MiniDisc Page

MiniDisc Page

Summary:

Minidisc is mostly a compact audio disc format, the data format did not take hold well. It uses a lossy compression scheme called ATRAC (Adaptive Transform And Coding I think). The disc itself is in a cartridge that is slightly thicker than a floppy disc, yet is 2.5" in size, rather than 3.5". The smaller players can fit in nearly any shirt pocket. I have yet to skip my player, and trust me, I have tried. My player has 10 seconds of electronic skip, but the constant shaking and thumping that skips CDs - even with electronic antiskip after you exhaust the buffers - just do not seem to faze MDs. I have recently figured out how to skip my player, it takes fairly solid hits in rapid succession

Players:

I have purchased the Sony MD BUNDLE 6, which includes a Sony MDS-JE330 and an MZ-E33 MD Walkman. The MD Walkman is 8cm x 9.5cm x 1.5 cm thick. For the silly Americans in the audience, that is about 3.13 x 3.63 x 0.63 inches, and there are players available that are even smaller.

Copy Protection:
SDMI, but this also applies to newer MP3 devices, as well as DAT and CD recorders. Maybe I'll write more on this later.

Competition:
The DAT, cassettes, CDs and MP3s are all effective competition for MD. I have found that MD equipment to be reasonably well available. Some players are unbelievably small. I have found CD players too large and discs too fragile to handle. MP3 players are available, but are still a step back in portability and price, as well as the inability to handle multiple hours of audio at a cheap rate. I guess the current form of DAT isn't very portable due to the reading mechanism, or so I have read, I guess because it involves more moving parts than the tape recorders, so it is less efficient?

MP3 Positives:

  • Typically solid state storage on portable units, very low power usage.

    • MP3 Drawbacks:

  • A drawback to portable MP3 players is that you are tied to a specific computer program and platform, the time it takes to rip and compress the files is still large, unless you intend to share your files.
  • No standard memory or cartridge format
  • Most portable players use EXPENSIVE flash cards
  • Present portable players cannot record
  • Equipment not as common as MD, and do not have the selection

    • MD Positives

  • Standard, cheap & rewritable cartridge format, I pay about 1.50$ per disc in lots of 10.
  • (vs. CD) media has a protective case
  • For the price of a good MP3 playback only unit, one can get a portable MD recorder
  • Modern portable units can last 10-20 hours on a single 'AA' battery, depending on the unit

    • MD Drawbacks:

  • Mechanical storage, needs laser pickup.

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