henry's cat

Has anyone recently used the UK Sony Repair service? According to their website they still repair MZ-RH1 minidisc recorders. Mine has lost the ability to record, it goes through all the motions of recording but the content is never actually written to disc. Playback is still fine. Seeing as it is such a sought after model I might consider getting it repaired.

I've not been able to log-on to this site for two years or more after I changed my Internet provider and got a new private email address. I've never received the confirmation email on all addresses I've tried to change to, such as my work email, my new private email address etc. I've finally been able to log-on again after using a disposable email address using mailinator.com. I received the confirmation email, no problem!

Sorry about that. Because they actually advertise them on their website I thought they were still available having bought some of them some time ago. If you can get them from somewhere else they're worth trying. The labels are easy to make, but what I found tricky was calibrating the printer so that the printing aligned accurately.

Have you seen these labels? You can also download software from the site to design and print your minidisc labels. http://www.pressit.com/audio-minidisc-labels.html

Thanks for the tip. I'll remember that in future if I have to change PC again. Does the Sonicstage File Conversion Tool convert the format like-for-like i.e 64kbps to 64kbps? I thought it was only for converting files from early versions of Sonicstage and I wasn't sure what effect it would have on my library so that's why I didn't use it.

Earlier this year I tried unsuccessfully to restore a Sonicstage library using the Back-up tool to a new PC. For whatever reason the library contents could not be authenticated either because the authentication server was down, no longer working or the hardware firewall in my B.T Hub was preventing a connection with the server. Here is the procedure I have successfully used to transfer more than ten year's worth of recordings to a new installation of Sonicstage 4.3.01 on a new PC. This does rely on the old PC still being usable though. First of all, on the old computer use the convert format function within Sonicstage to remove copy protection on any files that have it. Choose the same format for the converted file as the source file, i.e. ATRAC 132kbps to ATRAC 132kbps but uncheck the add copy protection option. Tracks imported from C.D's do not have copy protection added so they do not need converting but they still need to be imported into Sonicstage on a new computer. You should find the converted files in a folder called 'Optimized Files' on the same drive as your Sonicstage library. To check where they reside, right click on a title, go to properties and then 'File Info'. There should be two copies of the file listed, one is the original, the other the non-copy protected version. To transfer to the new PC the converted files will need to be imported into Sonicstage. To do this it is probably best to create a folder for each album or recorded title on your transfer media such as a memory stick or external hard drive, so that there is some order to the possible hundreds of files that have been converted. Copy all files that belong to an album or title from the 'Optimized Files' folder on the old computer into the appropriate folder on the transfer media. Both my new and old PC have removable hard drive racks so I copied the files to the drive in the caddy on my old PC. After this do any re-naming of the files that you might think necessary on the transfer media. When ready, plug in the media that the converted files are on in to the new PC. Move or copy the folders containing the converted files to wherever your Sonicstage library is to reside on the new PC. Within Sonicstage click on 'My Library' and then 'File' and then choose Import Music File. Navigate to the first folder that you want to import files from and then highlight the file or files that you wish import. Hopefully, the file/files will import without any problems and you should find on checking the file properties from within Sonicstage that there is no copy protection and there are an unlimited number of transfer counts available.

Interesting reading. Doesn't Sony already have a lossless format - ATRAC Advanced Lossless? I've always found ATRAC encoded files give better quality sound than MP3. If Sony hadn't obsessed about copyright protection and Digital Rights Management ATRAC might have gained a foothold.

