4 ms·

I think the Minidisc[1] is what you're after - 68mm×72mm (2.7in x 2.8in), 80 minutes of audio/~300MB of data. I'm always confused by my desire for slightly inc

by dfex 3y ago

I think the Minidisc[1] is what you're after - 68mm×72mm (2.7in x 2.8in), 80 minutes of audio/~300MB of data. I'm always confused by my desire for slightly inconvenient physical formats like this to make a comeback - I suspect it's some combination of 90s nostalgia (I'm mid-40s) and a psychological reaction to the enshitification of culture now being an endless subscription service. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MiniDisc https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MiniDisc

mackrevinack 3y ago
the good thing about miniDisc is that its relatively easy to get the tracks back off it again. like if you wanted to share a disc with a friend, they could copy the tracks onto their computer using webminidisc or some other software. all the software is a bit old and janky but it's quicker than having to copy a tape!
jay_kyburz 3y ago
It's the right size for sure, but you can buy 32GB of Micro SD for about $10. And and an SD card reader is a lot easier to find. The are just a little too small. :) It's not just nostalgia. I think when you start looking for them there are a lot of good reasons to start doing this. Physical backups, privacy of not having so much life online, less subscriptions required (dropbox), easier sharing without gate keepers. SanDisk should make something. A credit card with a few small raised bumps for the connection so you can just rest it on a surface rather than having to plug it in. Then a simple little USB reader that is just a flat surface you can place on your desk.
- semi-extrinsic 3y ago
  Just before flash-based MP3 players came to dominate, I had a second gen "Hi-MD" MiniDisc player. Each disc was 1 GB, you plugged the player into the computer and it showed up as regular USB mass storage, just drag and drop the MP3s over. The downside with larger disks like the 1 GB Hi-MD is that you can fit 200-400 songs, depending on bitrate. So you no longer get the physical connection "this disk is album X". If anyone is looking to purchase, beware: first-gen Hi-MD devices (IIRC) were crippled by needing to use Sony's DRM management tool called SonicStage for transfering songs, it was slow as shit and annoying, probably only usable on WinXP or something today.

by dfex 3y ago

mackrevinack 3y ago

the good thing about miniDisc is that its relatively easy to get the tracks back off it again. like if you wanted to share a disc with a friend, they could copy the tracks onto their computer using webminidisc or some other software. all the software is a bit old and janky but it's quicker than having to copy a tape!

jay_kyburz 3y ago

It's the right size for sure, but you can buy 32GB of Micro SD for about $10. And and an SD card reader is a lot easier to find. The are just a little too small. :) It's not just nostalgia. I think when you start looking for them there are a lot of good reasons to start doing this. Physical backups, privacy of not having so much life online, less subscriptions required (dropbox), easier sharing without gate keepers. SanDisk should make something. A credit card with a few small raised bumps for the connection so you can just rest it on a surface rather than having to plug it in. Then a simple little USB reader that is just a flat surface you can place on your desk.

semi-extrinsic 3y ago
Just before flash-based MP3 players came to dominate, I had a second gen "Hi-MD" MiniDisc player. Each disc was 1 GB, you plugged the player into the computer and it showed up as regular USB mass storage, just drag and drop the MP3s over. The downside with larger disks like the 1 GB Hi-MD is that you can fit 200-400 songs, depending on bitrate. So you no longer get the physical connection "this disk is album X". If anyone is looking to purchase, beware: first-gen Hi-MD devices (IIRC) were crippled by needing to use Sony's DRM management tool called SonicStage for transfering songs, it was slow as shit and annoying, probably only usable on WinXP or something today.