SharkD

Hi! I'm an owner of several old MD recorders and have some questions regarding the ATRAC format since I've been out of the loop for several years now. 1) Which non-MD types of devices currently support ATRAC or will support it in the future? (I'm assuming that no more disc-based formats will be developed by Sony.) 2) Can you store ATRAC files on your computer and transfer them between devices? 3) Is there a reliable listening test comparing ATRAC with other formats such as AAC or Vorbis? 4) Can you purchase ATRAC tracks at online stores? 5) What other portable digital recording solutions are there (especially flash-based)? How do they compare? 6) What are Sony's plans (if any) for future revisions of ATRAC? Lower bitrates? Other features? None? 7) What is the latest version of ATRAC supported by RealMedia? Will they upgrade to the latest versions? 8) Are there any noteworthy differences (filesize, bitrates, etc.) between disc-based ATRAC and RealMedia? Thanks for any answers! -Mike [edit] One more question: What's the best method of backing up existing MD recordings to a hard drive? None of my current portables have SPDIF output. Can SPDIF-capable protables/decks be cheap to come by? Is the analog output of sufficiently high quality that I don't need to worry about it? Thanks!