Minidisc (MD) or iPod... How to choose?

Many years ago, possibly even 8 or more, Sony introduced a new recording format they called MiniDisc.

MiniDisc is a wonderful format that didn't get a lot of attention the first time around—at least here in the US. In Japan, it really caught on. MiniDiscs are 2-3/4 by 2-5/8 inches by about 3/16 inch thick. They are a laser-based storage and retrieval format capable of storing 74 minutes of stereo audio or 144 minutes of monaural audio. Although not the same 44.1MHz storage as CDs, the fidelity is very good... almost CD quality.

Players are available for under $150.00 with recorder/player units under $200.00. Yes, I know that is more expensive than a tape player. But let's look at it logically and economically. Chances are highly likely that you have a cassette player, perhaps even a CD player. But to get really good audio from home-recorded cassettes, you need to spend a couple hundred dollars for a quality recording deck( something that you would hook up to a stereo system), and then another $75.00 or more for a decent playback unit (I'm talking a portable unit here).

That's roughly under $300.00. About the cost of a portable record/playback MiniDisc unit.

You want to put your music on good quality tapes, don't you? Those can run upwards to $4-$5 per tape. Let's say that you get a good deal on a box of 10 for $39.95. Most quality tapes can maintain their fidelity for a half dozen recording and re-recordings before you start to get a degraded signal. And, each time you play the tape you start the wear and tear that ultimately ruins your recordings. Let's be generous and say that you can get 25-30 plays out of a tape before you begin to notice the reduction in quality. And unless you have a bulk eraser, you may start to notice faint retention of old recordings each time you record over a tape.

A box of 10 MiniDiscs will set you back about $20.00. They can each be recorded about 1 million times before they lose it. They can be played back at least that many times. And they never degrade! This is a digital signal, as clean as your source...never varying.

For my money, being able to record in a format that allows instant access to individual tracks, forward and back scanning, stereo and mono recording, and high-quality sound is worth the same money that a lower-capability format can provide. I know that sounds snobbish, and it is. Sorry.

FLASH... for those of you who need to have even twice as much audio as before, the MD format has been increased with the addition of a long-play sub-format. so now you can get more that 4 hours per MiniDisc (although I wouldn't use the LP formats for your really high quality music needs, as it compresses the hell out of the files... great for spoken word, however.)

The Apple iPod

What can you say about the iPod other than "Wow!"???

A 5, 10 or 20 GB hard drive in a shirt-pocket-sized case that can be used for both music and as an extenal Firewire hard drive at the same time!

We sprang for the 10GB unit shortly after it came out last summer (2002). I like to listen to books on tape, old time radio and other spoken word things plus a little music now and again. Currently I have about 14 days worth of OTR shows (Jack Benny, Burns and Allen, I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again, and many others) on the iPod and I still have over 1.5 GB of free space that I use to transfer files from my Mac at work to my Mac at home.

That's the 20GB unit to the right, the one with the extra controller in the earphone cord.

It is lightweight (relatively) and easier to use than a cell phone. By that I mean that I can start it up, select the artist, the album and even the exact song all with one thumb and a couple of very quick glances. You can change volume and fast forward/reverse with that same thumb.

Am I saying that you have to be all thumbs to use the iPod? Nah! It is just that easy.

Thinking about getting a portable, external hard drive? Check out the iPod. Best of both worlds.

Oh, and they have versions for both Mac and PC owners; there are people out there that build applications that extend the capabilities of the iPod.