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Has anyone previously noticed the reference to a recording device used by Anna in Spooks (MI5) Series 6 Episode 4? Adam says "put the minidisc on top of the cupboard". At about 25 minutes into the episode, just after she stabs the security goon. Judging from: a. the connectors you can see b. where she pushes the record button c. the rounded corners I think this is not any Sony, but perhaps a Sharp MD-MT170. Can someone with that model see enough to confirm?

try this search in the usual search engines: mz-e10 site:sonyinsider.com (there's a problem with short search terms like mz and E10 in the forum software).

That's pretty weird. I might wonder about the opposite, since taking old disks from an R50 and putting PRML data on them with Hi-MD format might be pushing the boundaries of possibility. This is more likely some glitch in the R50. However I will say this - my own RH910 is a very strange beast. Sometimes it can corrupt 1GB disks so that no one else can play them, at least until a different Hi-MD machine can fill them with data. So perhaps it's this. Don't forget that you cannot use a 1GB disk at all in your R50... but I'm sure you were not trying to do THAT.....? Jim?

Hey Jeff,, hope you don't mind that I merged this with the existing thread on that article..... Stephen

yup

IIRC the real problem is that historically not all of Japan is on the same frequency. Some 50Hz like the UK, some 60Hz like the US. This has an effect, I think, on the characteristics of transformers and the output DC voltage. I think the 320k broadcasts from R3 should sound better recorded on HiSP. Whereas 128k is fine on LP2. This reference is kind of interesting: http://www.harbeth.co.uk/usergroup/showthread.php?1258

Dont forget the multiple untitled tracks delete bug in SS. Once that happens disconnect usb and hold breath.

Depends on the spec. If the one ur getting is japan only model, yes get the 100v xformer. I think in Japan voltage sometimes as low as 90, read about it in wikipedia.

Out of idle curiosity I looked on Amazon UK for a transformer for 230->100V and didn't see one. Don't be cross with me if I make the gentle reminder that 230->120V won't do for these Japan-intended units. I almost fried my PX3 (it was getting VERY hot) until I got one that did 120->100V. In retrospect it seems likely that the reason the MD was bust when I got it was that the lady who brought it here from Japan and sold it to me at knockdown price never bothered to get a transformer - after all, it worked, right? Sorry, just a voyeur wanting to participate from a distance

You need to read and understand the thread on Win64 support, and download the 64-bit driver in the downloads section. This is not for the faint of heart...... sorry. There are many questions we need to ask and I don't really have time to deal with this one today. Here's a start: 1. What MD machine are you trying to connect? Can you see it in Sonic Stage display? 2. In what format (bit rate) are the files you care about encoded? 3. Please describe in detail the last PC setup which worked. 4. Exactly which version of windows (bitness ie 32 or 64, level ie Home, Pro, Ultimate) are you using? 5. How exactly did you install Sonic Stage? 6. Can you play back files within Sonic Stage? Good luck and welcome to our forums.

Just so long as you realise the optical out on this beast doesn't work for HiMD playback. Same for all HiMD units, the D->A is buried deep in the main DSP chip instead of being external.

PS this is the one I got for my PX3 which was made for 100V. No use to you since shipping from USA will be prohibitive (and wrong voltage) but will give an idea of product lines to search for. http://www.voltageco...c.asp?ic=VC100J This is a bit closer to home, you probably found it already http://www.airlinktr...converters.html

Rats! I might have had my arm twisted on that one. Guy here still wants $500 for his B8, I'm not ready to spring for that yet. (WOW the same guy in Germany has one of those too!) The big trouble with the HiMD deck units is: no optical out (or USB) whatsoever. So it's great for recording things, but you still have to edit them elsewhere. Except for the timer (which mostly doesn't matter to me) I'm no further ahead in functionality. I think perhaps having the drive in a fixed, rather than portable, unit may mean it is more reliable. But then I read some person complaining their 105FX died on them. And getting Onkyo fixed is probably harder than Sony, given all the manuals and such we have access to here. Not trying to be negative, just envious, Kevin, and justifying my own inactivity. I hope you do really well with it. Stephen

Probably you need to find the right drivers. 1. I'm assuming you have the manual - if you don't get if from here: 2. Have you looked at page 39 of the manual? 3. Have you read the troubleshooting section, particularly around p.62? 4. It may be as simple as REMOVING a driver installed by your new Windows installation and installing the right one. But I'd place money on the problem being the USB port on the new machine.

The e005 turned into an 0005 on your original post. So I was thinking about quite the wrong piece of gear. I'm not clear - did MY dumb questions lead you to the solution? What was it? I can't tell from your post.

I heard that the JA20ES is better than the JA50ES. But I have no first hand experience. Jim is suspicious of some of Sony's "upbranding" (to coin a word). As long as you have optical out I don't (personally) think you need the fancy DACs that you're paying for in most of those models. The equivalent is found in any decent receiver that has optical in (for example Sony and Onkyo, I have one of each).

