes or small stereos. My small radio at work has hard time playing piano when it brings energy in lower registers. Can you imagine what would happen if they would record it without compression (piano has about 96dB dynamics). It almost calls for two separate formats - one for popular use and one for audiophiles - or if compression is necessary why it is not built into radios or TV sets. I had big hopes for SACD but they killed it.

I don't know what's going to happen but I suspect that they not going to make 24/192 Master Tapes available for downloading in view of extended piracy in many countries. CD player won't die - just computer playback of CDs will be more popular.