View source for MiniDisc

{{short description|Magneto-optical storage medium, mainly for audio (1992–2013)}}
{{About|the Sony storage format|other similarly-named formats and other uses of the term|Minidisc (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}

{{Infobox storage medium
| name = MiniDisc
| logo = MiniDiscLogo.svg{{!}}class=skin-invert
| image = TDK MiniDisc and Duracell Ultra M3 20070320.jpg
| caption = MiniDisc by TDK, with [[AA battery]] for scale
| type = [[Magneto-optical]] disc
| encoding = [[ATRAC]]
| capacity = 60, 74, and 80 minutes
| read = 780&nbsp;nm semiconductor laser diode
| write = Magnetic field modulation
| standard =
| owner = [[Sony]]
| use = Audio storage
| released = {{start date and age|1992|11}}<ref name="wb-minidisc-sony-mz-1">{{cite web|last=Woudenberg|first=Eric|title=Sony MZ-1|url=https://www.minidisc.org/part_Sony_MZ-1.html|access-date=2022-07-30}}</ref>
| discontinued = {{end date and age|2013|3}}
| extended from = [[Compact Cassette]], [[Compact disc]]
| extended to = [[MD Data]], [[Hi-MD]]
}}
{{optical disc authoring}}
[[File:Sony MZ-1 and a disc 20040221.jpg|thumb|The Sony MZ1, the first MiniDisc player, released in 1992.]]

'''MiniDisc''' ('''MD''') is a discontinued erasable [[magneto-optical]] disc-based [[data storage]] format offering a capacity of 60, 74, or 80 minutes of digitized [[sound|audio]].

[[Sony]] announced the MiniDisc in September 1992 and released it in November<ref name="sony-end" /> of that year for sale in Japan and in December in Europe, North America, and other countries.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sony.net/Fun/SH/1-21/h5.html |title=Sony history |access-date=1 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100625232554/http://www.sony.net/Fun/SH/1-21/h5.html |archive-date=25 June 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The music format was based on [[ATRAC]] [[audio data compression]], Sony's own proprietary compression code. Its successor, [[Hi-MD]], would later introduce the option of [[linear PCM]] [[digital recording]] to meet audio quality comparable to that of a [[compact disc]]. MiniDiscs were very popular in Japan and found moderate success in Europe.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.trustedreviews.com/mp3/review/2008/04/08/Music-On-The-Move/p4 |title=Music on the Move: MiniDisc |first=Riyad |last=Emeran |date=8 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513061754/http://www.trustedreviews.com/mp3/review/2008/04/08/Music-On-The-Move/p4 |archive-date=13 May 2008 |website=TrustedReviews}}</ref> Although it was designed to succeed the [[cassette tape]], it did not manage to supplant it globally.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/sony-bids-farewell-to-the-minidisc/ | title=Sony bids farewell to the MiniDisc | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220509133417/https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/sony-bids-farewell-to-the-minidisc/ | archive-date=9 May 2022 | date=3 Feb 2013 | author=Lexy Savvides | website=CNET | url-status=live }}</ref>

By March 2011, Sony had sold 22 million MD players, but discontinued further development.<ref name="Nni20110707D07JFN01">{{Cite web |date=July 7, 2011 |title=Sony To Wind Up MiniDisc Walkman Shipments |url=http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20110707D07JFN01.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711122254/http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20110707D07JFN01.htm |archive-date=Jul 11, 2011 |website=Nikkei.com}}</ref> Sony ceased manufacturing and sold the last of the players by March 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.engadget.com/2013/02/01/sony-says-sayonara-to-minidisc-will-sell-its-last-players-in-ma/ |title=Sony says sayonara to MiniDisc, will sell its last players in March |publisher=Engadget.com |date=1 February 2013 |access-date=16 May 2016}}</ref> On January 23, 2025, Sony announced they would end the production of recordable MD media in February 2025.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sony.jp/rec-media/info2/20250123.html?cpint=rec-media_sony_news-Sony%20News-ja_JP-responsivegrid_initial_middle_sonynews_1 |title= Notice regarding the end of production of Blu-ray Disc media, MiniDiscs for recording, MD data for recording, and MiniDV cassettes | publisher=Sony Storage Media Solutions Inc. | date=Jan 23, 2025}}</ref>

== Market history ==
In 1983, just a year after the introduction of the [[compact disc]], [[Kees Schouhamer Immink]] and [[Joseph Braat]] presented the first experiments with erasable [[magneto-optical]] compact discs during the 73rd [[Audio Engineering Society|AES]] Convention in [[Eindhoven]].<ref>{{Cite journal
|journal=J. Audio Eng. Soc.
|volume=32
|date=1984
|title=Experiments Toward an Erasable Compact Disc
|author=K. Schouhamer Immink and J. Braat
|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237764745
|pages=531–538
}}</ref> It took almost 10 years, however, before their idea was commercialized.

