Sony and MiniDisc. Maybe they can bring Lazarus back from the dead, too. MiniDisc is all over Tokyo -- apparently the Japanese like it.
Sony Declares 1998 'The Year of the MiniDisc'; Building on Worldwide
Success, Company Expands MD Lines and Kicks Off Year-Long U.S.
Marketing Campaign
LAS VEGAS, Jan. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony is expanding its presence in the
MiniDisc market with new portable, home and car products in preparation for
major industry expansion in this digital audio recording product category this
year.
MiniDisc has experienced huge success in Japan and Europe with two-fold
growth in Japan in 1997, and nearly a three-fold growth in Europe last year.
"MiniDisc is a hit in Japan and Europe with over 6 million units to be sold
worldwide in 1997, and Americans have begun to realize the value of this
highly portable, recordable digital audio format," said Mark Viken, senior
vice president of Personal Audio/Video Products Group, Sony Electronics.
"Sony believes sales of MiniDisc will greatly accelerate in the U.S. market
during 1998." MiniDisc is ideal for the next generation of young music
enthusiasts who want to digitally record their favorite music mixes for
playback on-the-go.
Sony projects that total U.S. industry sales for MiniDisc hardware will
exceed 500,000 units -- more than double what was achieved last year.
MiniDisc sales in the U.S. are projected to increase more than five-fold to
five percent household penetration by the year 2000.
Make It With MD
To support this activity, Sony Electronics will launch the largest audio
product advertising/marketing program in its U.S. history. Themed "Make it
With MD," the year-long national advertising campaign, which will include
extensive retail promotions, co-branding opportunities and sponsorships, kicks
off in early February. The company will launch the first wave of a
multi-million dollar ad campaign in February that will communicate the Make it
With MD theme with an "edgy, fun and cool" approach, he said. Details will be
announced following WCES.
MiniDisc at Home, in the Car, Anywhere
At WCES '98, Sony is showing and announcing the broadest array of home,
portable and car MiniDisc lines to date. The new lines include three new home
Hi-Fi MD players, two new bookshelf systems, and four new portable MD players
that expand the current line to deliver even smaller sizes, more variety, and
improved battery life. Two new car MD players, with improved user interface,
and more affordable, recordable MD media round out the MD line up for Sony.
To promote MD's re-recordability, Sony demonstrated a prototype of an
advanced recording and editing system that streamlines the CD-to-MD recording
process using a computer.
MiniDisc Format
MiniDiscs are 2.5-inch optical discs that can record and re-record
digitally, more than one million times with no loss of sound quality. Encased
in a protective shell, MiniDiscs arc extremely durable, perfect for use at
home, in the car or on-the-go. All Sony MiniDisc portable players include a
10 or 40-second shock-resistant memory, which allows the MD to play even if
the unit is bumped or jarred.
Sony Electronics Inc. Background: Headquartered in Park Ridge, N.J. Sony
Electronics has more than 24,000 employees in North America. Sony is the
co-developer of CD and DVD technologies, and is noted for such product
developments as the MiniDisc digital audio system, digital video, camcorders
and Trinitron television technology. The company's annual sales for fiscal
1996 exceeded $9.6 billion.
