The point about Hi Def digital surpassing analog has legs, but I think it's flawed. I came back to analog recently (never got rid of my old albums and most of them are in A-condition). I bought a Pro-ject RM10 with a Sumiko Blackbird cartridge for $2880 which elevated my vinyle experience several orders of excellence above the AR-days. My vinyl blows away my several hundred CDs.
Soon after I bought the Pro-ject I bought a Korg MR1000 that'll record 1-bit DSD up to 5.6MHz. This thing matches the analog in resolution.
DVD-Audio is a format that I could be happy with forever, IF I had a broad software selection. SACD has that same potential, but it's really been screwed up with producer's perception that they need to add multi-channel. I think we're moving toward Hi Def programming coming only from downloads, at resolution rates no where near the potential of DSD, much less DVD-A, or fewer and fewer self-produced CDs OR vinyl reissues, which actually seem to be thriving.
Concerns for digital compatability, lack of average consumer demand (dude, mp3 is the best), distribution uncertainties, etc. all adding up to an environment where producers can't afford to take a chance on Hi Rez, except for the vinyl market. Of course that could be wrong.
Vinyl is here right now and thriving. It's just like buying into any new technology, if you wait for things to settle down, you'll likely miss the whole thing.
Dave
