Is MiniDisc Dead?

dd5299 asks: "Is MiniDisc dead? This article in ZDNet grumbles about Sony dragging their feet with MD2 (650MB vs. the old 120MB). So, what is the future of MD? Sharp has started making MD players with PC Links , and now portable MD players are as low as $50. So, longterm, is MD dead?"

Comments

Re:Not Completely

[Robert S Gormley]

I'd disagree with your first paragraph, MiniDisc players are sprouting up more and more often here (in Australia). MP3 players are a *highly* niche market - i.e. the geek/trendset... and even they enjoy MD.

I agree with the second paragraph, I have an MZ-R90 and LOVE it... I had a Sharp sideloader before and wasn't hugely impressed (woe me for not trying it) - too bulky. But an MZ-R90 with ten MDs fits easily into a bumbag.

Music quality is good. Excellent in fact, especially recorded via optical cable. And I have *NEVER* heard my MD skip, for those who say "But MP3s don't skip"... though my old Discman wish "Anti Shock" would skip when running to change platforms at the station...

In general, I don't think it's dead at all. I think it's growing.

Re:The minidisk is great for recording

[Mr. Slippery]

One reason that I like my MD player is it's ability to record just like a tape recorder. I have a small band and I found that the minidisk is the best way to record while playing and be able to listen to what we did as quickly and clearly as possible.

Agreed! Minidisks are great for recording live music. I think if nothing else, it will have a niche amoung amateur and semi-professional musicians, and "tapers" (people who tape live shows, a culture that grew up around the Grateful Dead but lives on amoung fans of "jam bands").

Depends where you are...

[Qube]

In the US, maybe - there seems to be a big gap between the techies (who buy computer CD-R drives and MP3 players) and everyone else (who stick with tape and the odd bought CD). Not a lot in between, so the average music fan has to go one way or the other.

In the UK, I'm constantly surprised by "normal" non-tech people who mention that they use MD. It's a great format for home recording (especially from CD, or for archiving old vinyls) and it's significantly easier to use than consumer CD-R, and even tape in many respects. Put in a MD, hit "sync rec", play the CD.

More significantly, this stuff is fairly cheap over here even in the high-street shops. Portable recorders (all you need to get started) are sold from 99ukp up, and many mini-systems over 200ukp come with a MD deck built-in. Cool products like the MXD-D3 help a lot too - it's a CD/MD deck that's well priced and can record at 4x.

What made me switch properly though was when I came to replace my car stereo. I didn't like the thought of constantly burning CDs to use in the car (or risking my bought ones in there, both from a scratching and theft point of view), hate tape and couldn't afford an empeg. So I bought a Sony MDX-C6500R and it's fantistic. Cost 160ukp (about 10 more than the CD equivalent), and I just keep a dozen or so recordings in my the door pocket, no hassle.

Maybe it's a 'net access thing (we're only just getting decent unmetered services here) so less music is downloaded and people copy from their friends instead. But I have my entire CD collection (over 200 albums) ripped to MP3 (plus about 20gig downloaded), I own a computer CD-R drive and I still found MD the best solution. Nothing else comes close to it's portability, durability and general convenience.

Data was always a non-starter - Zip/LS120 were always cheaper and quicker and a 650mb format wouldn't stand a chance against CDR/W. I just think of it as a music format, and it's likely it'll stay like that.

Maybe it'll die in the US, but despite the slow start it's thriving everywhere else. I can even buy blanks in my small local supermarket!