[Huxley]

 Looks like it's the final chapter for what i feel is a good system
 
Sony has announced it is to deliver its last MiniDisc stereo next month.
It marks an end to the firm's support for the system which it launched in 1992.
The format only ever had limited success outside of Japan and was ultimately doomed by the rise of recordable CDs and MP3 players.
 
 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-21297024

 

[svt time]

End of an era. Tis' a shame. Won't be missed by myself though.
Thanks for posting!

 

[volumeup]

i "used" to have a mini disc player..

 

[minami]

Hope Sony will once again climb up to the top of hifi equipment manufacturing, Sony had tried to promote hifi audio equipment for decades, but their effort has died in vain because of ipods and apple earbuds.

 

[minami]

Quote:

i "used" to have a mini disc player..

I still remember Sony's portable CD/mini disc player that is of the same size of a mini disc player but has a movable laser unit which makes it able to read regular size CD's whilst exposing most part of the CD outside the player. I had a lot of fun with it for quite a long time.

 

[Happy Camper]

I used it for a while for an A/D converter and it worked great. Also delivered a digital out. I loved it on long journeys. I still have it and many discs.

 

[shigzeo]

I think I was one of the most active MD supporters back in the day. I've moved away happily. 2004's iPod 4 changed my mind quite soundly.

 

[blackstone]

I was always a heavy user of MD, even when mp3 player became the rage.  the only reason I switched is that some stole nearly all my MDs from my car.  Since then I have soley used Sony mp3 players

 

[shigzeo]

Inept reporting again from BBC, though. Minidisk was extremely popular in the West. I have no idea about Britain but in Northern Europe, I knew more people with MD than with any other portable device - until the iPod showed up.

 

[Kizu]

Yeah also in that era we appreciated music and capazity more then now.

 

[shigzeo]

My being an MD user through 2006 is probably what makes using a 512MB iPod shuffle 1 gen perfectly apt. I do not long for all 200 of my albums to fit in my pocket, nor do I search for music to fit a mood as if it needed to be fulfilled. I fill the 512MB iPod on Monday, maybe change it on Wednesday, and enjoy. I become intimately familiar with my favourite music, and change when I've had enough. 

 

[TheGrumpyOldMan]

After a bit of experimentation with portable DAT, I settled for MD recorders (who actually bought player-only models?) for a few years... mostly Sharp in my case, they seemed to be almost as big as Sony in that area in the day.
 
Before MP3 players matured enough and I switched over... and I think I didn't jump on the iTrain (& Apple) until the 2nd generation Nano, and later the 6th gen "Classic" when the tracks really started piling up... Which reminds me, I should really transfer a couple of discs while I still have a working player somewhere.

 

[shigzeo]

I was one that never bought player-only models, but being really really into that world, I can tell you who bought them: 1. People who had component systems for their HiFi's. They recorded with a home or professional-level players. 2. People who wanted something smaller, lighter, with better battery life, and often, simpler design. 3. Some people suggested very seriously that player only models had better sound quality. This was the norm for about 8 years. 4. People who collected. Here we have people who collect portable MP3 players. Same thing has been going on for decades. Transferring disks: if you have Sony's latest recorder, you can optically transfer, but no matter the transfer method, you will experience losses associated with transcoding. They will still sound good though.

 

[Hutnicks]

Still have two. Still a better sounding format than mp3 ever was. Using the MZ  S1 right now. 40 hours playback on a single AA cell, I'll run this sucker until it dies
 
 Shame they completely killed of support for the software as well.
 

 

[gikigill]

Still going strong here with optical recording (SP mode) and plenty of recorders and players to last me 2 lifetimes.

 
The minidisc does seem to have a real smooth sound. I could never like the iPods, no matter how much I tried.
 
DRM killed MD more than anything else. The latter gen Hi-MD units with digital amps are the bomb and few can match up to the Auvi units.