No MDLP on the MR250??? All new units have been MDLP compatible since the end of 2001....
Do you mean MR200? THAT has the see through remote, and no MDLP and touchpad and was the smallest/lightest in Sep 2000... :wink:
If you wish to do live recording, any Sharp is the best. For NetMD, they are really all the same, except you will need to get hold of English SW on the 'net to use all the NetMD features of the MR250.
Durability wise, all should be tough enough, but a lot of N1s are going bust, and very little is heard about the MT880 and MR250 going that way - perhaps because the N1 is the most widespread, I don't know.
If you don't want to spend much, and want an honest MD recorder, then the Sony N707 is the one for you - affordable, but doesn't skimp on the features like the N505. Plus if you are in Europe/Asia/Oceana it comes with an LCD remote. (But not backlit)
Personally, I'd buy the MR250-MT880-N1, in that order, but it is because I'm a non-Sony nutcase.