[PodMan]

just saw this over at minidisc.org.

1GB removable media and 8hrs of SP audio. Those are some strange looking units though. I hope Sony relaxes some of the current restrictions (uploading please!).

if Sony can retain the 60-120+hr battery life, shock protection, live recording capabilities, and relax their copyright restrictions while maintaining the price within the current range of minidisc units, then these can become very good alternatives to mini-hd players.

can't wait for more info to be released.

minidisc.org

 

[darkfusion]

Yeah, the info's just reached the T-Board too: http://www.minidisct.com/forum/showt...722#post206722

Those new units are looking pretty cool

 

[lindrone]

Kind of cool... hmm.. if we assume the mini-ipod is not going to be a reality... otherwise, yet another niche market product.

 

[Watchdog]

Wow, this will be interesting to see what features the lawyers at Sony will allow the units to have and how they'll price the units and media.

With the right features and priced well these units could take over the portable format. But if the capabilities are crippled to satisfy lawyers and the prices are high, well it may not be enough to save the dying MD format.

As for mini-iPods competing with this, well neither is available to the market yet and no one knows what they'll cost so it's a little pre-mature to speculate on which will be more attractive.

I've pretty much relegated my iPod to home use these days. The battery life sucks so much that I've gone back to using my MD for portable use about half the time.

 

[CHINABOY1021]

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this makes my decision harder and harder.

1. which flash mp3 should i buy now
2. should i wait for mini ipod
3. should i close my eyes and pick
4. should i wait for sony 1gig md
5. should i just stick with my current player

i hate decisions. cant technology slow down for 1 month?

 

[Tim D]

Hardware has never been an issue with Sony...its going to be the software and self-imposed restrictions that is going to bog them down as history has shown again and again. Ask people on the street and people will know what iPods or Mp3's are while most will have no idea what MD or ATRAC is.

When it comes to long play hours and multiple G's, organization and interface is essential. Apple already has that down pat...Sony's...well at least they can auto-mark tracks, dub at higher speed with additional cost in hardware, and maybe transfer CD-text to which to this day I don't think I've seen a CD with it enabled... hmm, a bit behind the times don't you think. And even though Sony does computers too...its actual operating software is going to be a joke compared to what Apple can and has done. Apple is going to be able to produce much better software for Mac's, thats a given, but they IMO are able to create much better software for the PC as well, humorous being that Sony is also a PC vendor. iTunes is pretty damn good regardless of what platform is running it...while Sony's ATRAC software...uhhh what is it called again? Exactly, its forgettable.

The iPod can playback both Mp3 as well as the proprietary AAC it uses, as well as a few others. If the Sony can only do ATRAC it is doomed. If all it can do is convert to ATRAC from Mp3 it is still crap. We all know it is possible for an MD player to also be a TRUE mp3 player if they did not have self-imposed restrictions. Sony is also Sony Music, and thus they always try to tie down the software to the hardware. An MD disc is just storage just like a harddrive or CD-rom...it is Sony that keeps it tied down to ATRAC for mostly copy protection reasons(which is again pointless since that means copying will just be done through other means and actually strengthening competing standards). This gives other competitors a big advantage since they treat hardware and software as they should.

I am hoping that Sony is actually seeing in what ways they need to *fully* compete with Apple...but more than likely I have a feeling the 1 GB MD disks are definitely going to be tied down some way or another.

Apple works in perfect harmony with its product line and divisions. Sony is fighting with itself over electronics, music, and computers.

Sony is great in hardware though...and actually this debut is not really proof of it, since this 1G MD R&D and technology existed in Sony's hand many years ago. My bet is they still won't play their cards right.

 

[Onix]

Quote:

Originally posted by Tim D Sony is fighting with itself over electronics, music, and computers. Sony is great in hardware though...and actually this debut is not really proof of it, since this 1G MD R&D and technology existed in Sony's hand many years ago. My bet is they still won't play their cards right.

I agree, Sony is like the Hydra, but with all it's heads in disagrement. Anyway, remember they already have an ATRAC and MP3 discman. With any luck, this new players could be multiformat too. But the lack of information about them doesnt seem to point out in that direction.

 

[Tim D]

Meh, they have some ATRAC/Mp3 CD players only after everyone and their grandma already made Mp3/CD players...waiting til the likes of Coby already produced some, thats pretty sad. Its called too little too late. They have the R&D and resources to lead markets, but now they are following instead of leading. Pretty ridiculous seeing as it was just plain obvious where the market was going. Burned CD's are old news anyhow, producing new hi-tech media that could be used to lead the digital portable music market is much more proactive, exactly what would put them in the lead, but exactly what Sony Music et al. would hate.

And yes this technology existed years ago the moment they already had 1G MD's being used for their digital camcorders(compressing/decompressing realtime video is a more difficult superset of just audio requiring more resources actually). They had the hardware, and the codecs (ATRAC + Mp3), and most importantly huge market demand was already there...they only hindered themselves in the time it took to put it together in the order of years. Sony's current market strategy as far as this arena is concerned is like a child wanting to get or do things under an over-protective mother until the child resorts to saying "but ma, all my friends are already doing it!". The child being R&D or Sony Electronics vs mom being the bigwigs or Sony Music.

 

[Onix]

Quote:

Originally posted by Tim D Meh, they have some ATRAC/Mp3 CD players only after everyone and their grandma already made Mp3/CD players

Yep, my grandma already has her Iron Maiden albums on MP3. Anyway, it's a shame Sony is in the hands of keeping their music under control, using SMDI (or whatever the acronim is), and touting a format that's used perhaps only by a few outside the minidisc community. But that's Sony. Maybe when the other MD makers get this technology they try and expand it more than Sony.

 

[Dweebgal]

interesting to say the least.

however, i dont think i could be persuaded to go back to MD, even with this happening, for a few reasons.

1.wimpy outputs on sony units, even more so in europe
2.i doubt it will support any other format but atrac, which involves converting files during the transfer process, which is what slowed netmd to a crawl in the first place. also, yuk, transocding.

3.the nightmare that is sony software and copy protection.


i'm personally going to see what apple can offer with the mini-ipod, if the battery life on it suxxors (which is more than likely going on past experience, dammit 8 hours just isn't enough!!!) otherwise i think it'll be a creative muvo2 4gb for me.

 

[iPodophile]

Tell me again why I'd want to buy a digital music device that wont play my WAVs or MP3s, when I can buy an iPod that does play those formats, has at least 10x the storage capacity and probably even costs less?

Sony will never make a good digital music player, because they're also a music recording company. That's like expecting Nintendo to start making a mini-dvd burner for creating game back-ups.

 

[austonia]

my money says Sony just gives us more of the same.

proprietary
exclusionary
expensive
restrictive

why would they have a change of heart now?

 

[lindrone]

We will know 'bout the mini-ipods (or the lack there of) soon.. in a few hours...

This 1GB MD thing reminds me of how Sony botched "memory stick" as well.. introducing like, 3 different memory stick formats within 2 years.. Anyone know if any of the 1GB MD is backward compatible? Do you need a whole new set of recording and playback gear to make them work?

 

[lan]

Quote:

Originally posted by Watchdog well it may not be enough to save the dying MD format.

Funny thing is people always said MD was going to die many years ago. Sad thing is with alternatives out now, it very well may. If they could only make MP3 players as sleek as MD players....

 

[iPodophile]

Up until 2002, Sony still made Betamax players. They just don't know when to quit.