Sony's MiniDisc was one of two rival digital systems introduced in 1992 that were intended to replace the [[Philips]] [[Compact Cassette]] analog audio tape system: the other was the [[Digital Compact Cassette]] (DCC), created by [[Philips]] and [[Panasonic Corporation|Matsushita]] (now Panasonic). Sony had originally intended the [[Digital Audio Tape]] (DAT) to be the dominant home digital audio recording format, replacing the analog cassette. Because of technical delays, the DAT was not launched until 1989, and by then the [[U.S. dollar]] had fallen so far against the [[yen]] that the introductory DAT machine Sony had intended to market for about $400 in the late 1980s then had to retail for $800 or even $1,000 to break even, putting it out of reach of most users.

Relegating DAT to professional use, Sony set to work to come up with a simpler, more economical digital home format. By the time Sony came up with the MiniDisc in late 1992, Philips had introduced a competing system, DCC, on a magnetic tape cassette. This created marketing confusion very similar to the [[Videotape format war|videocassette format war]] of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Sony licensed MD technology to other manufacturers, with [[JVC]], [[Sharp Corporation|Sharp]], [[Pioneer Corporation|Pioneer]], [[Panasonic]] and others producing their own MD products. However, non-Sony machines were not widely available in North America, and companies such as [[Technics (brand)|Technics]] and [[Radio Shack]] tended to promote DCC instead.
[[File:Pioneer MiniDisc car receiver MEM-P5500 crop.JPG|thumb|Pioneer MiniDisc [[vehicle audio|car receiver]]]]
Despite having a loyal customer base largely of musicians and audio enthusiasts,{{fact|date=September 2023}} the MiniDisc met with only limited success in the United States. It was very popular in Japan and parts of Asia, and relatively so in Europe during the 1990s and into the 2000s, but did not enjoy comparable sales success in other markets. Since then, recordable CDs, [[flash memory]] and HDD and solid-state-based [[digital audio player]]s such as [[iPod]]s have become increasingly popular as playback devices.

The slow uptake of MiniDisc was attributed to the small number of pre-recorded albums available on MD, because relatively few record labels embraced the format. The initial high cost of equipment and blank media was also a factor. Additionally, home MiniDisc decks were less widely available, with most consumers instead connecting a portable MD device to their hi-fi system in order to record.

MiniDisc technology was faced with new competition from the recordable compact disc ([[CD-R]]) when it became more affordable to consumers beginning around 1996. Initially, Sony believed that it would take around a decade for CD-R prices to become affordable – the cost of a typical blank CD-R disc was around $12 in 1994 – but CD-R prices fell much more rapidly than envisioned, to the point where CD-R blanks sank below $1 per disc by the late 1990s, compared to at least $2 for the cheapest 80-minute MiniDisc blanks.

The biggest competition for MiniDisc came with the emergence of [[MP3 players]]. With the [[Rio PMP300|Diamond Rio player]] in 1998 and the [[Apple iPod]] in 2001, the mass market began to eschew physical media in favor of more convenient file-based systems.

[[File:Sony mz rh1.jpg|thumb|Sony Hi-MD Recorder MZ-RH1, released 2006]]
By 2007, because of the waning popularity of the format and the increasing popularity of solid-state MP3 players, Sony was producing only one model, the [[Hi-MD]] MZ-RH1, available as the MZ-M200 in North America packaged with a Sony microphone and limited [[macOS]] software support.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.minidisc.org/manuals/sony/Sony_MZ-RH1_user_manual.pdf|title=Sony MZ-RH1 User Manual}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://reviews.cnet.com/minidisc-players/sony-mz-m200-hi/1707-6492_7-32780518.html|title=Sony MZ-M200 Hi-MD Recorder with Stereo Microphone|website=[[CNET]]|date=5 December 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-download.pl?mdl=MZRH1&upd_id=2236&os_id=24|title=Hi-MD Music Transfer for Mac Ver.2.0|publisher=Sony|date=15 July 2006}}</ref>

