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tekdroid

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Everything posted by tekdroid

  1. IMO, any non-HD amp model it's on par with, EQ untouched.
  2. were both compared with the same headphones? IMO, a good pair of headphones will really bring to light many sonic qualities. It doesn't help that most devices ship with crudbuds, Sony Hi-MD included. If you have a PSP, you also have a very Hi-MD sounding device you may like to give a go.
  3. First of all my deepest sympathies for your loss. Sony are bitches. Secondly, I think they're gone The OMG/OMA stuff I wish I had a recent working knowledge of, but every time this has cropped up in the past, there has been no real solution if it's been DRMd. I have no idea how they determine it's on a different computer; I think there is some internet new-key shenanigans involved. I don't think anyone has reverse-engineered their DRM. I have heard murmurs that someone said they did, but there is no proof or anything as far as I can tell. To this day the whole OMG/OMA/SonicStage back-up business does my head in. I never wanted to bother with its intricacies, even long after most restrictions were removed. I have only once or twice bothered to even record in ATRAC, let alone save in their format. Someone more clued-in on the intricacies of their lovely system may be able to provide more insight.
  4. tekdroid

    Correct Me

    I might just be overlooking something obvious, but wouldn't a regular cheap soundcard with optical out do this anyway? Assuming you have a half-decent device to convert it to analogue, why buy the DACMagic (especially if you are not crazy about its sound).
  5. Thanks for the clarification. I never owned the MZ-NH900 (but have the MZ-NH700 and MZ-NH600 that seem to use the same LCD), so I was curious.
  6. jog wheel sure does look more comfortable than the tiny MZ-NH600 wheel, but I thought this LCD display one was common to all the first-gen units (MZ-NH600, MZ-NH900, MZ-NH700, etc). How is this LCD clearer than MZ-NH900?
  7. you can't put a business card in a slot-loader, which is the whole point behind this thing. Besides, CD biz cards have uneven weight distribution which is not healthy for drives as they spin rapidly.
  8. Reaching these sizes will never be possible continuing with MiniDisc as it is now. I think the designs are great. No motor noise, time to spin up, etc. Just record and go. AAA batttery rules. The storage seems to be non-removable, which I would never buy into. Far better would be letting us decide how much we want to put in via stick. Flash media does not last forever, so having it removable would avoid potential death here. The displays there don't seem to be dot-matrix-type, so I don't think there will be any tagging capabilities a la MiniDisc, but those are exciting designs and these voice recorders are closer to how I see future high-quality portable recorders (with or without the mic). Something tells me it won't come close to the sound quality of MiniDisc (market segmentation, needs, etc), but we'll see.
  9. I doubt Apple cares about audio CDs; I think their goal is to just distribute some relatively small software with their products (iTunes, etc) that doesn't really need a full-sized CD (and therefore allowing smaller packaging, while still not requiring users to download anything, This makes for a good out-of-box just-bought-it-and-everything-works retail experience). 1) Less clueless users calling Apple = probably savings hiring people manning the lines. 2) Universal installation options = simplicity. 3) Smaller and lighter packaging = probably big savings in freight and materials costs. 4) Dollars saved = possibly millions in extra profits on simple price-shavings given how many units they sell.
  10. tekdroid

    Hi def minidisc.

