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Living With MiniDisc in 2003

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Those of us that love MiniDisc do whatever we can to continue to cling on to the format. Take me, for instance. Compatibility chased me away a couple of times, but I always came running back. Recorded music is more fun to listen to on MDs than on CD-Rs.

Unfortunately, though, I'm at a point where, no matter what, I have to have all of my music available for making quick copies for people when needed. I would love to use MD 100% of the time, but it just isn't practical. It's so much nicer to workout with an iPod, as well, so you can listen to several artists without stopping to change discs.

Of course, I never completely abandoned the format because I always use it to record live and radio programs/concerts. I will continue to use MD for that purpose until iPod can do it as well.

YET...I sometimes wonder if I should burn my recordings to CD-R, transfer to MiniDisc, and then store the CD-Rs for quick copying (when needed). This would allow me to utilitize MiniDisc more. What to do, what to do...a constant struggle w/ this incredible technology... I sure wish CD-Rs never became cheap and easy to use, then MiniDisc could dominate, and we'd have full confidence in the future of removable media.

Do other people have agonizing moments of finding ways to use MiniDisc as much as possible in their lives?

I HATE Sony for creating such a cool format and then doing everything possible to keep it away from the mainstream.

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Everyday dude, I feel your pain.

My solution is to have a laptop with every single of my cd's recorded onto it in a compressed format that Nero can decode for use with Dino's method. On the go, I can use m3u2sb and make a new minidisc in just a few minutes, anywhere, anytime.

Minidisc is the most addicting format...

The iPod is so damn appealing, isn't it? Sooner or later, I'll probably end up with one. The big problem I have with the iPod is that when you buy an iPod, you have ONE of them. If you lose it, you're screwed. If you want to listen to your music in your car, at the gym, on your home stereo, etc, you have to carry the thing around with you, thus increasing your chances of destroying it. However, with MD players, I have one in my car, one for carrying around and listening to, and one for recording...all three of the units and the discs costing less than a single iPod. If I was to buy an iPod, I'd probably lose it or destroy it within a year of buying it, and that's no good. Oh, and as you said, I love recording my music to minidiscs, and it just isn't the same with an iPod.

A possible solution for you is to buy a crapload of cd-rw's so you can keep your better audio on disc for quick copy. That way you won't have a million cd-r's sitting around.

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Guest Anonymous

well, if i felt your pain it would be wondering why your counties people never adopted any digital media other than cd until mp3 came out. if i use md in usa, i get strange looks. in europe it is if i am using a cd player. in asia, if i use a cd player it is almost :kakkoi: cool i guess because it is so old fashioned... like bell bottoms. md is not the rage of course because if something is so commonly used it is just normal. i never look twice at someone with md. maybe if they had 4... good luck to you in usa where technology is ever every slow and expensive

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I have news for you...cd is STILL the main format for audio and data here. People are slowly starting to use DVD's instead, I guess because they can put them in their existing DVD-rom drive in the computer. Everyone here is ridiculously stubborn about new formats, it's like they're afraid of anything that looks different (and they are.) Well, obviously not everyone, I'm a huge MD user...

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Guest Anonymous

Well, MD's not practical for everyone.

One problem is, nobody shares ATRAC on P2P. In fact, I don't know of any P2P apps that support ATRAC.

So right there, you see that for at least sixty million americans (an estimate of how many people fileswap), NetMD is not the way to go.

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I can relate. I've been an avid fan and promoter of MD for the last 4 years now... and I still think MD is the most versatile portable format because I know many people who don't have their own computer to use. But who doesn't have access to a cd player or other source that can be recorded via line-in? It's perfect for these people.

I have never been a big mp3 man but as of late I've found myself starting to want something like an iPod or the iRiver iHP-100... never cared to have all my music (or even a huge library of it) with me all the time, never liked mp3 much, but dang... the idea clicked and a light turned on and I'm wanting it now. It feels almost blasphemous and unfaithful to switch to another format when the one I have is still perfectly usable and one that I've put so much into over the years... agonizing is the perfect word to describe it, hehe.

I'm sure I will use MD as much as possible, it'll just be interesting adding another format to the mix.

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I've been using MD's since the MZ-R2 and owned various units from different brands ranging from portable players to recorders to MD decks as well as Mini HiFi systems...being a fan of the MD format since it's so versitile i've also been promoting their use for ages now...I've also own many other units such as MS Network Walkmans, SD Players and just recently the iPod...i must say convenient as these portables are due to their size (SD Player) and storage space (the iPod) it still won't replace the MD because they aren't as flexible in that they can't record from any source like MD can...

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Vinyl Forever! Hah, I've only recently come into the MD scene, and it's because I'm from America. People here have NEVER heard of mini-discs. Probly because they are so expensive compared to CD players, a generic CD player can go as low as $20, while a MD player is around $100 for a nubfriendly NetMD.

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it still won't replace the MD because they aren't as flexible in that they can't record from any source like MD can...

The iRiver iHP-100 (similar to the iPod) is a 10gb player/recorder with optical line in for mp3 recording... yeah it's not Atrac but its a step in the direction of the versatility of MD. By no means does that mean it has reached the versatility of MD, but it is an improvement...

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Vinyl Forever!  Hah, I've only recently come into the MD scene, and it's because I'm from America.  People here have NEVER heard of mini-discs.  Probly because they are so expensive compared to CD players, a generic CD player can go as low as $20, while a MD player is around $100 for a nubfriendly NetMD.

Ah yes, but I remember 6 years ago or so when the least you could get a portable cd player for was probably $60-$70 for a no-name budget model. $100 for a basic NetMD unit is great, you have to take into consideration that those $20 cd players don't let you record (but then, you can't buy prerecorded music for MD either these days now can you). If you consider that even 3 years ago the most basic MD available in the US probably went for around $170 (if I'm correct), it's nice to see one down at the $100 mark, which is about what an above average cd player will cost I guess. Also if people want to use that MD as n MP3 player it's pretty cheap compared to many of the alternatives, as well...

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Best decision I ever made -- buying an MZ-R500 2 or 3 years ago when I was looking for a more portable audio player. I was going to get a Creative Nomad or Diamond Rio but the $60 memory cards didn't sound too appetizing. The battery life was good, the storage medium was cheap, and i knew the RIAA would be pulling MP3 raids in the future, and I didn't want to be caught with 8 months of music on my hard drive either. As for now, I would still recommend MD as a portable audio format since MP3 players cost just as much and the battery life is longer and the storage is still decently cheap(er). I would recommend hard-drive-based players if : the hard drive and/or battery was replacable easily (seriously, what are you going to do if either one of those vital components died) and the if the battery life was greater than a single-digit number of hours :wink:

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have to admit to seriously disliking MD and DCC when I first heard them years back, although that was comparing two new technologies to absolute top-of-the-range CD and vinyl playback on top-end amps and speakers, so it was a bit unfair ....

But now, I've found that MD has evolved into a seriously well put together media and codec. LP2 can sound quite good, and LP4 is easily more than suitable for use whilst running/cycling/in the car.

Its definitely come of age, and I sure hope that Sonys next range of portables can push the product further.

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