MDfreak

Yes! (see the first big picture we made. that is when playing a track). As with the current firmware, all playback-options are only available on the remote but as this is a pre-production model I can imagine this can change (but for now, only via the remote). The line-out socket (als you can see on the pictures is combined with the headphone out and you can switch between them via the menu).

And another one: (click for the full-size version)

Taking about 20 the same pictures and averaging them to get less noise.

And for those who cannot get enough a special picture (with special thanks to my brother): (click for the full-size version)

Firmware-version says: 0.960 so probably not a lot will change. I only tested it so I don't know if this would change in the production-model.

With the display on it's side you would say it would handle strange but it turns out te be a very natural way of holding the MD. Also all buttons are easy to operate when holding it in your hands or when it sits on e.g. your desk. It even has 4 anti-slip pads on the underside to keep it from sliding all over the place when operating it when it lies somewhere recording. Also the buttons do not come out very much so the unit fits into a pocket as easy as lets say an MZ-NH1 does. Thanks... one thing less I have to test The speed tests I've done are including all data saves and so on. So the total time until the unit is ready for the next operation.

The charging via USB with the RH1 is different. There is only one chargemodus that is used when connected either via USB or AC-adapter.... it is the FULL-charge modus. Not a stupid "almost" chargemode as used by the RH10 when connected via USB.

That is a definitive YES: any 5 volt supply would work if you connect a mini-USB connector. But please watch out with the polarity (I already accidentally destroyed a laptop by mis-connecting an USB port to home-made hardware: motherbord defect: costs 600 euro's).

Tested that: only one line works. Surface isn't rough, it is the same finish as an MZ-N1 (probably it seems rough because my camera creates more than average noise in bad lighting-conditions). charging is always done via the USB port (the AC-adapter has an USB port to put in the USB-cable). So the RH1 simply starts charging when 5 volt is applied to the USB port (via USB port or AC-adapter).

Who says that will not be possible? If you can upload the old MD-albums it will probably also be possible to send it to Hi-MD again.

So let the bitching begin!

Because almost all recordings made via USB on a NetMD unit are copyrighted songs (CD-rips or mp3's). Because with legacy-MD recordings there is not enough copyright-info in the track to know what source it came from the selection is a bit crude.

Throw away the disc and buy a new one. MD-discs are totally different from CD's. Also most of the disc-cleaner products are meant for CD-R and not for recordable media. Furthermore it is almost impossible to remove the disc from the casing.

The only reason I can think of why you would use a Hi-MD is if you do not have a DVD-rom drive in your computer. Otherwise ripping the audio from a DVD via the PC is much more easier than recording via MD and uploading.

Blaming Sony for data-loss while admitting to not reading the instructions supplied with the hardware and software. It almost sounds to me like blaming a car-manufacturer for crashing their car without having a drivers-license. I do admit I also do not always read manuals but if I encounter problems the first thing I do is reading them to avoid that the problems I experience are caused by mis-using the equipment. The other question remains: why do manufacturers supply usermanuals? To help you with understanding how the equipment works or to help you fill your garbage-bin? As with every software there can be some bugs resulting in data-loss but judging from the feedback I get via my own MD-related site more than 95% of problems experienced with SonicStage are caused by inproper use of hardware or software.

If they ripped their music without DRM: yes!

With the 3.3 update Sony "unlocked" the 352 kbps ATRAC3plus transfer for Hi-MD devices. With 3.4 they unlocked the 192 kbps. My personal conclusion: Hi-MD devices can decode all kinds of ATRAC3plus bitrates, the only problem is that the SonicStage software doesn't allow to transfer certain bitrates to Hi-MD. Furthermore I think it has something to do with the Hi-MD driver that tells SonicStage which bitrates a device accepts. So if Sony can just add certain bitrates to be transfered to Hi-MD, is it possible to "unlock" bitrates ourselves? Sadly I have not enough knowlegde to dive into the SonicStage code but maybe someone can locate the part of the code where Sony defines which bitrates are allowed to transfer to Hi-MD so that it will be possible to unlock the remaining bitrates that are already present in SonicStage: 320, 160, 128 and 96 kbps. Personally I suspect the file C:\Program Files\Common Files\Sony Shared\AVLib\HiMD.dll as being the file where Sony defines which bitrates are ok to transfer to Hi-MD. The named file changed in filesize since SS 3.3. Maybe some of you people know more details about how above mentioned things work and maybe someone with more programming experience can try to write a patch.

I read the usermanual and it is not a real upload: "Universal Serial Bus (USB) audio transfer is provided for easy exchange of audio with a compatible computer. The format of the transfer is streaming audio – the software you are using on the computer will control the stored file format of the audio data. The PORTADISC will automatically start any required software installation when connected via a USB cable to a computer." So what it does: the device probably installes on your PC/MAC as an USB-soundcard. When you play the music on the Portadisc you can record it via software like Adobe Audition or Audacity. Because the device sends the audio as stream you never get the original ATRAC-audio on the PC/MAC and recordings can only be made real-time. The quality/procedure of recording will be very similar to a recording made via a MD-deck with optical out and a PC/MAC with an optical digital in. The only difference is the cable you use to transfer is over.

Indeed: these units use the same cable!

Change it to PCM indeed! Probably your DVD-player outputs Dolby Digital or some other multichannel-format over the optical line which cannot be interpreted by the MD. Just change the optical output to 2-channel (=stereo). This is indeed somtimes called PCM.

"Cannot read or record disc" Sometimes I get that message too. I resolve it by reinserting the MD in the recorder so that it re-reads the disc. If the first attempt does not work... try again! I always managed to get the RH10 to read the disc again correctly.

Data-recovery-tools are nice but they cannot see the "hidden" keys Sony uses for it's DRM. So recovering data and copying back to the disc will still probably result in non-readable music (especially if you have to format the disc before it can be used again). How those hidden keys get on the disc outside the FAT formatted area? That is why you always have to format the discs with SonicStage. This creates besides the FAT formatted area the keys for the DRM.

Here you can find some cable's to hook up professional dynamic mics to your MD: http://www.mdcenter.nl/artikelen/mdcpro/kabels.php And here a very cheap DIY phantom power supply for non-dynamic mics: http://www.mdcenter.nl/artikelen/mics/portablephantom.php Off course all proposed cables and circuits I used myself to make recordings and they work perfectly! P.s. I just put the portable phantom-power in a box. It is not realy compact but hey, neither are most professional mics:

Yes, it is probably the way I speak. I think it has to do with the fact that I own my own MD-page and that I always type the stories as if I'm explaining it to the reader personally (although there are a lot of readers and I do not know who they are). It gives an informal feel for the people that are reading it and is easier to understand. Furthermore: I always quote pieces of text that I react to so people can easily see what I'm talking about.

My answer was ment "generally speaking". The info was for all people interested in the DH10P.