Karaoke Forums

I recall awhile back that Pioneer drop-tray unit was quite popular.  RSQ came out with that 222 single tray, and their 3 tray unit, those were quite popular.  Now these are discontinued models,  and I'm hearing about the NEO, and other units which don't seem to be quite as popular as the units that no longer are manufactured. Is this a period where for awhile, until technology comes along with some newer concept,  current players on the market just aren't as good as some of the discontinued models, so it's best to buy used, or look for new older stock online, demo's, etc ?

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Bingo!

I have done a lot of research on this and you explained the problem
pretty well in your question. I believe what has happened is they discon-
tinued the well built durable players for new technology that isn't up to snuff.
They purposely discontinued the old models so we would all be forced to buy
these new models that play super cdg etc... That way we would be forced to buy
the SCDGs or multi format discs from them. They thought they'd make big money
this way. The problem is these players bite! They have slow upload and a lot of
technical problems. I think it is forcing more people to go computer. NEO - yuck!

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[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

It makes the change over to PC inevitable, even with the legal issue still unresolved.

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I can neither confirm nor deny ever having or knowing anything about nothing.... mrscott

I agree with Babs in that the  player we bought a few months back only used like 3 times I just couldnt stand the upload time I know if I were to do a show singers would get so mad at me b/c of the wait to load process. btw its the Cavs 203g, Im sure some of you might like this player but imo I'll stick with the old jvc 3 tray until it poops.

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Kelley
Star Sounds Karaoke & Mobile Recording Studio


[shadow=black][scroll]You have to respect your audience. Without them, you're essentially standing alone, singing to yourself....KD Lang[/scroll][/shadow]

I'll never buy another karaoke player.    Computer for my money.

I ain't real sympathetic with those who haven't gone computer yet and are now getting left behind as decent/reliable/workhorse players evaporate from the market...and no, it ain't cause I have gone PC myself, it's because that's the path of the future, as already exampled in the past...Remember Laser discs?.

The player market will continue to evolve and the older stuff you rely on today will simply disappear...so will repair parts for same...Those surviving today off the used player market will then only have broken used stuff on eBay to shop....and besides that, the formats for new releases will change too.

KJs still swapping discs will look up and discover they gotta have two different players that play either format-CDG's and NEO or whatever...We went thru this already with laser discs, so why the surprize?....CDG buyers will discover CDGs are no longer avail and all new music will be only offered in the new formats as they become popular.

The simplest solution is to place all your music on a PC and use a file format that you think will be around for awhile.....All you would need to do then is change the drive you use to rip/convert your music as the publishing format changes....

The music you ripped 5 years ago from CDG's will still play the same as music ripped tomorrow from NEO or whatever as long as you convert/rip to a format that transends the predicited/expected mechanical evolution presently happening with players and certain to continue.

Your choice isn't which player to bet on, it's which file format will be around longest.

By the time they figure out the legalities the software will be in an eprom and the hard drive will be replaced by bubble memory or high speed wireless access.

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Join The Karaokle Singers Social Network. Upload Your Music!!

The best players out there are "Craptastic."

So I'll just save up, and do it with a computer, easier anyway..  I do everything else with a computer


Why should this be any different ?





<come on Kappy,  back to bed.. you aren't supposed to be up now, the special school starts in a few weeks and you need your sleep>

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

to be completely honest, I really feel sorry for the cdg kjs out there...

the companies that they've consistantly relied on are now proving to go the route of proprietary, or unproven technologies... to stop making the old workhorses just doesn't make sense to me, until you put plain ol' greed into it.

I said a long time ago when I first started making copies of my cdgs, what do you do once this particular part of it is obsolete?? The pioneer laser format faded away, to be replaced by CDG. VCD was on the horizon but never truly picked up in the American market... same eventually with DVD.

The NEO and SCDG are nothing more than proprietary versions of dvd technology.

I'm just glad I got a couple of cdg/dvd players that will play cdg/vcd/dvd for customers that have their songs on that... and I stopped bringing in the DVD!

Look... we evolved from the cassette with printed out lyrics to the vhs and eventually the lasers... this is nothing more than another evolution... the problem is, will it be the equivalent of the Beta or VHS??? Which way will they finally decide to go?

That's something I'm not overly fond of regarding technological changes.  As soon as you're proud of your 33 rpm collection,  companies stop making turntables, they are antiquated and people are buying "tapes" but not the reel-to-reel tapes you have in a different box marked "obsolete", these must be 8-track cartridges.  Albums you once loved you are now buying in 8-track cassettes (of course people say, "but keep the records, the artwork will be worth something someday"), in another 4 years, the 8-track grommets are melting, things are falling apart, but it's now time to buy a different cassette format, so into another corner of the attic goes the box with all those 8tracks, and players you can't fix or replace anymore, but that doesn't matter, because people like the stuff that has the new dolby, high bias, metal etc, type ll, and it's small.  Seems as soon as you get a library that way, it's time for CD's, etc, and soon smaller CD's,  FM digital chips, etc...   THe longer we are around, the more we see become obsolete.. Keeps the electronics market alive.  Nice thing about DJ'ing with albums and turntables is I don't think you need to worry about the same copyright laws...


