more major players jumping on the sacd bandwagon

As far as the Betamax comparison and the Stereophile article; most to all major films were available on Betamax. This did nothing to save it. So more record labels producing SACD may prove nothing. It really comes down to whether Sony will share the technology to all comers. Sony keeping Betamax technology mostly to themselves, was one reason it never took off.

I don't even understand the argument an more. SACD is in the mass market stores now. The machines are priced only a bit above a good quality cd player and yet allow for CD's, DVD video, CD-R and SACD, both is two channel or up to six channel. The DVD-A if it actually existed allows for DVD-A playback. Who would buy a DVD-A machine, even if you could?
The reason SACD is bringing more support is it offers more to the mass market consumer (actually everything they want). If you can buy a single machine that will play four formats and surround for less than a DVD-video and a cd player combined what's the issue?
SACD machines will become the standard for the mass market as people upgrade they old hardware, only because it gives them everything they want in one box. The argument is over, go find a sales man who can explain DVD-A. I noticed in the paper this week-end an add for Best Buy, they stated they now sell DVD players that play audio too! Now you can play back your cd's on your DVD player they report. Of course there years away from actually having DVD-A.
HELLO - News flash, you could already do that. I stated two years ago that DVD-A will fail because people will not understand. DVD is DVD to the masses. SACD is something else, weather they buy the more expensive disks is not now the issue, but when Sony releases the next red hot pop title only on SACD people will understand. Just wait, I'm guessing two to three years!

P.S. Oh yea, lets quite the lame argument that there is nothing on SACD that people would buy. I'm assuming those people have never heard Jazz from the late ‘50's and early ‘60's. It seems to me they (the labels) are starting with the "must have" classic recordings from each venue pop, jazz, classic, etc. As the future recordings are recorded in DSD, the "stuff" you want will also be on SACD, but to say nothing I want is avalible is simply stating your not interested in the classic recordings. That's fine, I happen to find it very enjoyable listening to a recording from 1959 that is of higher quality than 90% of the crap recorded today. There is some amazing music from our past that has new life thanks to SACD. IMO!

We talk a lot about how you can play regular CDs on a SACD machine and they sound very good. How about the other way around. If SACD cannot be played on non SACD machines, then the whole world including Joe consumer will need a new CD player. Will they buy one regardless of the number of record companies making the SACD discs? Eventually as old CD players wear out, everyone will have SACD capability, but will it happen in time?

Sony keeps coming with hardware that most people can afford but that is not the only answer - we need more software of music we do not already have the LP, cassette, cd and gold cd of - it will unfortunately be only a high end adventure for those jazz, classical, and blues entusiast - us rockers may not be able to hang in there. I have a player but get tired of listening to the 30 discs I have. Sony needs to give away software with the players - like 10 or so for this to advance.

Sugarbrie, there actually are a good number of new classical SACD releases now coming out from Telarc, Delos, Hyperion, Lyrinx, Bis and Sony Classical, among others, most of which are DSD recordings or 20/24 bit recordings converted to DSD and all of which sound better, to me, than their CD counterparts. The major problem, I think, based on the threads I've seen here and elsewhere, has been no or few new pop recordings being issued in the format, which will be where the money can be made by the record companies. Not sure if this is because there are not that many DSD recording machines or a lack of DSD editing equipment at this time, but that seems to me to be the biggest stumbling block Sony will have to overcome. Sony may be succeeding in getting the public to buy SACD players, but the public also likes to buy pop recordings; hopefully Sony and the new companies joining the SACD bandwagon will address this, as I really like the format and am disappointed in the way DVD-A is being handled.