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Thursday, June 9, 2011

Before there was iPod

By Bill Huiting


In 1992 Sony launched the MiniDisc (MD) as an attempt to replace audio cassette technologies. The MiniDisc was developed based on magneto-optical storage media that allowed for writing and rewriting of stored information. The truth that the data could be rapidly accessed with out the want to scroll by means of an whole tape created this technologies extremely promising for ease of use over the cassette. The data compression format known as ATRAC (Adaptive Transform Acoustic Coding) was used to allow the audio files to fit on the MiniDisc. In fact, at the SP compression ratio of 292kbps, 60 to 80 minutes of music could be stored on a single disk. Even at CD quality, 20 to 28 minutes of music could be stored on the MiniDisc.

The very first MiniDisc based machine was the MZ-1 recorder. The dilemma with this machine was primarily that it had a price of much more than $750.00. It had an optical line input, audio line input, and microphone input jack. It had an audio output. A number of the earliest versions had an optical line output, but this feature was discontinued. Sony licensed MiniDisc tecnhology to a variety of companies such as Sharp, Panasonic, and Kenwood. It was only a matter of time prior to all of these organizations had released their own lines of MiniDisc players and recorders. MiniDisc players had been also developed by Sony for use in the house and automobile in 1994. All of these efforts yielded no outcomes in North America and Europe, where individuals seemed content with cassettes for recording and CDs for music purchases. But in East Asia, the MiniDisc took hold and reigned as the top audio format medium through the rest of the 1990s.

In 2000, Sony launched the MiniDisc Long Play (MDLP) format. Within the type of LP2, the MiniDisc player could compress audio at 132kbps for up to 80 to 160 minutes per disc. In the LP4 format, the audio could be compressed at 66kbps for up to 320 minutes of audio per disc. But a big difference existed in how the stereo channels had been recorded between these two MiniDisc Long Play formats. The LP2 employed the exact same discrete left and correct audio channels as the original MiniDisc SP format, while the LP4 began the use of joint stereo encoding.

To maintain up with the new MP3 players hitting the market, Sony developed its NetMD for launch in 2002. The NetMD featured a USB connector for exchanging music files with a individual personal computer. Nevertheless, in order to use NetMD on your personal computer, you'd have to install their SonicStage (SS) software. Lots of people found that SonicStage was problematic. In some instances, it froze their personal computer systems. In other instances it used up lots of system resources, had file transfer errors, and put restrictions on how frequently files might be transferred. Though Sony swiftly came up with an update referred to as SonicStage CP (SSCP), which was more usable. Their reputation was so tarnished by the original SonicStage that several former NetMD users still won't buy Sony goods.

Other people do not use Sony products anymore since of deceptive claims Sony made about NetMD on the NetMD product boxes and on the Sony NetMD website. Sony claimed the NetMD would be able to play MP3 files. What they didn't bother to mention was that the MP3 files would not be played natively but would need to be re-encoded by SonicStage into ATRAC format throughout the file transfer process. This not just meant that the sound quality of the MP3 files would be tarnished, but also that file transfers to the NetMD could take numerous hours.

It didn't help that Sony did not supply excellent item information to NetMD retailers. All during this time NetMD retailers were telling their consumers that files could be transferred from the NetMD to their personal computers. Lots of people ended up deleting their original files on their computers following transfer only to find out later that they couldn't copy their NetMD files back onto their computers.

In 2004, Sony created a number of fixes and upgrades to their MiniDisc item line with the release of the Hi-MD. Issues for example USB two-way file transfers could now be done. For the very first time, recordings could possibly be uploaded from the recorder to the computer but only files that had been recorded in the Hi-MD format. But for several former MiniDisc clients it was too late, as too much damage had been carried out to Sony's credibility. Additionally to Sony, only Onkyo even bothered to make mini-component systems and residence stereos utilizing Hi-MD. But Kenwood, Teac, and Marantz still have MDLP systems on the market, although Hi-MD is backwards compatible with the prior MiniDisc formats. Hi-MD contains 1 gigabyte of memory and records in PCM, otherwise known as WAV.

In April 2006, Sony came out with the MZ-RH1 portable Hi-MD recorder. This recorder went the extra step, not just could Hi-MD recordings be uploaded but also recordings produced prior to the introduction of Hi-MD might be uploaded. Without blatantly admitting it, Sony was giving MD users the chance to upload all their MD recordings to personal computer so the files could possibly be transferred to other formats as the MD-age was now coming to a close.

A entire generation in East Asia has now grown up utilizing the MiniDisc formats. Many individuals have grow to be hardcore fans. Many individuals haven't discovered a viable option for creating real-time copies of music for replay with out requiring the clunky intervention and use of a personal computer. Many individuals now collect MiniDisc systems just as a hobby. But the MiniDisc systems live on in common usage since many people just wish to be able to grab whatever they hear to hear once more later.




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