PrinceGaz wrote:
>
>
> Unlike in the states, here in europe MD is catching on big-time. I doubt it
> will usurp tapes as the most commonly used recordable format but I am staggered
> by how often I see a peep with a portable MD player/recorder. Certainly in
> Britain almost anyone in the 15-40 age group I have spoken with are aware of MD
> and what it can do, and in most cases those who do not have MD gear are the
> youngest ones for whom it is outside their price-range. With so much MD kit
> floating around in europe, or at least Britain it's no wonder there are plants
> churning out blank MD's by the truck-load.
>
> What really surprised me, and continues to do so is how Japan, and Europe
> could really get into MD, but the states either ignores it, deems it useless,
> or something.
>
I'm not surprised. I really don't think that the US is ahead of Europe in many
areas. Many life saving drugs have been available in Europe for years before they
ever it the US market (and some never do).
Europe has always been the fashion leader. No one ever says, I'm wearing an original
Joe Schmuck. It is always an Italian, French or often English designer's name that
impresses.
The best handpieces (drills to most non dentists) come from Germany (Kavo). When it
comes to high end stuff, it is often Europe that is the leader. A Lincoln or Cadilac
does not compare to a Mercedes.
Even the machines used to manufacture MDs are made in Germany. One of the wisest
things that Europe did a few years back was to get together and form common
standards. If it has a CE on it that means it is approved for sale in all of Europe.
Do you know that the US and Canada even have separate standards. That's crazy!!
>
> I would really have expected new technology take-up to go sorta Japan ->
> USA -> Europe -> elsewhere, so what went wrong with MD stateside? I mean MD
> has hardly been well promoted here in Britain, actually the only official
> adverts for MD I have seen was a stupid Sony one, all of which I remember was
> a guy with a pigeon on his head. Hmmm. Maybe a group of roleplaying gamers
> are the geeky-inclined type but two out of the eight brought an MD portie
> and had it on the table as we played? And that doesn't count me- I live just
> 5 mins from the hall so left mine at home, but that means 3 out of 8 MD usage
> really. Maybe some of the others have MD too?
>
> And whereas when I got my R3, discs cost about ukp12 for two, and 60min discs
> were as common as 74min ones, now you can find them everywhere. Theres no
> sign of the trend reversing either, if anything, the amount of MD kit- be it
> portable or decks, or media, is continuing to grow month in month out up here
> in Newcastle, UK.
>
> One not so good sign is the availability of pre-rec MDs which has always been
> very low here, and at best has remained steady over the last two or so years
> though I sorta think it may actually have reduced. That maybe because I have
> seen the massive growth in blanks etc, and their tumbling cost, whilst the
> pre-recs have remained a pound or two higher than the same CD. Is it any
> wonder pre-recs have not caught on? You walk past row after row of CDs and
> if youre lucky, lurking in a dusty corner are the pre-rec MDs. After forcing
> your way through the cobwebs and blowing the dust away you find the same
> selection the other shop had, perhaps 100 different discs in total.
>
> I'm beginning to ramble so I'll shut up now, thanks for listening!
>
I don't understand how people could out up with those crappy prerecorded Compact
Cassettes. Yet they started to replace vinyl. Why, portability I guess. You would
expect the same with the CD and pre recorded MDs. But it has not happened.
They only reason I can see is that people can put up with the size of the CD. I'll
bet that if you compare a commercial CD and a prerecorded MD, the difference becomes
really small.
If MDs are catching on in Europe, they may start to grow in the US yet. As soon as
people here start to realize that solid state is not a practical storage device for
permanent collections, MD may have a come back. Certainly MD's ATRAC3 isn't going to
hurt either.
Larry
>
> PrinceGaz.
>
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