Minidisc -v-MP3

froggie_1

hey all,
im tryin to figure what to buy...
i know MP3 players and USB sticks and MP3 players all in one are the new big thing, but the way i see it, (but im open to suggestions/corrections) is that i shud get 1 of these new Net MD jobs as u can download direct to Minidisc, which means that when your on the move (bus/walkin) your not stuck with whatevers on your MP3 player cos ul have a few minidiscs with u. theyre small enough to fit in ur pocket, way smaller than a discman and for the price (€184) of a nice Sony Net MD its the way to go...as far as im concerned...or am i over lookin any cool/handy aspects of the auld mp3 yoke!? thanks

Red Alert

Depends on what you've currently got. If you've already a stack-MD player like I did then you'd probably want to stick with that. Although plans changed when i won an iPod - enough said.

The big thing with the MP3 is that i don't have to carry around minidiscs, because LP4 MD sounds woeful, LP2 is almost as good as standard play mode.

AndrewWK

I'd go for the MP3 player, just for the simplicity of them. My experience with my sisters MD was really annoying. There was a lot of software to install and manuals etc. to read. I've had 2 different mp3 players and they're really really simple to use. You just plug them into a usb port and click + drag the files you want.

MP3 > MD

gorm

I tend to agree with AndrewWK. I have both MP3 players and an NetMD. S/W for the MP3 players easy to use and hasn't crashed the PC. Sony's sw however persistently hung the PC (o/s is W2K).

peteretep

yeah sony ahve a new mini disc format coming out. discs hold 1gb each (max 45 hours or something). can also be used as storage devices. lot cheaper than an ipod too, and unlimited capacity.
thats what im buying next anyway.
www.minidisc.org for more.

Makaveli

Originally posted by froggie_1
but the way i see it, (but im open to suggestions/corrections) is that i shud get 1 of these new Net MD jobs as u can download direct to Minidisc, which means that when your on the move (bus/walkin) your not stuck with whatevers on your MP3 player cos ul have a few minidiscs with u.

I have over 300 albums on my mp3 player. I think that's enough variety.

cormie

I'm pretty sure that is just the price of the MD without any discs. I heard somewhere else that 1GB discs will be about $7 each? probably €10 or so with Irish prices. So if you want same capacity as MP3 Jukebox (iRiver IHP series is best to go for if you don't know already) 20g will cost you about €150-200 on top of the 184, so I think you'd be better off going for the Jukebox (so simple, so cool, so conveniant) I have the iRiver IHP (H) 140. I think they are in Harvey Norman for €430. They are superior to iPod etc. So I would recommend that (5 months researching which portable to buy, as that kind of money is not thrown at me)

Sony Net MD with 40G storage = 184+approx 350, 540 say
iRiver IHP 140 (40G) = 430.

Goodshape

I'd say go for the MP3 player. You'll never need to bother with discs again.

I've got speakers all over the house here - steros in bedroom and living room, PC with speakers in the kitchen - so wherever I am I just plug in my 500+ albums and listen away. Don't need to be running around looking for 'that disc'.

And that's before you've even left the house with it...

Check out advancedmp3players.co.uk, they're usually quite good for prices.

froggie_1

thanks a lot for all that lads,

Check out advancedmp3players.co.uk, they're usually quite good for prices.

great site, gave me a good idea of whats out there....so yer changin my mind anyway. couple of questions. What sort of memory should i be looking at. Is 256 enough, or should i be heading for 512megs? I really cant afford an MP3 jukebox and i also dont like the size/weight of them, although that sort of capacity is deadly....well i have my laptop at home and my PC here at work, so ill never be too far away from all my music so i suppose i shouldnt need to worry bout havin gigs of storage?

