Death of the disc? at DVinfo.net

Ervin Farkas · May 15th, 2009, 05:38 AM

Last night I stopped at Walmart. Having a few minutes to spare, I walked through my favorite section, media & electronics.

I knew it was coming, but it still surprised me: they now sell CD-looking boxes with no CD in them... just a small SD flash card with mp3 music files. One GB cards with a few songs and room for a lot more of your own, as specified on the box. Pop it in your iPod, smart phone, or whatever player you may have and go.

Made me wonder... is this the end of disc-based media distribution?

Tripp Woelfel · May 15th, 2009, 07:10 AM

I read about this coming a few months ago. CD's aren't dead for music yet, but it's heading that way. Home stereos, car stereos and personal music players are defaulting to the mp3 format, so why not distribute them in that format?

Given that audio files are so relatively small and easily downloadable for most, I think the delivery of audio content on physical media is on the wane. I haven't bought an audio CD in over three years and I'm hardly a trend setter.

Video is a different kettle of lobster. Disks will be around for a while, at least until the Internet speeds to the average household substantially increases.

Jack Zhang · May 16th, 2009, 06:46 AM

Like CD was to Vinyl, people won't give up on uncompressed audio. Uncompressed sounds better than MP3.

Gene Gajewski · May 19th, 2009, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jack Zhang

Like CD was to Vinyl, people won't give up on uncompressed audio. Uncompressed sounds better than MP3.

PCM all the way baby....

Why not something like a micro-sd card with WAV files on it - I mean, your average CD occupies less than 700Mb - which is nothing.

Sure RIAA screams bloody murder about copying, but it doesn't take much to imagine such a device, and with a one time programmable random encryption key and a key exchange mechanism as is common in computing today. Smartcards (credit cards) are a rather early example.

Jack Zhang · May 21st, 2009, 03:54 PM

Or they might use lossless codecs that support DRM... WMA Lossless anyone?

Paulo Teixeira · June 6th, 2009, 07:22 PM

Sony is releasing a digital distribution only version of the PSP called the PSP Go. For $250, it seams a bit pricy especially because of the slightly smaller screen than the standard PSP, but it does add Bluetooth and 16 gigs of internal solid state storage. Most likely Sony will include some game software to make people feel more comfortable about the price. Ars talks digital distribution with Sony, plays with PSP Go - Ars Technica

At first I was thinking that the PSP 3000 is a far better value but having Bluetooth is intriguing. With Bluetooth, you’d be able to play with the PSP Go using a PS3 controller and it does look like an awkward combination but it definitely makes sense if you decide to hook up the PSP Go to a TV. Never mind the fact that you’d probably be able to go on the web almost anywhere as long as you have a Bluetooth capable cell phone which a lot of them are. The Bluetooth possibilities are endless. The other big plus toward the PSP Go is the fact that you’ll save a lot of energy because of no moving parts, but than again, because of piracy fear, their is no external battery that you can change out.

I don’t think Sony would like my idea but I think they could have made a disc drive attachment.

Anyway, it looks like Sony is going to use this to test the market’s acceptance toward online distribution.

Norris Combs · June 23rd, 2009, 12:53 PM

I still buy CDs monthly, I do have an MP3 player but much prefer CD in a CD player in my home system. Rock on!

Cris Hendrix · July 27th, 2009, 02:03 PM

Of course I think they'll be on their way out eventually.. an uncompressed CD worth of 44/16 bit is only 650 mb, so you could almost fit 2 uncompressed albums on that 1gb stick, or one uncompressed album and a music video.. CD still isn't up to vinyl quality but 48k/24 bit is getting there, you could just as easily provide the higher quality format on flash card provided enough storage room

I've already heard upcoming artists talking of skipping CD release altogether and simply selling their project through flash cards and itunes

David Barnett · July 27th, 2009, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cris Hendrix

I've already heard upcoming artists talking of skipping CD release altogether and simply selling their project through flash cards and itunes

I believe both Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails have done something similar to this. Radiohead put it on their website and asked fans "pay what they want' via paypal thru their site. And NIN I think released their latest on their site, then thru stores a few weeks later.

I may be wrong on some details, but it was something like that.

Shaun Roemich · July 27th, 2009, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cris Hendrix

CD still isn't up to vinyl quality

From a frequency response, noise floor/signal to noise ratio, clarity perspective, CD is VASTLY superior to vinyl. It's the aesthetics of the "warm vinyl sound" that make it "superior" to some ears.

Bryan Cantwell · October 2nd, 2009, 07:53 PM

I prefer to get something physical when i buy...

I've bought more vinyl than cd's this year... don't see that changing soon!

Lucinda Adams · October 13th, 2009, 07:17 AM

in the last time I often thought about this actually. I mean with all the information and services programs like iTunes provides it is kind of useless nowadays to buy cds or dvds if it is even cheaper via iTunes or the internet - even legally. I mean iTunes is much cheaper than going to the store and buying a cd.

