Jadem6 probably still too early to say however I would agree my intial thought that DVD-A would win out (due to the success of DVD)is now looking like a duffer. Hesitation in the DVD-A camp has meant SACD getting a head start and those in the know such as Mark Levinson think that SACD is the better format technically and sonically. This battle is not as clear as the video-tape situation in that new machines can potentially play SACD,DVD-A and normal CD's. However wether the manufacturers will do that on a widescale is open to debate(I know such players are appearing) but this possibility could make the war a long and complicated one. It'll still take a long time for the new formats to replace CD's and I also thought recent events in the U.S would make early declariations of victory a thing of the past. Obviously not.
SACD WINS!
I advise all those who have spent time researching or trashing SACD to visit www.stereophile.com and learn what the industry is talking about todat at the Consumer Electronics Show in LasVegas. Here is a short portion or the current artical "Record labels strongly support the format. More than 235 SACD titles are now available, encompassing "all types of music by major artists," in Demuynck's words, "and all of [it] compatible with existing CD players. We believe in exponential growth for the SACD hybrid." The SACD-1000 should appear in showrooms toward the end of January. At the Philips conference, no mention was made of DVD-Audio, a promising format that seemed to be missing in action so far at CES, at least on the day before the Show officially opens."