Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Dataplay Ready to Launch

Posted by michael on from the impact-crater dept.

geophile writes "Let's see. This is a CD-like, CD-incompatible storage medium with lower storage capacity than a CD; copying, which is supported by CDs and permitted by fair-use laws is not possible; and it's more expensive than a CD. Read about this great idea here." We've done a couple of stories on the Dataplay discs; this one discusses the heavy content controls built-in. MSNBC had an article on Dataplay a few weeks ago that mentions an "education process" needed to get people to re-buy all their old music in a new format.

3 of 338 comments (clear)

  1. Bah by dieMSdie · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I quit buying CDs years ago due to the RIAA's greedy, grasping control-freak mentality. It will be a cold day in hell before I shell out a single cent to them for some broken incompatible crap like this.

    These people live in their own little world - with only the MPAA and some other like-minded morons as neighbors. Small wonder they can get laws like the DMCA passed - Congress lives in the same world.

    I just do not foresee people buying these things. Yes, the "public" can be incredibly stupid at times, but they do catch on, eventually, and I think the RIAA's game is up.

    --
    Don't throw your computer out the window, throw the Windows out of your computer!
  2. Interesting Math by Posting=!Working · · Score: 5, Interesting

    "The tiny discs will be able to store up to five hours of CD-quality music, one hour of video, 1,000 digital photos, one video game or 100 e-books -- or any combination, up to 500 megabytes of storage."

    Let's see 80 minutes of CD-quality music now uses 700 MB of space. How exactly does 300 minutes of CD-quality music fit on 500 MB?

    Blank discs, which can store up to 500 megabytes of data, will retail for between $10 and $12

    Wow, much better than the $15 I'm paying for 50 700 MB CD's. A single 500 MB disk for the price of over 20 GB of blank CD's. Where do I get in line?

    "I just know by being in the business, there's definitely a need for a portable format," Bob Higgins said. "Portable CD players are too big and too bulky."

    Gee, if there were only widely available, simple to use, portable digital music storage and listening devices on the market right now.

    --
    This sentence no verb.
  3. As time goes by... by Phoenix · · Score: 4, Interesting

    ...I find that I'm really glad that I bought a MiniDisk player/recorder instead of the MP3 player.

    Pros:
    * Cheap disks - $2 each as opposed to $45 a compact flash card
    * Quality player devices - can survive a trek into the off road bike trails with no skip
    * Good sound reproduction - as good as 256bit MP3 (in my opinion)
    * Holds 74 minutes - more if you downsample the music (built into most new recorders)
    * using analog input - prevents any copy protection as it can record from the headphone-out jack
    * Can erase and re-use disks, or delete an unwanted track
    * Player costs the same as a MP3 player (32-64mb devices)

    Cons:
    * Did not catch on as well in the US as other standards (MP3, CD/CD-R)
    * Can only record in real time (not too much of a problem as I will listen to a CD all the way the first time...takes no effort to record at the same time)

    So the record companies can do whatever they want. We will find a way around whatever the @#$% they try to throw at us. They never seem to learn that there is ALWAYS a way to get around whatever they want to do to us. I found a way that works well for me, others will find thier own way.

    Nero often is described as playing the violin as Rome burned. When the RIAA burns, I'll be playing the bagpipes

    Phoenix

    --
    -- Wiccan Army, 13th Airborne Division "We will not fly silently into the night"