(Is MiniDisc technology obsolete and past? I've never had one.)

Thanks for any help,
Dan


Nope. Today's MD-LP (long play) enables you to record 80, 160 or 320
minutes on a disc, depending on speed chosen. LP4 (which gives you
320 minutes) is fine for talk. For music, stick with LP2 or Standard.

Now here is the exciting news about MiniDisc. Sony will be
introducting Hi-MD in a month or two. Here are some of the
highlights:


Hi-MD - Store 45 Hours of Music or 1 GB of Data on one Hi-MD MiniDisc

Compatible with Standard MiniDisc Media - Store 13 Hours of Music on
One Standard 80 minute MiniDisc

Record your MP3s or CDs at up to 100x Speed

Hi-MD recorders can be used directly as USB connected data drives on
any PC supporting USB storage devices (no additional drivers needed).

Microphone and line input (i.e. analog source) recordings made on
Hi-MD equipment can be uploaded at high-speed to Windows PCs via
SonicStage (Sony's copyright-protecting audio transfer software).

http://www.minidisc.org/ for a lot of good info about MD.

My guess is that the prices on the existing MD technology units (which
is perfect for my needs, anyway) will fall with the intro of Hi-MD.

--Russ