tekdroid

Syrius: Haha. Pedro, Juan and Roberto are probably too busy saving up for Hi-MD blanks. With the price of Hi-MD blanks (and recorders) in most countries, I don't think Sony should be worrying about anything (especially compared to CD and DVD). But I guess there's no sense trying to convince Sony. Mikami, thanks for the info. I hope you're right about things picking up. It sounds more promising than I anticipated in your initial post. With any luck, this level of apparent sales activity will be sustained as Sony fills the stores with more product. Word-of-mouth about a more friendly SonicStage - I would like to think - may be contributing to some of this 'buzz'. All in all, I remain quietly optimistic. I expect quarterly sales results from you from now on

You could be right. That and a less DRM-intrusive SonicStage could have helped sales for sure (I bought into Hi-MD only after they improved SonicStage by getting rid of upload limitations). But is Sony advertising this? Do the salespeople know the product well to tell the customers about what the new model can do and for that to translate to sales? Is it possible Sony underestimated the demand and only filled the shops with a small amount of product? Is it possible Sony are still ramping up production? Is it more apparent Hi-MD are selling now because there is only one new model selling, and not several like in the past? There are lots of ways of looking at these early sales, based on various variables we don't quite seem to know. When I said resurgence, I meant a resurgence of MiniDisc in general. From what I recall (in the developer interview, I think), 2000 or 2001 was the peak for the format. I'd like for their recent changes to translate to some more mindshare, all I'm trying to say is that might be a bit premature to call things a 'home run' without more facts. I would be (pleasantly) surprised if Hi-MD is selling well due to the new model's new features (or looks) alone. Which brings me to advertising. Any comments about how this model is being advertised in Japan and elsewhere (Chile, UK)? Or is most of the sales just word-of-mouth by those 'in the know?' Or are the displays and so forth very visible and people buying on coolness factor, brand image...or...? Just a bit intrigued because in Australia Hi-MD is almost never seen.

Any Hi-MD recorder will do what you want (manual recording level adjustment, recording in linear PCM like DAT, etc). It's a choice of how much you want to spend and the size/shape/features of the device that will be the determining factor(s). If you have the money (and if it's available where you are), go for the new MZ-RH1, which will remember your manual recording settings and really is purpose-built for (stealth) recording. Recording with other Hi-MD devices will make you shuffle through the menu to turn manual levels on before recording (tedious, to say the least; the defaults are AGC). If you record a lot outdoors, perhaps an LCD-based unit is more in keeping with what you want to do since the MZ-RH1 has a luminescent display not easily seen in the sun (but great for sub-optimal lighting). The MZ-RH10 has a luminescent display, too (and larger). The MZ-RH910 unit's display is LCD. If ease-of-playback is a bigger priority, most older units (MZ-RH10 and MZ-RH910, MZ-NH700, MZ-NHF800) also have bigger displays on the unit, allowing easier track selection and more detailed info to be seen at a glance. The ability to easily switch to another AA battery is another option that can't be overlooked too easily (missing in the latest model, MZ-RH1). Date/time stamp is a useful feature that 'remembers' when you made a recording, which the MZ-RH1 has. As does the older MZ-NH1. Probably an idea to download their manuals and see what you'd be most comfortable with.

from all these 'selling fast' responses, I'm wondering if Sony is just having routine issues ramping production to fill the sales channels with a new model, or if it really means there is more interest in the "what's a Hi-MD?" format I guess time will tell. Trying to put myself in the Average Joe's shoes, unless there was some new form of enlightenment spurred on by Sony, I am a bit doubtful of any resurgence - except I guess an initial sales spike?

All the best games run off a Hi-MD. Did you expect a better answer on an MD board? Probably better to ask on BF2 forums and so on. But for me personally, 1GB RAM is the bare minimum for BF2. It's a great game. Your system looks juuuustttt fiiiiine. So don't hestitate.

