sfbp

1. DON'T TOUCH 2.3 with a 35-foot pole. Not even 3. In both Sony was still obsessed with "restrictions" 2. If WMP won't play them, what will it play? What version of WMP? 3. Check your Audio Device for playback, and see if that's why the sound isn't going to the sound card. NEVER DO SYSTEM RESTORE on a SonicStage-installed system without being prepared to deep-six everything connected with Sonic Stage. Sorry.

Doubtless you have fallen victim to a registry change that makes all the music in Sonic Stage useless or at least unplayable. With ATRAC that might be serious as the files are only properly understood by SS and Sony-produced hardware. So what is happening is that the SS (converted) version is now useless. Do not despair! - you should have the ORIGINAL MP3's, one would certainly hope. However, your tracks are MP3's - right? My best guess is you are trying to play the .oma files. Look carefully at extensions, and see whether the tracks you are trying to play are ATRAC files or MP3. Firstly, if you're going to tell us that these tracks were in fact recorded on Minidisc and uploaded, then ignore all of the above and start over. We need to have a completely different discussion about how (or whether) it is possible to recover your tracks. Assuming this is not the case...... please read the instructions right to the end to see if this is really what you want to do. Seriously, if you happened to inherit this system from someone else, stop a minute and do a bit more research. It may be as simple as logging on (to Windows) with the right username. Step 1. Figure out how to turn on extensions in Windows. You may be allowing Windows itself to confuse you between .mp3 and .oma. A helpful article is here (click that link) Step 2. Search for all files ending in .mp3. Step 3. See if some other player software will play them. If NOT, then it's probably not Sonic Stage's fault. More likely you have been hacked, or you have somehow redirected your sound card device to something other than the real sound card in the computer. Don't panic yet. They should play just fine in Windows media player. Step 4. Once you have determined your .mp3 files are safe and can be played, copy the whole lot to a DVD or backup harddrive and put it somewhere else where you cannot possibly damage it. Step 5. Uninstall Sonic Stage, and delete every file ending in .oma or .OMA. There may be a less brutal solution to this, but if you really did find all the files in steps 2-3, AND all your files started out as .mp3, then this is quite safe to do. Don't kill me if you explained it wrong - if "MP3 files" means to you "any music track", then we have a terminology disconnect, and we may need to start this whole process all over again. Step 6. Install the "Ultimate" version of Sonic Stage (poke around here or we'll add a link) and reimport all your tracks (assuming you like using SS). Sleep peacefully. Welcome to the forums!

I just had a drive with the C13 error fixed. Usually (and it did in this case) it means the laser is on the way out. The previous owner reported differences between brands, though by the time I got there it barely read the TOC of a single disk. Where are you located? You need some repair options, sounds like. RXG's have a clear window and you can see the surface even when the shutter is closed, correct? If I had playback problems (C13 means you cannot read the TOC) it often seemed to be with disks that had very light coloured plastic. Maybe when the laser is borderline, disk casings that don't allow stray light to get in will work better.

I'm still waiting for my PCLK unit to become operational. No sign there of time stamps... but the software certainly seems to be pretty intimate with most of the functions on the connected unit. The root problem seems to be that timestamps were only ever conceived of as a way to track the length of recordings, in the original MD design. When they got date/clock added, software still used the lowest common denominator which does NOT include date/timestamps. I would still be mildly surprised if some E11 or E12 owner didn't pipe in with "oh, THAT problem.... no problem", eventually. But those decks are not that common. Update: just saw one on Ebay (US) and reviewing the manual seems to indicate the record date is shown on the front panel. I rather suspect the RS232 (external editing/control) will bring whatever the front panel shows out to a connected terminal. If there's any unit that will do what you want, this has to be it. Stephen

For reasons I don't understand, at least here, the text of this is not visible from most links. I found it by looking at the recently added topics list.

That's probably wise. I own an NH700 that has NO overwrite head, it is playback only too. To make sure I didn't press record by mistake, I superglued it

Sorry, I thought it involved soldering something but not apparently on these HiMD units. I checked as many as I could. The documented means involve a piece of software which I don't have. Ah.. there we are... holding pin 224 down will cause the main chip to go into test mode. Sounds like fun.

There's another (documented) way to enter service mode if pressing buttons fails. You could simply undo the changes he made.

do ANY buttons work? Or are you using the remote?

take off the lid and remove the board on the underside of the lid. Tweak all the buttons (probably one of them is stuck on somehow).

to get out of service mode remember to remove the battery?

Sounds to me like he didn't reassemble it correctly.

Sigh. Once again they won't ship outside USA mainland. No sign of it here in Canada. This is the first device I have seen that makes me want to get any Blu-Ray technology.

Well done, indeed. The longevity of MD units is probably at least in part due to the simplicity of their engineering. Many of the components are quite re-usable across models. Whereas the :official: fix needed would have been 10x what I paid, an :unofficial: fix for a similar problem (actually the main laser, not the overwrite head) I had was easily made. I am waiting for my drive to come back from the guy whose Ebay listing got a plug in post #5 - his charges are most reasonable and a very nice fellow to deal with. Stephen

Hi Philippe. I was thinking (to try and help OP) that it might be possible to get the date/timestamps off the HHB unit somehow, and wondering what software is in fact supplied with the unit... So the ability to upload is not much different from any other device (deck) with optical output, is what I think I am hearing. Pity. Stephen

Footnote: I today noticed something possibly interesting. Took a recent recording at 66kbps and played it back on my MXD-D400 which is Type-S (CXD2664R chip). I have both analogue and digital playback enabled, and my amplifier will accept the digital stream if it is there. It will turn off the analogue stream if the digital stream becomes enabled. I noticed distortion on playback - thinking something had gone wrong I checked everything. But quickly noticed the playback was analogue (the optical connection got pulled out by accident), by looking at the receiver's front panel display which shows when there is a digital signal - it was not present. Restoring the TOSlink connector and replaying the song fixed the problem. Any comments?

