We need a full size Minidisc Recorder

[Mark Edson]

I've used MD from 1998 till this day, My first recorder was a Sony 520 that I had till 2010 & when I looked on the net they had stopped making a new full size MD Recorder I do have some portable Net & HiNet recorders but like others we still have our HiFi's and minidisc replaced cassette over night & is still the best home recording format out there, Sony need to make a new full size recorder for us HIFi nuts that love the MD format I have over 1000 mindisc's and 8 full size MD recorders, This I do know if Sony made say 1000 units they would sell out over night a plus would be a HiMD full size recorder.

 

Sony has forgot about us that have full size hifi that love the format just because the portable format was killed off my apple does not mean that Sony should kill off the MD as the last full size MD was the MDS-JB980 UK SE

[MDX-400]

Hate to break it to you but Sony will never make another MD anything except perhaps blanks and accessories, at least not in the near future.  Sony is in enough [financial] "trouble" as it is, they're not going to go and put resources into making a new unit for a dead format that was a niche format even in its heyday.  Yes they have returned to profit now, but it's for the first time in like 5+ years.  They're still making structural changes--they've sold off their VAIO business and will make further changes in the near future (Bravia TVs will be spun off into a separately-branded division for example).  Only thing they're really making big $$$ on now is PS4 and that's probably going to be their main focus for the coming years while they continue to axe or restructure losing or less profitable parts of the company.

 

Most MD manufacturing and development ceased years ago, with nearly all of it ending in 2011.  Sony only announced the total end of shipping MD units about a year ago, a decision it's not going to just reverse all of a sudden.  it would cost them more money to make 1000 MD units than they'd ever get back from them, unless they charged an exorbitant price for a cheaply made unit.  Sony is simply not in a position to fool around with MD anymore.  TBH from a business point of view it makes absolutely no sense for them to do that, especially with the company's current position.  I'd imagine any exec that tried to green-light any kind of MD production today, would be fired tomorrow or get lynched by shareholders lol.  Perhaps in the future they may have some kind of anniversary model but I doubt it given the anniversary models are already done with (N10,E10) and Sony never revived any other formats after they died (they've never made a Beta anything since 2002 and like MD it had died in practical terms a few years prior to that). 

 

Anyway my advice would be to look into just getting a nice second hand unit (and really you can even find NIB/NOS units from time to time).  For HiMD you're kinda screwed in that there was only that Onkyo one (actually might have been two models?) and I can't imagine those being had for less than several hundred.  Instead I would look for a JB780 or JB980 if you want a fairly nice deck with NetMD.  Obviously JA333ES prices will be in the sky and no NetMD there anyway.  JE480s can probably be had for cheap but looks like you're trying to find a better deck than that.  Definitely don't keep your hopes up of Sony producing any new MD products anytime soon.

[sfbp]

Moved to loft. Not really classified, and not what is intended by corporate.