MDGB2

YES! (Although I still might buy an Rh10......) And Sony allegedly confirms that new pro-models are being developed and they have no intention of killing off the Hi-MD format. Life is good....

Saw a Sony portable CD player in a local electronics store at the weekend that will accept the latest atrac3plus discs. Also on the shelf was an MZ-NH700 and a MZ-N510 NetMD player.

In a cabinet surrounded by millions of microscopic MP3 players. IMHO now that Hi-MD natively supports MP3, the only thing holding the format back is lack of advertising.

Transfer speeds? Pah! USB1.1 is quick enough! I was still doing all my recording in real-time until I got my Nh700. Some people want the moon on a stick....

I saw a Rh710 & an Rh10 in Comet at the Parkgate centre, Rotherham last Sunday. Prices will be cheaper online.

But nothing is confirmed yet is it? Until there is an official Sony announcement that says: "Yes we do produce some outstanding technology, but we have the marketing brains of a headless chicken, and we have betrayed our loyal customers by scrapping MD/Hi-MD" Then I will resume normal service, buying as and when I need discs/equipment. I have half a dozen 1GB blanks still shrink wrapped. Unfortunately they are the old drab kind and not the new blue ones.

Sony have released several DAB radios to my knowledge, including the current STSDB900 hi-fi deck - there was another high end deck called the 777 as well a few years ago. The current portable one is the XDR-S1. I wish they would make a Hi-MD with DAB radio included.... I've seen Sony's flash MP3 units and they're AWFUL in the flesh. They are actually too small for my liking, how and I supposed to work those controls?! ATRAC sounds much better than MP3 IMHO (maybe I'm just biased towards MD....). I don't see a problem with the two codecs co-exisiting on futre Sony units, like on the current 2nd gen i-MD players. On other manufacturers however, I suppose it's up to Sony to make it more widely available. Oh dear.....

I could see them trying to drop old school MD (for recording, I still think it would be supported for playback) in favour of Hi-MD. As long as they don't kill the Hi-MD format altogether then I can live with it. But Sony, if you ditch the Walkman portables you need to build me a nice standalone deck as a replacement.... I'm going to try and remain optimistic. Afterall, those MAC compatible models seemed to show up out of nowhere. You never know, they may just announce new models tomorrow! (Although unlikely.....)

Is it actually CONFIRMED that Hi-MD is no more? I may buy an Rh10 anyway, looks very swish!

I actually saw two Hi-MD units in a major electrical store (Comet) yesterday. Rh710 & the Rh10, amoungst the hundreds of MP3 players. Two pearls in a sea of swine....

Actually, my last car was exactly 15 years old (1990 Vw Polo - £300) and the actual design dated back to 1982. All it ever needed was a new clutch (£50 including fitting). My new car a 1999 Nissan cost over £2000 and after 2 weeks of ownwership required a new door lock (£90 because modern stuff has to be computer coded with the immobaliser). Not all it's cracked up to be this new technology........

I do not want a world of cheap white ear-phones, and cr@ppy fragile HD portable audio devices that will inevitably die in two minutes, or the first time you sneeze on it. Taking with it your entire music collection. I have a cheapo MP3, and I find it frustrating, cr@ppy sound quality, and expensive (in comparrison to removable media) even for 128mb memory - which holds - not a lot! I bought a NH600, the lowest Hi-MD unit, to replace it. MP3 has awful sound quality compared to MD - and thats all I'm interested in - quality. I don't give a s*** about 'street cred' or how cool I look with my 'toy' MP3 player while its garbage sound quality tortures my hearing. I want to listen to MY songs that I have recorded without having to use a PC. I also want a hi-fi deck to play them on at home, and edit them. Hi-MD is perfect for this. Sony - in your native language - "Bacca!"

Units: MZ-F40, MDS-JB920, MZ-NH600, MZ-NH700. Daily use: listening to compilations made from my own CDs, DAB radio, and other sources. Favourite use: recording from any music source, real-time recording without having to use a computer, unrivaled editing features compared to ANY exisiting format. Alternatives: None. Nothing else even comes close for quality or editing features. Requests: A dedicated Hi-Fi Hi-MD deck, an in-car unit, and an internal or external PC drive that supports drag and drop. NO DRM whatsoever. Stop the ipod chasing game, it is simply foolish. ADVERTISE HI-MD!

I have added my support from the UK. Hehe...

DVD has primarily replaced VHS and other visual formats. Still a long way to go to get rid of good ol' CD. In a way, I think that some of the new formats (SACD & DVD-A) struggle because they may just be too complex. You can get the same album on CD or SACD but it costs more, and how many average Jo's have a decent 5.1channel hi-fi setup to listen to it 'properly'? One format for video, a sepparate one for music. At the end of day people want something simple, and although new technology is coming, it has a long way to go to being as familiar and user friendly. This is one of the reasons why MD has struggled, at first it was marketed as a replacement to casette, to which it works superb. But then they tried to take on CD and lost. ah well, y'never know what will happen in the future...

Disc technology is not "stone age" or flawed at all. It works, is now extremely reliable, more flexible, a lot more robust and very cheap to manufacture. Will HD based devices replace disc based formats like CD? At the moment, it looks doubtful.

Mmmm....about £256GBP. If it comes down to £200 I will be VERY tempted....

Suppose so, but less chance of damaging the unit.

You can get lense/head cleaning MDs.

Clean it when it needs it. I.e. if you start to hear pops or clicks.

If Sony would get its head out of it's a*s and build some decent units, instead of the stupid exclusivly portable iPlod/mp3 chasing game, the format would thrive. 1. A proper standalone Hi-fi deck. 2. Car head unit / autochanger. 3. Internal (scsi) /external (usb) PC drive. 4. Lower costs of media and get more 3rd party manufacturers producing new units. 5. No copy protection whatsoever!

Someone posted a message saying that a Sony centre employee confirmed that 3rd Gen should be 1st quarter 2006. Can't find it though. Allegedly. We'll wait and see.

Can you confirm if this is old skool minidisc, or MD AND Hi-MD? Discontinuing old-MD units to market Hi-MD would be a logical step....allegedly.

The format will never reach it's full potential without proper Hi-Fi decks. Mmmm.......pure PCM coming through a proper amplifier and speakers. Imagine if 2GB discs come along - 188mins PCM on 1 disc! Goodbye to my compilation CD's if I had a proper deck to play them on..... Dreaming.....

Card based media will always be flawed. Many see memory cards as a 'One off' expense, but they are not indestructable and will eventually lose they're ability to store data. Probably more quickly if it gets plenty of regular usage playing music. Its also more expensive (and will be for some time) to upgrade the capacity in a card based music player/camera/whatever. Me, I just stick another disc in....