bluesman77

Wow! If only minidisc could of generated this much buzz around 1997 or so. We all know that Sony mishandled it from the start. They should of touted it as a replacement for the cassette, but they didn't. They should of gave it MP3 ability much sooner, but they didn't. They should of defied the RIAA and the other divisions and killed off the DRM, but they wouldn't. Finally, when the 2nd generation HiMD makes so much progress towards functionality, they just give up on the format (or so it seems). I was in Best Buy today and the MD choices were getting pretty thin. Looks like they are just burning off their inventory. Of course the NANO's were locked up in a cage and in short supply because they can't replenish inventory quick enough. My son wants a NANO. It seems the MD is for for your Father's music. I regret not getting a MDS-W1 unit when they were available in the USA. I'd like to have a 2nd gen HiMD unit if I could get one on my budget. I have a MZR-50 unit that is a bit tempermental, but still functional. My JB920 rejects at least 10% of new discs probably due to a design flaw (slot too tight). The battery door on my E33 player broke from a fall. I mostly record stuff now to my hard drive and burn to CD when I need to. The CD is universal at least for now. The limitation of the older equipment that bothered me the most was the lack of internal storage to be able to move tracks from disc to disc - hence the desire for the MDS-W1. Wouldn't it be cool if Sony and Apple got into bed together and in exchange for access to the Sony music catalogue they cross licensed ATRAC and AAC. Imagine the possibilities. Drag and drop iTunes onto HiMD's. Load your iPod with ATRAC files. With 80% market share Apple is in the driver's seat and Sony is reeling so I don't forsee them making any deals. I'm sure MD will just fade away and we will be the only ones who notice.