sfbp

By my definition, then, I suspect that means you can not play them. Sorry. Although, I admit that *encrypted* files would probably give you something like :windows file error: So perhaps you just haven't figured out how to get the codecs installed into your version of windows. If you install Sonic Stage, that should turn on the codecs. If you did already, start checking all your sound card control panels to make sure "wav" is turned on as a source.

This request is (about to be) taken care of.

Aaargh I totally goofed. Sorry - I didn't see the one letter difference between topics. Comes of trying to do this stuff when a bit tired first in the morning before coffee. I will (at least) edit the topic title Feel free to repost if you think it helps. But looks not a lot of interest here.

Topics merged (administrator). Please don't double post.

....how many hours the machine has played/recorded SINCE THE LAST TIME SOMEONE DID THAT...... Don't think you will be able to determine the true age of the machine if someone is trying to tell lies to you. http://minidisc.org/part_Sony_MDS-JE520+S39.html

The second rep was, I believe, correct. I think that you should ask if they charge when they don't find anything..... There IS a backup copy of the directory on that disk (just like FAT). Do NOT under any circumstances attempt to mess with this disk in Windows. It's highly likely someone can get it restored. You should tell this to Sony. There's exactly one person in the world outside Sony I would trust to have a go at this. If you absolutely get no sense from Sony, come back to me and we'll see if there's anything to be done. Welcome to the forums!

You could start Don't try to install NETMD052.SYS (the 32-bit driver for the RH1).

The downloads section was returning only one file per category or search. Apologies to those of you frustrated by this - it looks like the bug crept in during one of the recent upgrades from Invision. This problem is now fixed. The funny part was that if you were not logged in (or not a member) you could see the files but not download them. But once logged in (in order to download) this problem occurred. Enjoy!

I guess I will start to look through and find what I can - not being exactly an electronics mastermind (I can tinker a bit) I may need to ask some questions of a buddy (or two) of mine. I do think that Sony kept on rolling in all DSP improvements with each passing year. So no matter how lowly, the latest devices had the best DSP. The support chips and all the other stuff may matter. But in the JE640 which uses CXD-2662, the line goes absolutely unimpeded from the output of the DSP to the optical transmitter. I know that this optical output sounds good, even with LP2 and LP4. The analogue output from that machine is less good (I hear artifacts easily) when using LP2 and LP4, compared to the analogue output from SP. So the question of whether, in Type-S, the MDLP section changed or some (better) noise elimination in the D->A, remains. I'm not sure where the more fancy machines allowing 20 and/or 24-bit output get tweaked as to the bit length. That I'll try to research. Stephen

Are you certain this hadn't actually happened BEFORE Type-S? I got the feeling there was some other improvement as well for the resulting "final" DSP Sony used.

It's even possible that not all Type-R's were created equal. The one right before Type-S seems to have come along when added to MDLP (originally there was MDLP with no Type-R), and the number of the chip revision is CXD-2662. I have had good luck with every one of the 5 devices I have which use this. The 333ES uses CXD-2656 which prior to then was only in SP decks. If I had to guess, I would think perhaps some of the improvements to make the CXD-2656 work with LP (and external to the chip) were added to the 2662 which reduces chip count and therefore production cost. I just looked at the SM and the 333ES also uses the CXD-2662. For reference the first Type-S is CXD-2664. I'm assuming also that the software LP encoders such as found in Sound Forge incorporate any Type-R improvements. Certainly I've never gotten worse results with SF than with hardware. Sonic Stage ought to be the same, but there were so many weirdnesses (about what was allowed and what not) and options that it's not always clear. The only way, as often written here, to choose a good conversion path, is to try running your music through it very carefully, a couple of different ways - to check that the order of steps doesn't make a difference. Sometimes this sort of thing can be critical to success. Oh yes, the other thing - it may be that some of the Type-S stuff is on the analog side (I have not followed the signal path on decks but I know that on portables with Type-S there's a direct output so you can't even catch the digital signal coming out the chip). (I have found that) If you play back a CXD-2662 device via optical out, the result is pretty well perfect always.

Trust me. You should not mess with service mode of the RH1. The manual is there in the equivalent place to where you found the other. Hmm, there appears to be something wrong with our downloads sections. Will investigate. Meantime, try this: http://minidisc.org/part_Sony_MZ-M200+RH1.html

The advantage of the RH1 is to do something you really can not do easily any other way (sure, x1 with digital out from an MDLP deck), namely upload from non-HiMD disks. If you gotta have one, you can't live without it. Definitely not for use as a player, although it's very nice.

broken overwrite head (either head burned or, more likely, ribbon cable cracked). The commonest error on portables and decks alike.

