mmp64

There is actually value in having music management software. One of the reasons I began using an iPod, in addition to all of my Stony stuff, was because I liked the "Smart Playlist" feature. I have a large music collection (12,000+ tunes) and trying to manually make interesting playlists was tiresome. With Smart Playlists, I can make playlists based on song ratings, number of times played, last time played, genre, etc. etc. While SS did eventually develop a similar feature, it is crude and limited compared to iTunes.

For a long time, I thought that the reason I liked Minidisc better than other DAPs (including iPods and Creative devices) was because ATRAC was superior to MP3. Later I realized it was the Sony hardware, not the codec. At least IMHO.

I'm sure Sony would love a world in which ATRAC ruled and everyone used their proprietary formats. Unfortunately, ATRAC and their portable audio products have become the laughingstock and whipping boy of the electronic industry (Edsel, anybody?) and widely rejected by consumers. I know this has been beaten to death and is probably off-topic, but I was looking on eBay the other day for some used MD stuff and realized that what really killed the format in the US, at least IMHO, was NetMD. They essentially lied about that format's ability to play MP3 natively (which is why most eBay options inevitably describe NetMD units as "MP3 players) - and the whole "check-out/check-in" thing. Many of the "normal" people that did buy the format felt duped and spread the word. The other issue - even to this day - is that many people think that the only way to get music on an MD is to record real-time. Too bad.

Thanks. I did some surfing. All of the anti-Sony people are getting all moist about it.

Can you elaborate on Sony shutting down CONNECT.com...?

Sorry dude. This isn't my auction or I'd help you out. It is actually the biggest auction I've ever seen of pre-recorded MDs.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Minidisc-Collection-60...1QQcmdZViewItem

Yes, agreed, and the fact that they made HiLP the default bitrate on SS hurt them, IMHO. A lot of people never change the default setting - so if you compare HiLP 64k to AAC 128k (iTunes) - there really is no comparison. Maybe if you use stock earphones it is harder to tell the difference, but still...

If you can't tell the difference between HiLP and LP2, then go ahead and use HiLP. You get etter battery life and more tunes. ATRAC3+ is more sophisticated than ATRAC3 - I personally don't believe their claims that suggest HiLP = MP3 128 and/or LP2 - but if it works for you, that's all that matters. It really depends on what kind of music you are listening to, and what kind of earphones/headphones you use.

Yes, quite. Unfortunately.

Discs are still being produced, but to my knowledge, no "old" units are. The only unit that is, (or was) under production is the RH1.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Sony-MDS-JE330-MiniDis...1QQcmdZViewItem

My recommendation is to look into having a "wired" FM converter installed, if possible. In my experience, FM converters really don't work very well. The only one I've ever had that worked well is one made specifically for my iPod Nano, which of course would not help you. This is an example of a wired FM transmitter (this is not my auction, by the way - but this guy does a good job of describing what it is). http://cgi.ebay.com/Car-Mobile-Wired-FM-Mo...1QQcmdZViewItem You could also get a car MD deck - it would be limited to the older, original MD format, or if you get the last generation Sony, Net MD. You can get them on eBay for not too much. I actually have one that I'm not using but I can't quite bring myself to sell it yet. I'm sentimental.

You could probably get a used, good condition HiMD unit on eBay for $100 - $150 - MZ-NH800 for example. I think for what you are talking about, you should move over to HiMD because the amount of time you save by doing fast (i.e., non real-time) uploads to the PC via USB would definitely be worth it.

Unfortunately, unless laws have changed recently, I can't use Japanese whiskey to pay my taxes, which is my immediate problem.

If you were over here I would trade you for a restring and a setup on my 12-string which I'm also going to sell soon. ;-)

Offering a used MZ-NH600D. Used primarily as a downloader at home. Very clean, with normal wear-and-tear. Includes: - MZ-NH600D - Operating Manual - Unopened HiMD Disc $40. Buyer pays actual shipping (probably $10 in Continental US). Paypal preferred. You can PM me but it is easier for me to respond to mmp1964@gmail.com during the working week. <I have a picture - I can't figure out how to insert it in this post - tried uploading but that seemed to do nothing>

j-dawg is a very cool guy and was great to do business with. Paid fast, let me know when he got the unit, etc. Highly recommended as a buyer, and all-around gadget dude.

Offering a used, mint condition MZ-NH1 - purchased new in-box approximately 4 months ago. Very lightly used - maybe 40 hours total. Includes: - MZ-NH1 - Completely unused RM-MC40ELK remote (I used my old remote when I played the unit). - Charging cradle with power cord - Unused USB cable - Unused optical cable - Operating Manual - Box $180. Buyer pays actual shipping + insurance. Paypal preferred. Email me at mmp1964@gmail.com with any questions. I have a few other pictures which I can email if desired.

You make some very interesting points. For a while there, Sony was radically changing design, form factor, features, etc. for every release - and I wondered how much they must be spending to do that (with increasingly diminishing returns). When you think about say, a cassette deck - how much did that really change over the years? Sure they added some features - but basically, the last generation of cassette decks adhered to the same standards and provided more or less the same features as the first generation. MD kept introducing new features, codecs, etc. with almost every release - and I think that caused a lot of confusion and obviously cost an enormous amount of money in R&D, production, etc. I would say marketing but there has been none in the US since 2000, as far as I can remember. BTW - your comments on Japan being the "gadget capital" are interesting. I have a 9 year-old boy who loves Pokemon, Digimon, video games, etc. and Japan to him is a kind of sacred place - it is the origin of almost all of his favorite things. Just a very different perspective from when I was growing up.

I would like to take this opportunity to correct myself. The ugrade is still offered - until March 31st 2007 (in the U.S.) http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/news-item...&news_id=63

The NW-HD1 is a great unit to listen to "albums" on - solid construction, outstanding sound and battery life. I wouldn't bother with the MP3 firmware upgrade - (unless your library is all MP3) - you can't apply custom EQ to MP3 files on this unit. Also - I don't think Sony is offering the upgrade any more, but I could be wrong. It is not good for using playlists, since it really doesn't support them. Also not great for managing a large amount of music. Once stuff has been transferred to the device, your only view of the files in SonicStage is in the order in which the files were transferred. For fun, try encoding a couple of your favorite CDs in SonicStage using HiSP then transfer to the NW-HD1 and check out the sound quality.

There are no home HiMD units (at least easily available in the US), and it is highly unlikely that there ever will be. There is in fact only one HiMD unit being manufactured for the US market period, the Sony MZ-RH1.

I started using my MZ-NF610 again a few weeks ago out of nostalgia (I think it's my all-time favorite unit) - and also because of the ridiculous battery life. LP2 sounds very good on that unit, for some reason. I may be imagining it, but it seems that LP2 sounds better on that unit than on my later HiMD units. As far as the car audio thing - when I had my MD unit in my car (it was MDLP) - I ended up w/ two libraries of discs - LP2 and HiMD (HiSP), and towards the end, a third library of SP discs. It is a sickness.

I've been reading different explanations of HD vs. "standard" digital vs. analog for years - and I think yours is the most interesting I've seen. Thanks.