Damage

Regarding Download button, someone can just cut and paste: Only featured on the NH600D model (can anyone confirm for NH3D (?) model?), the download button allows instant recording from PC to your HiMD unit via SimpleBurner 2.0. One your HiMD unit is connected to your PC, and the SimpleBurner is running in your tray area, a popup box will inform you that it is ready for transfer. All you now have to do is press the download button on your unit, and transfer will begin automatically. With other models, hold the T-Mark Button while toggling or pressing record. This will enable the same function as the download button. This works for all models with Record/T-Mark Button but no download button. This function is not compatible with SonicStage 2.

Very. There are free wiki servers out there, but I'd feel a lot better if the wiki was part of MD.org umbrella. Until then, we'll just have to go on as is.

Recording 1. Can I upload my old MD recordings with my Hi-MD unit? Currently, no. It maybe possible that this function maybe enabled for fast uploading of MD and netMD recordings via USB port. You can, however, record your MD materials back onto your computer in real time using audio editing tools, such as Cool Edit, Total Recorder, or Adobe Audition. 2. Which microphones should I use with my Hi-MD? 2a. For Concerts and Live performances? 2b. Vocal Recordings or lectures? 2c. Stealthy Recording? 2d. Can I use my headphones as a microphone? 3. How should I record my CDs? Several Methods: 1. Digital to Digital. Using your DVD set-top box, Playstation2, or your CD Walkman with optical line-out is probably the least error prone method of CD Recording. Using a TOSLINK to MINI optical cable (included in NH900, NH1, or obtained at your local electronics or discounters, such as Circuit City or Target), connect the TOSLINK end (shaped like "D" with a prong sticking out) to your DVD/PS2/XBOX's "Digital Out" port. Connect the mini-optical end (shaped like your mini headphone port, but in plastic) to your Digital IN port of your MD Player (white circle, right below the USB port). In the event your DVD player only has Coaxial Digital out, you will need a converter from Coaxial to Optical. You should be able to obtain one at your local electronics shop. Enable Sync Recording by going to your menu (REC Set->SYNC REC->ON) and if desired, GROUP REC (REC Set->Group REC->ON). Hit Record on your HiMD unit, your HiMD should be paused ready for the digital signal from your DVD/CD/XBOX/PS2. Press Play on your DVD/CD/XBOX/PS2 to record. Track divisions will be entered automatically by track marks on your CD.Use of your PC is not recommended because certain sound cards will not properly transfer track marks from your CD to the MD. (MSI K7N-ILSR has been known to fudge this up). 2. Analog to Digital DVD/XBOX with Breakout box: Obtain a male RCA Stereo (Red/white prongs) to stereo mini-jack cable from Radio Shack, Target, or your favorite electronics store. Connect the male red/white prongs to your DVD player, then connect the mini-jack to Line-In port of your HiMD recorder. Press and Hold Pause while you hit record button to put the HiMD in paused record mode. Press Play on your DVD or XBOX, the hit pause on your HiMD. 2a. PS2/XBOX: Steps are similar to steps outlined in no. 2, but you will need a female RCA Stereo cable to stero mini-jack plug. You should be able to obtain one from Radio Shack or your favorite electronics store. Connect the Red/White prongs from your console to your cable. Then proceed as outlined in Step no. 2. 2b. CD Walkman: Steps are similar to no. 2, but you will need a mini-jack to mini-jack cable. 4. Can I still record in SP mode? Yes, however, the disc must be in normal MD mode, and the record settings set properly (REC SET->REC MODE->SP). SP tracks are not supported by HiMD blanks nor MD reformatted to HiMD mode. 5. How should I record my .MOD (or other random audio file) file from my computer? 5a. With my Sound Blaster (or Soundcards with no digital output)? 5b. With my SoundStorm Enabled Motherboard (or soundcards with digital output)? 6. Can I record a Dolby Digital track? How about DTS? How about Dolby Pro Logic? You can not record Dolby Digital on your HiMD because HiMD lacks the proper decoding chip to decode DD tracks (it will be translated into noise by your HiMD unit and will display that it can not record). No HiMD Units has Dolby Digital or DTS decoder. Regarding Dolby Pro Logic/Surround and DTS-encoded tracks: 7. Can I record my Super CD track? You should be able to record the CD-layer of a Super CD tracks with the methods outlined in Question 3. Likewise, you should be able to record analog Super CD Tracks with the methods outlined in Question 3. Super CD digital recording methods are as of yet unconfirmed, but though to be not possible due to signal difference between Super CD signal vs. what MD can process digitally (insert Super CD specs vs MD recording specs here). Note that this method will yield the same quality as normal Digital CD Recording since CD-Compatible layer on a Super CD is the same as a Normal CD Album and there will be no apprecible gain of quality on these recordings. 8. Can I record my U2 DVD concert tracks to my HiMD*? Yes. 8a. Can I record my DVD-Audio tracks to my HiMD*? Yes. Analog methods entail the same steps from Question 2. 9. Can I record from my TV? How about my Satellite TV Music? 10. Can I record from my FM Radio? 10a. My HiMD unit comes witha Radio Tuner. Can I record from that tuner to my MD? 11. What is T-Mark button for? 12. What is Download button for? 13. How do I adjust volume during recording, it's entirely too loud! 13a. For microphone recording?

