Christopher

I think that the iTunes demographic will grow strongly in due time, as they were not more than a month or so old after this survey. Thanks for this very interesting piece, Ishii.

Surprising stats for Minidisc, but I wasn't suprised upon reading the second graph - MD sales and desireability have declined somewhat and it'd be surprising to see it be as popular as it was half a decade or so ago. Sony's dominance in Japan is stunning.

According to my thread about Firmware v2.0 for the PSP, there is a note relevant to what one of the functions Sonicstage 3.2 delivers:

Haha @ Volta. Welcome to the forums, both of you. I've updated the inital topic with more information on the new features the firmware provides.

Thank you for that highly irrelevant beginning to your topic. Welcome to the forums, and I'll look into your suggestion accordingly.

Welcome to the forum, bobt. Thanks for the nice words and enjoy your stay..

Well MZ-NH1, Sonicstage will be discussed at either forum. With this scheme however, now MDCF will be less littered with non-MD woes, making the information here more relevant for the novice. Hi Volta. Dork.

Sampling some nice piano via the PSP (Hi-SP) for a writeup I'm doing with Sonicstage and the PSP. 1. No.1 Arietta 2. No.2 Waltz 3. No.6 Norwegian Melody 4. No.5 Folk Melody 5. No.8 Canon 6. No.6 Elegy 7. No.7 Waltz 8. No.3 Melody 9. No.3 March Of The Trolls 10. No.4 Notturno 11. No.2 Gade 12. No.3 Illusion 13. No.6 Homesickness 14. No.6 Homeward 15. No.4 The Brook 16. No.5 Phantom 17. No.1 Sylph 18. No.5 Cradle Song 19. No.6 Wedding Day At Troldhaugen 20. No.4 Evening In The Mountains 21. No.3 At Your Feet 22. No.2 Summer Evening 23. No.6 Gone 24. No.7 Remembrances

Too much traffic. Not really sure why they took it out of comission, but something sent some red flags up to the host and they didn't like what was going on. An attack? Maybe, not really sure.

Nice. I'll keep an eye out. I heard earlier this week that they'd be coming to North America real soon. Looks like soon = now.

I think I may start it off with Utada; she seems to be one of the most popular artists in this genre of her time.

What is Oricon outside of this music service? A generic media company? Is there any plans of bringing this service outside of Japan? One thing that really irked me about Connect + Mora is that they weren't interlinked. It would be excellent if we could purchase tracks from Mora in North America.

If you own one of the European models of the Sony Network Hard-Drive Walkmans, it has a volume limitation (French law) that makes it quiet in comparison to other regional models. You can disable the volume limiter*. Here is how: Go into test mode using the instructions in this image: Then switch off Sound Pressure Regulation using the instructions in this image: This "hack" works for the NW-HD1, NW-HD3 and NW-HD5. * - Note: The European sound pressure limiter is there for a reason. Prolonged use of loud headphones has been known to cause slight deafness or even tinnitus. Carry out this hack at your own risk and keep the volume at a reasonable level for your own sake. Taken from: avforums

Completely false, unless they can offer pictures.

If you need quality voice recordings then Hi-MD is surely the way to go. 256kbps ATRAC3plus (aka Hi-SP) would probably be a good codec setting for you to use.

Here's a plausible reason as to why Radio Shack may be discontinuing support of Hi-MD: http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/6341/

I'm not so sure of that, greenmachine. With a lower end first generation Hi-MD unit or even the NH910 like Meryl has described it would be nice to get 34 hours at Hi-LP quality on one disc at the price point Hi-MD offers. You can learn more of this here, Fergus. In regards to question #3 + #4, it's essentially covered here: http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=7070 Aren't those flash/mp3 voice recorders not-so-great at ranged recordings, anyway? I'd like to hear if anyone has some actual real-world experience with such devices.

Looks sharp and small! I'd love to hear some impressions, or even a comparison..

I can only hope that UMD Music discs or perhaps ATRAC3plus UMD megadiscs will be distributed to North America and Europe soon!

Good eye, NH1! Yes, I realized after incessant discussion of non-Minidisc ATRAC devices at MDCF that there was a serious void on the Internet for discussion focusing on ATRAC-related devices. Whilst most participate at websites such as DAPreview, avforums, Head-Fi, or even Sony TR World - it was apparent that I could foster a community of all of these users, bring them together, and possibly create an invaluable resource for information and related discussion. All further topics related to anything non-Minidisc (even software related) that uses ATRAC will be directed to ATRACLife Colloquium.