Adam Gold · October 13th, 2009, 05:08 PM

I just had a disk crash. (It crashed while I was backing it up, thank you very much.) It had several thousand songs on it.

I was really grateful to have almost every original CD. All I lost was the time I had to spend re-ripping.

May 15th, 2009, 05:38 AM	#1
Ervin Farkas Inner Circle Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Atlanta/USA Posts: 2,515	Death of the disc? Last night I stopped at Walmart. Having a few minutes to spare, I walked through my favorite section, media & electronics. I knew it was coming, but it still surprised me: they now sell CD-looking boxes with no CD in them... just a small SD flash card with mp3 music files. One GB cards with a few songs and room for a lot more of your own, as specified on the box. Pop it in your iPod, smart phone, or whatever player you may have and go. Made me wonder... is this the end of disc-based media distribution? __________________ Ervin Farkas www.AtlantaLegalVideo.com

June 6th, 2009, 07:22 PM	#6
Paulo Teixeira Trustee Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 1,773	Sony is releasing a digital distribution only version of the PSP called the PSP Go. For $250, it seams a bit pricy especially because of the slightly smaller screen than the standard PSP, but it does add Bluetooth and 16 gigs of internal solid state storage. Most likely Sony will include some game software to make people feel more comfortable about the price. Ars talks digital distribution with Sony, plays with PSP Go - Ars Technica At first I was thinking that the PSP 3000 is a far better value but having Bluetooth is intriguing. With Bluetooth, you’d be able to play with the PSP Go using a PS3 controller and it does look like an awkward combination but it definitely makes sense if you decide to hook up the PSP Go to a TV. Never mind the fact that you’d probably be able to go on the web almost anywhere as long as you have a Bluetooth capable cell phone which a lot of them are. The Bluetooth possibilities are endless. The other big plus toward the PSP Go is the fact that you’ll save a lot of energy because of no moving parts, but than again, because of piracy fear, their is no external battery that you can change out. I don’t think Sony would like my idea but I think they could have made a disc drive attachment. Anyway, it looks like Sony is going to use this to test the market’s acceptance toward online distribution. __________________ https://www.youtube.com/user/PhotoVi...esEtc/featured https://www.pond5.com/artist/paulot Last edited by Paulo Teixeira; June 7th, 2009 at 12:13 AM.

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May 15th, 2009, 07:10 AM	#2
Tripp Woelfel Trustee Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: North Conway, NH Posts: 1,745	I read about this coming a few months ago. CD's aren't dead for music yet, but it's heading that way. Home stereos, car stereos and personal music players are defaulting to the mp3 format, so why not distribute them in that format? Given that audio files are so relatively small and easily downloadable for most, I think the delivery of audio content on physical media is on the wane. I haven't bought an audio CD in over three years and I'm hardly a trend setter. Video is a different kettle of lobster. Disks will be around for a while, at least until the Internet speeds to the average household substantially increases.

May 16th, 2009, 06:46 AM	#3
Jack Zhang Inner Circle Join Date: May 2005 Location: Burnaby, BC, Canada Posts: 3,053	Like CD was to Vinyl, people won't give up on uncompressed audio. Uncompressed sounds better than MP3.

May 21st, 2009, 03:54 PM	#5
Jack Zhang Inner Circle Join Date: May 2005 Location: Burnaby, BC, Canada Posts: 3,053	Or they might use lossless codecs that support DRM... WMA Lossless anyone?

June 23rd, 2009, 12:53 PM	#7
Norris Combs Major Player Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: OC, CA Posts: 344	I still buy CDs monthly, I do have an MP3 player but much prefer CD in a CD player in my home system. Rock on!

July 27th, 2009, 02:03 PM	#8
Cris Hendrix Regular Crew Join Date: May 2009 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 66	Of course I think they'll be on their way out eventually.. an uncompressed CD worth of 44/16 bit is only 650 mb, so you could almost fit 2 uncompressed albums on that 1gb stick, or one uncompressed album and a music video.. CD still isn't up to vinyl quality but 48k/24 bit is getting there, you could just as easily provide the higher quality format on flash card provided enough storage room I've already heard upcoming artists talking of skipping CD release altogether and simply selling their project through flash cards and itunes

October 2nd, 2009, 07:53 PM	#11
Bryan Cantwell Major Player Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Terre Haute, IN Posts: 277	I prefer to get something physical when i buy... I've bought more vinyl than cd's this year... don't see that changing soon!

October 13th, 2009, 07:17 AM	#12
Lucinda Adams New Boot Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: London Posts: 5	in the last time I often thought about this actually. I mean with all the information and services programs like iTunes provides it is kind of useless nowadays to buy cds or dvds if it is even cheaper via iTunes or the internet - even legally. I mean iTunes is much cheaper than going to the store and buying a cd.

October 13th, 2009, 05:08 PM	#13
Adam Gold Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Woodinville, WA USA Posts: 3,467	I just had a disk crash. (It crashed while I was backing it up, thank you very much.) It had several thousand songs on it. I was really grateful to have almost every original CD. All I lost was the time I had to spend re-ripping.