I've read a number of posts on this board debating the virtues of CDs vs. cassettes vs. 8-tracks(!). Do any of you folks know much about MiniDisc? It has a lot of advantages over both formats, but really is an ideal replacement for cassette.

The disc looks like a small CD (uses MO technology) but is encased in a plastic cartridge and has a shutter that MD players move to read the disc (similar to a floppy disk).

The disc is rewritable. After recording some songs, you can move them around on the disc, delete them, add some more, start all over, whatever. You get random access to discs similar to that of a CD. You can even enter text for each song on the disc (like for artist/song title) and it displays on the unit while the song is playing.

You can record to an MD any way you can to a cassette deck, only you can record digitally or analog (like cassette). The discs DO use compression to fit an entire CDs worth of music onto a disc, but TRUST me, you will not hear a difference between an original source CD and a digitally-dubbed MD from the CD. The compression algorithm MD uses puts mp3 to shame, unless you are using mp3 at extremely high bit rates (and I'm talking 256k and up here).

Sounds great huh? The only real problem with the format is that you have to buy all new equipment to use it. That means for your home stereo, portable unit, and car if you desire. Any new format has this problem and that is why so few new audio formats are introduced (CD was accepted very rapidly because of the serious sonic benefits of that format...there can be no more similar advances because of the limits of human hearing).

Also, recording is normally done at real-time speed (just like cassette). That doesn't bother me, but in this world of CD ripping/burning and mp3 this is seen in general as a serious disadvantage. There are some MD decks that include a CD player and allow copying at 4x speed, but those are pretty rare.

I adopted MiniDisc about 3 years ago and the more I hear of the newer formats (even ones that haven't been released yet) the happier I am that I picked MiniDisc. It really is a very nice format and I just wish it got more exposure in this country (US) because I know people would be excited by what it can do and how it sounds. Heck, even the 20-year-olds I work with never heard of MD, but when I show it to them and explain all you can do with it they are amazed no one knows anything about it.

...and then they go listen to music with their portable mp3 player...grrrrrrrrr!

www.minidisc.org is the Holy Grail of MiniDisc information, but I would be happy to share more information if anyone is more interested in the format or has some questions about it.

I thought some folks here would be interested in learning more about MiniDisc, even if they have no plans for investing in it. If you make a lot of 80s comps you really ought to check this format out..

: I've read a number of posts on this board
: debating the virtues of CDs vs. cassettes
: vs. 8-tracks(!). Do any of you folks know
: much about MiniDisc?

Used them for at least 3 years at my University's radio. All the "Top of the Hour" liners we placed on mini-disk. In addition, I went and bought one of the portable player/recorders to capture songs from napster (didn't have a burner). This was quite nice because I could take requests and if I didn't have the music, I could simply use the radio's computer to link to napster, DL the song, and put it on minidisk... process generally took less than 10 minutes.

: Sounds great huh? The only real problem with
: the format is that you have to buy all new
: equipment to use it. That means for your
: home stereo, portable unit, and car if you
: desire.

Well I don't know about this. My portable player can hook directly into any standard stereo using the I/O sockets, and I haven't had any problems hooking it up to a tape adapter to play in my car, much like a cd-player. Granted, I can't compare the quality of it to a "built-in" MD player, but I really can't tell any difference between doing this and listening directly to the player on headphones...

: Also, recording is normally done at real-time
: speed (just like cassette). That doesn't
: bother me, but in this world of CD
: ripping/burning and mp3 this is seen in
: general as a serious disadvantage. There are
: some MD decks that include a CD player and
: allow copying at 4x speed, but those are
: pretty rare.

And bloody expensive... I saw one on sale at Sears for around $800+... I'll stick to my portable. I usually record songs to it while browsing the net anyway, so time really isn't much of a problem.

: ...and then they go listen to music with their
: portable mp3 player...grrrrrrrrr!

Heh, I'd never buy one of these. That's just silly.

BTW, as far as MD exposure is concerned, I HAVE seen it used in several movies. The recognizable example I can think of is in Last Action Hero. When the kid gets sucked through the movie in the back of Arnold's car, you see Arnold stick a MD into a portable player...

Jack

: BTW, as far as MD exposure is concerned, I HAVE
: seen it used in several movies.

It is a noticeable feature of the Japanese animated series "Neon Genesis: Evangelion" although I suppose that's more af a topic for hte 90s messageboard...

: Well I don't know about this. My portable
: player can hook directly into any standard
: stereo using the I/O sockets, and I haven't
: had any problems hooking it up to a tape
: adapter to play in my car, much like a
: cd-player. Granted, I can't compare the
: quality of it to a "built-in" MD
: player, but I really can't tell any
: difference between doing this and listening
: directly to the player on headphones...

Very true. But I don't think many people use a portable like that. I did until I bought a home deck..a nice way to try out the format until you're sure it's right for you.

: And bloody expensive... I saw one on sale at
: Sears for around $800+... I'll stick to my
: portable.
A quick web search yielded the Sony MXD-D3 for $237, and several places sell it more not much more than $250. You'll pay $300 at Best Buy, but might have to wait 'til it goes on sale. I have no idea why Sears would be selling a deck for $800! Sony's newest combo deck sells for $450 but it is a 5-CD, 5-MD changer. It also supports the newest MD feature called MDLP...essentially it is a response to mp3. You can reduce the quality of your recording and squeeze a lot more onto a disc. This is a feature I will never use.

: BTW, as far as MD exposure is concerned, I HAVE
: seen it used in several movies. The
: recognizable example I can think of is in
: Last Action Hero.
Also 'The Matrix', although you are led to believe the contents are video. I've also seen them in one or two other movies, but never really as an audio disc!