[ILikeMusic]

I'm trying to imagine in what way an MD player could be superior to a current MP3/AAC/Ogg/etc. player. Any of these formats will certainly equal ATRAC at similar bitrates and no MDs to buy or carry. Other than nostalgia why would one prefer an MD?

 

[SilverBlade]

replacable cheap media that you can re-write onto.

CF or SD cards are way more expensive then blank minidiscs.

 

[redshifter]

also, would it kill the dap makers to put a dedicated line out on player like some md players have? NOT a headphone/lineout combo, NOT an adapter/lineout situation; a freaking HOLE in the DAP where you plug in your amp.

 

[acidboy84]

Nope for me. An iPod (Rockbox) convert now. Only missing the LCD Remote of my NH1. Wonder how the 3rd generation Hi-MD would be like.

 

[Sparky191]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ILikeMusic I'm trying to imagine in what way an MD player could be superior to a current MP3/AAC/Ogg/etc. player. Any of these formats will certainly equal ATRAC at similar bitrates and no MDs to buy or carry. Other than nostalgia why would one prefer an MD?

File format is a not an issue. MD's do tend to have a more pleasing sound than many DAPs'.

>It can record at high quality.
>Tactile buttons, none of these virtual touch controls.
>Removable media. Some people prefer disks vs folders and files on a PC.
>Decent battery life from a AA battery. AC's not always around.

Consider the HiMD a Shuffle with a screen, but with swappable 1G disks. Oh and it can record.

 

[ILikeMusic]

File format is a not an issue. MD's do tend to have a more pleasing sound than many DAPs'.

An MD is a DAP. And some MP3 players tend to have a more pleasing sound than an MD.

>It can record at high quality.

OK. But I don't really understand the need for this. No portable player is likely to have as good an an encoder as one that runs on a full-size PC so a PC is best for ripping. And if you want to do live recording I would probably select something other than a consumer MD player.

>Tactile buttons, none of these virtual touch controls.

This is an argument for tactile buttons, not MD. Lots of other players have tactile buttons.

>Removable media. Some people prefer disks vs folders and files on a PC.

Yeah, but why deal with removable media when you can easily have 20-60gb in a similar form factor? If you can easily fit the contents of a huge number of MDs on a hard drive what purpose is there in carrying the MDs around?

>Decent battery life from a AA battery. AC's not always around.

I guess... if you frequently need more battery endurance than the typical 12+ hours available in current MP3 players. And even if you do you can carry a simple adapter for iPods and others that uses... AA batteries.

Consider the HiMD a Shuffle with a screen, but with swappable 1G disks.

That makes me want it even less.

No offense, but I guess I just don't get it.

 

[SilverBlade]

Quote:

Originally Posted by acidboy84 Nope for me. An iPod (Rockbox) convert now. Only missing the LCD Remote of my NH1. Wonder how the 3rd generation Hi-MD would be like.

I really doubt there will be a 3rd generation of Hi-MD. 2nd gen wasn't anywhere to be found at places like Best buy, only online, and the 1st gen didn't selll enough to stay in the retailers.

 

[Sparky191]

Don't be pendantic. You know what I meant by DAP.

The majoirty have worse SQ though.

Well it records PCM. What better would you need? Its also comparitively cheap compared to alternatives to recording at the same quality.

The trend is not to have buttons or tactile controls.

A 1GB flash is the same a 1GB HiMD. Its just another medium. Not everyone needs 2 years worth of music for a 30min commute.

How about battery life for holidays etc. Adapter for AA batteries. = bulk and weight. Charging is also hassle. You have to remember to do it. Which is not always convenient.

Its also possible to use MD and not need a computer in the chain. For some thats also an attraction.

Everyones different.

 

[davei]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ILikeMusic And if you want to do live recording I would probably select something other than a consumer MD player.

