THE MAGAZINE FOR COMPUTER APPLICATIONS
Circuit Cellar Online offers articles illustrating creative solutions
and unique applications through complete projects, practical
tutorials, and useful design techniques.

CORE WAR

by Tom Cantrell

Start ı Oops ı Once More, With Feeling ı Optical Options ı Have It Your, and Our, Way ı Lesson Learned ı Sources and PDF

OOPS

I shouldıve known better. The history of technology demonstrates that a better mousetrap doesnıt necessarily mean overnight success. Iım reminded of one of the best (and worst) examples as I peck away at my QWERTY keyboard, a brain-damaged holdover from the last century. Things do change, but sometimes the pace is a little slower than mere technical considerations might imply.

So, what happened to MiniDisc? In hindsight, there were a number of factors that held it back. Certainly retailers werenıt excited about juggling yet another new media. Remember that at the time, all the audio/video outlets were finally clearing out the last vestiges of audiocassettes and no doubt looking forward to unifying their racks around CDs.

As usual, audiophiles had concerns about the audio quality of the MD psycho-acoustic compression scheme. Sony went as far as to hold a number of blind "taste" tests comparing CD to MD, which seemed to back up their claims that MD could hold its own. Indeed, at the time it was reported that for those listeners who could detect a difference, more preferred MD, even with its 5:1 compression, over CD. Nevertheless, we all know how finicky folks can get about audio, so whether justified or not, the concern may have played a role.

I suspect controversy over copy protection didnıt help. The MD incorporated a serial copy management scheme that, as I recall, would allow you to make a digital copy of a CD to a MD, but not subsequent digital copies of that MD. Even today, the issue of audio/video copy protection is still a hot button.

Perhaps in an effort to alleviate, or at least pay a way around, those copy-protection concerns, the pricing of blank media was set quite high, only 20% or so less than a prerecorded title. Good for the artists whose works were so protected, but ultimately bad for MD.

Even at the time I wrote the article, Iıd questioned Sonyıs strategy of driving MD in the consumer audio/video space while appearing to ignore its possibilities as a data storage alternative. Remember, in ı93 most folks were still using floppies or tapes as backup, because today's ZIP, MO, CD-RW, and such alternatives were still in their infancy.

Eventually Sony did make a half-hearted effort to promote what they called Data MD, but it was too little, too late. I still wonder whether or not pushing MD initially in computers, a market proven to be amenable to adopting new gadgets quickly, and then audio after a beachhead was established, would have made a difference in the outcome.

PREVIOUS • NEXT

Circuit Cellar provides up-to-date information for engineers. Visit www.circuitcellar.com for more information and additional articles.
For subscription information, call (860) 875-2199, subscribe@circuitcellar.com or subscribe online. ıCircuit Cellar, the Magazine for Computer Applications. Posted with permission.