Hi-MD, Bye-MD?

[Gleb Erty]

I have read Kurisu email too about this discussion. Thanx!

AFAIK one of the most famous portable cassette recorders by Sony - WM-D6C - was manufactured up to year 2000. This is professional device for sure, but first devices with the same schematics and mechanics are now 20 years old and working fine. I think MD format will leave only consumer market - now people think more about size and ergonomics than about quality and dedicated purpose. Professional MD devices will be manufactured several years (and media too). Ten years ago Sony was already far more cheap design stuff oriented manufacturer then twenty years ago, so last decisions about minidisc are not a big surprise for me. Its a pity, but true - Sony needs to make things for _many_ people who don't understand _many_ things about proper engeneering and as a result we will get many flash- and HDD-based devices from Sony in the near future, useless for quality recordings and may be even for quality sound reproduction...

Edited October 2, 2005 by Gleb Erty

[roryok]

hmm, what about buffalo? they licenced the tech right? anyone knows what happend to that player? will sony force them to stop using the hi-md tech?

and if not, cant they fill the void, that is if they feel there is a market for it?

Maybe I'm bein dumb here, but don't other companies make MDs? I mean, none of the blanks I buy are sony ones, and I have a Sharp MD recorder at home.

Is there a chance other companies will pick up the market where sony left off?

No radio station in the world uses cart machines or Md units for jingles or adverts.

I live in ireland, both of our national radio stations use minidiscs. I guess we're not counted as part of the world though, right?

[technodeka]

hmmmm

Sony can stop to make it, but i'll never.

too useful for me.

My only fear is if i break it ...who will fix it for me/where i'll find another one with factory prices?

sorry my bad english hope you understand my question

[gem]

oh my god, say it isn't so. i am going to get soooo f---ing depressed if that happens. i swear, it'll really break my heart.

i was semi-screaming already when i received kurisu's e-mail to the minidisc forum members about this news.

[jazztheglass]

I haven't been able to read all of this thread, it's quite gossamer, and as well it should be. There are a few other companies that do make MDs, I recently moved to Japan and they are available anywhere that Sony MDs are sold...

Here's possibly what could happen w/ the death of the Sony MD: a 3rd party creates an MD without the cumbersome SonicStage interface, based on consumer desires and wanted features. Could that possibly happen?

I was =this= close to bying a Hi-MD player, but didn't because I wanted to save my money for a bit, now I'm glad that I didn't even though I was looking forward to owning one.

Truth be told, sony makes wonderful electronic equipment, but winds up destroying it's usability for the consumer with horrid crippling digital rights management... but you can't specifically blame Sony for that. Digital rights management is the catchall safetey net that keeps conglomerate representivies like the RIAA from lauding your product with the misnomer that it was designed to pirate music. Yes, the gist of it is that until the RIAA went bonkers about secure digital music, etc, these products probably would have remained DRM free.

The consumer has never needed these options, such as macrovision protection etc etc, but there was always a huge fear that each new technological itteration would destroy the previous means of entertainment dissemination, it's happened time and time again, and it's never ever been true.

I want to buy a Nano like I want a hole in the head, I detest Apple, I've read there is a new 2gig Sony netmd w/ LCD available soon, at least thats what I read in a few of Japan's Navi mags...

...but if companies have rights to make 3rd party versions of the MD now, I dont know why barring Sony why they shouldn't continue. It's a shame to buy into a product who's own original manufacturer has abandoned, but still, even if Philips stopped suporting the Comact Disc format, there would be other companies to pick up the slack.

If there is consumer demand, the product could continue into the future... perhaps without Sony involved, the consumer may benefit in the long run after all.

[simon.giesen]

Noooooooo! Damnit. Doclloyd is right, Sony should have advertised! How many more people would have gone Hi-MD vs. iPod if people knew that they could record with it. I guess if we get a new product with similar functionality it'll be OK if minidisc is dropped, right? Regardless, I won't be unloading my Hi-MD stuff right away.

Yes, I agree. Sony should do more and better advertising! Here in Germany everybody 's looking at the iPod family but only very few people do know something about Sony's products. I love Mini Discs and I had one - because I think solid state players and hard disk players will win the run to future. I got the Sony Network Walkman HD5 - a true iPod killer - awesome performance, handy and the battery life is just incredible AND it is using the Mini Disc ATRAC Technology. It bears 30GB of space, imagine how many Hi-MDs I would have needed to match this and imagine the price of the Hi-MD Recorders. Well, Hi-MD is a serious option for recording enthusiasts but I have to say again I have to agree with Sony that in a time where most recording enthusiasts own computers with fat sound chips and systems hard disk recording become more and more common. Afterwards one can transfer the results to the Sony HD5, connect it via Line Out to an amplifier or mixing console and voila...