The MZ-RH1 allowed users to freely move uncompressed digital recordings back and forth from the MiniDisc to a computer without the copyright protection limitations previously imposed upon the NetMD series. This allowed the MiniDisc to better compete with HD recorders and MP3 players. However, most pro users like broadcasters and news reporters had already abandoned MiniDisc in favor of solid-state recorders, because of their extended recording time, open digital content sharing, high-quality digital recording capabilities and reliable, lightweight design.

On 7 July 2011, Sony announced that it would no longer ship MiniDisc Walkman products as of September 2011,<ref name="Nni20110707D07JFN01"/> effectively killing the format.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2012/sep/24/sony-minidisc-20-years|title=MiniDisc, The Forgotten Format|publisher=The Guardian UK|date=24 September 2012 |first1=Joey |last1=Faulkner |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230604004940/https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2012/sep/24/sony-minidisc-20-years |archive-date= Jun 4, 2023 }}</ref>

On 1 February 2013, Sony issued a press release on the Nikkei stock exchange that it would cease shipment of all MD devices, with last of the players to be sold in March 2013. However, it would continue to sell blank discs and offer repair services.<ref name="sony-end">{{cite news|
url=http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20130131D3Z01N02.htm|
title=Sony To End Shipments of MiniDisc Players|
accessdate=4 February 2013|
newspaper=The Nikkei
}}</ref> Other manufacturers continued to release MiniDisc players long after Sony stopped, with [[TEAC Corporation|TEAC]] & [[TASCAM]] producing new decks up until 2020 when both its consumer and professional products, TEAC MD-70CD and TASCAM MD-CD1MKIII, were discontinued.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://s-mars.co.jp/end_of_md_deck/|title = Mdデッキ生産の終息について |website=株式会社 松本無線音響設備 |date= 2020-01-27 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230625090500/http://s-mars.co.jp/end_of_md_deck/ |archive-date= Jun 25, 2023 }}</ref> In January 2025 Sony announced, that production of blank MiniDiscs (together [[Blu-ray Disc recordable|BD-R]] and [[MiniDV]]) will be discontinued.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Sony no longer produces BD-R, MiniDiscs and MiniDV |last=Ernst |first=Nico |date=2025-01-25 |url=https://www.heise.de/en/news/Sony-no-longer-produces-BD-R-MiniDiscs-and-MiniDV-10256695.html |website=heise.de}}</ref>

== Design ==

=== Physical characteristics ===
[[File:Memorex-minidisc.jpg|thumb|[[Memorex]] Mini-Disc]]

The disc is fixed in a cartridge (68×72×5&nbsp;mm) with a sliding door, similar to the casing of a 3.5" [[floppy disk]]. This shutter is opened automatically when inserted into a drive. MiniDiscs can either be blank or prerecorded. Recordable MiniDiscs use a magneto-optical system to write data: a laser below the disc heats a spot to its [[Curie point]], making the material in the disc susceptible to a magnetic field. A magnetic head above the disc then alters the polarity of the heated area, recording the digital data onto the disk. Playback is accomplished with the laser alone: taking advantage of the [[magneto-optic Kerr effect]], the player senses the polarization of the reflected light as a 1 or a 0. Recordable MDs can be rerecorded repeatedly, with Sony claiming up to one million times. By May 2005, there were 60-minute, 74-minute and 80-minute discs available. 60-minute blanks, which were widely available in the early years of the format's introduction, were phased out.

MiniDiscs use a mastering process and optical playback system that is very similar to CDs. The recorded signal of the premastered pits and of the recordable MD are also very similar. [[Eight-to-Fourteen Modulation]] (EFM) and a modification of CD's [[Cross-Interleaved Reed-Solomon Coding|CIRC]] code, called Advanced Cross Interleaved Reed-Solomon Code (ACIRC) are employed.

