Overview

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• A MiniDisc (MD) is a disc-based data storage device intended for storage of digitized audio.
• The recording is performed by a magnetic recording head,
  and requires an increased amount of (battery) power (laser in write mode).
• The playback is done by the laser alone, similar to a CD player.
• The technology was announced by Sony in 1991 and introduced January 12 1992,
  and is capable of storing any kind of binary data.
• It is based on ATRAC/ATRAC3, using various bitrates, and sampling directly from the analog input.
• It includes a digital rights system for recording from the digital (optical) input.
• Some modern recorders have USB connectors but require special software for operation.
• Standard discs can store 80 minutes of recordings (or indeed a few minutes less).

Market history

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Along with Philips and Matsushita' Digital Compact Cassette (DCC) system, the MiniDisc was targeted as a replacement for analogue cassette tapes as the recording system for Hi-Fi equipment but, as a consumer format, MiniDisc has met with only limited success, though it has enjoyed a loyal niche following in some circles. It did not catch on in the U.S. and Europe as well as Sony had hoped; in Japan, it is still relatively popular, though quickly being replaced by flash and HDD-based audio players like Apple's iPod. The low initial uptake of the format was attributed to the small number of pre-recorded albums available on MD as a relatively small number of publishers embraced the format. The initial high cost of equipment was also a factor. The pre-recorded disks disappeared from the market rather suddenly — coincidentally, once the cost of a blank disc plus the cost of the compact disc version became less than the cost of the equivalent pre-recorded minidisc.

The company avoided the mistake that it had made in the 1970s with the Betamax video recording system, and this time licensed the MD technology to other manufacturers, with JVC, Sharp, Pioneer, Panasonic and others all producing their own MD systems. In recent years MiniDisc has faced new competition from CD-Recordable, solid-state memory recording (flash memory), and hard disk recording, while the popularity of traditional cassette tape refuses to wane in certain quarters. MiniDisc is widely respected as being a very reliable format when it comes to portable audio storage, such as field recording.

More on [ MiniDisc ]

NYT > Music

Music Review | Cubic Zirconia: Late at Night and Hard at Work
By JON CARAMANICA Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:52:31 -0000
Cubic Zirconia played a ragged but charming release party for its debut single, “Funk Work” (The Savant Guard) on Thursday night at Santos Party House.
Arts, Briefly: Algerian Singer Sentenced to Jail in France
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A French court on Friday sentenced the Algerian singer Cheb Mami to five years in jail for abducting a former lover and trying to force her to have an abortion.
Arts, Briefly: Strong Sales Continue for Jackson Albums
Compiled by BEN SISARIO Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:49:59 -0000
Michael Jackson’s run on the charts is not over.

NPR Topics: Music

Johnny Cash's 'Big River'
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:45:00 -0400
Classical violinist Mark O'Connor's boyhood hero was a country musician. O'Connor says that he'd spend hours on end learning the songs of Johnny Cash — and to this day, his great passion is the tune "Big River."
Poetic License Raises A Star-Spangled Debate
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:51:00 -0400
Rene Marie grew up in the segregated South, and has become one of the few jazz singers today whose talent and devotion to social issues have both won her attention. Case in point: her personal take on the national anthem.
Guitarist Julian Lage On Piano Jazz
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:09:00 -0400
Guitarist Julian Lage is a true jazz prodigy. Discovered by Gary Burton when he was just 12 years old, Lage has since played with Herbie Hancock, Joe Lovano and Carlos Santana. Lage shows off his amazing technique and improvisatory abilities on "My Funny Valentine" before teaming with McPartland on "You and the Night and the Music."

Rolling Stone: Features

"Play" 10 Years Later: Moby's Track by Track Guide to 1999's Global Smash
Wed, 01 Jul 2009 03:32:40 -0700
How scratchy field recordings, Gwen Stefani and a Leonardo DiCaprio flick transformed him from a "has-been" into an international star When Play was released, I kind of thought my career was over," says Moby. He's speaking from the sparse, utilitarian Manhattan studio where he recorded the 1999 smash in the years before the walls were dotted with awards documenting its 10 million copies sold. Play wasn't the first album to make a rock star out of an insular techno nerdnik, but it was the first to make one a pop sensation. An effortless blend of atmospheric swoops, block-rocking beats and bluesy a cappellas nicked from...
Michael Jackson: The Essential Playlist
Fri, 26 Jun 2009 08:05:16 -0700
Look back at the King of Pop's remarkable career in Rolling Stone's archives. Check out photos, cover stories, album reviews and more at our Michael Jackson hub. Culling a playlist from an artist as estimable and...
"Not Like Other Guys": Rob Sheffield Remembers Michael Jackson
Fri, 26 Jun 2009 02:23:44 -0700
Look back at the King of Pop's remarkable career in Rolling Stone's archives. Check out photos, cover stories, album reviews and more at our Michael Jackson hub. The night Michael Jackson died: a street corner in...

News @ Ultimate-Guitar.Com

Foo Fighters Head To DC To Rock White House Fourth Of July Bash
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:35:33 -0400
The Foo Fighters will take a short break from their extended hiatus when they play a very special Fourth of July party this Saturday at the White House.
Deep Purple Ordered To Pay Royalty To Themselves
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:31:11 -0400
A Russian court has fined Deep Purple for "illegally" performing their own songs.
Jason Newsted: 'I Don't Think It's Proper For Sepultura To Go On Without The Cavaleras'
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Former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted believes that it's not "proper" for the band to carry on without either of the founding Cavalera brothers.

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