MP3 player or Minidisc?

[mmx]

I need a player, wondering between mp3 or minidisc?

I know mp3, how is minidisc? can I run with the machine without skipping? can I upload mp3 files to play on it? who has it that can share their thoughts?

 

[lesch2k]

if you ask me minidisks are on the way out, MP3's are going ot become even more popular as time goes on

 

[Hyudra]

Minidisc baby!.. smaller too lasts 10 hours on a battery charge too. 74 minutes on a disc or you can get the 80 min disc. Minidisc equipment is expensive tho.

Minidisc Player, up to date: $300
Minidiscs: $1 each, 74 mins (new machines can record up to 320 minutes on 1 disc!)
Optical cable: $30-$40
Extra batteries (Optional): $20 each, sony's $50, sharp's
Transfering MP3's to minidisc: $100

Well $500 just for all that, but way better than mp3 player. Doesn't skip either.

 

[ltk007]

Wait a little while. A new portable format is coming out for mp3 (and other devices) that holds 500mb, is about as small as the other current forms of mp3 storage, and the best part is each disc is only $5. Its definately going to beat everything out on the market today with fast record speeds and huge amounts storage.

 

[luckydragon]

i have both and i prefer mp3, waiting for minidisc to record sucks

 

[Hyudra]

Yea, the recording part sucks, hehe.

 

[mpg]

i went from cd -> minidisc -> mp3. Guess where I am now? Back to CD audio. MD was to fragile, mp3 had too many disadvantages. CD is fast, easy, and efficient. If you have a car, home stereo, and portable cd player like I do, it will be more versatile. Stick with CD you also will save money.

 

[tomcat]

I think the choice is pretty clear.. mp3. tiny, no skip, fast transfer, can fit more music, cheaper, can store on pc.. no real advantages to the minidisk.

 

[Wuming]

hm. mds are much cheaper than smartmedia. but you can get alot more mp3s then you can get cds to record into mds (you know what i mean... )

recording mds is real time while downloading mp3s can be real fast.

and usually md players are bulkier and bigger than mp3 players especially those with recording function.

and i think most md players don't have fm receivers built in, while most respectable mp3 players have them.

so....

go for mp3 players!

 

[DannyLove]

<-------currently own the RIO 500, its a beauty

 

[Angrymarshmello]

What ltk says. Personally I'd rather buy a CD player and burn MP3s onto them (you can listen to it in the car and stuff)

 

[gunf1ghter]

MD is good.... it's very rugged, disks are cheap. When I go on vacation I can bring 4-5 disks with me in my pocket. That's about 6+ hours of music w/out having to bring a computer or $500 worth of smart media.

I have a pretty good ear and I can easily hear artificats in poorly recorded MP3's especially those done at 128 kbps. And at 192 kbps a 5 minute song is 8 Meg! I like MP3 but the whole storage problem has pretty much kept me away from doing anything other than listening to them on the PC.

Minidisc has it's drawbacks too... it does skip easily (although I jog with mine by holding it in my hand) and you need to buy a recorder... which will cost about $250 plus another $150 for a respectable portable unit.

 

[dcdomain]

MD! It's a lot cheaper, and with new equipment, you can record at up to 4x's last time I heard. They may have even increased the speed further. In addition with MDLP, you can record 160min. or 320min. depending on which mode you want to record in on a 74min. disc.

I don't like how light the MP3 players feel, feels cheap (have a Nomad II), but that's a personal preference.

Go to Minidisc.org for more info.

 

[dethman]

extensive previous thread

 

[psteng19]

double

 

[psteng19]

I like the MD player/recorder. Go for the Sony MZR900. It's small, lightweight, and 320 mins of music, long battery life. MD's do not skip. They advertise 40 second anti-skip and while I have never tested it to the max, I have never gottem mine to skip. Media is a lot cheaper. They are well under $1.00 each if you know where to get them =) With mp3's you are very limited in capacity, and more memory is a lot more $$$ The only bad thing is transfer from mp3 to MD, but I hear sony has a MD link for your computer which &quot;transfers&quot; the mp3's over. Don't quote me on that though... still unsure how it works.

 

[jjlawren]

Nobody ever brings up the point that you can carry around a pocket of MD's for a days worth of music. With an MP3 player, you're stuck with the same hour of music until you can get back to your computer. That'd make me go crazy.

 

[flood]

md!

 

[pamchenko]

I chose MD over MP3 though mp3 players do have many advantages.

MP3 pros
-no skipping (no moving parts)
-small
-fast transfers
-lighter
MP3 cons
-not as mature as MD technology
-limited to smartmedia (this was a big one for me)
-listening to the rio300 (crap), but the rio600 and ipaq are much improved in terms of sound quality.

MD pros
-cheap minidiscs
-haven't skipped yet
-my sony mz-r90 came with a stick remote, very important.
-newer stuff tends to be smaller/same size as most mp3 players

MD cons
-not as easy to use (i had to buy sound card w/ digital out for best sound)

costs are essentially gonna run you 200 dollars going for a newer model of mp3/md player/recorder so its your call...if you have a short attn span, MD is the way to go. If you like to beat the same songs to death over and over or you don't mind loading songs b4 class every morning, MP3 may be the way to go.

things to consider
-headphones that come with the units usually sux.