=== Differences from cassette and CDs ===
[[File:Comparison disk storage.svg|thumb|Comparison of several forms of disk storage showing tracks; green denotes start and red denotes end. Some CD-R(W) and DVD-R(W)/DVD+R(W) recorders operate in ZCLV, CAA or CAV modes.]]
MiniDiscs use rewritable magneto-optical storage to store data. Unlike [[Digital Compact Cassette|DCC]] or the analog [[Compact Cassette]], MiniDisc is a random-access medium, making seek time very fast. MiniDiscs can be edited very quickly even on portable machines. Tracks can be split, combined, moved or deleted with ease either on the player or uploaded to a PC with Sony's [[SonicStage]] V4.3 software and edited there. Transferring data from an MD unit to a non-Windows PC can only be done in real time, preferably via optical I/O, by connecting the audio out port of the MD to an available audio in port of the computer. With the release of the Hi-MD format, Sony began to use [[Mac OS X]]-compatible software. However, the Mac OS X-compatible software was still not compatible with legacy MD formats (SP, LP2, LP4). This means that an MD recorded on a legacy unit or in a legacy format still requires a Windows PC for faster than real-time transfers.

The beginning of the disc has a table of contents (TOC, the System File area), which stores the start positions of the various tracks, as well as metadata (title, artist) and free blocks. Unlike a conventional cassette, a recorded song does not need to be stored as one piece on the disc, it can be scattered in fragments, similar to a hard drive. Early MiniDisc equipment had a fragment granularity of 4 seconds of audio. Fragments smaller than the granularity are not monitored, which may lead to the usable capacity of a disc shrinking over time. No means of defragmenting the disc is provided in consumer-grade equipment.

All consumer-grade MiniDisc devices have a copy-protection scheme called the [[Serial Copy Management System]]. An unprotected disc or song can be copied without limit, but the copies can no longer be digitally copied. However, as a concession, the last Hi-MD players can upload to PC a digitally recorded file which can be resaved as a [[WAV]] ([[PCM]]) file and thus replicated.

=== Audio data compression ===
The digitally encoded audio signal on a MiniDisc has traditionally been [[Audio compression (data)|data-compressed]] using the [[ATRAC]] (Adaptive Transform Acoustic Coding) format.

ATRAC was devised to allow MiniDisc to have the same runtime as a CD. ATRAC reduces the 1.4&nbsp;Mbit/s of a CD to a 292&nbsp;kbit/s data stream,<ref name="wb-minidisc-bitrate">{{cite web|last=Woudenberg|first=Eric|title=MiniDisc FAQ: Audio Topics - What is the bit rate of the Minidisc's ATRAC audio after compression? |website=Minidisc Community Portal |url=https://www.minidisc.org/faq_sec_4.html#_q21|access-date=2022-07-30}}</ref> roughly a 5:1 reduction. ATRAC was also used on nearly all flash memory [[Walkman]] devices until the 8 series.

The ATRAC codec differs from uncompressed PCM in that it is a [[psychoacoustic]] [[lossy]] audio data reduction scheme. Like other lossy audio compression formats, it is intended to be acoustically transparent.

There have been four versions of ATRAC, each claimed by Sony to more accurately reflect the original audio. Early players are guaranteed to play later version ATRAC audio. Version&nbsp;1 could only be copied on consumer equipment three or four times before artifacts became objectionable, as the ATRAC on the recorder attempted to compress the already compressed data. By version&nbsp;4, the potential number of generations of copy had increased to around 15 to 20 depending on audio content.

The latest versions of Sony's ATRAC are ATRAC3 and ATRAC3plus. Original ATRAC3 at 132&nbsp;kbit/s (also known as ATRAC-LP2 mode) was the format that was used by Sony's defunct Connect audio download store. ATRAC3plus was not used in order to retain backwards compatibility with earlier NetMD players.

In the MiniDisc's final iteration, Hi-MD, uncompressed [[CD-quality]] linear PCM audio recording and playback is offered, placing Hi-MD on par with CD-quality audio. Hi-MD also supports both ATRAC3 and ATRAC3plus at various bitrates.

=== Anti-skip ===
MiniDisc has a feature that prevents disc skipping under all but the most extreme conditions. Older CD players had been a source of annoyance to users as they were prone to mistracking from vibration and shock. MiniDisc solved this problem by reading the data into a memory buffer at a higher speed than was required before being read out to the digital-to-analog converter at the standard rate of the format. The size of the buffer varies by model.

If a MiniDisc player is bumped, playback continues unimpeded while the laser repositions itself to continue reading data from the disc. This feature allows the player to stop the spindle motor for significant periods, increasing battery life.