New Sony 1998 MiniDisc Products and Features
Portable MiniDisc Players
MZ-R50 -- Portable MiniDisc Recorder/Player
-- 40 second shock resistant memory
-- Up to 22 hours playback using supplied rechargeable battery and
AA batteries
-- Sampling rate converter for recording from various digital sources
-- Vertical jog dial for easy editing
-- Track name search/select with jog dial
Price: $549.55 (MSRP)
Available: January
MZ-EP11 -- Portable MiniDisc Player
-- New top-loading slot in design for easy insert/eject operations
-- Up to five hours of extended playback
-- Powerful Digital Mega Bass(R) Sound System
Price: $249.95 (MSRP)
Available: March
MZ-E25 -- Portable MiniDisc Player
-- Ultra slim, compact design, slightly larger than a 2.5-inch MiniDisc
itself
-- Up to six hours playback with one AA battery
-- Unique style LCD headphone remote
Price: $349.95 (MSRP)
Available: April
MZ-E35 -- Portable MiniDisc Player
-- Smallest Sony MD player
-- 40-second shock-resistant memory
-- Single Battery Playback, Unique Style LCD Headphone Remote
Price: $449.95 (MSRP)
Available: May
Home MiniDisc Players/Recorders
MDS-JB920 -- MiniDisc Recorder/Player
-- Variable Pitch Control adjusts the music to the singing voice or
musical instrument during playback
-- Digital Recorded Level Control makes possible fade in/fade out playback
and recording
-- Two-Line display on front panel for viewing expanded track and title
information
-- CD Text and Custom File Transfer automatically records and displays
disc and track information when recording from MD to CD
-- Powerful Editing features
-- R-Core Power Transformer, 20-Bit Analog-to-Digital Converter, Current
Pulse Digital-to-Analog converter and Anti-resonant Aluminum Front
Panel for superb and precise digital audio reproduction
-- Two optical and one coaxial digital inputs for digital-to-digital
recording from CD, DAT or DSS
-- S-Link(TM) circuitry allows intelligent, integrated operation with
other S-Link equipped Sony A/V products
-- Remote Commander(TM) remote control
Price: $480.00 (MSRP)
Available: July
MDS-JE520 -- MiniDisc Recorder/Player
-- Digital Record Level Control makes possible fade in/fade out playback
and recording
-- Two-Line Display on front panel for viewing expanded track and title
information
-- Headphone Jack with Volume Control
-- Convenient Jog Dial for track selection and text entry
-- Powerful editing features
-- Two optical and one coaxial digital inputs for digital-to-digital
recording from CD, DAT or DSS
-- Remote Commander(TM) remote control
Price: $360.00 (MSRP)
Available: August
MDS-S39 -- MiniDisc Recorder/Player
-- Compact footprint for matching with mini Hi-Fi system
-- Optical digital input and output
-- Powerful Editing features
-- Remote Commander(TM) remote control
Price: $360.00 (MSRP)
Available: August
DHC-MD515 -- Home MiniDisc Mini Hi-Fi Component System
-- 3-disc MiniDisc changer
-- 3-disc CD changer
-- Detachable control panel/remote control
-- CD text automatic display of disc and track names with compatible CDs
-- Tuner with 20 FM and 10 AM station presets
-- 2-way speakers with 6-inch woofers
Price: $800.00 (MSRP)
Available: June
DHC-MD500 -- Home MiniDisc Mini Hi-Fi Component System
-- MiniDisc recorder
-- 3-disc CD changer
-- Tuner with 20 FM and 10 AM station presets
Price: $360.00 (MSRP)
Available: August
Car MiniDisc Players/Receivers and Recordable Media
MDX-C7900 -- MD Receiver with CD Changer Control
-- 10 second shock resistant memory
-- 8x oversampling, 1-bit memory
-- SSIR-EX AM/FM stereo tuner rotary encoder level control
-- Detachable front panel, remote supplied
Price: $450.00 (MSRP)
Availability: February 1998
MDX-C8900 -- MD Receiver with CD Changer Control
-- 10 second shock resistant memory
-- Wide Bit Stream processing
-- SSIR-EX Adaptive Reception tuner
-- Voice Confirmation of control input
-- Fold down detachable front panel
Price: $600.00 (MSRP)
Availability: July 1998
MDX-62 -- Six Disc MD Changer
-- 10 second shock resistant memory
-- 8x oversampling, 1-bit D/A
-- Ex-Change function
-- MD titles easily viewed through clear door
Price: $550.00 (MSRP)
Availability: February 1998
MiniDisc Recordable Media
-- Available in 60- and 74-Minute lengths
-- Encased in a durable, plastic steel case
-- Rerecordable up to a million times
-- New lower pricing and packaging configurations:
2-pack at $13.00
3-pack at $17.99
5-pack at $29.99
10-pack at $55.00
SOURCE Sony Electronics Inc.
/NOTE TO EDITORS: For information regarding the nearest Sony authorized
dealer or service location, your readers can call 800-222-SONY (7669). For
photographs of Sony products, editors can call 201-930-6097. On the Internet,
you'll find Sony at sony.com /
/CONTACT: Dulcie Neiman, 201-930-6981, dulcie_neiman@mail.sel.sony.com,
or Wendy Lemke, 201-930-7952, wendy_lemke@mail.sel.sony.com, both of Sony
Electronics; or at Consumer Electronics Show Booth N109/
/Web site: sony.com
(SNE) |
