After 20+ years, MiniDisc is finally going away

[Flint]

I know most of you believe the MiniDisc was a failure for Sony. In fact, they made a great business out of it which lasted over 20 years with licensees continuing to manufacture hardware beyond Sony's end of manufacturing life.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/01/sony ... ers-in-ma/

Sure, MD was't a success on the same scale as CD, Cassette, or VHS, but it was more successful world wide than 8-Track, Elcassette, DCC, and other formats.

Say goodbye, everyone.

 

[AndySTL]

There was a time I really wanted a MD player.

 

[jomari]

there was a time i owned two. one from aiwa, one from sony.

both have served me very very well. i had a couple of cds i loved, and could instantly rip them to my md drive. i loved how portable and shatterproof they were. they served my purpose, even before the mighty ipod and mp3 players came around.

goodbye old friend.

 

[Kazaam]

Sure, MD was't a success on the same scale as CD, Cassette, or VHS, but it was more successful world wide than 8-Track, Elcassette, DCC, and other formats

DVD-Audio.... I'm guessing obviously, and not that you could record those, but still... it wouldn't surprise me.

What does surprise me is the 8-Track stuff. I would've guessed they had sold more equipment and media than MiniDisc. Don't get me wrong, as I still think MiniDisc is dang cool. But I mostly lost interest when CD Recorders became affordable. And then completely once iPods became popular.

 

[Flint]

8-Track was not nearly as successful as many think. Sure, they were pretty common, but not world-wide and not that many people bought them other than factory car units. They were simple and relatively reliable (a tape and player could function for decades - though never with high fidelity). So, they seemed more successful than they really were.

 

[Rope]

I'm not familiar with the MiniDisc format. Were they available, like cassette tape, CD and LP in record stores?

Rope

 

[heeman]

I'm not familiar with the MiniDisc format. Were they available, like cassette tape, CD and LP in record stores?

Rope

What Rope Said

 

[Kazaam]

There were a small amount of pre-recorded MiniDiscs at launch. I remember a Best Buy had some haphazardly spewn about one of the end isles in the corner of the store. Journey is one band I recall, I think. But, in the end, MiniDisc ended up being a product mostly about buying blank disks and maxing your own compilations. A replacement for personal cassette mixes since the minidiscs could be re-recorded over and over.

If I'm not mistaken... Minidisc used ATRAC compression technology, so the sound wasn't quite as good as CD quality. But the recordings did have the ability to skip tracks like a CD.

 

[Flint]

Yes, it used ATRAC which was a decade more advanced than MP3 at the time. It wasn't until AAC and WMA were launched that other lossy audio compression formats could compete with ATRAC. MP3 is still hit and miss depending on who's compression engine you are using.

 

[jomari]

there were a couple of minidisc 'albums' released back in the day, but as Kazaam mentioned, the reason why people liked using it was to create their own mixtapes. it was essentially a rebirth of making disc for your own purposes, prior to the CD-R/CD+R period.

it didnt sound as GOOD as a cd was per se, but its the only trade-off back in the day compared to buying a bunch of albums.

hmm. i cant remember how to 'record' cds back then with the player. i think it was using the RCA out, then determine the level, then record. i think.

 

[Flint]

The MD was to the CD the same as the Cassette was to the LP. Generally people purchased CDs and they made the portable music on MDs. The MD didn't skip like a portable CD player could back then. Heck, even expensive car CD head units often skipped when on an especially bumpy road or when trying to play a disc which had warped. MD (and the rapidly failed DCC) was the digital portable format.

MD also had a 4 channel option making it ideal as a portable music creation platform.

 

[Botch]

MD also had a 4 channel option making it ideal as a portable music creation platform.

That's what's tickling my memory cells!

 

[Deleted member 133]

I've got to admit that, since the 70's, MiniDisc is one of the only a few consumer audio/video formats that I have NOT owned or played with. One of the others that comes to mind would be DVD recorders (as opposed to burners) - which I saw as pointless (given the existence of the latter.)

Vinyl, 8-track, cassette, Beta, VHS, RCA CED, VHS-HiFi, laserdisc, CD, DVD, 8mm, Hi8, SACD, DVD-A, Blu-ray. Done them all.

I missed out on D-VHS and HD DVD.

Did I fail to mention any?

 

[Botch]

Vinyl, 8-track, cassette, Beta, VHS, RCA CED, VHS-HiFi, laserdisc, CD, DVD, 8mm, Hi8, SACD, DVD-A, Blu-ray. Done them all.

I missed out on D-VHS and HD DVD.

Did I fail to mention any?

Elcassette, Edison cylinder, and stone tablet. :happy-smileygiantred:

 

[Lone Stranger]

Vinyl, 8-track, cassette, Beta, VHS, RCA CED, VHS-HiFi, laserdisc, CD, DVD, 8mm, Hi8, SACD, DVD-A, Blu-ray. Done them all.

I missed out on D-VHS and HD DVD.

Did I fail to mention any?

Elcassette, Edison cylinder, and stone tablet. :happy-smileygiantred:

Open reel, U-matic, 8 & 16 mm film, DAT, DCC....

 

[Deleted member 133]

Vinyl, 8-track, cassette, Beta, VHS, RCA CED, VHS-HiFi, laserdisc, CD, DVD, 8mm, Hi8, SACD, DVD-A, Blu-ray. Done them all.

I missed out on D-VHS and HD DVD.

Did I fail to mention any?

Elcassette, Edison cylinder, and stone tablet. :happy-smileygiantred:

Open reel, U-matic, 8 & 16 mm film, DAT, DCC....

Excellent recall gents!

I remember Elcassettes - but never partook.

But I did forget the old 78rpm grammaphone I used to have!

I briefly owned an Akai open reel in 1978 - but sold it to help pay for my first year of university tuition.

For some time in the early 80's I had both an old 8mm and a 16mm projector. Our local library used to stock actual films and they could order stuff in for you from the National Film Board. "Movie night" around the house back then really was! And then along came VHS and they gave everything away.

Ah the memories...

 

[Haywood]

Yes, it used ATRAC which was a decade more advanced than MP3 at the time. It wasn't until AAC and WMA were launched that other lossy audio compression formats could compete with ATRAC. MP3 is still hit and miss depending on who's compression engine you are using.

LAME is probably the best MP3 compression engine, but I definitely prefer AAC (m4a). IMO, 256k AAC is at least comparable to 320k MP3.

 

[Flint]

The best MP3 CODECs come in professional packages and they have to be licensed at a high price, typically as a subscription. Frauhoffer is my favorite, but it costs me over $100 a year, and I cannot afford that for personal enjoyment. It came free for one year with my copy of Waves and was clearly the best ever.

 

[Rope]

I've used Audioactive Professional Production Studio for years.

Rope

 

[Kazaam]

I've used Audioactive Professional Production Studio for years.

Oh, yeah??? Well ... I've ripped CD's using iTunes for years out of convenience, and my ears are only slightly worse for wear! (Meh.)

:teasing-tease:

But maybe here is where some of those Amazon "autorip" MP3s that recently showed up in my account due to past Cd purchases could come in handy. They're probably encoded better than that stuff I did myself, I suppose.