MiniDisc Case [Sharp]
Maker and role
Sharp Corporation, Manufacturer
Object detail
Accession number
2023.157.16
Maker
Production period
Description
Sharp Minidisc Travel Case
Black hardshell travel case for Sony MiniDiscs. Case is covered with a soft textile and has a faux-leather textile around its spine. A silver zip stretches around three of the edges enabling the case to open. There is a patch on the front with “SHARP” impressed in white. Inside, there are two plastic dividers with a sectional bar in the middle to break the divider into two. “SHARP” is embossed on each of the sections. An oval shaped gold sticker with “Made in / China” is adhered inside the case
Black hardshell travel case for Sony MiniDiscs. Case is covered with a soft textile and has a faux-leather textile around its spine. A silver zip stretches around three of the edges enabling the case to open. There is a patch on the front with “SHARP” impressed in white. Inside, there are two plastic dividers with a sectional bar in the middle to break the divider into two. “SHARP” is embossed on each of the sections. An oval shaped gold sticker with “Made in / China” is adhered inside the case
Brief History
This portable carry case produced by Sharp is designed to be taken with the user on the go and can hold up to eight MiniDiscs. The MiniDiscs slot into a plastic divider and lock in place.
The MiniDisc was a development in portable music player technology that was released in the early-1990s by Sony. It was a continuation in the development in optical disc technology (e.g. CDs). A key aspect of MiniDiscs was their re-writability and were intended to be used much like a mix-tape, recording from external sources. However a small number of artists released content directly onto MiniDisc.
MiniDiscs use magneto-optics to store data. This process involves writing data via magnetisation which is then read by a laser light. This is different to optical disc technology such as CDs where the laser light both reads and writes data. MiniDisc technology had a relatively short-lived peak in popularity and was soon superseded by MP3 players and iPods. Magneto-optical media and devices have now reached end-of-life status and as such is considered an obsolete technology.
The MiniDisc was a development in portable music player technology that was released in the early-1990s by Sony. It was a continuation in the development in optical disc technology (e.g. CDs). A key aspect of MiniDiscs was their re-writability and were intended to be used much like a mix-tape, recording from external sources. However a small number of artists released content directly onto MiniDisc.
MiniDiscs use magneto-optics to store data. This process involves writing data via magnetisation which is then read by a laser light. This is different to optical disc technology such as CDs where the laser light both reads and writes data. MiniDisc technology had a relatively short-lived peak in popularity and was soon superseded by MP3 players and iPods. Magneto-optical media and devices have now reached end-of-life status and as such is considered an obsolete technology.
Marks
SHARP Impressed
SHARP Engraved
Made in / China Printed
SHARP Engraved
Made in / China Printed
Media/Materials
Credit Line
Sharp Corporation. MiniDisc Case [Sharp], 2023.157.16. The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT).
![MiniDisc Walkman [Sony]; Sony Corporation; 1997](https://collection.motat.nz/records/images/medium/57960/43ba23511424cabaff39768ff1e08881bf0e46a2.jpg)
![MiniDisc [Sony]; Sony Corporation](https://collection.motat.nz/records/images/medium/57962/c4043b9c8858cbbcc125e6ae7f6ea33aff2ea4bc.jpg)
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