[Tom Ellard]

One rumour mixed up in this conversation was that Aibo was going to be dropped.

Aibo is not dropped. There is a new model.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/breaking/sony-u...7804636205.html

Rumours are based on snatches of information and hearsay and obviously in the case of the dog, the rumour merchants are unaware of the developments taking place.

I'd pour a little cold water on this. We all have very nice MD units we are using now, and should just continue to use, and look forward to newer technologies that could be better again. SONY have some concerns at the moment and promoting the little wheels isn't really important at a time when thousands are about to lose their jobs.

If I was still desperately using my Amiga computer in 2005, refusing to use a PC because it was 'not the same', well I'd be silly.

[cool_hand]

I don't think we have to worry to much yet. I don't think mini disk is going to die over night. Sony still make DAT recorders and look what a small market that is. But it's inevitable that the future of recording will be hard drive based. That Nano is very appealing but I'd sooner have a NH1!

Edited October 2, 2005 by cool_hand

[atrain]

Minidisc are discontinued in Aust. It's more than likely these are being sold below cost to clear out warehouse space. Once they're all sold, there'll be no more himd media in aust. or they will be even harder to find and the prices will go back up.

the price had been around that as RRP for awhile. the decision to stop selling himd in australia shouldn't effect the supply of discs for the short -> medium term at least.

[Mr_Bass_Man]

the price had been around that as RRP for awhile. the decision to stop selling himd in australia shouldn't effect the supply of discs for the short -> medium term at least.

I was interested to note that when I looked an an item (MZ-N510) being advertised in this forum, the item itself being on Ebay.au that there were some 80-odd items being listed on the Aussie Ebay site under the MD category.

If you look at the corresponding EBay category in the UK, there are over 1000 items being listed at the moment, and some of the traders are in the Far East/ Australasia! (I have bought MD gear from both areas).

(Incidentally I picked up a "Sony Refurbished" MZ-N510 from a UK trader for £10 plus carriage, which is as good as new, and has to be good value in anyone's book...)

It would appear by that simple unscientific comparison that the Aussie market is a very small one.

I wouldn't have said, if you'd stopped me in the street and asked me, that the UK MD market was a particularly big one, but then again I am not in retailing!

[Alucard]

MD might die, long live ATRAC!

I had a MD player several years back, honestly, compare with iPod, it's a little inconvenient to find/buy music for it, I think that's why MD players are not as popular as MP3 players. But fortunately, all new Network Walkman models from Sony support ATRAC technology, it's like Minidisc players that support MP3/WMA/WAV formats, only the storage media changed, you don't need minidiscs anymore, the music is stored in flash memories or micro hard drives, we got every advantages of old minidisc players and, we got advantages of mp3 players, is that bad news for you?

BTW, I just got myself a NW-E407 yesterday, it's awesome!

Edited October 2, 2005 by Alucard

[Petter156]

I´m glad to see that so many old and new MD-users have decided to voice their opinions on the matter, hopefully someone important will see that community of MD users is very much alive.

And secondly; it´s not doomsday yet. A lot of posts in the thread cry about the death of minidisc, but so far we have no official information. Kurisu obviously knows something, but I would like to hear something official before I call the time of death.

[jadeclaw]

One rumour mixed up in this conversation was that Aibo was going to be dropped.

Aibo is not dropped. There is a new model.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/breaking/sony-u...7804636205.html

Rumours are based on snatches of information and hearsay and obviously in the case of the dog, the rumour merchants are unaware of the developments taking place.

Ok, when the pooch survives, then I guess, that MD is less endangered.

However, the biped one, QRIO could face a different fate, as that one isn't a regular product,

but with a very expensive R&D behind it. That one cost real money.

Oh, btw. if someone think, that we are crazy, you better look here ( From this weekends California Aibo-Meet.):

http://bbs.aibosite.com/index.cgi?read=49031

I just say: Wow.

I'd pour a little cold water on this. We all have very nice MD units we are using now, and should just continue to use, and look forward to newer technologies that could be better again.

And for quite a time. There are still fully functional MZ-1s ( first portable ) and MDS-101s ( first home-deck ) popping up on eBay, about four MZ-1 this week alone.