Firmware v2.0 major features: The update will be free; v2.0 of the firmware will add: NETWORK - Internet Browser - The biggie of the bunch, a new browser function has been added to the PSP so that you can connect to a website any time you are in the area of a compatible / accessible WiFi hotspot. The browser supports standard 4.01 HTML, but will not support Flash (although it is listed what sounds to be a sniffer function for Flash to show when it is requested but not available ... might it be part of the PSP brower someday?) NETWORK - New Network Menu - This is where the web browser will be housed. The icon for it will be a globe, and it'll cycle in with the music note, film frame, and game logos. VIDEO - Jump Feature in UMD Video/Music - Yes, it doesn't sound nearly as interesting as our original translation of "Performance Jump." It's a new skipping feature in UMDs, perhaps direct chapter access control or something to that effect. VIDEO - A-B Repeat Mode - A handy feature for watching clips you like, this feature allows UMD Video, Music or Memory Stick videos to repeat your favorite scenes VIDEO - 4x3 Video Mode of Memory Stick Video - We're not sure what this accomplishes, as videos were already 4x3. The only way for videos to be bigger and wider was to cheat the system and stretch would-be 4x3 pixels in odd ways with alternate apps. VIDEO - Audio Adjustment Function of Memory Stick Video - Seems to be muting and gain controls for when your homemade videos are not the way you want. VIDEO - MP4 (AVC) Playback - This is the good stuff. Homemade PSP videos have so far been hobbled by limited codec implementation and an adherence to a regulated Memory Stick standard. Instead, the PSP is finally allowed to branch out and play more complex, high-quality video in the advanced h.264 codec. Exact implementation of the AVC codec may still depend on certain variables, but get your compressors ready. MUSIC - ATRAC3plus Support on PRO Duo - Correcting a silly technical gaff in the Memory Stick format, music fans can now put ATRAC3plus files on their PSPs. (SonicStage v3.2 software is required.) MP4 AAC & WAVE Support - The PSP can now play MP4 audio (MP4's AAC format) as well as Linear PCM WAVE files. PHOTO - Wallpaper Feature - We're guessing this is the much-requested feature for taking your favorite pictures and smacking them in the background of the PSP menu. There's no mention of a randomizer or anything else that would make this feature even more cool, but at last, something other than that swishy swirl on this month's color. PHOTO - Picture Sending - You can now trade photos with other PSP owners over an ad-hoc (local) wireless connection PHOTO - New Formats - The PSP can now read TIFF, GIF (we're not sure about animated GIF yet) and BMP files. SETTING - Korean Language - A new language option on the menu. That'll be nice for them SETTING - New Character Set - No details available on this -- hopefully, this is a quick-select for punctuation and other hard-to-type characters. SETTING - Theme Setting - No details. SETTING - Internet Browser Restriction Setting - A set of options for configuring the access your PSP has to the net, presumably your cookie and personal security handling. SETTING - WPA Support - If WEP isn't secure enough for your home, you can now access PSP with WPA-PSK (TKIP.) SETTING - Web Support on Keypad - It's unfortunately not as cool as it sounds (we were hoping for USB keyboard support to be added, as there are a couple of USB manufacturers with mini-keyboards on deck.) The old dial-a-letter keyboard will be the input for the web browser. -------- The new (white) value pack, available on September 15th... Closeup: Looks hot! Wish I wouldn't have purchased the black one. Sniped from engadget.

Nice topic.. I must admit that I'm not as in tune with the genre as I could be. What would be good for the aspiring novice? What do you listen to, dork?

[credit: Silicon Pop Culture] Check it out here: http://www.siliconpopculture.com/review/109_0_2_0_M/

Welcome to the newly created ATRACLife Colloquium (ALC)! We aspire to be the #1 resource for ATRAC-related discussion and news information. Thank you for visiting and don't forget to read the alc guidelines. If you have any helpful suggestions or comments, please post them here. Feel free to private message me for anything else! I look forward to your participation.