    There are several non Hi-MD units that sound just like Hi-MD, IMO. 1) I'm all for high-definition sound (24bit/96KHz, etc) 2) I think that any new optical disc format for a portable recorder has no chance now 3) Sony has let loose some high-definition recorders you probably know about 4) unfortunately not all the useful MD features are replicated, nor is the size smaller 5) fortunately they seem to do what they do pretty well, including offer higher-powered headphone outputs to drive most higher-impedance full-size headphones well (yay)
  11. The cradle is indeed hideous (IMO), and one of its weaknesses. I *hate* it.
  12. Yeah Sony don't rest, it's just a shame about reliability sometimes. And let's not forget remembering recording settings without digging into the menu, too.
  13. Hi-Prices The MZ-NH1 is not without its faults (ie. weaknesses), but personally I like its: 1) 'tried and true' LCD display versus the iffy longevity of OLED (even though the LCD is ridiculously small) 2) I like that its control buttons work without issues years after I bought it (unlike the common problems with the MZ-RH1's controls after some use) 3) I like the 3-line remote versus 1-line (that remote itself is worth some decent money) 4) I like that it has Group Release like all other Hi-MD units, but unlike the MZ-RH1 5) I like that it has a Group button on-unit 6) I like that it records in the (more reliable, though it's only my unproven opinion) slower revolutions-per-minute of previous models, unlike the speedier RH1. 7) I like that it doesn't have an annoying big EJECT button (which seems to put table-centric use over portable use a priority). 8) On a looks angle, I think it just does look better than the MZ-RH1 I doubt half of those points will factor into higher prices, but I think the looks and some other basic points might
  14. They are attempting to make unfoldable adapters for 8cm CDs, extending them to 12cm CD-size via this adapter, so that small 8cm CDs can work in slot-loading players which don't accept 8cm CDs, allowing for smaller packaging and thus saving them packaging costs in the process. An adapter is slightly cheaper than investing in a new optical disc format
  15. It all depends on the user, I guess, and your priorities. I don't think the quality loss is all that bad, all things said. I guess it would depend to a large degree on your equipment, too. When I was reading about this (correct me if I'm wrong) there is no option for Group Release on the unit. Not sure if that's available on remote. The loss of Group button on the unit is also an annoyance to me, but might not be to others. When stationary sitting down at the desk I really don't like using the remote (I prefer on-unit controls). Yeah but my point was the Bookmark icon they didn't even bother to include as a feature on the unit's display, like previous models sanely did. If I'm not mistaken the unit itself doesn't show track names, does it? Yes, optional remotes are great (at more expense, tho), but shouldn't be needed at this price point, IMO. Even the cut-down MZ-NH1 simple display had a 3-line to save itself. I just don't think someone paying decent money should be bothered by design weaknesses. I personally wouldn't, and unless I had to make those uploads in a hurry, I would wait. No doubt the unit brings some unique stuff to the table, which I acknowledge, but at the expense of its weaknesses, I don't feel there's much value here. But the way Xeys_00 will be using it (babying it), I guess it may be a good choice. There's a good review here: http://www.mdcenter.nl/redirect.php?file=h...h1/index_en.php
  16. Short answer: I wouldn't. The only thing that could convince me of the unit's value is if I had a bunch of older MDs with original live recordings that couldn't be uploaded digitally (which you do, I guess), and even then I'd stick to a small quality loss with analogue and keep the discs until I could find a unit for under $100 USD to upload with (or simply loan one off someone for a few dollars to finish the upload job). The unit is lacking in several features previous models had: *Group button / Group functionality *Bookmark icon on unit (no show) *No three-line display on remote or unit ...to name but three sad omissions. and I have heard very many complaintshere about that jog lever crapping out. FWIW, the value I place on this unit, knowing what I know, but having never used it (and seeing I have no older MDs worth worrying about) is USD$120, seriously. There's no way I'd pay USD$300+ for the unit. I'd sooner fork out for the PCM-D50 or an older Hi-MD unit like the MZ-NH700, which won't help you achieve your upload desires in any way, but there you go, you wanted opinions If you have money burning a hole in your wallet, go nuts, but otherwise I'd refrain.
  17. Comes across as an adolescent rant. 1) Fake critics. Like anyone cares about this enough to stop them buying Sony. Irrelevant. Yet rootkit fiasco not mentioned, arguably far more damaging. 2) Sony sold plenty of non-MiniDisc devices (flash memory, hard drive), too. To compare just MiniDisc to the iPod and then say "game over" doesn't tell us anything about what Sony really did wrong here, or the fact that there were plenty of competition to the iPod before the iPod hit. No insight as to why iPod won, all that is mentioned is "game over" for Sony. Not very insightful. Crappy software and draconian restrictions would rank highly here as failures for Sony, both for MiniDisc and non-MiniDisc Walkmans, but they aren't even mentioned. Game over for insight. 3) Michael Jackson's publishing dealings and/or tiffs with Mottola have nothing to do with anything electronics-wise or publishing-wise with movies and music outside his business dealings, and say nothing about the company's direction, IMO. 4) Nobody knows how much PS3 makes or loses but Sony themselves. It also ignores the fact that costs have been reduced big-time in recent times, too. 5) the end of 'Connect' is mentioned, but all that is said is "maybe it was a bad idea". Not saying why at all. Weak sauce. 6) Blu-Ray 'isn't going to happen' would be nice to elaborate on. It's happening (on some level, at least) as we speak. Does the blog owner know how to elaborate? I can read heaps of rants without a reasonable discussion as to how or why the writer reached his conclusions. They aren't telling us anything except that this guy is venting.
  18. Joanne sounds like a non-guy to me!
  19. MZ-NH1 can't get to all its features without a remote, unlike your other units. Just something to be aware of. But it's really unrelated to your NO DISC problem. Might be a stupid question, but you've tried another disc?
  20. I'd take it only if it's the media is the size of this or less: http://www.amazon.com/Transcend-Memory-TS1...g/dp/B001ECQVTM If it's the size of current Hi-MD, forget it sister! I'm not eager to lug around BrickPMP at inflated cost ('cause of expense of optical unit, among other things), and ultra craptastic battery life (unless they have done miracles with Blu-Ray's power consumption)... year: 2009 capacity: 16GB cost: USD $30.50 year: 2010 capacity: 16GB cost: ? year: 2011 capacity: 16GB cost: ?? If the new discs were truly TINY (TinyMD?), priced well and then 11GB or more....then I could see far more scope for excitement, 'cause you could build a nice cheap collection of 'em. Otherwise, why bother with Hi-MD-like huge size with relatively low capacity? 8GB, 16GB and 32GB stuff is selling now that will only get cheaper every month... An 11GB Hi-MD-sized fatdisc is at a disctinct disadvantage in many areas to stuff selling now, so imagine the situation in coming years? No chance, girlfriend! ...I'll pass on the 11GB BigDisq
  21. The AVCHD spec is meant to be able to do PCM in addition to compressed. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AVCHD ...but of course at a more expensive price. MiniDV has always had the option for 16bit/48KHz without lossy compression and the cams can be found cheap. The mics and AGC circuits (and no manual options or many inputs) of many cameras (nearly all, these days) are not anything to write home about, but the recording systems are quite capable as far as lossless audio goes.
  22. Your contributions and enthusiasm will be missed. Best of luck to you and your family in the future. To many you were their link to Japan and - speaking for myself - it was a blast seeing no-longer-sold designs from years back being so actively pursued and displayed by you. I think a lot of that magic is lost in today's hardware, and if I weren't such a lossless whore already stocked up on several units, I'd be more inclined to spend on some of that, too. Best of luck to you.
  23. This exact thing happened to me in JB Hi-Fi in Australia. Another branch of the same store I got the response from a 20ish girl: "oh yes, I know them, my dad uses those". That put things really in perspective for me. It felt like I was after ancient manuscripts. Of course there were no Hi-MDs on sale when I checked (and they still are impossible to find to this day), but yes to regular MiniDisc (collecting dust on said store's shelves).
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