The discs were initially able to store up to 80 minutes of music, using ATRAC compression and SCMS copy protection. Sony has subsequently expanded the standard with higher capacity and other types of coding (ATRAC3, ATRAC3 plus and classic linear PCM known from a CD). Sony has announced that they will deliver the last MiniDisc player to market in March this year.
Although iPods, smartphones and other portable devices based on flash memory have long overrun MiniDisc regarding convenience and accessibility, the format still had a certain group of devoted fans and enthusiasts, particularly in Japan.
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