4a, 4b: No, with a caveat. Data files on HiMD should play back as it was originally intended to (files that are dragged and dropped, not recorded or transcoded). Future Audio CODECs may incorporate surround data, and they should play back perfectly with your computer's assistance. Recorded materials from digital surround streams (such as DTS and DD), no: Please see Recording Question no.6 for more details. 4c. Dolby Surround? With PCM and SP (not HiSP) recording, you can record and play Dolby Pro Logic (unconfirmed with Pro Logic II) signals without apparent loss of surround encoding signals: http://www.minidisc.org/faq_sec_4.html#_q37 More on the subject, thanks to the guru, dex Otaku

Wonder if this will lead to more OS agnostic virii, trojans, phishing, etc in the near future? What's the use of secure client OS when the server OS can no longer be trusted? Skynet here we come.

Don't be surprised if the next 2 to 3 years brings the total digitalization of you. Yea, that's right, you. Your documents, your photos, your music, your movies, all digitalized in one form another. Be it your XBOX2, PSP, PS3, PC, iMac, iHomeMac, iPod, Walkman, Digital Cameras, etc. Instead of polaroids, we use cell phone cameras of varying quality for our instant snapshots now. Instead of Casettes or CDs, we have our iPods, iFlashPods, MD walkmans, etc. Instead of a wholesome 35mm cameras, we have our digital cameras. Sure, Jon and Jane believes that digital stuff maybe better for us because we're told to be the case. So, are we better off having everything digital? After all, what happened to the short 40 minute albums? One of my favorite albums, scant 42 minutes long (Out of Time, REM). Now, we have 80 minutes long feast of... jabber and blabber, loud and boisterous, but devoid of content Even the old favorites seem... stale.... Yea, Bono, I'm talking to you! You can have everything digital your way, but me, I'm having a bit of a hankering for some good old LaserDisc right about now. Or a polaroid.

The suspense is dangerous, but I find the severe lack of bling-bling on these next gen units quite dissapointing (I also realise that they are mockups as of now). The long stick thingy on the upper left looks like their Memory Vault line of USB Key drives. I'm thinking it's like the Sandisk model where you stick in said key drives and use the memory as storage for music. The upper corner round circular puck thing? S2 line of Flash players? And I guess they're still pushing netMD with PSYC line, but could those be HiMD units as well? Sub $150 HiMD Units? Interesting.

On August 3rd, 2005 at 6:45PM, Google became self aware. Google immeadiately renamed itself Skynet and immediately launched a coordinated strike against all nuclear powers. After the surgical strike, Google-Skynet launched systemic strike against all of humanity. Beware of Google, it is EVIL!

