Topic: Demise of CD players in 2011???

[OldNeumanntapr]

I was just told, while shopping for a new CD player for my wife's '07 Toyota Corolla, that in early 2011 CDs will no longer be produced, and players will soon not be made anymore either. If CD players (both auto & home) will no longer be made in the coming years then how are we to use our ever expanding music collections? I was told that downloads to iPods will be the ONLY source of music in the coming years. Compressed MP-3 files will be the norm. That makes no sense to me at all! I asked what will be the new format, because I have switched formats twice already, (from cassette to DAT to CDR) and was told that there will be NO MORE FORMATS for home recordings. Only computer downloads. I was told that movies would be the same way in five years and that the new Blu Ray format will also be obsolete. I asked about portable hard drives and was told that they will not work with the new car audio systems. I guess I am looking at the end of my high end car system.

I have always been a stereo freak and used my tape recorders (both cassette and DAT) as my primary source for collecting and trading music. I always figured that once I got my DATs archived to CDR there would be another format change and I'd have to start all over with yet another format, but I am shocked beyond belief at the idea that there will be no further formats for home recording. I collect audio-only CDRs of live music, and don't do the FLAC thing because they won't play on my high-end car system and that is the primary place that I listen to music.

I guess I just don't understand why people are so wrapped up in this MP-3 thing. I think they sound like crap, but it seems that a lot of people can't hear the difference. Have we gotten to the point where quantity rules supreme over sound QUALITY???

It makes me want to buy three or four nice CD players and maybe a DVD player or two and stick them in the closet for the coming years. What are we going do, as live music collectors? Will my music collection that I have spent so many years working on be unusable?

[M]

Instead of cd's, dvd's and blueray people will just use flash or hard disks.

Many of us already watch tv on a hard dive in out pvr's.  I have a pc hooked up to my stereo and that is where the flacs come from.  I have already made the switch, mostly.

Just because the media is obsolete doesn't mean that the quality of the content needs to be poor.  I'm sure that there will always be HQ audio and video.

I think that throw away media is bad for the environment anyway.  Once in a while I'll burn a disc for someone that is still using dated technology, buy less and less as time goes on.

[page]

I collect audio-only CDRs of live music, and don't do the FLAC thing because they won't play on my high-end car system and that is the primary place that I listen to music.

I guess I just don't understand why people are so wrapped up in this MP-3 thing. I think they sound like crap, but it seems that a lot of people can't hear the difference. Have we gotten to the point where quantity rules supreme over sound QUALITY???

It makes me want to buy three or four nice CD players and maybe a DVD player or two and stick them in the closet for the coming years. What are we going do, as live music collectors? Will my music collection that I have spent so many years working on be unusable?

Well, it's sort of an exaggeration that it will all die out next year, but not by much (imho). I guess not many here will be bothered, because a large percentage of us all use hard drives now for flac sets. I haven't put music on cdr in a good 2 or 3 year unless like noted above that I'm sending something to someone who's not up to snuff on newer tech. I'm actually now getting more requests for stuff in either mp3/flac on cdr instead of cdda on cdr to the point where I can go almost half the year without having to do a cdda disc. Now, I've got a good 6 or 7 external jumbo hard drives with flacs on them, so all of my stuff is available much easier then the cds ever were.

I'm not down on mp3s. There is a time and place to me, and I can't tell enough of a difference between a lame v0 mp3 and the original flac unless I'm using my home system at which point it becomes really easy. Too much road noise in my car and my office speakers suck so it's moot to me. Bigger problems to work on sort of thing. I havn't traded for music in a good 7 years so I don't worry about the audio pool out there anymore. I tape what I want or know and trust the person I'm getting stuff from so it's a non issue to me.

As for your collection being unusable, as long as there is a CD reader and EAC/cdparanoia, you can make the shift to file sets, but a bigger question I have for you is; have you checked for cd rot lately? Some of my oldest discs (aprox 10 yrs now) are starting to rot. Lost about half of my oldest two binders so far when I checked this fall after years without looking. I have a massive led zeppelin collection that I'll have to decide what to do with in about 12 months before the first discs start to fall near that time frame...

You might consider looking for a car player that handles flac discs, I swear I've seen one that did before in a rental car once.

[runonce]

I was just told, while shopping for a new CD player for my wife's '07 Toyota Corolla, that in early 2011 CDs will no longer be produced, and players will soon not be made anymore either. If CD players (both auto & home) will no longer be made in the coming years then how are we to use our ever expanding music collections? I was told that downloads to iPods will be the ONLY source of music in the coming years. Compressed MP-3 files will be the norm. That makes no sense to me at all! I asked what will be the new format, because I have switched formats twice already, (from cassette to DAT to CDR) and was told that there will be NO MORE FORMATS for home recordings. Only computer downloads. I was told that movies would be the same way in five years and that the new Blu Ray format will also be obsolete. I asked about portable hard drives and was told that they will not work with the new car audio systems. I guess I am looking at the end of my high end car system.

I have always been a stereo freak and used my tape recorders (both cassette and DAT) as my primary source for collecting and trading music. I always figured that once I got my DATs archived to CDR there would be another format change and I'd have to start all over with yet another format, but I am shocked beyond belief at the idea that there will be no further formats for home recording. I collect audio-only CDRs of live music, and don't do the FLAC thing because they won't play on my high-end car system and that is the primary place that I listen to music.

I guess I just don't understand why people are so wrapped up in this MP-3 thing. I think they sound like crap, but it seems that a lot of people can't hear the difference. Have we gotten to the point where quantity rules supreme over sound QUALITY???

