Will Sony ever learn? (Walkman debate)

[Marc]

Sony is to revamp its famous Walkman by launching a digital music player to rival Apple's iPod, which has led the market since its 2001 launch.
Sony said its device would be about £55 cheaper and able to store 3,000 more songs than the top iPod model.

It is also aiming to boost use of its online music store Sony Connect, as its Walkman will play songs only in the company's own format.

The Walkman hits Japan on 10 July, the US in August and Europe by September.




thats from BBC News.
Firstly it looks like they are FINALLY giving up with the minidisc, it never took off in the first place as digital music had already started! Secondly they're own format? kick yourselves in the bollocks why dont you Sony! MP3 is the worldwide recognised format for digital music and it wont be long before someone creates a program to rip this Sony Format into MP3's, besides selling a walkman which you cant play yer own music on off your HD already will be just pointless!
thoughts?

 

[beorhthelm]

bit dumb i agree. But i think you'll see alot more firms pushing proprietry formats for a while as they try to create a standard that the record companies like. They dont like MP3 as exactly because its easy to copy. They want somthing with some form of digital rights management. whoever creates a "standard" along these lines will make a killing.

 

[Curious Orange]

I'd better get myself a personal MiniDisc player and stock up on blank disks pretty sharpish then!!

 

[Marc]

bit dumb i agree. But i think you'll see alot more firms pushing proprietry formats for a while as they try to create a standard that the record companies like. They dont like MP3 as exactly because its easy to copy. They want somthing with some form of digital rights management. whoever creates a "standard" along these lines will make a killing.

very true, I read something on this ages ago and it got dismissed by Sony back then saying "it will never take off, Minidisc's are the future" or something along those lines. I laughed then and am glad to continue laughing at them now!

Thing is with computers nowadays its not that hard to especially with music to copy from one format to another. Finding a standard will be hard as people will no doubt find ways to format that back into MP3 so people with MP3 players dont need to buy a new one specifically for that format. Reversly MP3 walkmans could come out with the standard format playable if they perhaps buy the license to do so.

Either way I can see MP3's being the top dog for at very least the next 7-8 years.

 

[Barnet Seagull]

it all depends on whether a better quality, smaller sized alternative fileformat to mp3 compression is found.

Good to finally see digital music players that record too.

another nail in the gayPOD coffin.

 

[Storer68]

I'm going back to cassettes

 

[Mr C]

I see Sony now do a DVD-RW camcorder. How cool is that

 

[Biscuit]

I'm going back to cassettes

I'm gunna fish out the old records...I think my dad has the monekys lying about somewhere!

 

[tinx]

VInyl is still alive and kicking, wher epossible I buy records on vinyl as opposed to CD and always will when they are available.

 

[Barnet Seagull]

nothing wrong with vinyl.

 

[Staly]

Nothing wrong with vinyl till you try moving house as I did couple of months ago- ever try moving 3000 albums in a transit van?- my back still hurts.

Still, at least they're much harder to steal than CDs....

 

[tinx]

Nothing wrong with vinyl till you try moving house as I did couple of months ago- ever try moving 3000 albums in a transit van?- my back still hurts.

Still, at least they're much harder to steal than CDs....

thats the main reason I paid someone to move me.

 

[Beach Hut]

Anyone remember the original Phillips laser discs ?

 

[Curious Orange]

Ah, laserdisc, I remember gawping at the picture quality in Cardiff's Virgin Megastore many moons ago. Real quality, but they were the size of a house!!