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End of the CD coming...

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Mister D Nomms:
They absolutely didn't catch on. CD's were still pretty new and there was no way anybody was going to buy new players and re-buy their music for no real reason other than to save shelf space. I just thought they were relevant here.

Orbert:
MiniDiscs had a big advantage, though; you could record on them.  This was years before CD-Rs, so MiniDisc was really the first recordable digital medium.  Up until then, you had cassettes for portable recordable media, and a distinct loss of audio quality.  The MiniDisc had pretty good audio fidelity.  It might even have caught on, given a little longer, but CD-Rs showed up and it was game over for the MiniDisc.


--- Quote from: celticgeek on 07 Feb 2012, 16:56 ---Interesting little article on the end of the DVD.

--- End quote ---

They talk a bit about streaming, but no mention of the Blu-ray disc.  It seems to me that DVDs aren't dying just because of streaming, but because the market is basically divided into those who want the "home theater" experience and those who are okay just watching a movie on their iPad or phone or PC.  If you watch on a mobile device then yeah, streaming is the way.  If you're into kicking back on the couch with your friends and watching a movie on HDTV, then Blu-ray is the way, or on-demand, or even streaming if you can get streaming HD enough to do it.  Either way, that leaves DVD in the middle.  It's not HD but costs almost as much, and it's not convenient like streaming.

pwhodges:
I don't think he meant MiniDisc, though - just smaller diameter CDs.  They still pop up occasionally, though USB sticks have pushed them out in some areas - they have been used as business cards, though, and I was given one of photos last year at a temple in Sri Lanka.

MiniDisc was never going anywhere, though, because it was a compressed only, and so not really suitable for the recording role it aspired to; unlike DAT, which should have done better than it did.

pinkpiche:

--- Quote from: lepetitfromage on 27 Feb 2012, 06:20 ---I agree, everything is all about instant gratification and being overbooked, overstimulated and overwhelmed. "Doing nothing" is probably the most frowned upon situation you can find yourself in. It's as if you are less of a person if your schedule is not completely packed and your relaxation time is penciled in and considered "personal productivity".


It makes me sad to think that there may be people born who will never know the joy of purely being and listening.

--- End quote ---

It's easy to look at a short period of time and identify some major change but really this is lacking in perspective and nuance. Yes, everything is going incredibly fast and there is a tendency in global culture to value career higher than everything else - but that being said, who really knows what overstimulated means? Just because we all have some romantic idea of sitting down and listening to a record and doing nothing else, doesn't mean we're not projecting our need to express our ability to relax in a stressed world. The issue is much more complex than we'd like to acknowledge. Especially considering this change has only been going on for the last 20-30 years, we have yet to produce a generation entirely comfortable with the information environment.

lepetitfromage:
I think I have to politely disagree. I think the very latest generation is just that- entirely comfortable with the information overload. So yes, you are right- they probably have no idea what overstimulated is because they are so used to it. Maybe I am the minority here, but I definitely know what overstimulated is- and it sucks.

We may be projecting our need for relaxation, but just because we talk about the fact that we want to relax doesn't mean we get to do so without repercussions. Everything needs to be done as soon as possible. Just think about vacations: when someone actually has the luxury to take one, the time leading up to and following the return of said vacation are both chock full of things to do to make sure that you don't fall behind and lose your job. (It's sad, but it's reality). Not to mention those who have vacations that have to be cut short because of a work "emergency". I see it all too often. Maybe it's simply the nature of the industry I work in, but I'm sure it varies depending on such things anyway. Although, in a number of fields now more people have a phone for work and have to be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Work has become more important than living your life outside of work and actually enjoying what little money you make. With all that stress and the fact that you have to be available all the time, there is very little room for simple pleasures without interruption. Sure, they exist- but it's getting harder and harder to fit them in. Combine this with the growing trend in "kids" constantly being plugged into something and then you are breeding a generation that lives for everything the information age stands for- increased productivity, instant gratification....higher value in tasks being performed as fast and efficiently as humanly possible.

Is there some merit in this? Absolutely! The faster we get things done, the more time we have to do more productive things. But the fact is, the more we accomplish, the more that will be demanded of us. Things will get done quicker but that doesn't mean we get to take more time for ourselves- there will just be more work to do in a shorter period of time. The amount of work done in 40 hours 20 years ago is a LOT different than the amount of work done in the same 40 hour time span.

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