[slinkelist] CD Players vs HD observation

Tue, 21 Nov 2000 14:45:39 -0800

NAS+SAN: A marriage made in heaven.  See http://www.vixel.com/nas/NAS_html/solutions.pdf

Brian Atkins wrote:

> You don't need a PC. Go read about Network Attached Storage. Even Maxtor
> is selling these now- it is a box separate from your computer, filled with
> hard drives setup to automatically failover if one dies (RAID). In the back
> of the box is a network port, you plug it into your LAN and access it from
> all your computers as a shared drive. This is where storage is going, and
> with companies like Maxtor driving it, it will get very cheap very fast.
>
> shawn@sboyle.com wrote:
> >
> > Well, if we've proven one thing on this list it's that we can add the Changer v. HD issue to the growing list of technological debates [Windows v. Mac, Optical v. Coaxial, Dolby Digital v. DTS...]. ;]
> >
> > One of the reasons that the HD solution doesn't work for me is that I don't have a stable PC to dedicate to serving music. Each of my PC's is goes down an average of 3-4 time per month. That's including all of the reasons a PC may go down [install new hardware, reboot after software install, change network settings, PC hangs for whatever reason, etc.]. 2 changers in 3 years sounds pretty good to me. It's certainly a larger MTBF than any PC I've ever owned.
> >
> > If I were going to do the .wav or .mp3 thing I would do it with multiple HDs and set them up in a RAID5 array. That would take care of much of the reliability issue with HDs. Maybe I would do backups to an optical media [one of the DVD-RAM formats] 2-4 times a year.
> >
> > This whole issue is just like everything else -- both solutions are equally "good," the solution you use is going to depend on which features are more important to you. Because of the way that I use my computers, my changers are better able to deliver music when I want it -- which for me is always right now.
> >
> > -Shawn
> >
> > On Mon, 20 November 2000, Marc Parker wrote:
> >
> > >
> > > I don't know how often your players are in use, but ours run AT LEAST 6-8
> > > hours a day. The oldest is about 3yrs. They WILL and DO wear out. More
> > > important, they BREAK. You are then forced to unload all (200-400) cds, take
> > > it in, wait, wait, wait and then RELOAD and if you don't put them back in
> > > the same order, re-lookup. I currently have 8 Sony changers and have
> > > replaced two over the 3 years.
> > >
> > > Not a complaint (cost of doing business), but IMO, the more mechanics, the
> > > less reliable. I know HD's are also mechanical and do fail, so that will
> > > create it's own problems. How do you back up a 100 gig drive? Should you
> > > have 4-5 20 gig drives (less use per drive)?
> > >
> > > If I ever have to store cd's (about 2500) I would use the least space
> > > possible and put them in a utility closet, not display. The little booklets
> > > can be cataloged for reference.
> > >
> > > And BTW, are you aware of the "nibble" factor. The changers do indeed nibble
> > > away at the cd edges. Granted it is small, but over time it does seem to
> > > become noticeable. I'm curious if after 5-10 years of play if the the
> > > nibbles will approach the play area. That's probably extreme.
> > >
> > > > From: "Saleh W. Igal" <saleh@carnera.com>
> > > > Date: Mon, 20 Nov 2000 10:34:04 -0600
> > > > To: <slinkelist@nirvis.com>
> > > > Subject: RE: [slinkelist] MP3???  No way!
> > > >
> > > > Besides the quality difference, which I find pretty noticeable on my home
> > > > system even at 320K, there's the issue of CD storage.  Once you make the
> > > > initial investment in the Slink-e and DXS, the incremental cost of adding
> > > > more changers works out to about $1 per CD.  I have about 1000 discs in my
> > > > collection, and buying a decent-looking cabinet to store the CDs would have
> > > > cost about the same as what my changers cost, and taken up a bit more floor
> > > > space.  Besides the convenience factor, the changers provide a relatively
> > > > safe home for my collection.
> > > >
> > > > My MP3 player is great for taking to the gym, but there's a big difference
> > > > in my expectations for the output of a $75 MP3 player and $20 set of
> > > > earbuds, versus a $5000+ home audio system.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > From: slinkelist-admin@nirvis.com [mailto:slinkelist-admin@nirvis.com]On
> > > > Behalf Of Bill Dickhaus
> > > > Sent: Friday, November 17, 2000 8:59 pm
> > > > To: slinkelist@nirvis.com
> > > > Subject: RE: [slinkelist] MP3??? No way!
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > I agree. I have experimented with many different levels of MP3 encoding,
> > > > with different encoders, on different PC's, and I have yet to find one that
> > > > produces the same quality of sound I can get out of a CD. The difference is
> > > > very noticeable to me. Except for portability, MP3 is not something I am
> > > > interested in bothering with. When I fill up the CD changer I have I intend
> > > > to get another one.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > From: slinkelist-admin@nirvis.com [mailto:slinkelist-admin@nirvis.com]On
> > > > Behalf Of dan herrmann
> > > > Sent: Friday, November 17, 2000 20:46
> > > > To: slinkelist@nirvis.com
> > > > Subject: [slinkelist] MP3??? No way!
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > With all due respect to fellow Slink-e believers, I don't think MP3 and hard
> > > > drive storage is the way to go.
> > > >
> > > > Sure, you can put an audio file on a hard drive, but most all codecs today
> > > > pale in comparison to a good CD (not to mention SACD)
> > > >
> > > > When you have high-end stuf like I do, you can easily tell the difference.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
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> > > >
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> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
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> > >
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> > _______________________________________________________
> >
> > -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
> > E-Mail: shawn@sboyle.com
> > Pager: pager@sboyle.com or 877.WYN.SPAM
> > _______________________________________________________
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> --
> Brian Atkins
> Director, Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence
> http://www.singinst.org/
>
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