MiniDisc - MD
The MiniDisc (MD) system was developped by Sony (do they have a trade mark
on it?) some years ago.
What is a MiniDisc?
The MiniDisc is a small (about 2"x2", 5cm x 5cm) magneto-optical
storage media which looks a little like a 3.5" computer diskette and
is comparably rugged. Information is stored onto a rotating disk using a laser
and a magnitic field and read with a laser.
While recording, music is digitised, compressed and stored onto the
disk, divided into several tracks. These tracks can then be
accessed like an a CD, like direct access to a certain track.
So the MD combines the advantages of a CD (speed, direct access, sound
quality, no wear) and those of a magnetic tape (recordability).
While there are pre-recorded MDs available, this has not yet been a real thread
to cassette tape and CD. But as a recordable media it hit a market,
and everybody I heared of agrees that at least recordable media will not
disappear from the market for several years, even if the recordable
CD becomes a mass product.
What systems are available?
Sony has brought out a variety of players and recorders.
There is a series of hifi-sized systems, which have all the comfort of
good CD players (like remote control), several portable units,
at least one car radio with integrated MD player. There is one
midi-sized (about 10", 25 cm wide) unit.
Is there a speed adjustment?
Well, yes and no. Sony does not offer it, but I know one source that does.
And if everybody sends Sony a postcard, maybe they will offer it.
How is the sound quality?
Excellent. There is a sound compression which loses some information,
but the algorithms used here are better than any record player I could
afford.
Are there sources besides Sony?
Disks are made (at least) by Maxell and TDK also. I have seen one
portable recorder made by JVC (sorry, only seen, no more info available).
Other sources of information
written by H. Niemann,
last change: 1999-12-23