Vinyl records provide great quality analogue (spelling?)sound, but the scratchy records eventually damage the records and wear out.

If there was another way to read a record without actually touching it, you could preserve the record. Technology similar to optical computer mice or radar might be able to read the grooves of a record, with either digital or analogue output.

You could even have a phonograph in your car or computer (at least a 45 rpm).
-- discontinuuity, Jul 29 2005

ELP turntables http://www.elpj.com/
Japanese-American partnership that spent tens of millions developing the laser/optical turntable. [bristolz, Jul 29 2005]

good idea but not all for the car thing unless they make new mobile optical phonographs [+]
-- Sudok, Jul 29 2005


Ho Hum.

Please do a little research before posting... this is pretty baked.

"Optical Record Player" gets 26 Google hits, latest Audio Engineering Society Journal has a nice article on just this. "Optical Phonograph" gets 235.

All very expensive.
-- csea, Jul 29 2005


So can you actually buy one? How much? I wasn't able to find the article you described.
-- discontinuuity, Jul 29 2005


Bring money. The prices are non-trivial.
-- bristolz, Jul 29 2005


Not cheap but certainly baked - I think that the Baird video/phonograph records were scanned optically when they were restored recently. I'll see if I can find a link.
-- coprocephalous, Jul 29 2005


Croissant for clever thought, at least. It's not widely baked, and it certainly seems worth spending tens of millions on, at least to some people.
-- baconbrain, Jul 29 2005


Ian, that's a good one. A really good flatbed scanner might work, too, with the right software.
-- baconbrain, Jul 29 2005


I wonder if all these hi-tech devices would cope with the double groove on the Monty Python Matching Tie and Handkerchief Gift Set?
-- AbsintheWithoutLeave, Jul 29 2005



random, halfbakery