Sounds suspiciously like the driver isn't there. I'm not familiar with this particular model (in fact I think you may have quoted the model number incorrectly). I would make a guess that you did not remove 3.4 sufficiently well. As a side note, there is a conversion process you may have to go through on some or all files. When you say "MP3s" do you really mean that? I should have thought that if you have to use SonicStage you are actually talking about OMGs or OMAs. I think we need a bit more information, including detailed error messages. Assuming you have the NW-HD5, there are definitely people around here who have one and will likely know the answer to your questions. There definitely are lots of HD5 owners over on avsforums.com. You might check there too. Some (of mine to you) to start with: 1. Can you talk to the NW at all? Can you see it on any screen at all on the computer, even non-Sony software? Check in Device Manager for starters. 2. Where did you get your music? Is it copy protected, and/or did it come from the Sony Connect store? 3. Can you play your music ON THE COMPUTER? On another walkman device? 4. Do you know where the files are located on the PC (assuming you can see them in Sonic Stage)? There's a simple way to find out. But don't bother if you believe all your files are (only) on the Walkman. That'll do for now. Please feel free to ask more questions. PS can you use the default font in this website? Your post was almost too small to read - I have modified it (all except the first and last lines, so you can see the difference.

yes - I've done it

The only one I would need clarification is the last... there were SO MANY varieties of Walkmen made (all MD Walkmen at that!) that varied in original price from under $100 to over $400, that we need to get the exact model number before we'd know if it was of great interest. Some people here might indeed be interested in buying directly provided you (and they) are cool with that. For the MDM-X4 you might try to find out if this is a Mark II (2!) because the Mark II's are considerably fixed relative to the original. And just in case you didn't find it yet... http://minidisc.org/equipment_browser.html

note: it's relatively easy to add optical out to MXD-D40 and MXD-R5C, both are CXD-2662 Type-R so as good as the last Pro decks Sony made. I did it in each case with help and advice from Camron in Portland.

CD Text is a very strange animal. Indeed in some early versions of their hardware, you needed a special cable just for the text. Then again, what one machine reads as CD Text will not be understood by others. Yet again, some manufacturers tried to prevent CD Text from being copied. This was circumvented by some tricks in operation that people here figured out. My point being: yes it's digital information but how it arrives is very ad hoc and no relation to the digitalness or otherwise of the signal. Bluecrab can probably confirm this - when one of the combo decks drops into Analog copy mode because of SCMS, the CD Text still arrives at the MD.

Looking at the schematic, I cannot see a digital path from the CD to the MD. That doesn't mean there isn't one, just that I am not looking right. Looks like everything gets converted to Analog through the D->A converter IC 701. Edit: looks like that chip does pass digital signals through it. Sorry.

This sounds dangerously like a problem of your own invention. I agree that optical connections between components are better. But there's nothing to indicate that the sound INSIDE the CMT-M333NT is using an optical connection at all (this may get corrected later when someone looks at the schematic). In fact, the standalone decks (including the D3 which Philippe mentioned) have excellent electronics to clean up the input from all sources (yes, analogue too!), so effectively all you are gaining is to move the A->D to the HCD-SD1, if it actually does that. Most of the Sony gear I have seen doesn't do that - Sony only allow you to record in optical when the source is optical (and non-SCMS protected). However it's possible that the unit you got was a design oversight on their part. If you notice in the manual, they assume you will hook up the MD deck with a set of four (2 in 2 out) RCA jacks on the back of your existing unit. One of the things about the MDS-PC3 is that it can act as an optical relay WITH GAIN. Something to think about. Mind you, you can do the same with the MDS-JE640 (though it's a lot bulkier). I presume you mean "to" not "from" in this last sentence. I think for the reasons stated above you are better off with a full sized deck - but if the SD1 in fact does convert everything and send it out the optical port, you are certainly in luck. Cheers Stephen

If you're going to go the combo deck route, the MXD-D40 offers "from-PC" control (still no radio) whereas the D3 does not. The MXD-D400 offers Type-S audio and optical out. You can add optical out to the D40 (and probably the D3) but it's a small electronics project for you. I would look for a CMT-PX3 (otherwise known as DHC-MD595) since this replaces all the functions of your existing unit. It's slightly earlier, but I have one and it's very nice. It does permit control from PC, via USB, though you need something called a PCLK-MN10, which is kind of hard to find. It's just possible that someone here may be able to help you find that if it's important. One thing I don't understand in your post - there IS an optical connection for recording by the unit you already have. As long as it is serviceable, I wouldn't think the others are actually an improvement. The cassette deck is only so-so but the rest is very nice. If you're worried about the deck, buy a unit which has the right MD component, and swap them when you eventually need to. The drives in these bookshelf units are generally very solidly built, however. One of the forum members here actively repairs these things and lives in the UK. Finally the other thing which may appeal to you is the MDS-PC3. Very versatile little beast.

That sounds eerily similar to the (?) design flaw in MDS-JE510 which dates from about that period (when Tascam would have made the deck). Jim Hoggarth is the expert on that and can, at the least tell you how to get the disk out.