Click here for bios on each of the four major developers. — What is the history of ATRAC development? Suzuki: ATRAC made its debut in 1992 with the launch of the MiniDisc. In 1999, as a new feature of the MiniDisc called MDLP, we introduced ATRAC3, which delivered an improved compression ratio. And just as electronic music distribution started becoming popular, we introduced ATRAC3plus in 2002. — Is the technology behind these codecs very different? Suzuki: The basic technology is much the same. All codecs take as their input a PCM sound source. They perform signal processing on a fixed number of samples which are converted into frequency data and then compressed (encoded). At the other end, these steps are performed in reverse, so the data is decoded. After restoring the frequency data, signal processing reproduces the PCM sound source. With each codec, there's a difference in the number of samples used for frequency conversion: the higher the compression ratio, the larger the number of samples. — In developing the codec, what was the most important thing for you? Suzuki: The balance between audio quality and hardware resources. Inoue: The ATRAC algorithm is implemented in hardware, an LSI, so the goal of our development is a tangible product. To achieve this, it's necessary for the LSI team and the algorithm team to coordinate their development work. That's one of the major differences between ATRAC and other codecs – not many other codecs have been developed in tandem with hardware. Tsuji: It's a huge burden on the LSI if you try to make it process each and every single task that comes along. So it's important for the algorithm and LSI development teams to find the point at which there is a practical trade-off. For example, when developing ATRAC3plus, the algorithm that I was in charge of threatened to be a severe headache for the LSI team, but after several meetings we worked it out. Inoue: Yes, our premise that hardware should efficiently process ATRAC encoding is especially important for us. In many cases, the encoding for other codecs is based only on software processing on a PC. But an essential feature of the MiniDisc, for example, is recording from the hardware unit. That's why, when we developed the specifications for ATRAC, we had to make sure the LSI could process the encoding at high speeds and with minimal power consumption. — What was behind the development of ATRAC3plus? Inoue: We developed ATRAC3plus at a time when it seemed we had to answer a variety of demands – including both low bit rates and high bit rates. Toyama: The ATRAC3 specification was originally developed to achieve a sound quality equivalent to the MiniDisc at 132kbps, so there was a limit to what kind of quality we could expect at a lower bit rate. But we applied technologies to solve the various obstacles we had faced in the past and focussed on crafting a new sound that would satisfy changing demands. ATRAC3plus is the result. In subjective evaluation tests conducted by third parties in 2003, it was confirmed that ATRAC3plus at 64kbps offers sound quality equivalent to MP3 at 128kbps. Inoue: The demand for low bit rates started to coincide with the capacity increase of hard disk drives and other storage media, which meant, for some people, that a high compression ratio was not the most important criterion, as long as they could record with high quality. Suzuki: Yes. Users who put more emphasis on sound quality than on the number of tracks. Inoue: The answer for them is ATRAC3plus at 256kbps. CDs are 1,411kbps, so we are talking about 1/5 the size, but audio quality is almost as good as the original CD. Toyama: In recent subjective evaluation tests, we proved that it's almost impossible to tell the difference in sound quality between ATRAC3plus at 256kbps and CDs at 1,411kbps. The process of encoding and decoding is repeated ad infinitum. — You were talking about crafting the sound, but how do you go about optimizing or tuning? Suzuki: Sound is subjective. Something about a particular sound may really grab your attention, yet someone else won't even notice it. When that happens, you get friends of like mind together and make that someone feel bad! (laughter) Toyama: For example, people who play instruments tend to pay attention to the sound of each instrument, but your average person enjoys music as an overall experience. Everyone listens to music differently, so it's dangerous for just one person to do the tuning. I've played a variety of instruments, so when I listen to music I pay attention to how they sound, and the quality of vocals as well. Suzuki: I'm the opposite. I listen to the whole thing. I belong to the generation that grew up with Walkman – music accompanies my activities. I don't notice the parts, but take in the whole song. As you can see, even within our team, we listen to music differently. But we don't give priority to one type of listening. It's important to find the best balance – that's our approach. So whenever I make progress in crafting sound, I get Tsuji and Inoue to join me in the listening room for several hours to get their opinions. Listening room: here the ATRAC sound is carefully crafted. — What exactly is involved in this process of tuning? Suzuki: We repeatedly encode and decode. In other words, we process the signal, compress it, reconstitute it and then listen to it again. Usually we use headphones, but when doing an overall check we pipe it through speakers in the listening room. — Is there a difference between listening on headphones and listening through speakers? Suzuki: Oh, completely different. To check details of the sound, headphones are the thing. But speakers are essential when you want to check the ambiance, harmonious sound, balance, and