This Does Not Compute | Retro Buyer's Guide: MiniDisc! @ThisDoesNotCompute | Uploaded November 2022 | Updated October 2024, 2 days ago.
Sony's MiniDisc audio format, to some, feels just as futuristic now as it did when it launched in November 1992. And that's perhaps why it's seeing renewed interest -- it's got a retro feel with modern usability. Let's explore the options for getting into the audio media that took over Japan, but was a bit too ahead of its time for most everywhere else.

Featured music: "Oh No" by Dan Mason (danmason.bandcamp.com/album/forever-nothing)

Sources and links:
Aiwa MiniDisc battery adapter: thingiverse.com/thing:2772028
SonicStage on Windows 10: https://www.minidisc.wiki/guides/sonicstagew10
Web MiniDisc Pro guide: https://www.minidisc.wiki/guides/webminidisc

00:00 - Introduction
01:14 - Format overview
07:15 - Prerecorded discs vs recording your own
09:29 - Home component recorders
11:29 - Portable recorders -- the SP era
14:09 - Playback-only portables
16:13 - Battery considerations
20:35 - Portable NetMD -- the best option for most people
23:55 - HiMD, a niche and expensive choice
25:11 - Options for blank media
27:29 - Recording to NetMD with a modern computer
29:27 - The future of MiniDisc and summary

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Music by Epidemic Sound (https://www.epidemicsound.com).
Intro music by BoxCat Games (freemusicarchive.org/music/BoxCat_Games).