So, if well treated and maintained, expect 5 years or more of useful life from your recorders.

Just remember to remove the battery, when not using it for a longer time to prevent leaking.

And speaking of newer technology: I don't see anything now, that gives more bang for the buck than minidisc.

Maybe a BlueRay-based SuperMD in the future, in 5 or 10 years maybe...

SONY have some concerns at the moment and promoting the little wheels isn't really important at a time when thousands are about to lose their jobs.

And these thousands have quite different concerns.

Not all countries have a decent unemployment insurance, so for some it could mean: No Sony, no food.

To all: I say, we should wait for an official statement from Sony before doing anything.

Blind actionism doesn't help here.

Plus, there is another thing: Sony is a publicly traded company. Therefore Sony has an obligation: Fiduciary duty.

In other words: When a product or service doesn't become profitable in a reasonable time, then it must be scrapped.

Otherwise Sony could risk a shareholder lawsuit. And these are real nasty.

So becoming profitable again is surely more important than our worries...

[chrisclark]

I shoot large format sheet film cameras that are 100 years old. I use a WWII 35mm Leica that is a fabulous camera. I use 8mm, Super 8mm, and 16mm film cameras. Film. Not video. Other people still use reel to reel tape recorders, and I think that'll be my next step toward pro-audio. People also still use cassette and DAT recorders. Just because a technology is old doesn't mean it isn't useful. Radio is old, and we still use that too, don't we?

service and repairs and spare parts is a big issue. I recently spent close to $400 having the Sony agent repair an MD/CD deck

I'd like to be able to play my old reel-to-reel tapes, but where do you get spare parts (assuming the tapes are still playable ... probably suffering from print through

so, should we stock-pile MDs, players and recorders whilst still around?

[atrain]

announcements of corp. intention don't always mean immediate action either. current stock, inventory stock, manufatured parts & recoupable R&D costs aren't allways written off

just because the new aibo's been released doesn't mean it's not for the chop too. they may have been well into manufacture by the time the choice was made.

[chester]

I'm just now jumping in on this, as I am the entire board, but I love MiniDisc. I rarely use it anymore, as it's just easier to burn a CD and pop it into the player in my vehicle. I'm open to the new technology that Sony will bring us, but they shouldn't throw away the MD technology.

Hi Guys,

30 brand new Sony minidisc for sale ... $1.75 each postage paid to a US address . Paypal accepted . They are brand new in the wraper . It is time to stock up.

Contact john_petrucelli@hotmail.com

Oh wait, is this the classifieds? I think not. Advertise your stuff somewhere else.

Edited October 2, 2005 by chester

[petrucellij]

You Know,

Every one here is singing gloom and doom for the minidisc . The minidisc always had a nitch market . It did not appeal to the masses ...never did and never will . This was the same thing with IBM's OS/2 and Linux . You get these evangelists who feel that the whole world should use these devices and in reality people don't want to think how to use a device ... just use it.

Every one here bashes Sony , OS/2 groupies bashed IBM ... to the point of stageing protests . IBM put OS/2 into matainence mode ... as any one seen a copy in stores since.

Keep bashing sony , keep protesting to sony ... the Minidisc disk has had a 13 year run Sony has made a profit on the technology .... if users keep protesting Sony's move ... they will shut down the whole product line and support media FOR THE WHOLE PRODUCT LINE.

FOLKS those memory players , and HD hard drives have LESS problems and a higher profit margin than MDS .

So keeps the bulsh*t up with Sony and we will all be stuck with no MD media and not product support .

I hope you all as well as chester CAN understand this !! Critize Sony who is in a struggle for MARKET SHARE and they will elminate weak products such as THE MINIDISC .

ANY QUESTIONS ... CHILDREN ?

[Breepee2]

MD might die, long live ATRAC!

I had a MD player several years back, honestly, compare with iPod, it's a little inconvenient to find/buy music for it, I think that's why MD players are not as popular as MP3 players. But fortunately, all new Network Walkman models from Sony support ATRAC technology, it's like Minidisc players that support MP3/WMA/WAV formats, only the storage media changed, you don't need minidiscs anymore, the music is stored in flash memories or micro hard drives, we got every advantages of old minidisc players and, we got advantages of mp3 players, is that bad news for you?

BTW, I just got myself a NW-E407 yesterday, it's awesome!

Atrac is by far the least interesting aspect of MD. NOFI, but if you keep you're master-copies in Atrac, that's not particularly smart...

