The reason we're not all doing this is the embedded copy protection the labels want in their high-bitrate releases. I think this is a large part of the reason these formats are headed for the graveyard.
Ghunter I think you are exactly right on both counts. The CD is as user friendly as it is only because at the time of its introduction the writeable CD was not foreseen and hard drives space cost much more than a CD. The record companies thought you would need a factory to press a CD and were willing to put up with copying to cassettes. This was the same situation they faced with LPs. I have read that writable SACDs do not exist even for recording engineering purposes and that recordings are delivered for manufacturing on DAT. I saw another report that contemplated biometric (thumb print) controls on playback devices! I agree that the copy protection has gone to far. The new formats deny us fair use; preventing loading your iPod or using them in PC based audio.
I just installed a Sound Blaster Audigy 2ZS Platinum, and it has DVD-Audio built in. I might buy a DVD-Audio disc to check it out, but the lack of ability to import songs into iTunes is still a huge barrier for me to view this format as anything but an experiment.
Very interesting Ghunter. The SBA 2ZS has digital outputs. The DVD-A players I have seen all have analoge out only. I wonder if this thing will play all DVD-A or just those recorded in the clear, without copy protection. Can you store them as files on a hard drive? Please keep us posted.
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