CRM114

Is it even worth it for me to buy one? A player that plays, BD, DVD, DVD-A, and SACD? I have about 15 discs combined between DVDA and SACD. It seems the formats are dead. I really love the Flaming Lips DVD-A and the Zappa DVD-As but if I'm never going to buy them again, is it worth it or should I abandon the formats?

From what I can tell there are only two players. Oppo and Denon. Both at a premium. If I buy a Sony BD player, I can at least salvage my SACDs.

I have a universal Pioneer player but it's not HDMI and my new receiver doesn't have analog inputs. I suppose I can continue to listen to the DVDA through this setup.

It'd be nice if these BD players just supported DVD-A. Is it really that much more circuitry?

Drexl

I imagine it has more to do with the royalties that would have to be paid than it does the electronics. They're willing to do it for DVD movies because that's a common use of the players, DVD-A and SACD not so much. Sony even took out SACD from the PS3 before too long, and they were the company behind the format in the first place.

I guess all you can do is hold out hope that the albums will be released on BD.

CRM114

Sony still puts SACD support on their BD players. Just not the cheapo ones. I could buy one of those and still have Dark Side of the Moon in 5.1.

I suppose I could cut my losses and sell what I have. It's a shame. Multi-channel music was very interesting during it's short life. (5.1 specifically.)

Eddie W

You can still listen to your DVD-A's multichannel soundracks in lossy Dolby Digital or DTS 5.1 on any DVD/BD player. Sure it's not uncompressesd but it still sounds a lot better than a redbook CD. I think all DVD-A's carried one or the other. At least all the ones I have. The format was so finicky that's the only way I've been able to listen to some of my titles (despite having three DVD-A capable players at one point).

CRM114

Let me try that tonight. I'm really interested in mainly the surround mixes. I can just buy a higher end Sony BD player then that has SACD support and problem solved.

Pizza

I love SACD (and DVD-A) and, of course, this had to be the one format Sony releases that they give up without a fight. Every other format of theirs and they'll go on for years pushing it.

printerati

If you spring for a modified Oppo, it has the added benefit of being region free for both DVD and Blu-Ray, if you're into that sort of thing.

CRM114

Even the discs that were hybrid (like the Bob Dylan discs) are now back to just being regular CDs.

Supermallet

It's not worth it unless it also plays vinyl, 8-track, cassette, reel to reel, and laserdisc.

I too love multi-channel/lossless audio, which is why I'm holding on to my 60 GB PS3 for dear life.

Mr. Salty

Agreed, or better yet buy a regular Oppo and make the mod yourself for $40.

CRM114

I am physically unable to spend $500 on a BD player. $400 for the Denon was a stretch.

I've decided to buy one of the new Sony models that play SACD and use the $200 savings for something else.

rmorgan

I'm ordering the Oppo pretty soon; I paid $500 for my first DVD player in 1998, and that was a low-end player. I have no problem paying that much nearly 13 years later for a player as loaded as the Oppo.

CRM114

$300 doesn't seem worth it to me just to play the 7 or 8 DVD-A discs I own. Now if the medium was still alive and vibrant, I'd definitely do it.