kip martin wrote:
> is anyone out there predicting MD is in death's throes? anyone on this list
> (with objectivity) see its demise around the corner? im just curious--im
> addicted and dont feel like spending $XX.XX on ram for on my cheesy iPaq.
MD kind of falls into it's own unique niche. Many formats don't make it
period. RCA seemed to be pretty �good� at introducing formats that failed,
like their �needle Vision� videodiscs.
The once introduced a kind of very large cassette in the early 60�s. But Mini
Discs caught on big time in Japan and had a small but steady following in the
US. The fact that we are finding less and less available at popular electronic
chains is not a positive sign.
I have never tried to sneak a portable MD recorder into a concert. But to be
honest, I don't attend that many concerts. But I can't really think of any
media more convenient than a tiny MD recorder. I don't think that bootlegging
concerts is a major market or you would have seen a lot more cassette Walkman
recorders.
With more portable CD players being capable of playing MP3 CDs, it certainly
doesn't help MD�s situation.
People seem to really like CDs. The popularity of the DVD is further proof of
this. Although the encoding and available storage may be much greater than the
CD, the physical size and appearance of the DVD is identical to the CD.
With CDR�s selling for as low as twenty-five cents each, you can�t beat the
price. They can hold standard CD style �files�, MP3 and any other type of file
that you can store on your hard drive. They keep getting faster too.
Like most people on this list, I really like MD. I think that the double
protection of a jacket and a sleeve is great for someone like me who is lazy
and tends to just leaving things lying around (in the case of CDs,
unprotected). But while I don�t see MDs disappearing I don�t see any growth in
the US, unless some major change is incorporated (while still maintaining
backwards compatibility).
Larry
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