[quote name='sarausagi']240 minutes, about 60 songs on one MD, at an approximate 112 - 160 KBPS quality: ATRAC3 is a variable bit encode. Maybe it's a bit of frugality, but I don't see the need for 60GB of music.
As for, can you even record to them? Considering one MD can go through an infinite number of rewrites and formats, yes, you can record to them, in various levels of quality. The most common ones used are uncompressed [Linear PCS 1.4MBPS, 28 minutes to a disc] SP2 [298 KBPS, 80 minutes] ] ATRAC3 [112-160 vbr, referred to as 132 KBPS/LP2, 240 mintes] and ATRAC3LP4 [66 KBPS, 10 hours on a disc, sucks for music but incredible for audiobooks and broadcasts]
It's too complicated to really explain in a post, let's just leave it at minidisc can support gapless playback, infinite song length. In recording circles, it's replaced DAT, blind tests always put it up above mp3/CD in terms of sound quality, and the science behind it just makes a lot more sense.
Some have also suggested, minidisc sounds a lot "warmer" than mp3 and CD..kind of like vinyl or multichannel formats..perhaps because of the nature of the format of itself [magneto-optic disc media, the bit allocation arrays are different, the way music is written is different, there's TONS of information online, sony Japan's website and minidisco being the best sources, though minidisco's info is very old][/quote]
4 hours? I admit not knowing much about minidisc (but you knew that already) but there's just no way it is practical when I can fit weeks of music on my iPod. I never have to swap music in or out (unless I get a new CD) and everything is always there no matter what I'm in the mood to listen to.
Even if the sound quality is better, it just doesn't matter to me - there's too much background noise in the subways or walking around midtown even with the iPod on full blast so I will never notice the improved audio quality of a minidisc. Also, at work I have to keep everything really low so no one else hears what I'm listening to. It's just not for me.
As for, can you even record to them? Considering one MD can go through an infinite number of rewrites and formats, yes, you can record to them, in various levels of quality. The most common ones used are uncompressed [Linear PCS 1.4MBPS, 28 minutes to a disc] SP2 [298 KBPS, 80 minutes] ] ATRAC3 [112-160 vbr, referred to as 132 KBPS/LP2, 240 mintes] and ATRAC3LP4 [66 KBPS, 10 hours on a disc, sucks for music but incredible for audiobooks and broadcasts]
It's too complicated to really explain in a post, let's just leave it at minidisc can support gapless playback, infinite song length. In recording circles, it's replaced DAT, blind tests always put it up above mp3/CD in terms of sound quality, and the science behind it just makes a lot more sense.
Some have also suggested, minidisc sounds a lot "warmer" than mp3 and CD..kind of like vinyl or multichannel formats..perhaps because of the nature of the format of itself [magneto-optic disc media, the bit allocation arrays are different, the way music is written is different, there's TONS of information online, sony Japan's website and minidisco being the best sources, though minidisco's info is very old][/quote]
4 hours? I admit not knowing much about minidisc (but you knew that already) but there's just no way it is practical when I can fit weeks of music on my iPod. I never have to swap music in or out (unless I get a new CD) and everything is always there no matter what I'm in the mood to listen to.
Even if the sound quality is better, it just doesn't matter to me - there's too much background noise in the subways or walking around midtown even with the iPod on full blast so I will never notice the improved audio quality of a minidisc. Also, at work I have to keep everything really low so no one else hears what I'm listening to. It's just not for me.