Your points will not be valid for very long at all. We're about to be hit by
a tidal wave of MP3-capable CD players and related combinations of
technologies and features.
>MD is an audio storage media. It is completely self contained and capable of
recording live music via microphone or any standard analog line out and
TOSlink
or mini plug digital PCM audio.
MP3 is hypothetically capable of portable recording just as much as ATRAC is.
There is nothing stopping development of an MP3-based line of products that
does everything MD does. What is the near-future potential of MP3 and the
near-future potential of ATRAC or MD?
Remember, Sony's Bic-lighter-sized solid-state player plays ATRAC, with no MD,
and Real Audio is now starting to transmit ATRAC online, with no MD.
Dissolve "MD" into its features and subcomponents, and do the same for MP3
technologies, and we can see many new combinations. One of my main points is
that any new technology must be fully computer literate -- ideally, it can be
used in a self-contained system like an MD portable recorder, but also, if you
choose to hook it up to a computer, you can fully take advantage of the
immense potential of GUI and computer power.
>All you need is a tiny recorder, an inexpensive disc and almost any audio
source.
>
>MP3 is not a storage media. It is only a compression scheme that requires a
computer and if you want to be able to take the audio with you either a CD
writer
and blank CD plus a special player capable of playing MP3 files. Your choices
here are very limited.
Actually there is a greater diversity of choices for MP3 playback than for
MD -- many different approaches for portable MP3 players. Don't assume that
the solid-state Rio is the only approach out there now. There are Mini CDR
players, CDR players, microdrive players, compact flash players, and others.
>There is one car receive that I am aware of (there may be more, but they are
not very common). It is expensive.
Those points are valid for about the next ten minutes. We're about to be hit
with a tidal wave of MP3-literate CD players for home, car, and portable use.
With MP3 players, we see a much greater diversity of approaches -- MP3 player
makers are more diversely imaginative or experimental than MD player
designers.
>There a number of CD players that can play MP3 files, but again not many.
And there is less than a handful of DVD players (such as the Apex AD600A) that
will work.
>
>Many of these devices have had problems playing back home grown discs.
That is merely a criticism of 1st-generation technology, and doesn't carry
much weight for the near-future 2-year timeframe.
>The other option is to purchase a portable MP3 player. Now there goes
another $200 + or -. But you must get one with removable storage or it is a
total waste. So
you are paying about 50 cents to one dollar (USD) per MB. But you still need
a computer to transfer your MP3 files to the static RAM.
Your points are valid for yesterday's technology -- but what about two years
from now? The products coming out will make you look like you lack vision.
>MP3 is a compression scheme and really can't be compared to MD. You would
have to compare it to ATRAC. IMHO, ATRAC always sounds as good or better than
MP3.
>
>But this discussion is pointless from another aspect. I think that most
people will agree that MP3s burned on to CDs have problems. Depending upon
the type of player you have and the method that you used to copy the MP3
files, it may be impossible for some CD/MP3 players to play your CDs.
That point will not be as valid in a year or two.
>So we really have to compare only solid state storage to MDs, since at this
time considering size, availability of players etc., the only reliable and
readily available and truly portable means of listening to MP3s is on solid
state.
You're talking about the past, as far as I'm concerned.
>Until they make a Flash Card or Stick that costs about $2 for 200 MB there is
really no discussion.
What about the Mini CD-R players now being manufactured? In a month you can
burn your own 3" CD-R full of MP3s (I've done this) and play them on a mini CD
portable. This direction invalidates your point. A Mini CDR blank is now
$0.67 and should become $0.25, for 180 MB.
>If you want to state that solid state is a superior form of storage than a
mini disc, with the exception of price, I have no argument with that. Since
there is no mechanical parts in the player, it is likely to be much more
reliable than an MD player..
>You can shake it and it will not skip. And if some company made one, you
could have a device just like an MD player, except it would use a memory card.
You could still use ATRAC.
>
>Like someone else said, my computer can't drive me to work or fly me to
Europe. It wasn't made to do that. It's just that simple when it comes to
MD. It is an audio
device and audio media. It does that just fine.
MD needs to get better, which is why Sony is working hard on making it more
computer-literate. Compared to the MP3 way of doing things, MD stores audio
too slowly, often requires entering trackmarks manually, and requires manual
titling.
Any new compressed-music technology must be fully computer literate --
ideally, it can be used in a self-contained system like an MD portable
recorder, but also, if you choose to hook it up to a computer, you can fully
take advantage of the immense potential of GUI and computer power.
>LAS
I hope people are visionaries about the potential for various combinations of
compressed-music technology for the 1-2 year timeframe.
-- Michael Hoffman
http://www.amptone.com/audio
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