The point was not for playback, but recording! If you go to a venue with no power where you want to record 80 or 160 minutes of music, then using a (non-rechargeable) AA battery is the way to go. That means that really the NH700/800/900 was the only way to go if using a HiMD to record things with a microphone. The NH1 and RH1 are OK but some people have complained that battery life was a mixed feast with the LIP-4WM. The NH600 never had a microphone socket; the 700 had everything including AA, but a wee bit bulky for some people's taste. However the NH700 is probably the best compromise of the lot. I like the NH900 because it's a little more compact but has the flexibility of being able to use the AA sidecar when needed. (Sorry, I didn't mention 2nd gen - RH10/910 which also have sidecar AA as well as mic socket).

There's a problem with online or online-sourced transactions of high value. Human nature being what it is, there is (if you look carefully enough) a high potential for not concluding the transaction, whereby one or the other party ends up with both money AND item. Consequently at the very least it has to be conducted using a service like http://www.escrow.com But I am sure the OP knows this. We have had all sorts of individuals (at least they claimed to be different people, some of them were the same person) wanting to buy or sell expensive MD recorders. Many (if not most) of these attempts appeared to end in tears. It's also common in the world of musical instruments - I have heard some pretty awful stories. A word to the wise, that's all from me.

Please read this thread from the beginning. Thank you. If you really don't want to do that you can start from about post #64 but much of it may not make sense.

Sony is/was the only manufacturer of 1GB disks.

The hack is to change the :destination: country. That much is generally documented as servicers frequently have to deal with gear that comes from :somewhere else: Don't recommend going into service mode much on the RH1. There are a ton of extra parameters to screw up (Avrin started to explore but they are many, mysterious and dangerous). And getting into S.M can wear out the rubber on the jog lever REAL FAST. Most people with RH1's retired them to use solely for uploading (since this is the only one that allows it with "regular" disks made by legacy equipment) and purchased another model for portable use playing HiMD.

For someone starting entirely from CD's it's completely true that LP4 can be quite annoying. LP2, much less often. Starting from (say) a broadcast stream in the 64-192kbps range, your statements about LP4 having artifacts are much less true - maybe even palpably false. Typically these streams have already thrown away the bits (white noise) that in SP and CD the systems are taking much trouble to reproduce. I would agree with anyone who said "it's very tricky to get LP4 recordings that sound good". Only takes the slightest variation in input parameters to mess up the result. For instance RAISING the source bit rate being recorded may force me to use LP2 instead. Having said that, I have hundreds of hours of all kinds of classical music recorded this way. Stuff which has always been a severe test of analogue systems, and certainly of MP3. Long held notes on solo clarinet or solo french horn, loud percussive piano music such as a concerto, very loud organ with extremes of pitch (and therefore overtones). All of these without problems, provided the source did not contain significant amounts of analogue white noise - which presupposes a digital source, of course. As soon as you do recording of analogue signals, now you need at least LP2 - the MDLP decks (perhaps not portables, I have not experimented) seem to have the right filters to make that work nicely. Funny artifact recording opera. Turns out the announcer's signal is usually mono. Attempting to compress-encode a mono signal with joint stereo (as most MP3 and also in LP4) doesn't work well at all. You get sibilants on the voice - now there's an annoying artifact. Music works fine, voice doesn't - who woulda thunk it? LP2 is fine, natch. I wonder if popular music has a bunch of "mono" instruments "tracked in" to the mix? That might just lead to the same effect as noted above. Stephen

I don't like being forced to one of: a. multiple disks b. HiMD c. MP3 when I can record 5 1/3 hours at LP4 and listen to it in my car, on a deck at home, or with one of the many Type-S NetMD portables. Where the source originally had 128kbps or less there's no point in going to SP - the bits are wasted. If HiMD decks were cheap and available that might be different. But they're not.

You probably need to tweak the main powersupply settings, then. My best guess. You did pretty well to figure out as much as you have. Leave the Laser Power, and after doing the main power adjust, you might try one final overall servo adjustment (same as what you did). A clue that this is the problem may be if the display is dimmer than you would like. Even if you only crank the main adjustment 1 increment (764), that may do it. The numbers that matter are (IIRC) 762,763 and 764 (page 19).

I've said it before, LP4 is most definitely not useless. It all depends on the source being recorded, and how it was manipulated to get it onto disk. Hi-LP I haven't played with, admittedly.

If you can play those tracks with Windows Media Player, then you are set....

You must do an alignment after NV reset. This is a servo system and the adjustment is essentially automatic. You made BIG tweaks in the laser power, and even small ones can be dodgy. Did you force 2131 (or wherever the magic status byte is) to FF, then? It could well be that your power (not laser power) settings need adjusting. Quite tricky, and for some you need not 1 but 2 regulated power supplies. Best left to Jim. If you have the gear, just follow the manual very carefully. If something appears to be missing you sometimes have to refer to the predecessor(s) of the model in question. It's always assumed that you have been repairing these for years and already know all the moves of the previous models, heheh.