Physical Media might not be dead, but Physical Media in Retail Stores are accelerating the death (1 Viewer)

[TJPC]

You put the LP in a slot and the laser followed along in the groove. I remember reading a review, in a magazine and the reviewer saying there was no point to it because CDs had been invented.

 

[TJPC]

There also is a Wikipedia article.

 

[Mysto]

You put the LP in a slot and the laser followed along in the groove. I remember reading a review, in a magazine and the reviewer saying there was no point to it because CDs had been invented.

The technology has been used, however, for playing old wax cylinders that are too precious to put a needle to. But only one time to digitize it.

 

[BobO'Link]

I remember reading about those Laser turntables in Audio and Stereo Review magazines. They sounded quite cool - but should have come out a few years earlier to have any impact. They were also a very niche product for a small group of analogophiles. I'd have loved to see and hear one working.

 

[TJPC]

According to the article, you heard every dust mote, finger print and scratch very clearly as well!

 

[BobO'Link]

According to the article, you heard every dust mote, finger print and scratch very clearly as well!

Yep. The absolute downside. You'd still have to clean them somehow. I had an anti-static mat, a Zerostat anti-static gun, and cleaned with the Discwasher system (album and stylus) every time I played a side. In a slot system you'd need an old turntable just to do the cleaning bit. I also used an in-line pop/tick remover (I don't recall the name off hand - will look when I get home tonight) which worked fairly well. I still have it all.

**EDIT**
That device is a SAE 5000A Impulse Noise Reduction System. I'd sometimes invert the signal, where you heard nothing but the pops/ticks it was removing from the signal, just for fun. It didn't remove everything but with careful adjustment it did a good job.

 

[Ron1973]

According to the article, you heard every dust mote, finger print and scratch very clearly as well!

That would be my deal breaker. I have an album of my uncles (along with some other local St. Louis groups) doing gospel music. It's atrocious soundwise due to never having a cover. Software can only do so much. The laser TT sounded promising about being to read "fresh" parts of the record, but it said they had to be thoroughly cleaned. Even at that I don't believe it would be a good bet.

 

[TJPC]

I was an audiophile with the most expensive “Dual” turntable, “Shure” cartridge, huge speakers in my first apartment and almost no other furniture. I too de-popped, used an anti-static gun etc. etc.

I was thrilled when all that got swept into the garbage heap of history by CDs.

 

[jcroy]

I was an audiophile with the most expensive “Dual” turntable, “Shure” cartridge, huge speakers in my first apartment and almost no other furniture. I too de-popped, used an anti-static gun etc. etc.

I was thrilled when all that got swept into the garbage heap of history by CDs.

Going on a huge tangent.

Did you have a preamp which did NOT have any treble + bass controls?

 

[Ron1973]

I was an audiophile with the most expensive “Dual” turntable, “Shure” cartridge, huge speakers in my first apartment and almost no other furniture. I too de-popped, used an anti-static gun etc. etc.

I was thrilled when all that got swept into the garbage heap of history by CDs.

Yet there's so much stuff that will never make it to CD, especially regional 45's and LP's, plus the Hank Williams, Sr. overdubs will likely never see a CD release.

 

[DaveF]

I remember reading some years ago that Kodak was working on a system that would record digital data onto 35mm film, an attempt to combine the best of both worlds. Of course, you'd still need some device to read the data, but it seemed to make sense as a longer term storage solution. Don't know whatever became of it, though.

They were. I knew a couple people who worked it.

 

[TJPC]

Going on a huge tangent.

Did you have a preamp which did NOT have any treble + bass controls?

Just a receiver.

 

[TJPC]

Yet there's so much stuff that will never make it to CD, especially regional 45's and LP's, plus the Hank Williams, Sr. overdubs will likely never see a CD release.

Before I sold my record collection, I “CDed” everything I could not replace.

 

[Ron1973]

Before I sold my record collection, I “CDed” everything I could not replace.

I've dwindled my collection a lot lately. So much stuff can be had digitally these days on YouTube. There are some things I'll never get rid of, but I went through my 45's the other day and donated probably at least 50 of those. I couldn't tell you how many 8-tracks and LP's I've donated to charity lately.

 

[jcroy]

Just a receiver.

I guess you weren't one of those hardcore audiophile weirdos/nerds.

I never quite understood as to why somebody would pay $1000+ for a Bryston preamp, just to have the "previlege" of not having any treble and bass controls.

I had one acquaintance who made such a purchase. When I ask him about it, he gave a nonsensical answer along the lines of "audio purity". No matter how many times I asked him to explain it more clearly, he still gave nonsensical replies. (If I didn't know any better, I would have thought he was a "fanatic" of an "ideological audio purity", for lack of a better description).

 

[mark27b]

Disney+ another nail in the coffin of physical media with exclusive deleted scenes?

 

[Jason_V]

Disney+ another nail in the coffin of physical media with exclusive deleted scenes?

Doubtful. Different formats (ie. Blu ray, HD DVD, 4k) have all had exclusive bonus features. And the previous generation of physical media is still there.

 

[Malcolm R]

Yeah, I don't think enough people care about bonus features for it to sway them. I usually watch the deleted scenes when they're included on discs, but I can live without them if it means yet another streaming subscription.

 

[Brent Reid]

Disney+ another nail in the coffin of physical media with exclusive deleted scenes?

Not impressed. They said exactly the same thing about Disney's Second Screen, Virtual Vault and BD-Live – look what happened to them.

 

[stringbean]

Today we got a new reason. Future streamers will get to enjoy their movies edited to make them pc. Disney will edit Dumbo to remove the crow scene. My physical copy has it and will continue to have it.
I am much more concerned about the precedent this sets. As I said in another post - this scares the crap out of me.

+1 Exactly this.