While the news will prompt an uncomprehending look from 99 per cent of Brits, the few remaining fans of Sony's MiniDisc format will mourn the MD Walkman's passing when production ceases in September.
Last year, Sony canned production of cassette Walkman players.
The MD Walkman was launched in Japan in 1992, and that's one of the few places where you can still buy a player outside of eBay.
But not enough folk are doing so, and Sony is knocking MiniDIsc Walkman production on the head, Japan's Nikkei newspaper claims today.
MiniDisc was one of a number of formats launched to supersede the compact cassette, DAT and DCC among them. Only MiniDisc prospered as an audio format. DCC was quickly killed. DAT found a home not in audio but as a data back-up medium.
Having splashed out on CDs, punter seemed unwilling to buy into a second new format solely for mobile audio usage. Especially when cassettes were cheap and you recording your CDs to them was so convenient.
Nikkei says that, as of March, Sony had sold around 22m MD Walkman units - even today, with the shift to phones in full swing, Apple sells more iPods than that it in a single year.
Still, at a recording medium MiniDisc was a hit, and Sony will continue to make both discs and MD-compatible hi-fi kit.
I thought of getting a Minidisc recorder at one time but the format came and went so fast that it never happened. For years I held onto a promotional minidisc that was included in an issue of Rolling Stone, but I have no idea whatever happened to it.
Isn't it sad when new technologies become obsolete right in front of our eyes? I never got a MiniDisc player, but was always intrigued by them. Once recordable CDs became the norm, they seemed unnecessary, but one of my friends raved about his MD player. I got 5 MiniDiscs from a friend at Atlantic Records but was never able to play them. Is there a collector's market for them? Considering the artists (Tori Amos, Marc Cohn, Skid Row, and two others I can't recall right now), I doubt I'm sitting on a goldmine.
The MiniDisc, the Sony digital storage format intended to replace the audio cassette, only ever had limited success outside of Japan.
Though Sony will continue to manufacture the discs themselves, it will no longer make MiniDisc-based stereo systems. Other manufacturers are expected to continue to make MiniDisc players, however.
The company ceased production of the portable MiniDisc player in July 2011. The portable players had declined in popularity since the late 1990s and Japan was one of the few places where they could still be bought.
Sony launched the format in 1992, more than a decade after the first cassette Walkman. Like cassettes, MiniDiscs were recordable but they also delivered digital music quality.
Sony still produced the cassette Walkman in Japan as recently as 2010 and it still makes a small number of the devices for the Chinese market.
The Japanese firm has been struggling recently and chief executive Kaz Hirai, who took over the job a year ago, has been attempting to bring together the various divisions of the electronics and media giant.
At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last month, Sony unveiled its new flasgship smartphone, the Xperia Z. Last week, the company sent out invitations to a PlayStation event in New York on February 20 at which it is widely expected to announce the PlayStation 4.
I had no idea mini disc was still around. Like DCC, MD is lossy (though not as bad as mp3) & at the time the audiophile community (justifiably) pitched a fir about both MD & DCC. At least DAT was lossless (I still have a DAT machine, though I only use it for playback to transfer stuff to cd).
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I'd like to reiterate my question that I posed earlier in this thread, back in 2011. Does anyone know if there's a collector's market for MiniDiscs? I have five of them, all from Atlantic artists (including Tori Amos, Marc Cohn & Skid Row), and I'm not sure if I should scrap 'em or attempt to sell them. Hey, if Chew-Bops could become collectable, why not MiniDiscs? I'll gladly throw in a stick of gum with each purchase.
I've seen a lot listed at Amazon and eBay fairly cheap, like cassettes. Something for completists. Here's an Oasis MD at Amazon UK that you'd figure would be expensive there, but it isn't:
The Iron Maiden MiniDiscs -- Brave New World and Best Of The Beast -- are supposed to be the most coveted. But their eBay histories currently show high prices and no buyers.
I've seen a lot listed at Amazon and eBay fairly cheap, like cassettes. Something for completists. Here's an Oasis MD at Amazon UK that you'd figure would be expensive there, but it isn't:
The Iron Maiden MiniDiscs -- Brave New World and Best Of The Beast -- are supposed to be the most coveted. But their eBay histories currently show high prices and no buyers.
Thanks, Linda. I didn't even think there would be listings on Amazon. I'm surprised to see that the Oasis listing actually has new copies being sold directly by Amazon, as opposed to just 3rd party sellers. I'll have to do an individual search to see if any of mine are valuable. I know Tori has some obsessive fans, and I've got Little Earthquakes on MD, so that might be the only one I'll be able to unload. I can't imagine many obsessive Marc Cohn fans.