Lastly where should i be looking to buy? did most of you purchase your players online? My budget is bout €200

Thanks again

froggie_1

1 more thing....im sure ye all know this site....but just on the off chance that yiz dont...

www.iwantoneofthose.com

have a look at this sexy little piece of machinery

http://www.iwantoneofthose.com/DMPRUBVAR.htm

peteretep

i just like the idea that i can expand the MD capacity as i need it instead of wasting 15 odd gigabytes. also im counting on a car stereo coming out at some stage. and of course its backwards compatible so i can use whatever discs i already have. and i think the 1gb discs are on sale in the US for about $3 so im hoping they wont be as much as €10 over here.

secret_squirrel

Originally posted by peteretep
i just like the idea that i can expand the MD capacity as i need it

You could do the same with an mp3 player. some take SD cards so you can expand to your hearts content. Happily the same cards will also fit my digital camera, pda and my forthcoming GX30 mobile + my pc of course. Its the way to go for me. (Yes I am a gadget freak )

RicardoSmith

I have a MD and only really use it to record of analog sources. MP3 is the way to go not MD. If your stuck money wise consider a CD/MP3 player. We have a Panasonic one and it cost just about 130 with a LCD remote. It can play cheap CDRW so I can just wipe the CD and rewrite on to it as much as I want. Not as neat as a jukebox but a good compromise. Also means you can impluse buy or borrow a CD and listen to it on the way home. The one we have is really slim and light. Only drawback is they don't really fit in a pocket unless you've got a big pocket, or can sling it in a rugsack. Another advantage of the CD/MP3 is that they are not that expensive if you lose, break it. If your on a budget, can you afford to buy then break a jukebox costing 200+ or lose a memory card or two! Car stereos will be compatible with your CD's too!

Say away from the Sony MP3 MD, and CD player. A lot of them are ATRAC only, not MP3 and the Sony software is brutal. Even the Sony ones that can handle MP3, their software is brutal aswell.

The iRiver players, CD, MP3, jukeboxes, all seem to be the best of the lot.

peteretep

dont see this problem with atrac, when your ripping from cds you need to encode music into mp3 format anyway dont you?
couldnt stand a cd player, too big.
i reckon expanding an mp3 player with SD cards would cast a hell of a lot more than €10 per gigabyte.
and theres new sony software with the new players, not as bad as the old one.
Ye are probably all right and i should get a big iriver or something, but i just couldnt justify the huge capacity at the moment and anyway ive always liked the removable media.

RicardoSmith

It re-encodes your mp3 to ATRAC which is compressing it twice. Very bad for musical quality. If you copy stuff to your MD you can't copy it back. After you copied music to your MD a few times you'll have check back in the CD again, because of the digital rights. So you'll always need your CD's. Finally the software is dire, buggy as hell. Half the time it doesn't work. You won't find anyone who likes the Sony software.

But hey it sounds like you've already made up your mind. Don't listen to the masses. Learn the hard way.

peteretep

yeah, im afraid im just being stubborn now. ill be taking my music from cds so the mp3>atrac wont bother me. the digital rights issue has been changed with the new software, they give you unlimited checkouts.

RicardoSmith

Originally posted by peteretep
yeah, im afraid im just being stubborn now. ill be taking my music from cds so the mp3>atrac wont bother me. the digital rights issue has been changed with the new software, they give you unlimited checkouts.

Didn't know that. Must check them out again. Sony gadgets are always great looking even if other brand can sound better for less money.

Personally I have MP3'ed alot of old tapes I had. I kinda like not having my music collection in a number of different formats. ON CD, MD, MP3, TAPE. Its becoming a pain in the butt. CD and MP3 only I can deal with.

peteretep

can the iRiver yokes be used as storage devices?
that new sony software is available for download on minidisc.org

cormie

Is great for storage, just plug in USB, turn on and it appears as a HD on your pc. Also, the new H300 series will have USB on the go, compatible devices will be able to directly transfer files to the H300 (for example a digital camera, and with the H300 colour screen, you can even view them):)

luckat

Where's the cheapest place to buy an iPod? And where did you *drooool* win one?