[LJM]

If we do see the end of Hi-MD (which I hope not, it beats the crap out of the Zen Micro I had previously), then I at least hope that Sony capitalise on the UMD format, and release blank UMDs for audio recording.

To be honest it would be stupid not to.

[flunx]

aiyaa!,

MD are not going to be made anymore? i have a friend here he works at sony, he said that just last friday there are many RH710 & RH10 are ship for US market.. but that is the second generation MD..

I get My first MD in 99, and the unit still working though there been an extreme abuse.. sadly i can't get RH10 on local stores due to sony pulled out the MD market for Malaysia,Indonesia,Australia,Thailand & Phillipines due to lack of sales. Ipod are very popular in asia pacific region and i can say everywhere! , creative for the budget users.

So sony want to drop MD, i accept it, it's already a goodbye in here MAL & someparts like australia, i can't accept it at first but what to do lorr, i want this format to be alive.. what do i have to do? what should we do to keep MD alive? does someone here could go to Mr. Stinger and having discuss about the MD?

and the last part is, since the format already dead here, and there are some of my friends here who in the MD service, help me repairing my MD NF810. since sony don't accept the format for servicing anymore.. if sony stop MD for consumer market, does the service stop to?

[jadeclaw]

Criticize Sony who is in a struggle for MARKET SHARE and they will elminate weak products such as THE MINIDISC .

ANY QUESTIONS ... CHILDREN ?

Exact my sentiment.

Or as we say in German: Irgendwann ist es auch mal gut.

[Alucard]

Atrac is by far the least interesting aspect of MD. NOFI, but if you keep you're master-copies in Atrac, that's not particularly smart...

im confused, i havn't used md players for years, so, what is the 'interesting aspect' of md?

[ynos]

long live MD!!!

[jadeclaw]

im confused, i havn't used md players for years, so, what is the 'interesting aspect' of md?

Simple:

1) MD is the only decent sounding cheap portable recorder.

2) Unlimited storage. Disc full? Just pop in a new one.

3) Higher reliability. Media is protected by a shell and I never had any disc failures.

But I had a lot of CDs fail in the last few years.

4) Higher running time per battery charge.

Depending on model, running times of up to 80 hours are possible.

Show me a HDD-based player doing that.

5) Cheap media.

6) Easy editing of recordings.

[dvadala]

The end may be near but the good news is that flashmemory players are attening a level of convenince

and reliability that will make the transition less painful than the switch from beta to VHS. Don't get me wrong

I'm with MD till the end (Just picked up a DHC-555 on E-Bay in March to replace one that coundn't be repaired).

ATRAC is the main advantage that MD has over all the other players even Apple's so called Lossless

Compression requires Octiv's Volume Logic Plug-in to sound as good as ATRAC at twice the bit rate!

Edited October 2, 2005 by dvadala

[The Low Volta]

im confused, i havn't used md players for years, so, what is the 'interesting aspect' of md?

well, recording... and that's all, but it is a lot!

indeed, the end of MD is relative (our current setups will last some time and media will be produced) and for all you "listen-only"-MD users out there not really being shocked by this unofficial announcement about the death of the format: I can understand you all, as there are a bunch of good (and crap ) alternatives for portable audio playback...but...

at this moment there is not one other decent/affordable portable recording device on the market

HiMD combined with SS3.2 gives such possibilities even though drag-n-drop would be even better, but come on: 1gb discs, PCM recording, unlimited uploads, converting to non-DRM'ed wav,... there is no alternative...yet

so while I am set for a couple of years, I was asked to advise a university department about decent portable recorders for recording interviews/lectures/and stuff to study, like musical performances... and now this... should I still say HiMD? I'd like to advise an alternative, but there is none!

PS: about the petition (not intended to "force Sony on their knees" or anything like that! I do not believe in negative criticism at all, but I do think it could be useful to let Sony and other companies perhaps know that the recording features and some other aspects of (Hi)MD simply are too good to give up) just check and post here

[tommypeters]

Well, there are 15 product lines needing changes. Minidisc is surely one of them. But Sony has given three alternatives for what could happen with these product lines:

* Drop it altogether.

* Downsize, concentrate on one or two models instead of several.

* Joint-venture, have someone else share development cost.

[moebius]

Well, there are 15 product lines needing changes. Minidisc is surely one of them. But Sony has given three alternatives for what could happen with these product lines:

* Drop it altogether.

* Downsize, concentrate on one or two models instead of several.