Thanks for the reply. I've a large mixture of ATRAC & ATRAC3 tracks ranging from LP4 to ATRAC3 Plus Advanced Lossless mode. I'd rather stick with Sonicstage than use VLC although VLC is very good. I tried again in vain yesterday to restore from a back-up, but nothing doing from the authentication server. The last time I did a full restore to a new PC was several years ago and that's when I had a much smaller library and dial-up internet access! Can I just check that the File Conversion Tool mentioned is the one within Sonicstage on the Tools menu labeled Convert Format? I've tried the Sonicstage File Conversion Tool within the sub-menu on the Windows programs menu after importing a copy of my library and then trying to convert them and unchecking the copy protection option but this failed with the copy protection staying intact. I have successfully transferred some recordings from a master minidisc into Sonicstage on my new PC and then used the Convert Format to convert them back to the same codec but removed the copy protection. If I've understood the above posts properly is this what I should do? On my old PC, use the Convert Format feature to create a new version of the file in the same codec but uncheck the copy protection option. Then, move or copy the newly created second version onto my removable caddy hard drive, then import those files into Sonicstage on the new PC. Is it any wonder that Minidisc lost out to MP3 and the IPlayer because of Sony's obsession with digital rights management?

Does anyone know if the authentication server for Sony Sonicstage restore is still working? I've just built a new P.C and am in the process of migrating all data and software to the new machine. I've installed Sonicstage Ultimate V4.3 and it is working fine. I have tried several times, at different times of the day, to restore my minidisc library from a back-up but repeatedly get the error message - Other error has occured. Error code=0x304 - at the connecting to the internet to authenticate stage. I have a broadband connection and have tried turning Windows firewall off but it makes not difference. I can import and play .oma files from copies on a removable hard drive to the new machine's Sonicstage installation, but only music ripped from CD's which have no copy protection. Files that were originally copied from minidisc and are part of my library from the old machine can be imported to my new one, but when I try to play them back I get a message about the file being unauthenticated. I am going to try the File Conversion Tool to try and remove the copy protection so I can play back MY OWN recordings on the new P.C. Failing that I will have to re-import from master copy minidiscs or convert to WAV format for recordings that I do not have back-ups on minidisc.

Both the Sony MDS-S50 and MDS-JE640 share the same pattern of main printed circuit board (PCB). The more expensive MDS-JE640 has a coaxial input, two optical inputs and an optical output. With the addition of three components an optical output can be added to the MDS-S50. The main PCB in the MDS-S50 has all the mounting holes for the optical transmitter but two capacitors, C661 and C662, and a miniature inductor, L661 are missing. Both models use the same Digital Signal Processor chip (IC151) and the digital output from pin 21 is routed through to the rear panel on the PCB. The most difficult part of this modification is creating the hole in the rear panel for the transmitter and you need to be fairly good at soldering. Be careful when removing the PCB as there are some delicate wire flats that need disconnecting. The board is populated with surface-mount technology (SMT) components but none are needed for this modification. You will need a Sharp Toslink GP1FAV31TK0F fibre optic transmitter (Radio Spares part no. 6666491), a 4.7 microfarad 16V (C662) capacitor and a 0.1 microfarad polyester cap (C661). The transmitter fits into the space labelled IC661 at the rear of the main PCB. The rear panel cutout dimensions required for the Toslink transmitter and the fixing screw hole height above the PCB are the same as the existing receiver. You can find the height of the required cutout by drawing lines across from top and bottom of the existing hole for the optical receiver. The centre of the cutout can be found by placing the transmitter onto the board and passing a fine drill bit through the mounting hole from the rear and giving it a few turns to leave a mark on the bare metal as to where to drill a hole for the mounting screw. Drill the hole and then mark a line down from it to cross the lines for the top and bottom of the cutout. C661 is an SMT device so you can't solder a standard capacitor onto the tiny pads. Instead, place C662 on the topside of the board and pass the leads through then bend and trim the leads of C661and pass them through the same holes from the underside of the board so it lays flat and solder both in place. L661 is a tiny SMT inductor that supplies 3.3V to the transmitter but in this case can be replaced with a tiny wire link shorting the solder pads together. Just take a thin piece of tinned copper wire and bend a short section at one end at a right angle. Carefully solder it in place and then trim off the excess. The service manuals with circuit diagrams and PCB layout are both available from the minidisc.org website which is where I got the idea from.