Very interesting. My first experiment with LP4 several years ago was to do exactly what you are suggesting, except that I let SonicStage rip the files to WAV. As a result (it was SOOOOOO bad) I completely junked the idea of using LP4 for the next 3 years. And my only MDLP-capable unit was in fact the MZ-NE410. I think in turn this points the finger of blame firmly back at the SS ripper. I wish I'd known all this at the time. Stephen PS: I just checked the schematic of the 410 and it has a single chip that is the system controller AND the DSP chip packed into one. The part number is CXD2680GA. (this is the same general type of chip used in the NF810, and that is known to be Type-S). Additionally the first Type-S chip was the CXD2664 and this is clearly a later number; so I believe that you must be right although I have never been able to find the mention of Type-S in the 410 manuals.

Here?

Spot on... I forgot about the MDP500. I looked through the brochure and I am uncertain as to whether it uploads the date stamps. philippeb (here) has one, so would probably know. There's a couple of auctions looking promising on Ebay UK.

Here's a challenge for you: http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://page5.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/SONY-%25E3%2583%259D%25E3%2583%25BC%25E3%2582%25BF%25E3%2583%2596%25E3%2583%25ABMD%25E3%2583%2597%25E3%2583%25AC%25E3%2583%25BC%25E3%2583%25A4%25E3%2583%25BC-MDH-10/auction/e107578481&prev=/search%3Fq%3DSONY%2B%25E3%2583%259D%25E3%2583%25BC%25E3%2582%25BF%25E3%2583%2596%25E3%2583%25ABMD%25E3%2583%2597%25E3%2583%25AC%25E3%2583%25BC%25E3%2583%25A4%25E3%2583%25BC%2BMDH-10%2BSONY%2B%25E3%2583%259D%25E3%2583%25BC%25E3%2582%25BF%25E3%2583%2596%25E3%2583%25ABMD%25E3%2583%2597%25E3%2583%25AC%25E3%2583%25BC%25E3%2583%25A4%25E3%2583%25BC%2BMDH-10%26num%3D100%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff&rurl=translate.google.ca&usg=ALkJrhiTPMciZVIUIM-8EeMBSWJH3Uc95Q But even this drive won't let you edit the metadata. To play audio you have to put it into "Audio" mode using a switch. So I don't think this will fly.

Sorry. Just looked at the multitrackers and not one of them has RS232. I'm surprised. I have not got great expectations of the PCLK, and never having had one, I simply don't know. I think perhaps one would have heard of someone trying to do what you are doing. But that's a longer term approach, scoping out the protocol and then writing something. I think your best shot may be to investigate the RS232 approach. But still not clear to me if that has date output available via the serial connection. Another place that might be worth hacking is the wired remote that these pro units come with. SLink again, I suspect. That leaves the data drive as the only surefire way to do this. Or sitting and patiently typing into SS from a sheet of times and dates.

Just a quick note to follow - MDS-E1x do NOT do upload. But you might be able to write a program to get data off the disk and write back a TITLE with time instead, followed by upload using the RH1. And so far as I am aware, PCLK does not allow any transfer via USB whatever, it is purely a control connection which wakes up the MD and transfers real time optical TO the md. The precursor to NetMD, of course. But it's possible that some semi-automatic titleing could be done. (Read the title, modify with macro, write back, using snagit or one of the keystroke utilities). SonicStage is locked in, but I have a hunch that MCrew may be a slightly more open solution. If I ever get wealthy I may want one of those data drives. The 4-track units use them, I wonder if those can (there's a Yamaha and a Sony in common currency) be coerced similarly into title-modification? Stephen

It ain't gonna happen with the RH1 or any portable unless I or someone else can figure out the relationship of Slink or PClink to the NetMD command set (which I will attempt shortly). HOWEVER.... If you can get a PCLink capable unit (there are lots) you may be able to do a lot from the computer. Still not sure about the date, as I won't have my first PCLK working in my hands for a few days (and maybe not even then). When I do, it's just possible M-Crew, the software for that setup, may do some of what you need. Another ray of light... there is an RS232 interface to the MDS-E11 and 12 Pro models. It may do what you want. The AV users who like hundreds of DVDs in a machine (I'm one of them but I haven't done this) say there's a similar RS232 interface to the ES-grade carousel machine (ES777?). Once again I am unsure whether date is shown. Now the bad news - I checked that I can record (on N910) with clock turned on (ignore my previous edit please) and the resulting disk can be read in the RH1 with the "correct" time and date. However upload always adds the time and date of upload. Sigh. One final thought... here. But for that you need real hardware.

As I say, I don't know of any way to get access to the TOC in software. All we have is commands that create or delete entries. Sony got very scared of copyright issues at one point. Perhaps dating back to their tussle with the MPAA over Betamax (the first VCR and the creation by the US courts of the weird "fair use" doctrine). That lawsuit almost was the end of Sony, I think.

Since they can't do it, you need to understand that, not really. However, for Hi-MD only the #linux-minidisc project's creation, QHiMDTransfer, will do what you want. As you point out, most of your disks are Lo-MD format. I'm not even sure that the (PC/MAC/whatever) software for the RH1 has access to the TOC, more like the firmware reads it and sends what it thinks.