I know someone who bought a HiMD recently (replacing a cassette recorder) for live recording - meetings, lectures, occasional music performances. Nothing requiring super high quality. There was really nothing better in the price range (<$200) with a mic input. It was either HiMD, another cassette recorder, or a flash recorder. Good flash recorders like the Edirol R1 were pricy (digital IC chip recorders with their low quality, not even on the radar), cassettes a possibility but with tapes around a buck a pop not really worth it. The flexibility of HiMD was also attractive - with the digital input, an external ADC, high quality mics, and PCM recording capability it's easy to make quality recordings on the cheap.

 

[Twombly]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gshan Are MDs still a big market overseas?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sparky191 Only in Japan.

Nice double-entendre.

 

[Sparky191]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Twombly Nice double-entendre.

Wasn't my intention I assumed overseas from the posters location. Also I'm not entirely sure HiMD are made in Japan anymore.

 

[acidboy84]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sparky191 Wasn't my intention I assumed overseas from the posters location. Also I'm not entirely sure HiMD are made in Japan anymore.

You're right. The second generation Hi-MD were made in Malaysia. A move to cut costs?

 

[rab10]

Quote:

Originally Posted by phosfiend I love the sound of my MD player (sharp IM-DR80), must admit I haven't tried the newest batch of HD DAP's - but there are so many things that MD just does better: gapless, recordable, insane battery life, good remotes, great sound...

Also pocket size, shock proof playback, shock proof disks, and I want to repeat insane battery life and gapless playback also!

Quote:

Originally Posted by bangraman If anything, used with the best files that a portable can reproduce the latest DAPs do a better job of things than Hi-MD.

I am still using my Sharp MD-MS702MK and Sony MD MZ-G750 in the GYM and in situations where I am going to be roughing around with my music. I wouldn't dare do the same with a $300+ Harddrive mp3 player, or a mp3 player with a scratch prone screen and body encasing, and poorer battery life. No Contest! Long live MD!

Everybody has a different player for different applications.

 

[PachmanP]

I was a big fan of the cool kachink that my md player made when poping out a disk.
Mine was old pre-LP and only did 1x recording but had an optical line in which was cool. Best thing for it's day, but I do like my HD dap not having to decide which of my stack of md's I was gonna want to listen to.

edit: spelling

 

[rab10]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ILikeMusic >Removable media. Some people prefer disks vs folders and files on a PC. Yeah, but why deal with removable media when you can easily have 20-60gb in a similar form factor? If you can easily fit the contents of a huge number of MDs on a hard drive what purpose is there in carrying the MDs around?

20-60gb is the mp3 harddisk player area and this type of player is not shock proof. 1gb Hi-MD removable media provides shock proof audio playback. It would be better to comapre the 1gb Hi-MD media player to the 1GB mp3 flash players. On the fly you can swap out 1gb media Hi-MD discs to obtain more music to playback, while with the 1GB mp3 flash players you need a computer or a USBOTG hardware device to swap out files. Doesn't compare. MD discs are small, and the use of Flash players with laptops/computers/usbotg devices comparably is not as portable or power efficient. Sometimes you don't need to carry around 20-60gb of music, and you want a player that can withstand a shock where an MD player/recorder is a powerful device.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ILikeMusic >Decent battery life from a AA battery. AC's not always around. I guess... if you frequently need more battery endurance than the typical 12+ hours available in current MP3 players. And even if you do you can carry a simple adapter for iPods and others that uses... AA batteries.

Carrying a simple external battery source defeats the purpose of keeping the DAP portable (in some cases.) The Apple Shuffle has Up to 12 hours of battery life, while the Sony MZ-RH10 Hi-MD Player/Recorder offers up to 33 hours of continuous playback. (Yes, adding a simple external battery source to the Hi-MD player extends playback even more.

) The Cowon iAudio X5L does provide up to 35 hours of playback but the Sony MZ-RH10 is not far off.

Obviously the Shuffle is smaller than the Sony MZ-RH10 but it is still ultra portable.

It would be sad to see MD technologies completely phased out.
Thanks!