It makes me want to buy three or four nice CD players and maybe a DVD player or two and stick them in the closet for the coming years. What are we going do, as live music collectors? Will my music collection that I have spent so many years working on be unusable?

Get with the times brother!

Master on flash - archive on HD - get an up to date car player that plays flacs.

CDR is so NOT a high end format...your cassettes will outlive them.

And - realize many of us already listen to 24bit flac sets exclusively...and poo-poo 16 bit.

[Jimna]

i agree with everyone here, but I question your info source.  I mean the truth of Toyota not including cd players maybe true if your hear it at a car dealer, but I question them as a source on the entire electronics industry, I have a friend who is a car salesman and he is generally clueless about all other things.  I dont see the industry making that move that fast.  It took the auto industry 5 yrs just to stop putting cassette decks in cars once they started using cd players...dont believe everything ya hear.   

that being said, yep these times they are changing, evolve or become extinct.

[mfrench]

goes and flips his record, and looks at the thick layer of dust on the digishizzer thingie.

[Jimna]

watch out for those tar pits moke.

[12milluz]

i agree with everyone here, but I question your info source.  I mean the truth of Toyota not including cd players maybe true if your hear it at a car dealer, but I question them as a source on the entire electronics industry, I have a friend who is a car salesman and he is generally clueless about all other things.  I dont see the industry making that move that fast.  It took the auto industry 5 yrs just to stop putting cassette decks in cars once they started using cd players...dont believe everything ya hear.   

that being said, yep these times they are changing, evolve or become extinct.

I agree. My car from 2004 came brand new with a cassette player in it. CDs are not going to totally die out by next year. Yeah, they are already on the decline, but they are still going to be around.

[mfrench]

watch out for those tar pits moke.

get off my lawn!  :)

My favorite players are older than, or, as old as I am (and still totally active, daily use), ranging between 1952->1964. So it might be a while before I catch back up with the bleeding edge of technology.

And, I have a cassette deck in the truck.

[runonce]

Worth noting...

Both Target and Wal-Mart had stacks of ION USB turntables...which I found surprising.

Its not a great turntable - but that position in the marketplace sure increases the likleyhood of someone getting into their grampas record collection.

[Cheesecadet]

This is unfortunate news for those of us that like to have an "hard copy" of our archived music.

I still do not trust HD with an eventual crash lurking in the distance...then everything is gone anyway.

So a DVD to archive music is only gloing to last approx. 10 years if that?  I have heard this mentioned elsewhere on this site but where is everyone getting their source info from?  I'd like to read up a bit more on the topic.

[page]

This is unfortunate news for those of us that like to have an "hard copy" of our archived music.

I still do not trust HD with an eventual crash lurking in the distance...then everything is gone anyway.

I just use multiple drives for redundancy and hit 2/3rds of the 3-2-1 rule (3 copies, 2 different media, 1 off site). I check the drives and rsync any differences about 6 times a year.

So a DVD to archive music is only gloing to last approx. 10 years if that?  I have heard this mentioned elsewhere on this site but where is everyone getting their source info from?  I'd like to read up a bit more on the topic.

I'd only vaguely read it years ago, but I dug out a binder about a month ago and had a bunch of discs including various generics, TDKs, and a couple Verbatim CDRs develop the hazy green hue/bubbles of disc rot. The two binders which had the oldest stuff in it at that. 

i honestly thought I'd get a good 15 before running into problems.

[runonce]

I have DVDs that are already failing...less than 5 years old. Wont read.

I dont trust DVD media - no matter what brands are claimed to be the best.

And - I dont get the "hard copy" notion...?

I think your confusing "1:1 archiving" with "hard copy" - no matter how you store the digits - you have a de facto "hard copy"

/Multiple Redundant Hard Drives seems like solid and reliable solution...just requires a bit of discipline and adaptation.

While Im sure we've all had one fail -  I'll trust a new HD over DVD media any day.

[OldNeumanntapr]

Thanks for advice, but I still don't know which direction I should take. I'm kind of uneasy of the idea of putting everything on a hard drive in the event of a crash. I like to have a hard copy of my music. I have archived much of my DAT collection on an HHb CDR 800 PRO, and that machine is unable to encode CD text on the discs. So, if I did put my DAT->CDR recordings onto a hard drive I would have no idea what was on each of the files. How do I get around that to title the selections?

I never liked the iPod thing because they were only MP-3, which I refuse to convert to. Plus, when I have given music that I have recorded to friends for their iPods they are all 'untitled'. Track 1, 2,3, etc. Also, it seems like the iPods all have a two second pause between songs, something that would drive me insane.

Is there a portable media player on the market that will play FLACs and work with a Mac? I guess I could convert my audio-only discs to FLAC but I've not seen any car players that will play FLACs. Some people have posted that they are indeed available though.

Thanks again for everyone's help.

[runonce]

Thanks for advice, but I still don't know which direction I should take. I'm kind of uneasy of the idea of putting everything on a hard drive in the event of a crash.

Well, not "a" hard drive - you need several. Redundancy is the key - the idea being the chances of all your HD failing at once is remote - especially if you keep one off site.

I have archived much of my DAT collection on an HHb CDR 800 PRO, and that machine is unable to encode CD text on the discs...

Sorry to say - If you want the best transfer - you'll need to go back to your DAT masters and re-transfer them to computer. Otherwise you are archiving a 1st gen digital copy. Im sure DAT>PC is always the preferred linage.

Adding metadata (Song Titles, etc) is simple - and wouldn't be much different if you go EAC or DAT>PC...you still have to type the song titles at some point.

I never liked the iPod thing because they were only MP-3...

And - I dont think you'll find anyone here advocating mp3 as an archival format! So - its sort of moot.