I've seen a lot listed at Amazon and eBay fairly cheap, like cassettes. Something for completists. Here's an Oasis MD at Amazon UK that you'd figure would be expensive there, but it isn't:
The Iron Maiden MiniDiscs -- Brave New World and Best Of The Beast -- are supposed to be the most coveted. But their eBay histories currently show high prices and no buyers.
Thanks, Linda. I didn't even think there would be listings on Amazon. I'm surprised to see that the Oasis listing actually has new copies being sold directly by Amazon, as opposed to just 3rd party sellers.
Oh, that's "fulfilled by Amazon" from a third party seller. I doubt there are any pre-recorded MDs left in Amazon's own inventory at this point.
I'd like to reiterate my question that I posed earlier in this thread, back in 2011. Does anyone know if there's a collector's market for MiniDiscs? I have five of them, all from Atlantic artists (including Tori Amos, Marc Cohn & Skid Row), and I'm not sure if I should scrap 'em or attempt to sell them. Hey, if Chew-Bops could become collectable, why not MiniDiscs? I'll gladly throw in a stick of gum with each purchase.
I mentioned this to a friend of mine who does have a collection. This is what he said:
My 3" CD site is still up: http://www.3inchcd.com <http://www.3inchcd.com> However, the format in question here is the MiniDisc, which is different. They are often confused and I'm curious which format this guy actually has.
I do have a couple of MiniDiscs. And although I don't have any Chew-Bops (Chu-Bops actually), I do have a few parody CDs that are made out of bubblegum from a different company. See attached. I also have one called Pop Gum (Top Gun parody). I was not aware of the Chu-Bops until now. And now I want these: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pair-of-Factory ... 460c7650b5 <http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pair-of-Factory-Sealed-Chew-Bops-4-22-Billy-Joel-Kinks-/300856791221?pt=Music_on_Vinyl&hash=item460c7650b5>
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Yes, a 3" cd single is totally different than mini disc. A 3" single is lossless & playable on most cd players WITH A TRAY (don't try it in your car, though)
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Yes, a 3" cd single is totally different than mini disc. A 3" single is lossless & playable on most cd players WITH A TRAY (don't try it in your car, though)
One of my major collecting Holy Grails is Pete Townshend's 1989 "I Wont' Run Anymore" 3" single containing a demo for "Dig" that has never been released elsewhere.
I have no recollection of the Pete 3". I do have several Zappa ones, and a Suzanne Vega. And I think one or two of the adapters that they snapped into for some players.
And some Chu-Bops.
_________________ Alan
"This is a true story, except for the parts that didn't happen." - Steven Wright
I believe this is the most recently manufactured MiniDisc deck, a CD/MD combo player/recorder by Tascam. It's beautiful, but you have to love '90s retro (I do) and also have the money to spare for such a device (I don't):
Talk about old technology, my car a 2007 Acura TL still has a built-in cassette player to go along with the AM/FM CD/DVD Audio player. Love that even this almost recent car still can crank out mix tapes if I choose.
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I believe this is the most recently manufactured MiniDisc deck, a CD/MD combo player/recorder by Tascam. It's beautiful, but you have to love '90s retro (I do) and also have the money to spare for such a device (I don't):
Love old technology. I still have 2 HD-DVD players! One's still attached to my Home Theater.
Speaking of which, I'm currently in an argument on ebay with an IDIOT who's angry that his standard dvd player won't play an HD-DVD. the listing stated 4 times, " HD DVD REQUIRES SPECIAL HD DVD PLAYER" "REQUIRES SPECIAL HD DVD PLAYER" "This is a HD DVD, NOT a DVD. It requires a special HD DVD Player." "This requires a special HD-DVD player. It will not play in a regular dvd player or in a Blu-ray player."
_________________ Putty Cats are God's gift to the universe.
Speaking of which, I'm currently in an argument on ebay with an IDIOT who's angry that his standard dvd player won't play an HD-DVD. the listing stated 4 times, " HD DVD REQUIRES SPECIAL HD DVD PLAYER" "REQUIRES SPECIAL HD DVD PLAYER" "This is a HD DVD, NOT a DVD. It requires a special HD DVD Player." "This requires a special HD-DVD player. It will not play in a regular dvd player or in a Blu-ray player."
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