A buffer of at least six seconds is required on all MiniDisc players, whether portable or full-sized units. This ensures uninterrupted playback in the presence of file [[Fragmentation (computer)|fragmentation]].

=== Operation ===
[[File:Sony-MDS-JE780.jpg|thumb|MiniDisc Deck MDS-JE780 (2002–2005)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sony MDS-JE780 Minidisc Deck Manual |url=https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/sony/mds-je780.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201003134556/https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/sony/mds-je780.shtml |archive-date=Oct 3, 2020 |access-date=30 May 2020 |website=HiFi Engine}}</ref>]]
[[File:Sony MiniDisc MD Recorder MDS-81.jpg|thumb|MiniDisc Recorder MDS-B1, normally used in [[Recording studio|recording or broadcast radio studios]].]]
[[File:Minidisc2.jpg|thumb|Detail view of the MZ-R30 MiniDisc recorder (Sony, 1996)]]
The data structure and operation of a MiniDisc is similar to that of a computer's [[hard disk]] drive. The bulk of the disc contains audio data, and a small section contains the table of contents (TOC), providing the playback device with vital information about the number and location of tracks on the disc. Tracks and discs can be named. Tracks may easily be added, erased, combined and divided, and their preferred order of playback modified. Erased tracks are not physically erased, but are only marked as deleted. When a disc becomes full, the recorder can simply direct the data into sections where erased tracks reside. This can lead to fragmentation but unless many erasures and replacements are performed, the only likely problem is excessive searching, reducing battery life.

The data structure of the MiniDisc, where music is recorded in a single stream of bytes while the TOC contains pointers to track positions, allows for [[gapless playback]] of music, something which competing portable players such as most [[MP3]] players, fail to implement properly. Notable exceptions are [[CD]] players, as well as all recent [[iPod]]s.

At the end of recording, after the "Stop" button has been pressed, the MiniDisc may continue to write music data for a few seconds from its memory buffers. During this time, it may display a message ("Data Save", on at least some models) and the case will not open. After the audio data is written out, the final step is to write the TOC track denoting the start and endpoints of the recorded data. Sony points out in the manual that the power should not be interrupted or the unit exposed to undue physical shock during this time.

=== Copy protection ===
All MiniDisc recorders use the [[Serial Copy Management System|SCMS]] copy protection system which uses two [[bit]]s in the S/PDIF digital audio stream and on disc to differentiate between "protected" vs. "unprotected" audio, and between "original" vs. "copy":
* Recording digitally from a source marked "protected" and "original" (produced by a prerecorded MD or an MD that recorded an analogue input) was allowed, but the recorder would change the "original" bit to the "copy" state on the disc to prevent further copying of the copy. A CD imported via a digital connection does not have the SCMS bits (as the CD format predates SCMS), but the recording MD recorder treats any signal where the SCMS bits are missing as protected and original. The MD copy, therefore, cannot be further copied digitally.
* Recording digitally from a source marked "protected" and "copy" was not allowed: an error message would be shown on the display.
* Recording digitally from a source marked "unprotected" was also allowed; the "original/copy" marker was ignored and left unchanged.

Recording from an analogue source resulted in a disc marked "protected" and "original" allowing one further copy to be made (this contrasts with the SCMS on the [[Digital Compact Cassette]] where analogue recording was marked as "unprotected").

In recorders that could be connected to a PC via [[USB]], it was possible to transfer audio from the PC to the MiniDisc recorder, but for many years it was not possible to transfer audio in the other direction. This restriction existed in both the SonicStage software and in the MiniDisc player itself. SonicStage V3.4 was the first version of the software where this restriction was removed, but it still required a MiniDisc recorder/player that also had the restriction removed. The Hi-MD model MZ-RH1 was the only such player available.

