A new breed of MD players

Sony is intending to release its first MP3-enabled Hi-MD format players which the Japanese electronics giant previously released in January 2004. Sony Singapore has already confirmed that the players will be available in three months time.

	The first MD with OLED

In a move which may demonstrate that Sony has no intention of ditching its MiniDisc players yet (though the format enjoys a following mainly in Japan), the new MD devices are spruced up with additional features such as an OLED screen as well as MP3 playback capability.

This represents a surprising change of heart by the Japanese firm to support alternative audio formats such as MP3 and WMA other than its proprietary ATRAC3 audio codec, signifying that persistent consumer demand for MP3 support is finally getting through.