*ability to make quick recordings without shuffing through menus that reset your recording settings every time you finish recording *grippy "designed-for humans" record button *date/time stamp *full metal body *faster data access / song transfers (around double the speed. I dunno how this will affect the life of the discs though, since I would think if it were possible without affecting life of media, it would have been done in the previous generation. Or the generation prior. Hmmm) You sacrifice: *AA battery compatibility *Multi-line display on unit *Visibility in direct sunlight over regular LCDs (luminescent displays don't show up well in bright sun - mitigated somewhat by the LCD remote) *Jog dial/wheel to quickly scroll through artists/albums/tracks, etc *Tacky silver paint *easy scratches and fingerprints Big things in favour of the MZ-RH1, to me, are: 1) the ability to remember recording settings (quickly starting up a manual recording has been needed for a long time) 2) Date/time stamp The omissions I'm not thrilled about at all (particularly AA support). I'll only pick one up when Sony announces 'fire sale'-type pricing

! Score! 99.90 US? I'd buy all their stock, too. Just goes to show ya, visiting a real store can reap rewards. Nicely done (not that I'm encouraging frivolous spending, but it's 100 bucks, people! ) Something tells me Sony's Hi-MD products were not hot sellers

i have boght 3 Hi-MD. My excuse is they're dirt cheap. So cheap, it makes this look expensive: http://www.sony.com.au/objects/600x400/WMGX100_1.jpg I don't have a problem. I swear, I don't have a problem. *looks around* *Hoards more Hi-MD*

I did. Pre-sales manual downloads are a must

Ahem. You know what to do then.

Upload restrictions of MIC/analogue recordings were removed in SonicStage 3.2 released last year. SonicStage 3.4 introduced the same for recordings sourced digitally (optical/usb). Sony's encryption of recorded content has made many headaches through the years (although considerably less since upload restrictions were removed). Sony are looking for new and juicy revenue sources. I suggest they release a software recovery tool and/or service, and actually support their userbase who have priceless recordings that need to be recovered. Some sort of acknowledgement they were clueless with all this we'll protect your data from yourself DRM nonsense would be nice, too. Faith-restoring, even. Would be nice of them to implement recording straight to WAV (with a Hi-MD Pro line, perhaps). Would certainly mean something tangible rather than useless 'pro' market positioning offering the actual users nothing. Good luck with that, and pray that they finally get a clue.

you assume right. No sounds should be coming out of it at all without a disc inside, or with the door open.

http://www.deepburner.com Also check out the Portable version if burning on other computers quickly and without fuss is important to you Edit: Also check out: http://www.burrrn.net for Burrrn Great audio burning utility. Free. High usability. Lightweight. Great for audio stuff.

we can look back at the history of MiniDisc/Hi-MD (or any product, really) and find things which are better in new models and some that are worse. You're never going to get all things better in new models. There are always compromises when you're a company trying to: 1) sell as much as possible 2) keep production costs low without sacrificing sales too much (ie. for the company to make a nice return on investment) It's a 'problem' probably getting more airtime with Hi-MD seeing that Sony is the only one making portables. On top of that, only making one new Hi-MD portable (or so it seems at this stage). All the praises and complaints are quite valid, but they're to be expected with any new-vs-old model comparison, IMO.

Sample rate is actually the number of samples taken per second, which is 44,100 samples per second for CD (44.1KHz). What you quoted was bitrate for CD audio (the total data rate for 2 channels at 16 bit resolution, 44.1KHz sampling rate). Perhaps a picky distinction, but I had to point that out Your point stands, though, that all digital systems 'lose' information from the get-go, if you just take into account that the samples are taken at discrete points in time with information in-between 'lost'. Of course analogue 'loses' and distorts things diffrently. It's all debatable as to how much it matters, but the abundance of 24/96 systems are out there tells us there's obviously room to move (and improve) digital recording and playback.

this unit is undeniably cool. A unique MD product in almost every way. I wish I could pick one up, but I know it would just be used to satisfy my curiosity and probably not much else If it had a mic input and tripod mount, then we'd have a sale. I'd buy two.