== Format extensions ==
=== MD Data ===
{{Main|MD Data}}

MD Data, a format for storing computer data, was announced by Sony in 1993.<ref name=Byte199508>{{Cite web |date=August 1995 |title=Reviews / Sony's Mini-MO |url=http://www.byte.com/art/9508/sec11/art11.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19961220103438/http://www.byte.com/art/9508/sec11/art11.htm |archive-date=December 20, 1996 |access-date=December 22, 2023 |website=[[Byte (magazine)|Byte]]}}</ref> Its media stored 140 MB<ref name=Byte199508/> and were generally incompatible with standard audio MiniDiscs.<ref>{{Cite web |title=MiniDisc MD-Data Product Table |url=https://www.minidisc.org/md_data_table.html |access-date=December 22, 2023 |website=The MiniDisc Community Portal}}</ref> MD Data cannot write to audio MDs, but only the considerably more expensive data blanks. It did see some success in a small number of multi-track recorders such as Sony's MDM-X4, Tascam's 564 (which could also record using standard audio MD discs, albeit only two tracks), and Yamaha's MD8, MD4, & MD4S.

=== MD Data2 ===
In 1997, MD Data2 blanks were introduced with 650&nbsp;MB. They were only implemented in Sony's short-lived MD-based camcorder, the DCM-M1.

=== MDLP ===
In 2000, Sony announced MDLP (MiniDisc Long Play), which added new recording modes based on the new codec ATRAC3. In addition to the standard, high-quality mode, now called SP, MDLP adds LP2 mode, which doubles the recording time – 160 minutes on an 80-minute disc – of good-quality stereo sound, and LP4, which allows four times more recording time – 320 minutes on an 80-minute disc – of medium-quality stereo sound.

The [[bitrate]] of the standard SP mode is 292&nbsp;[[kbit/s]], and it uses separate stereo coding with discrete left and right channels. LP2 mode uses a bitrate of 132&nbsp;kbit/s and also uses separate stereo coding. The third mode, LP4, has a bitrate of 66&nbsp;kbit/s and uses [[joint stereo coding]]. The sound quality is noticeably degraded compared to the other two modes, but is sufficient for many uses.

Tracks recorded in LP2 or LP4 mode play back as silence on non-MDLP players.

=== NetMD ===
[[File:Sony-MZ-N707-MD-Walkman.jpg|thumb|A NetMD Sony MiniDisc Recorder]]
Debuting in late 2001, '''NetMD''' recorders allow music files to be transferred from a computer to a recorder (but not in the other direction) over a USB connection. In LP4 mode, speeds of up to 32× real-time are possible and three Sony NetMD recorders (MZ-N10, MZ-N910, and MZ-N920) are capable of speeds up to 64× real-time. NetMD recorders all support MDLP.

When transferring music in SP mode using NetMD with SonicStage, what is transferred is actually padded LP2. That is to say that the quality of the music is that of LP2 but recorded as SP.

NetMD is a proprietary protocol that initially required proprietary software such as [[SonicStage]].  A free [[*nix]] based implementation, libnetmd, has been developed. The library allows the user to upload SP files in full quality. In 2019, a programmer named Stefano Brilli compiled the linux-minidisc CLI into a web browser-based application,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://stefano.brilli.me/blog/web-minidisc/|title=The Web MiniDisc App|date=March 26, 2020|first=Stefano|last=Brilli |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230625050453/https://stefano.brilli.me/blog/web-minidisc/ |archive-date= Jun 25, 2023 }}</ref> allowing users to transfer music via USB on modern devices.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.techtelegraph.co.uk/remember-minidisc-heres-how-you-can-still-use-it-in-2020/|title=Remember MiniDisc? Here's How You Can Still Use It in 2020|date=July 25, 2020|work=TechTelegraph |url-status=deviated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201219023141/https://www.techtelegraph.co.uk/remember-minidisc-heres-how-you-can-still-use-it-in-2020/ |archive-date= Dec 19, 2020 }}</ref>

=== Hi-MD ===
{{Main|Hi-MD}}
Hi-MD is a further development of the MiniDisc format. Hi-MD media will not play on non-Hi-MD equipment, including NetMD players. The [[Hi-MD]] format, introduced in 2004, marked a return to the data storage arena with its 1&nbsp;GB discs and ability to act as a [[USB flash drive|USB drive]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.sel.sony.com/pressrelease/4270|title=Sony introduces Hi-MD Walkman digital music players |date=Jan 7, 2004 |website=Sony |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040201212250/http://news.sel.sony.com/pressrelease/4270 |archive-date=1 February 2004 }}</ref> Hi-MD units allow the recording and playback of audio and data on the same disc, and can write both audio and data to standard MiniDisc media – an 80-minute MiniDisc blank could be formatted to store 305&nbsp;MB of data.

