Wunderbar!

Well, my DVD player took a dive. That makes Number 3. The past two were in the last two years. Both were about $50 each. You get what you pay for.

Of course, the upshot of this is I get to shop for electronics. YES! I spent way too long poring over the internet trying to compare this and that one. Of course, I was ALSO trying to find one that the local stores had as well. Seriously, look on Cnet or something like that and you see all their top rated products, shiny and new - taunting, then go look for where to get them. hmmm.... crutchfield MAYBE. great order over the internet. not good, I need INSTANT gratification. I want to spend money and have the product in my grubby paws, not sitting in some warehouse somewhere.
Anyway, I had my laundry list of features I would prefer: HiDef upconversion, OPTICAL audio out (this was suprisingly difficult to find), and SACD. That last part was very important to me. I NEED SACD. Sound processed to the greatest fidelity, then forced to buzz around my head throughout the room? Give me a minute, I can't stand up.

So anyway, looks like the mean price of my new piece of technology will be in the $200 range. ouch. Oh, well, I guess I can eat tuna for two weeks... but wait! I stop by the local Best Buy looking for those damn Candi Staton and Betty Swann CDs and just HAPPEN to look at what they have on their shelves, DVD-wise. There in the corner (MAYBE surrounded by a dream-like mist?) is a DVD player on CLEARANCE! A Samsung. For $99. With Upconversion. With Optical (and Coaxial) audio. DTS. And, eyes go wide, SACD! Ok, sold. but wait, the only two boxes have tape on them? Oh, I guess I get $10 off for open box. (Ok, I hate open box items, but what the hell). I didn't hear Angelic voices, or see any great line of white light, so I suppose sometime in the future a troll will cross my path demanding my first-born for delivering me such technological goodness. Oh well, I hope the child has a good life, or at least makes a good meal.

SO, take it home, unwrap it - giddy as hell - have a hell of a time hooking the damn thing up. (It's actually an easy hook-up, I just am damn color blind and can't get the colors right on the component video. I have never done this correctly the first try. NEVER.) Insert the Pink Floyd "Dark Side Of The Moon" SACD (forgot to mention I bought this, and is the reason I wanted SACD). Turn it on, and AM drowned in the most awesome sounds ever beheld by mortal ears. TOTALLY AWESOME.

So yeah, the point is, I like me some SACD.