I’m sure everyone reading this owns or uses CDs and DVDs, probably on a regular basis. For being considered a more advanced technology, I personally feel they are more trouble than they are worth, and will be obsolete in the near future.
First off, let’s take a look back. Before the compact disc (and DVD), we had cassette tapes and VHS. When the compact disc was introduced it was considered marvelous; it had outstanding sound and video quality, and of course, the ability to skip through tracks instead of all that tedious rewinding and fast-forwarding.
However, I find that even though these are more advanced than cassettes, they’re nowhere near as durable. I have VHS tapes that have been to hell and back, and still work great. Meanwhile, many of the DVDs in my collection have had to be replaced time and again. And I am not one of those people who throws all my discs in a pile on the table; I handle them carefully, use them and immediately put them back in their cases when I’m finished. Despite my best efforts, the delicacy of the discs makes it almost impossible to keep them in working condition forever, and so I soon find myself scouring eBay for cheap replacement discs.
The compact disc certainly has it’s advantages over tapes, but it is also a costly and imperfect solution, and I personally, don’t believe they will be the main source for media much longer. In fact, music CDs are already taking a plunge to MP3 players and other digital media devices.
Many other devices on the market use multimedia cards, such as digital cameras, printers, etc. I have used multi-media cards in the past, and found them to have all the advantages of discs, but are also more durable than either discs or tapes. I believe we will soon see these as a replacement for discs; instead of movies coming out on DVD, they will be on little multi-media cards. Instead of DVD players, there will be players similar to a DVR, but it will have slots for plugging in the cards. The same goes for stereos; I believe they will also have digital capabilities.
Of course, just as stereos today still have tapedecks, and some DVD players have VHS as well, we may see a blend with multi-media cards and discs; it may start with DVD players that include the digital capabilites, and stereos that have CD and digital capabilities as well.
I also believe that these multi-media cards would be more versatile; one card could hold both audio and video and be used in either stereos or video players.
All in all, I believe the disc will soon become a thing of the past. Even if they are not replaced by multi-media cards per se, they will be replaced by something; something more durable and versatile.
In the meantime, I’m curious to see what you think. Do YOU agree that discs will become or are becoming obsolete? If so, what do you see fit as replacement?
