The Death of CDs?!

Keep in mind this is second-hand information, but I've heard that CDs are going to become obsolete in 2-3 years and MP3 files will be king. Does anyone know if this is true?

I would be seriously upset if this comes to pass. I mean I want to buy stuff, not nice-sounding air. I want to go to a store, buy a CD and proudly display it. Technological progress can usually be counted on for quality-improvement, but MP3 files are inferior to compact discs in my opinion. Sure they take up no room (but is that a good thing?) and they're cheaper, but come one!

If this was CDs paving way for a new medium (like tapes did for CDs) I wouldn't have a problem with this, but as it is, I'm upset. Evil or Very Mad

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Where sky and water meet,
Where the waves grow sweet,
Doubt not, Reepicheep,
To find all you seek,
There is the utter east.

I have no idea if it's an official plan, but there is no doubt in my mind that it will happen someday in the near future. Just like records and VHS tapes.

Knight Joined: 06 Apr 2011 Posts: 309 Location: Sofa

Personally I don't think it will be too long until we're downloading everything, to the point that Blu-Ray dies out. Maybe 10 years.
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"WHERE'S THE FIRE?! I've always loved that expression, which is curious since my lab assistant was killed in a fire."
- Walter Bishop

I will be sad if CDs are completely done away with. Downloading is easy, but sometimes I want a hard copy with liner notes and such.
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Master Joined: 15 Apr 2008 Posts: 4434 Location: Korriban

I'll point out that Vinyl Records are a thing of the past, but they are selling almost as good now as they ever did thanks to the "we're cooler than you" crowd (I'm part of it, I'll admit, I have a couple records) so I think CD's will always be available, just less so than before. Best Buy isn't carrying much backstock anymore, they're phasing CDs out for the most part. But for those of us who love liner notes, they will always be attainable in some form Smile

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I find this ridiculously sad, but inevitable.

"All things die, Anakin Skywalker. Even stars burn out."

Sad

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Master Joined: 22 Dec 2010 Posts: 1846

I hope CDs don't die out. Downloading a song is good if its the only one you want, but for things like soundtracks where you probably will want the whole thing I want a CD.

I also don't think CDs will totally die out, I would think CD reproductions of old vinyl albums can generate a good amount of cash. For example, take any Beatles album odds are sales wouldn't be as good if it was a download only because people want the status of having a CD with the original album art and/or booklets to put on display for their friends to see.

Plus special "collector's editions" wouldn't be nearly as special in a download only format (what are you going to show your friends? A digital download that says "collector's edition" isn't nearly as impressive as a hard copy). So if nothing else they will keep CDs around for that kind of marketing.
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I am a tech-head of the highest degree, but one thing I do not have is an iPod. I still happily listen to CDs in my car. I generally burn EUCast onto a CD to listen to while I drive to school every week.

I think it would be silly to assume that the majority of the world can plug an iPod into their car radio. Because there are still quite a few of us that don't have one.

Until the average car radio can link up to the internet and download songs, CDs are still fairly safe, or so I would think. I can see them eventually going the way of the record, but I don't think they'll ever be as bad off as the 8-track. Wink

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"It's not about the legacy you leave, it's about the life you live." ~Mara Jade Skywalker

I love buying Cd's. I like when I buy the CD it comes with a little book that has the Lyrics in it, who plays what, who wrote what, who the band thanks, what type of musical instruments they play to get the best sound, who produced the album, where it was recorded etc. I will love the fact when the Internet and MP3 technology crashes I will be on a few who has the physical thing in my hand. Very Happy

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Along the same topic:

DVD and game rental company Blockbuster went bankrupt in the US in September 2010 and Blockbuster Canada just went bankrupt last month. A number of Canadian Blockbuster stores have been closed, and other video stores have also started closing locations. This is due, in part, to a loss of market share to VOD services (Netflix and the services of local cable and satellite providers) and the internet (both legal VOD and pirating).

1- Has the trend of video rental stores closing been happening in your location too?

2- What are your thoughts on the decline of video rental stores?
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It was the year of rebirth… the year of great sadness… the year of pain… and the year of joy.
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The year is 2261.
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Master Joined: 22 Dec 2010 Posts: 1846

Hollywood Video has gone out of business, and some Blockbuster stores are closing, but now Blockbuster is doing its own online rental service like Netflix and it's doing its own kiosk rental service like Redbox. I think Redbox is what's really killing Blockbuster because you're renting a DVD for one night for $1, and you only watch a movie once so you only need it one night, whereas Blockbuster and other rental companies have been bilking customers for years by not giving that option and requiring a 5 or 7 or whatever day rental period with a larger price tag attached. And Redbox is a lot easier for computer illiterate people to operate than Netflix. Although my grandparents use Netflix and get four discs at a time and just use that.
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“The world is understood through metaphors. Language is a metaphor-system. Mathematics is a metaphor-system. All real-world schools of magic and religion revolve around the understanding of vast metaphor-systems, symbols as they relate to concepts."

"See, the thing is, everything everyone tells you is a lie. The truth is always bigger than the words we use to describe it."

The local Blockbuster in my city is still there, though I haven't been there in ages. But it does look busy, every time I go past (which, admittedly, isn't often).
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I've officially stopped downloading. I don't have anything against the concept of downloading so I won't call it a boycott but I just really don't want hard copies to go away. Confused

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Where sky and water meet,
Where the waves grow sweet,
Doubt not, Reepicheep,
To find all you seek,
There is the utter east.