USB Cards to Replace Compact Discs?

After waiting years for the high-res downloads that are always "coming real soon", I'll believe it when I hear it. That type of format would fine with me, though.

Physical media is going away. "Soft" media is where it IS NOW and going....downloads. I just hope we keep seeing more "Limited Edition" releases and LPs for more of an "experience". I also hope that Apple and other services start allowing lossless options...and possible someday 24/96....and then in the distant future we might have 24/192 and onwards....

I think FIMM also sees the $$$$ advantage of high density floppies or thumb drives vs. CDs.

Bring 'em on. Use a viable and existing interface that can introduce higher res files? Why not?

Seems to me security will be an issue as well as DRM, copyrights, and probably more items I can’t grasp just now with such a device if it were to become mass marketed and really catch on…. Which I feel it could.

The problem though is the appeal. It’s a niche item in a boutique industry. That’s going to slow things down in a real big hurry…. Add to it the extreme proprietary nature of the proposed playback device/server, and the appeal decreases still further.

I’m certainly game for higher resolution files in what ever format but there’s just not loads of them out there and I’m beginning to wonder IF there ever will be. There’s lots more music than symphonies too.

Hopefully this high res music via PC thrust won’t wind up like SACD & DVDA., and become so proprietary and limited in scope as to be the gems of the few… and not the pearls of the many.

Too late to catch on. I'm basing this on the habits of my four kids (all adults now). None of them seems interested in owning any physical media.

I do not know if it will happen or not but it does make sense to me in many ways and could support some good sounding digital I would think..

Sony tried this with a special release of Michael Jackson' Thriller. The promotion was not very successful. It seems the compressed sound turn people off. The vinyl records of that title continue to sell very well.

"Build it and they will come"

The PS Audio PWD seems more like the way of the future, although I would have preferred the DLNA receiver in the transport for downstream DSP or HT.

192 kHz format is just confusing things, like DVD-A and SACD, with doubtful benefit. Better taken care of in the hardware.

Eventually, they might even release music that I want to listen to in hi-res digital. If I live long enough.

Seems like I heard about this idea a looong time ago. It'll probably be a feasible reality a looong time from now.

This was discussed over at whatsbestforum.com
You can learn more about it here with pictures.

http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showthread.php?421-USB-Audio-card

It has 24/176.4 FLAC files

Whenever the major recording lables allow direct duping from their 'high res' masters... all of them BTW... regardless the genre, life would be great for the audiophile and finding HD music easily and affordably wouldn’t be an issue..

The problem is the bulk of recording sales isn't aimed just at us. We're the minority here. We'll get overlooked over and over again... Or be required to pay a premium for what could and should be commonly available at nominal costs.

90% of the music junkies out there are quite happy with iPods, ear buds, and downloaded 128K compressed music. The whole of their content gets carried with them wherever they go in their purse or pocket.

Remember the tube output stage docking station for the Ipods? They went over like the Hindenburg, dispite the improved sound quality. And modest costs.

The new or next generation as said above has been trained to hold all their music on something the size of a value pack of gum. Even movies now come off the web in HD.

Libraries and collections will soon be more memory than matter of fact. Terabytes instead of volumes. I think the only obstacle then will be the manner in which the music actually gets conveyed.

We might just wind up having to take some sort of storage drive into an outlet and download it onto the drive right then and there… or music selling stores are just going to vanish altogether and T1 connections will be the norm for home networks.

Values have nearly evaporated from society and now society gets to be still more anti social and remote as for few exceptions, no one will even have to leave the house pretty soon.

Some of my friends now, only have to go into the office once a week.

The films “Surrogates” & “Gamers” could well be editorials for future times, than simple fantasy’s.

Ain’t social progress great?

Not in my system; every USB card I have tried won't allow the CD tray to close...so none I've seen will be replacing my CD's.

Blinjim - Exactly, we're minority here. The only reason, in my opinion they even went to SACD, HDCD and DVD-A was to introduce strong copy protection (SACD cannot be copied at all). This is understandable since making CD with royalties costs about $1. Recently 20th Century started selling DVDs (movies) in China at $2 admitting to small profit (now we now what region code is for).

According to RIAA I cannot even make backup copy of my own CD. They not going to win this since more and more people start using (also illegal) servers.

SACD failed partially because of very small demand but also because it cannot be copied for backup or used with a server.

Kudo's to those cyber geeks that have written apps which can extract the higher res audio from all BUT SACD so far.

As intent as they seem to be to keep people from copying and transmitting recorded info there will always be those who can and will figure out a way around things... from what I see though, it's being done on merely a personal level for ease of use, archiving and the now and then share.

I'd think by now they would have explored other viable means of revenue streams like making available high res dupes from the orig masters for those who wish for such things.

I mean they've already got the info on hand, and need now only a means to convey it easily... and oooh... there's that new thingy called the web... and as said, subscriptions.

hey record companies! we want first off quality audio! Can you hear me/us now?

Sucks to be ignored.... huh?

Several studios have been getting the DSD information from SACD's. We've been doing it for HDtracks for almost 2 yr.