I get this fairly often with plain ol' standard WAV files transferred to my MZ-NH700 in plain' ol' Linear PCM. Often I'd get some of my selection not transferring, saying transfer is not allowed. Like selecting 10 tracks, maybe 3 or 4 won't transfer, or whatever. Select them again for transfer and they work. Never tried mp3s or ATRAC or any other format, just Linear PCM from standard WAV files.

if you generally use non-Microsoft products on Windows for your main tasks, like a good firewall and don't use Internet Explorer or Outlook/ Outlook Express (or their crappy Media Player), you can safely ignore 99% of Microsoft Updates and run a very secure, tight ship. If you take the time to read them, nearly all security updates can be mitigated or eliminated by running a proper firewall and (again) avoiding the use of Internet Explorer, Media Player and Outlook Express. That said, they will - one day - make the checking of Windows serials seamless; it will be in their DirectX updates, their full-priced software, etc. Just wait

You said it. I like the MZ-NH700's: *AA capability (indispensable; no pro recorder should be without it, IMO) *3-line display *jog dial Especially at about 1/3 to 1/4 the price of the expected price of the new model (in Australia) To me, the extra capabilities and features on the MZ-RH1 are worth a $100 premium, at most. Which isn't saying much if you *need* them, but for me they're not essential, and definitely not worth the extra you end up paying. I'd rather have multiple older-model units than 1 new one.

definitely the natural lustre of metal. 2 reasons: 1) recording in the sun (as you do), the more natural metallic colour of the metal doesn't heat up half as much as black. Heat can stress components. I don't like stressful components. Black heats up a hell of a lot in direct sunlight. I do a fair bit of recording in direct sunlight. 2) I really despise it when they paint metallic surfaces another colour (or plastic surfaces silver - to look like metal) because with enough use, they ALWAYS wear off (or make noticeable scratches, or...) because it's just a thin coating on top of the plastic/metal's 'natural' colour. Ahh yes, so the non-black for me!

I was expecting pictures of the burning embers of hell, but I think that was an earlier release. These purgatory pics have an uncanny resemblance to what we're still using. We might be just coming out of a bad phase...

What, you mean RECORD? Actually make the PSP useful? Avoid buying overpriced memory sticks? Preposterous! You buy what WE OFFER YOU and shut up

Sony's limitations on the Mac are totally self-inflicted. How would Apple be concenred about uploading recordings to Macs? They sell them as media production tools, for one. It's a common, bare-bones, basic capability. It can already be done on dozens of formats unrelated to MD. I don't see why Apple should it be concerned about a little niche recorder being more useful on its platform (which ipods don't even compete with, really - except on playback).

They are too busy playing on their PlayStations? Sony fear 'damaging' their game/movie/tv interests by designing hardware that supports fair use and common sense. Which is a very different from what they were once upon a time, supporting the right to record broadcasts on VCR, etc. They have basically switched focus, and now it's time to (what they see as) 'protect' their core assets: Sony Computer Entertainment Sony Entertainment Television Sony Pictures ..etc. Of course this often means castrating their hardware. Not offering TV-OUT on the PSP, DRMing the market out of MiniDisc, etc. In all fairness, Sony are the kings of hype. It's just that it's hard to hype a turd (DRM'd MiniDisc). Until recently, that is. And that's still considering the steaming pile of crap that SonicStage still is. Too late for many to see it as anything different, though. By buying Sony products - even when common sense (or research) tells you you'd be better off with something else - it's just like telling them "yes, keep producing garbage. I will pay". The best thing you can do to elicit change is take your business elsewhere (and maybe influence one or two friends along the way). It's too bad nobody else makes Hi-MD portables (let alone offers them for AU$99-$150

The only thing that will get you CD quality is ripping lossless (Linear PCM), or recording the same way. Sony's playback (and recording) quality certainly doesn't seem to be any worse than any others on the market (crappy earbuds notwithstanding), and quite likely a whole lot better. Put simply, Hi-MD is best for recording. If you are concerned about quality and eliminating compression artifacts, consider recording/ripping in linear PCM.