== Recording and transfer modes ==
Modes marked in green are available for recordings made on the player, while those marked in red are available for music transferred from a PC. Capacities are official Sony figures; real world figures are usually slightly higher. Native MP3 support was added in second-generation Hi-MD players in the spring of 2005.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://bssc.sel.sony.com/BroadcastandBusiness/minisites/himd/index.shtml|title=Sony Business Solutions & Systems - Featured|date=15 April 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080415133121/http://bssc.sel.sony.com/BroadcastandBusiness/minisites/himd/index.shtml |archive-date=15 April 2008 }}</ref> [[SonicStage]] version 3.4, released in Feb 2006,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sony.jp/products/overseas/contents/support/download/index.html|title=Overseas Model Customer Support|date=7 April 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060407092514/http://www.sony.jp/products/overseas/contents/support/download/index.html |archive-date=7 April 2006 }}</ref> introduced ripping CDs in bitrates 320 and 352<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sony.jp/products/overseas/contents/support/download/e_jeb_SS34ug.html|title=Overseas Model Customer Support|date=5 February 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060205040106/https://www.sony.jp/products/overseas/contents/support/download/e_jeb_SS34ug.html |archive-date=5 February 2006 }}</ref> and added track transfer in ATRAC 192&nbsp;kbit/s to Hi-MD devices.

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;"
!rowspan=3|Name
!rowspan=3|Bitrate<br />(kbit/s)
!rowspan=3|Codec
!colspan=5|Availability and capacity (min)
|-
!Standard player
!MDLP player
!colspan=3|Hi-MD player
|-
!colspan=3|80-minute disc
!80-minute disc<br /> (HiMD formatted)
!1 GB Hi-MD disc
|-
!Stereo SP
|292
|ATRAC
| style="background:#bfb;"|80
| style="background:#bfb;"|80
| style="background:#bfb;"|80
|n/a
|n/a
|-
!Mono SP
|146
|ATRAC
| style="background:#bfb;"|160
| style="background:#bfb;"|160
| style="background:#bfb;"|160
|n/a
|n/a
|-
!LP2
|132
|ATRAC3
|n/a
| style="background:#bfb;"|160
| style="background:#bfb;"|160
| style="background:#fbb;"|290
| style="background:#fbb;"|990
|-
! –
|105
|ATRAC3
|n/a
| style="background:#fbb;"|127
| style="background:#fbb;"|127
| style="background:#fbb;"|370
| style="background:#fbb;"|1250
|-
!LP4
|66
|ATRAC3
|n/a
| style="background:#bfb;"|320
| style="background:#bfb;"|320
| style="background:#fbb;"|590
| style="background:#fbb;"|1970
|-
! –
|48
|ATRAC3plus
|n/a
|n/a
|n/a
| style="background:#fbb;"|810
| style="background:#fbb;"|2700
|-
!Hi-LP
|64
|ATRAC3plus
|n/a
|n/a
|n/a
| style="background:#bfb;"|610
| style="background:#bfb;"|2040
|-
!Hi-SP
|256
|ATRAC3plus
|n/a
|n/a
|n/a
| style="background:#bfb;"|140
| style="background:#bfb;"|475
|-
!PCM
|1411.2
|Linear PCM
|n/a
|n/a
|n/a
| style="background:#bfb;"|28
| style="background:#bfb;"|94
|}

== See also ==
{{Portal|1990s}}
* [[Capacitance Electronic Disc]] (SelectaVision) – an RCA-developed format that uses a disc inside a sleeve, like MD
* [[Fidelipac]]
* [[Universal Media Disc]] (UMD) – a similar Sony format, but read-only. Used on the [[PlayStation Portable]] handheld game console.
* [[Mini CD]]
* [[MiniDVD]]
* [[Mini Blu-ray]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{sister project auto}}
*[https://www.discogs.com/search/?format_exact=Minidisc List of artists with a Minidisc release – Discogs]

{{Audio formats}}
{{Music technology}}
{{Optical storage media}}
{{Sony Corp}}

[[Category:Audiovisual introductions in 1992]]
[[Category:Audio storage]]
[[Category:Consumer electronics]]
[[Category:Digital audio]]
[[Category:History of radio]]
[[Category:Sony products]]
[[Category:Discontinued media formats]]
[[Category:Japanese inventions]]