so on. You may think you've achieved a really beautiful sound, only to find that in an open listening space, that's not the case. Tsuji: And because our constant tweaking is affected by our surroundings, we can't work in an open-plan layout to do our tuning. Our workspace isn't very large, but it's divided up with high partitions. Suzuki: When tuning, we use a database of sound sources created especially for evaluation. For example, Mariah Carey is extremely tricky because the instruments and the vocals range over a very wide spectrum. And we can't make an encoder by just targeting a particular band. I've been listening to Mariah for 8 years – tens of thousands of times. Now I don't need to listen to the original sound source: just listening to the decoded sound I can tell whether it's good or not. I think her songs are indelibly impressed on my memory. Testing equipment: provides essential support for the codec developers. — And I understand that the results of this tuning are then evaluated by Sony Music (SME)? Suzuki: Our work with SME started when they wanted to know whether or not they could use our codec for distributing music electronically. We asked them to assess our encoder and found them to be incredibly tough critics! (laughter) Toyama: SME distributes music electronically and whatever codec they use, they're responsible for delivering the end result to paying customers. Obviously it's no good if the sound quality doesn't satisfy SME. That's why we've worked hard to tune the codec to win SME's approval. — The codec used in SME's online music distribution is ATRAC3? Suzuki: That's right. The sound we created around 2000 is still being distributed today. But there were times when the development team and SME didn't agree. Developers tend to emphasize details, but SME values an overall balanced sound. We use sound sources they give us for tuning, after which recording staff at the SME studio test the codec rigorously for things like sound localization and coherence. Toyama: The sound sources from SME are their own special mix. They know it front to back, exactly what sounds are where. So if something is even slightly off, they know immediately. Suzuki: Because you're compressing sound, it can't be helped if the result doesn't sound the same as the original. But it's not acceptable if the compressed sound changes the impression of the original, so balance is especially important. Toyama: That's right. We look closely at how the compressed result sounds. Even with compression, people want the music to sound good, if not great. Suzuki: To be precise, while admitting ATRAC3 compressed sound is not the same as the original, we've arrived at the point where the way in which the sound has changed, is good – good enough for the ears of the recording staff at SME. — What about ATRAC3plus? Tsuji: SME has yet to evaluate ATRAC3plus. Originally we targeted our development for compact media such as flash memory. So we focused on high compression ratios and worked hard to craft good sound quality, even for bit rates as low as 48kbps and 64kbps. Suzuki: If the bit rate is high enough, there's enough data to cover any shortcoming even if the encoder doesn't work exactly as hoped. But the lower the bit rate, the more likely it will be affected should the encoder performance be just a little wanting – it would appear as noise or otherwise sound poor. That's why we spent a lot of time enhancing the 48kbps and 64kbps encoders. We're confident that they sound better than any competing codec. In the future, with the cooperation of SME, we want to make audio quality even better. — Recently, the rising popularity of personal audio players equipped with hard disks has increased the interest in codecs. As codec developers what would you like to see in ATRAC3plus-compliant products? Inoue: For our part, we will continue to work hard on codec development, and we'd like product developers to continue to focus on crafting the quality of the sound at the point where it is converted from digital to analogue. Suzuki: Of course, product developers are concerned with the whole player, but I think it's an advantage for audio manufacturers like us if we can optimize each of the components that make up a player. As a user myself, that's what I expect. — As ATRAC developers, do you have a message for the readers? Tsuji: Some people seem to have the bias that "compressed sound is bad", which I think is a bit of a shame. Maybe it just comes from familiarity with linear PCM compact discs – their very presence helps create this impression of inferiority. I really hope that people put aside any prejudice they may have and listen to compressed music with an open mind. Toyama: I once worked in an SME mastering studio for a month as part of my production training, and was surprised to find the vast number of sounds in a CD recording. If you compare compressed music to that, of course it isn't the same, but it does create new ways to enjoy music, such as online music, and lets you store a lot more songs on recording media. Whether we're talking about a natural shift in sound quality, or being able to enjoy music for hours without getting tired, what we do, we do for music – after all, we love music. And we'll keep on developing to expand the possibilities of sound. Suzuki: When we created the ATRAC3plus algorithm we put a lot of emphasis on high quality sound. So I would ask the readers to experience it first-hand, and at different bit rates. Inoue: Yes, our ultimate goal as developers is to have listeners appreciate just how good the music sounds without noticing the bit rates. We will continue to work hard to craft the kind of sounds that allow people to enjoy music naturally and with the greatest pleasure.