[rauer]

The death of minidisc has been predicted for ages. Now it seems it is becoming more and more likely. Minidisc forum admins and other people with connections inside Sony are posting about Sony now getting out of MD and Hi-MD. Sources talk about 15 Sony branches/technologies/product groups being axed and minidisc is obviously one of them. A local (Finnish) Sony representative told a webzine Sony is stopping CRT TV production and getting out of plasma displays also. I wonder what else has to go. Someone mentioned Qualia line being discontinued but I haven't seen a direct link to that.

Link 1

Link 2

Link 3 (sorry, in Finnish only)

 

[Taphil]

I would have thought Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, MemoryStick Pro Duo, and Memory Stick Mini are things better off being killed.

Isn't MD the only cheap but good format and tool for recording, in terms of reliability, performance, and battery life? Or does Sony still not allow uploading of recorded files? We all know the iPod will never have anything better than voice recording quality.

 

[rauer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Taphil I would have thought Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, MemoryStick Pro Duo, and Memory Stick Mini are things better off being killed.

Sony together with Sandisk have introduced a new memory stick that includes copy protection. DRM seems to be the keyword in most things Sony does.

 

[Sparky191]

I like MD/HiMD but would never buy a new unit they are simply too expensive. However its only real advantage is analog recording. Theres nothing else that has the same recording functionality at the same price point. However in the cold light of day the MD/HiMD techology itself is pretty old and the obvious way to improve the device would be to make it smaller, flash or HD based and make it cheaper. Sounds like this new memory technology is the the route they've taken. However if you can pick up a good MD/HiMD unit cheap 2nd hand they are very useful if your into recording live or analog. Especially the HiMD units, where pretty much all the annoying restrictions are gone and you can upload your recordings via USB.

If you are looking for a portable player then MD/HiMD still has some advantages in certain scenerio's. Removable batteries, removable media, long battery life. If you were travelling for a long time and weren't going to be near a PC or a USB port then a MD could be a good choice. Personally I don't use my MD as a player anymore, unless theres something on it I've just recorded and I want to listen to it immediately. I find MP3 players just easier to use when I need a player.

 

[Superbaldguy]

Of course, as an owner of ten or so MD units plus a deck, I am concerned whether or not the format will continue to have any support. If Sony drops the ball, maybe Sharp might pick it up.

Sadly, it appears for those that do field recording and concert "taping" there aren't many alternatives out there for you.

TBH, MiniDisc was not created to integrate with a PC. It's sole purpose was to replace the audio cassette and offer a flexible, durable, removable media for those situations where portability is paramount. On that, MiniDisc was an overwhelming success. Then the mp3 generation came along and the youth didn't want to make recordings, so they turned to DAP's. Sony tried (and failed, miserably) to make the MD format work with this interface. It *could* have been fine, but was crippled by the software.

Oddly enough, many who go to the "dark side" of using DAP's from MD come back to it due to SQ, which is the bottom line, right?

We'll probably know in a week's time Sony's specific plans.

 

[phosfiend]

ouch, losing MD would be sad news - i'd be kind of surprised though, with SONY catering to the portable recording market with units like the MZ-M100 they are clearly ackonowledging the need ... only time will tell. Oh, and I'd love Sharp to pick up where SONY leaves off if that's the case, but i really doubt that will happen.

 

[LFC_SL]

Fantastic. I hope the Hi-MD units will drop in price like a bomb and I can get one

I only want one for mic recording

 

[South_Korean]

i guess this goes to show how few people know about the qualities of a mini-disc player. Mp3 is gona take over everything.

 

[blessingx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Superbaldguy TBH, MiniDisc was not created to integrate with a PC. It's sole purpose was to replace the audio cassette and offer a flexible, durable, removable media for those situations where portability is paramount. On that, MiniDisc was an overwhelming success. Then the mp3 generation came along and the youth didn't want to make recordings, so they turned to DAP's. Sony tried (and failed, miserably) to make the MD format work with this interface. It *could* have been fine, but was crippled by the software.

I was always under the impression the MD went through three distinct sales/marketing phases in which the only 'overwhelming success' was as a portable recording device. It may just be I'm bias as I can still walk into the Sony Meteron in San Francisco and buy recorded MDs with newest release dates of early 90s. It seemed to die the 'cassette replacement' stage at that point IMO (and said by someone who owned a R70 after). As a MP3 competitor (once people learned what MP3s were - Sonys chance was before), from a marketing perspective, it's failed miserably. This is solely Sonys fault. It's an unbelievable blunder that's all about a company diversifying to the point of internal conflict of interest. It's also very funny when a company gets so big it sues itself.

That said, it would be sad to lose MD. I'm not sure if it still makes financial sense for Sony, Sharp, etc., but it still has its use. Looks like we'll drift towards more MicroTrack-like devices soon.

 

[LFC_SL]

damn right blessingx. If Sony don't buck up their ideas, they'll also do the same to their MP3 DAPs

Mr Jobs must be loving it from his vantage point

 

[Superbaldguy]

The original purpose of the little round disc was to be a replacement for the cassette; with some attention to detail, Sony could have made the ultimate integration with a PC a reality.

Goodness, Sony didn't even have on-the-fly recording in manual mode until the MZ-R909. MDLP gave way to Net MD, which, in turn, was the predecessor to Hi-MD. The last three phases seem to be a direct response to the burgeoning mp3 market and DAP's.

 

[Csidinim]

I always thought the MD format was doing successfully in the eastern markets. Or are my impressions about five years outdated?

 

[Sparky191]

Well it could have replaced CD and cassette if they'd dropped the price and promoted it right. Instead they tried to be greedy and DRM everything and keep the technology to them selves. So in the end its Sonys own fault. Pity because its a nice format.

 

[Sparky191]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Csidinim I always thought the MD format was doing successfully in the eastern markets. Or are my impressions about five years outdated?

Popular in Japan only, mainly because theres no advertising of it anywhere eles. Last year how ever its dropped dramatically compared to MP3.

 

[LaBreaHead]

Remember, Sony announced recently it was cutting jobs (thousands) and even factories ... in such a case, something has to go, and if MD isn't generating profits or doesn't seem to have a future, that would be on the chopping block.

As an aside, best wishes to those Sony employees who get the axe. I've been down that road (twice). Sorry to inject a real-world note into these forums, which basically reflect prosperity and good times for those of us who can enjoy all this entertaining technology ...