* Joint-venture, have someone else share development cost.

I agree on points two and three.

My history:

I loved the idea of mini-disc when it first came out back in '92, but I was, too young and too poor to afford such a device. They are much more affordable now, but the only thing they are competive in is battery life and size.

I got my NE410 because it could easily fit in my pocket, and I only had to charge the batteries once a week based on my listenening patterns. When the 1g Hi-MDs came out, I broke down and got the NH600D, because I figured I would be able to get by on putting in one himd disc for an entire week, which I can repeat a couple times and be perfectly happy with it.

I have had my share of joys and nightmares with sony products over the years. I would like to see the Hi-MD mature into a more competitive product, and letting either Sharp, or Panasonic, or AIWA, or whomever work with Sony to make it a better product is a great idea.

I can only see a market for four models:

1. a Hi-MD editing deck with Std stereo RCA in/out, Optical In/Out, USB 2.0, and maybe Ethernet connection, and high speed dubbing ability, also maybe XLR input.

2. a top end metal cased portable recorder for musicians and live music recording people a semi-pro model.

3. a decent usb device ala NH600D - a long battery life player(>40 hours) which can record via usb2.0

4. a car deck hi-md play only, maybe controls a mult-disc changer.

That covers it all.

Any more and they are really duplicating effort and they will end up skimping on quality, Shoot, they could even outsource to Sharp or Denon, or someone else to build it. They way the competitor could use the same internals, but add extra stuff like longer battery life, or less features,or am/fm tuner, or other different levels.

Shoot, I'd buy a deck, a car player, and a decent usb only device as I don't really do much live music recording, but I know that is a big market for them.

but that's just my take on it.

Edited October 2, 2005 by moebius

[jadeclaw]

* Joint-venture, have someone else share development cost.

I'd like to see that one, as it would increase choice, since other manufacturers would replace their lines with Hi-MD equipment.

Plus, that in turn would increase demand for 1GB-blanks, reducing their cost as well due to higher production.

And since almost every Hi-MD-unit has a USB-connector, it also would mean more revenue for the Connect-Store.

Also, it is known for a long time, that competition increases business, so all parties involved in such a joint venture profit.

The automobile industry is a good example for that.

But, there will be product lines, that have to go.

Analog shortwave receivers would be one, I can think of, since the whole world works actively towards digital shortwave,

so these will be obsolete in a few years.

And cathode ray tube tvs will go as well, I guess. Might take a year or two, but the market trend is clear.

The same could be true for video recorders. Dixons, a big british retail chain already stopped selling video recorders.

If you need one, you will get a DVD-recorder instead.

If I would comb through the whole product portfolio, I could come up with more possible candidates.

[smkranz]

Exact my sentiment.

Or as we say in German: Irgendwann ist es auch mal gut.

Hmmm, or as I remember my Mom used to say when the 'rents still spoke German in the house many years ago:

Es ist doch zum kotzen.

[Mewish]

Well, I get into MD and the format is already looking dead. Perfect time to get interested? You bet! I wouldn't be surprised if there's an official withdrawal from the US market, but it's far more popular in Japan. HDD players have no soul.

[Michael1980]

Can't say I am surprised. I mean IBM Thinkpads sold their biz alltogether, with all this competition product lines like ours are bound to give way to something mainstream.

[jonny mac]

I've read through this thread in it's entirity and I have to say I feel pretty bleak about the future of MD. I've only been using MD and HiMD for 2 years but it's certainly the best there is, not just for recording but also for playback: the quality is great and can't be bettered by anything else on the market.

Remember, we're still waiting on a statement from Sony and nothing is definite yet.

I am confident that MD will be available in some form for several years to come, although units may not be what we have become used to and may go up in price. MD may go the way of DAT but having said that I've only ever seen one portable DAT unit on the UK e-tailers and it costs £550, around $1000. I hope MD never ends up like that because it may be ok for semi professionals but it's no good for the amateur musicians and it's certainly no good as a walkman.

I think MD is entrenched sufficiently well in several markets that it will be around for a while. For all those fearing it will be completely withdrawn, don't worry. Recorders (and maybe even the odd player-only) will be around for at least five years and media will be available for at least another ten after that.

I have two HiMD recorders and one player and I hope that they will last me for a number of years. If MD is still the best option when my current units expire then I'll stick with it. As far as I'm concerned HDD and flash can't compete even as players, never mind as recorders.

