MP3 player or Minidisk?

[Ultima200]

Hey I have alot of mp3s and want to take them with me on the go. I have a cd burner but protable cd players are just too big for me. I like the look at MD players far more than MP3 players, but it seems as if mp3 players are easieer to record too. Could someone who is knowledgeable with this type of stuff point me in the right direction?

 

[ltk007]

Portable CD players are actually pretty small these days, but if I'd have to choose between minidisk of MP3 I'd get minidisk. Cheaper and more space.

 

[basara318]

i had both. my panasonic sj mr 100 was slick but broke in 6 months. if u are getting a MD player i would suggest buying it with the warranty. mp3 players are cool but too small of size. i would suggest buying a mp3 cd player or something.

 

[xtreme2k]

I would get a MiniDisc over the Mp3 player for the following advantages/disadvantages

Advantage of MD
- 74Minutes of music per disc (disc are only US$1.5 each) you can start your 'collection' easily/swap with friends
- Sound Quality better than 128kbit MP3 for sure, I think you can compare MD to 160-192kbit/s AT LEAST
- Battery last a lot longer usually (my Kenwood Playback-only model last 50hours+ on 'bubblegum' and AA battery)
- Remote control are of better design (backlite LCD display is 'standard' to MD)
- Playback only model are really small and light already

Advantage of MP3
- 100% shockproof
- Smaller/Lighter than MD



Disadvantage of MD
- larger than MP3
- not as shockproof (but usually good enough - 40sec is standard)

Disadvantage of MP3
- Memory expensive as hell
- even with 64MB, only about 64minutes of audio at 128kbit/s
- shorter batter hours (i have seen some cheap one that last 8 hours)
- Sound quality worst than MD
- Remote control arent as good as MD


seems to me no Japanese based company are going for MP3 and they seems to be the best at innovation to me
by the way, i have just read that there is something called MDLP on a magazine
Mini Disc Long Play
it is a new MD standard which supports 2x*148 minutes) or 4x(296 minutes) the disc recording time in stereo format from a standard 74minute MD. For sure the quality is degraded but i think 2x is about quality of 128kbit MP3 and 4x is about 96 i think

the only company i see making MP3 are Diamond and Creative, along with some crappy korean companies

 

[marketsons1985]

<< even with 64MB, only about 64minutes of audio at 128kbit/s >>



Umm.......i thought 32MB=I hr at 128 Kbit/sec

correct me if i'm wrong, but that would mean that 64 MB=2hrs

 

[Ultima200]

Thanks for the input but I dont think I explained my situation and/or you guys are not familiar with the recording nprocess of MD players.

 

[prontospyder]

xtreme2k:

Sony makes MP3 players.

 

[Toolman]

It would be a no brainer for me, I'd get Creative's Nomad Jukebox. 6 GB @ 100 hours of mp3s can't be beat.

 

[c0pperas]

I bought this stereo and minidisc players rather than recorders for my kids. Less money and well worth it! If you're going to go the minidisc route I'd pick up something like this to cut down on recording time. This does 3 CDs to 3 minidiscs with the push of a button.


5 Minidisc carousel/3 CD Aiwa stereo $160

I've got the Nomad II mp3 player, a Rio, D-Links, and it's just too much of a bother to load 'em. I guess it's just a matter of preference, but minidisc is much simpler for people who just want to listen to music without a whole lot of bother.

 

[Ultima200]

But I basically plan on never using a MD player for making mixes from cds, rather I plan on putting mp3s on them

 

[c0pperas]

Okay, burn your mp3s to CD, then use the stereo to record them to minidisc. Not that complicated. Most of the mp3 software lets you record the mp3s onto cd in a format that'll play back in most cd players. I just checked and this stereo plays CDRs. (Hadn't bothered to check before.) The problem with mp3 players is the cost of memory.

 

[Suicidal]

Did you just say you were going to burn mp3s on a minidisc??? Sorry, can't be done. Minidiscs are audio only due to the atrac compression. There are data minidiscs but they can't play audio. You can only record music realtime on minidisc... an 80 minute minidisc will take 80 minutes to record 80 minutes worth of music.

 

[randomlinh]

here's what i really don't like about minidisc... it takes too long to record to disc (real time, unless i shell out for 4x). I love the discs and stuff... but for my own uses, mp3 is more practical. I use it walking along to classes and what not, and before class, i can switch what mp3's i want in 10 minutes (yes, i can have pre-made discs in minidisc, but i'm talking more spontaneous choices, maybe something I just picked up or something)

But that's just my view, if i had the money, i'd have BOTH

 

[basara318]

geez .. ok
if you have a MD recorder. connect ur soundcards line out(or digital out) to the MD .. make a playlist with winamp. play and then record. pretty easy.. i used to record MDs when i go to sleep
i stress the warranty on MDs because MD are pretty unstable. check minidisc.org for a list of problems. MD recorders do look hella better than Mp3 players though

 

[beat mania]

&quot;Look hella better&quot; is an understatement.
I wouldn't be caught carrying one of those dorky mp3 players on the street.
Of course, people are idiots when it comes to MD. Someone saw my MT831 and asked me what kind of radio it is, and another asked me if they play mp3s. Then someone just plainly asked me what is MD.
But I do have a Creative Jukebox for my cube/car. Swapped the 6GB for a 20GB hd. Holds quite a few songs.

Recording for MD is no problem since it is easy to erase and record songs on the MD. It may sound like its a long time to record but it is only if you start with a blank disc. Mostly I just delete 2 or 3 songs and change it to something else, which doesn't take more than 5 minutes at 4x REC.

 

[Raspewtin]

<< Hey I have alot of mp3s and want to take them with me on the go. I have a cd burner but protable cd players are just too big for me >>



A MP3-playing CD player (plays mp3 burned onto CD-ROM) would seem perfect if portable CD players weren't too big for ya.

 

[Ultima200]

Can someone explain the 4x recording to me?

 

[StageLeft]

In North America Minidisc just has yet to prove itself - and it never will. I know less people now that I did 8 years ago who used it (Then I knew one guy). Go with MP3s, the technology is there and is developing faster - minidisc is old news.

 

[dc]

marketsons1985: um, see how many megs 1 hour worth of mp3's take up.

32mb would hold around 30 minutes at 128kps

 

[StageLeft]

Those things are old news anyway - for $100 US you can get a CD player capable of reading MP3-written CDs (10 hours of music).