Doesn't that seem strange ?  Going back to analog format, a person is exempt from many of the digital music laws ?    I'd think "music is music" from the copyright perspective, but no,  I think this all changes in accordance to format used.  It really is just about somebody getting someones money.  This is what drives me crazy about people telling us small (just at home listen for leisure) NON-pro folks "You can't format shift, it's illegal".  Well,  if I want to tape my CD onto cassette so I can listen to it in my car.. Here I am BMG.. Come and get me..  I'm going to do it !  I don't have the disposable income to buy the same album in 8 different  media formats over the course of a 30 year period.

The scariest part of all of this, is repairmen will be the first to tell you,  "The models the companies first made when these came out were so much better"  With televisions, the older analogue color sets were well made, color wasn't that bad either, many have just forgotten.  With VHS players, older quality was better made to last.. This is historically the way things have been going during my lifetime.. So it get's back to the "age old question".  What is "State-of-the-art" ?   Crap ????

This is really what's so annoying about all this.  I can go downstairs where I have some of all this old stuff.  Even radio technology.  Take something small like "CB rigs".  23 channel radios became obsolete to 40 channel radios in the earlier 70's.. But compare the quality of the 23 channel radios, or any of the older base-stations.. they were solid MUCH nicer rigs !!  To bring this all home, the point is the consumer gets screwed but doesn't know it.  Technology forces us to conform, it keeps the economy going, but in reality "State of the art" doesn't mean better product, it often means cheaper, poorer sounding, and looking junk, and while this process goes on,  the consumer forgets what quality looks and sounds like, and gets used to crap so the bar lowers..  In some ways there are in time improvements,  but overall it's costly, and to me music sounded really nice in the 60's.  The music I like just doesn't sound better today on CD.. IT sounded great on vinyl that was kept in good condition.. OF course that matters more to me, because today, many have no way to know what they are missing,  they never heard the older stuff, there's just no means of comparison.  So thousands of dollars later, the solid good sounding stuff is declared obsolete so Tweeter etc  can sell components that Matsushita needs to push to put money in their pocket.

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

As you guys probably know I'm computer based, but use a disc
player also. Some patrons like to use their own CDGs because  they practice at home and are comfortable with that version or maker of CDG.  

This is for home use Kappy? I don't know if you're going to want to go
through the hassle or expense of a computer right off the bat. You have to buy the CGDs anyway, so buy a vintage player or refurbished player for $100 or so dollars.
I'm assuming this is just for you to sing, right?

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[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

Having a CDG compatible reader in your computer, you can still play patrons disks as well and you don't need an additional player.

Correct Babs.  Computer would be ideal.  One of the reasons I like the harddrive concept such as the CAVS JB systems, (although it has its share of probs, I know) is that I don't want to bother buying CD after CD, only to have newer formats come out, CD-G's becoming obsolete, etc. Players dying at a clip that's as bad as CD player, and VHS machines breaking, etc..  I have enough media around in about 8 different formats that can no longer be used.  I'd just assume point, click, and play, etc.  Computer sounds far more logical.  Thing is, is it really that much more costly for a decent notebook system, than what a person will end up paying for CD-G's the cover an array of music they like, and a decent Karaoke machine ?  I already have the PA system, and studio.. I just want a karaoke device..

THere are sites such as XP Bargains,  New system non-refurb for 500-700.. etc

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

yes I know sweetie, but I use a Cavs Jukebox. Believe me when I
put another system together it will be different, but right now this is
working out really well for me.

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[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

No,  I loved the CAVS JB-199.  That is what my experience with Karaoke is with.  But at a few thousand, is that a smart choice for just home use ?  If something happens to the Harddrive, I'm in trouble.  Seems a PC is in fact the best bet.

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Cavs JB-199

I have a back up hard drive for all my music on my Cavs.
When it dies I will be okay.

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[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

So who's not making CDGs?  Don't feel sorry for us, we won't feel sorry for you.  As I've said before. I've yet to see a good computer system with clean sound and graphics.

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You can be strange but not a stranger

Actually it was this unit Babs.  The actual jukebox, not the rack mounted unit that KJ's often use,  this was a machine in a private soundproofed studio room that I used to spend hours in,  It was the JB-99 literal JUKEBOX..

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Yikes! that is different.

Hey there is nothing wrong with using CDG players. We are just saying
the players on the market now aren't made as well as the old ones, so people are going pc. I really don't see a difference in quality of sound etc... going computer.

Again nothing wrong with using a player, but you are always going to have people rave about using a computer because it makes the KJs life easier. No carring around discs anymore, no loading and unloading discs etc....

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[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]