Everybody wants a magical device that can hold all their music, sound great and be reliable. The companies producing DAPs want you to believe that that's a reality now but in truth it will never be a reality with HDDs. An alternative will have to be found, probably an ultra-high capacity optical medium of some sort. The wonder-DAP is at least ten years away but everyone wants to jump on the wagon now, even though most of the products are shoddy.

As far as I'm concerned HiMD is the best there is and I'll stick with it until it is bettered. I'll buy new units while they're available, suitable and not too expensive.

[neon_bikini]

> The way I see it, now the biggest threat to MD technology is MEMORY BASED mp3 players and Apple IPOD.

I've responded to discussions on this before, and I have still to hear a good rebuttle to "The way I see it".

Sony, take a page from Apple and make a music product that works WITH Apple and other computing platforms--not just with Windows. The IPod is both a music player and a portable, convienietn, hot-swap (firewire) external hard drive.

When HI-MD makes their product compatable to record music AND take a disk to a service bureau, that's a product I'd buy. With the comparative cost of $9 for a disk and $300 for an iPod there is a market here.

my 2 c.

xtian

--

Sony Walkman MZ-R900

[jrcoup1]

Hello,

I'm new to this forum and network and was wondering despite all this (admittedly fascinating) speculation, whether there's been a clear announcement from Sony about the future of the MD.

Are formats killed in a neglectful silence or with grand fanfare?

Any ideas / links / historical perspectives?

Cheers,

jrcoup

[asbx]

this sucks, i love MD and i love having a player with AM/FM(mz-nhf800) what else is out there with am/fm

[claretkid]

This is all very depressing. I have no less than 4 of the blighters - an original R 90 Standard only player, then an N10 followed by a Hi MD model (NH 1) only to be finally seduced by the MP 3 capability of the RH 10.

None of the machines is perfect, the N10 and the NH1 were the best looking and constructed, though the NH1 had poor battery life, needed the docking station to charge and had no external battery. The RH10 is basically sound but looks big and plasticky.

Sonic Stage has always been a dog and even in the MP3 compatible days it retains canine characteristics.

Having said that have you ever tried getting the tunes out of an iPod and back onto a PC? I had to do this when my daughters hard drive disappeared in a puff of smoke and she wanted to keep the 5GB of music that would otherwise have gone for ever.

I managed an amazingly complex solution which left the hassles of Sonic Stage way behind. For ease of use the Creative Zen is far better than the iPod; even Apple try to force you to buy stuff again when things don't work out.

Just hope that my units will last a good few years and that media will remain available. I have a good friend who still uses a full size analogue Betamax video camera for his home movies, and 2 Betamax decks to edit them with. The only difference is the final tape is now digitised to a DVD!

[alieninhead]

Here's an idea;

If you're gonna ditch a product..why not 'open source' all the technology? No more lisencing fees? How does that sound Sony?

[Menthol Moose]

Here's an idea;

If you're gonna ditch a product..why not 'open source' all the technology? No more lisencing fees? How does that sound Sony?

Although I ditched my MD a few months ago for a samsung 1gig player, I am sad to see it go. But Sony has its self to blame for many of the reasons HI-MD didnt take off. For me a huge turn off was the bug ridden sonic stage that made transfering MP3's just a torture session. With the samsung player its just drag and drop in a drive letter window. Uploading recordings was just as painful, and only after much feet dragging did sony give us multipul uploads and tools to do it directly.

Alot of the new generation of Mc mp3 players do have line in sockets. But the quality of the recordings is terrible. Is there any devices that can compete for the price and quality of Hi-MD recording ? I dont think so. Maybe sony will make a flash based recorder with excellent quality. But until then, thanks for the memories.

[crichton007]

It's not tough to see why the MD is going away. The software to upload digital files onto the player is difficult to use and hasn't gotten much better despite stated efforts to correct this. The players still only support ATRAC format (the transcoding has gotten faster though).

It seems Sony has always been just behind with the MD until recently. They were a less expensive alternative to other digital music players when you compared the cost to expand storage but the transcoding was slow and difficult. Then as players started catching up in capacity and ease of use instead of expanding to something substantial the Hi-MD came out which only holds 1 GB. The way I see it the only thing that could possibly save the MD is to increase the capacity to 20 GB or greater, support MP3s as well as whatever other music formats (WMA would be a good addition) and the software to upload music needs to get significantly easier to use.

I don't like to think this but I don't see any of these three things happening and thus the MD will die. How long has it been anyway? I first saw these things my senior year in HS...what...14 years ago?

-D