From: "qukza" <>
>>> My hope for the format is a new HHb Portadisc. Pro equipment for field
>>> recording of original material. It's clear that consumer portables of
>>> the future will be oriented mostly toward the individual song sales
>>> market. Driven by copyright worries.
>
>
> I think that's the big problem with MD that won't go away. It's tied
> to Sony, a company with conflicting and unresolved commitments.
Yes, one of their strong commitments is to quality electronics,
something I can't say about a lot of the companies in the field.
They have also continued to support MD. One of the few recording formats
independent of computers. Yes they developed it and brought it to
market. And they continue to work on it.
I hear this silly business that Sony owns music so that they will
automatically cripple their electronic products to favor their music
subdivision. Such a business decision would get a CEO fired, they work
on profit for all divisions, including their mainstream business of
electronics.
What drives the copyright thing is the recording industry itself through
it's organizations, and it's supporters in government. Sony has had to
fight costly legal battles with that bunch, and I don't blame them for
not being too eager to continue to pour money into that. Especially as
in every one of those battles, all the other manufacturers waited for
Sony to win, then introduced the same or competing products without
having to pay all those legal fees. The reason why you can record video
at all is because Sony defended beta. Look what that got them. I doubt
that they managed to recover their legal fees there.
If we want good recording equipment that's not hamstrung by the
recording cartel, then it's high time we made that known politically.
Otherwise the future is grim. How soon before you have to have a license
from the recording cartel before you can buy pro equipment? It's not too
far fetched for that to happen. Don't expect companies like Sony to
fight your battles, they are dictated to as to what they can build.
> No kidding. It won't be long before a 1GB CF card is below $50. They
> were selling on Amazon for $130 the other day and the price is halving
> every year. There is going to come a time in the not too distant
> future when the cost difference between a 1GB CF card and a $7 1GB
> Hi-MD disc will be insignificant for most users. Agreed, it is not an
> archive medium, but there are lots of good options for that.
I suppose the cards will continue to go down the same way gas has. I'd
not count on endless lowering of prices. I'd count only on the prices
now. I'd not even count on a older format like CF being around. There
are newer, better card formats.
It may not have been noticed, but MD media prices are also lower. HHb
MD's are far less than last year.
Of course as soon as you buy a archive medium, you will be back to
having paid for the minidisc equivalent as well as the card. Unless you
are brave enough to trust your recordings only to CD-R. Even then you
spend money. Myself I archive to true optical disks as well as my MD copies.
I don't see there being lots of good options for archiving. That area is
getting much less reliable, not more so. Most of what's being recorded
or photographed now will be gone long before the Civil War photographs.
Or even film snapshots of 30 years ago.
Walt
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