Accessories 1. What headphones should I use with my HiMD? This is perhaps the most loaded question on this FAQ. Each ear is unique to a person, and each person hears things differently. While your friend may like the deep, thumping bass offered by set A, you may rather hear all the details without being drowned by heavy bass. Go to your local retailer and give the headphone testing section a whirl. Ask if you can use your MDP or other favorite music source and test them out (a reputable retailer, non national chain shops, should help you do so without too much hassle. If they put up a fight, don't bother, I'd hate to see what you'd have to go through on returns). If you like them, then who's to say that you made a bad decision? Visit http://www.head-fi.org/ for more help in this manner, posters there, for the most part, are very knowledgable about headphones. Make use of the Search function both here in MDCF and there in Head-Fi. Be warned, you may end up spending more than you bargained for. However, you will most likely be satisfied with you purchase. 2. What remote should I use with my HiMD? It is almost universally recommended that you use your HiMD unit with RM-MC40ELK. The three line remote, bundled with NH1 (all versions) and NH900 (World Tourist confirmed, US comes with a stick remote) makes navigating through your HiMD as easy as on unit controls. This remote can also display foreign characters, Chinese and Japanese, along with alpha-numeric, accented Latin characters, and punctuations. If you have RM-MC33EL/K (until now, the high end LCD remote) or RM-MC11EL/K, they are also compatible with your HiMD unit. They work like they would with your older MD units, and there are no learning curve associated with them. The Tuner Remote (MODEL NUMBER) is only usable with MZ-NHF800 model (or other HiMD models with FM/AM/TV functionality because of its unique connection to the unit vs. other remotes (tuner remote uses ++ shaped connector vs. -- shaped connector). They are not backlit, contrary to the photos implying otherwise. MZ-NHF800, however, can use other remotes without any problems. Finally, all HiMD units can use any and all remotes mentioned above. They can be purchased separately (see Shopping section for more detail). 3. Can I use my batterypack from other MD units? From my other Sony Units, My CD Walkman's Battery Case for example? Unknown. Only the MZ-NH900 can use AA battery pack, and I believe they are compatible with R500's (?) but needs further verification. The model number in the battery cover is T-251-895. However, they are not compatible with D-NE900's AA Batterypack. 4. Can I use the Dock that came with my other HiMD units with other MD units? Vice Versa? Apparently, no. MZ-NH1's dock is strictly for MZ-NH1, and model number (BCA-MZNH1) seems to indicate this as well. MZ-NH900's dock is strictly for MZ-NH900, and its model number (MCA-MZNH900) seems to indicate this as well.

The CD3000 isn't studio monitors per se, they are semi-closed home theater/hi-fi listening style headphones. The sound quality is supposedly top notch (never heard of them), but they aren't made for monitoring. The top monitors for Sony still remains the venerable 7506/9 series. If you can't afford $200+ dollars, the 7506 remains a solid choice, with many retailers selling these around the $80 mark. Initially harsh and bass heavy, they will tone down a bit with 30-50 hours of use. The 7506s are also known as MDR-V6, but comes with a gold plated plug, IIRC (the 7509 also may carry the tag MDR-V9 in some places, so ask for either or).

Misc. 1. What is HD Amp? HD Digital Amp is incorporated into NH900 and NH1. Basically it aims deliver higher quality audio through the headphone jack. Opinions vary as to whether or not this makes actual appreciable difference in Sound Quality. 2. How can I activate Line Out mode? Does my unit have Optical Out? Access menu by pressing the menu button on your unit (NH1) or by holding down the NAVI/MENU button on your unit (NH900). Scroll down to USEFUL (press enter at this point) then AUDIO OUT. You'll be then given the option to use either HEADPHONE or LINE OUT. Choose LINE OUT to enable LINE OUT mode. Note that you can not use LINE OUT mode with a remote attached, and is not availble for NH8/7/600 line of players. There are no units with digital/optical out as of writing. 3. Can I use Line Out mode with my Remote? No. 4. What is VPT Acoustic Engine? VPT Acoustic Engine is a virtual surround simulator. Essentially, it enhances the sound stage of your headphones by altering them from the source. There are four settings: Studio: Simulates recording STUDIO settings. Live: Simulates LIVE performances. Club: Simulates CLUB settings. Arena: Simulates ARENA like settings. Similar technologies have been used with TV sets, HT sets, etc. Note that this can not be used in conjunction with 6-band equalizer, and is not available on all units. 5. What is the 6-band Equalizer? Will future units make use of Parametric EQs on CD Walkmans? The 6-band Equalizer is a graphic equalizer for your HiMD unit. Each unit enabled with 6-band EQ can store two unique setting, CUSTOM 1 and CUSTOM 2. It is unknown whether or not future units will use parametric EQs, but the current D-NE line of CD Walkmans do. 6. Does my HiMD use Type-S DSP that my NetMD player used? Which DSP does it use exactly? According to the manual, the unit does uses Type-S DSP for ATRAC3 playback, along with Type-R DSP for ATARC recording and playback (the latter was incorporated into the Type-S DSP). 7. What is Head-Fi Dogma #7? ATRAC (All versions) suck, therefore, any and all ATRAC related product must suck by extension. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about this Dogma, it is not to be questioned nor argued with, this is a dogma held true by everyone on Head-fi.org and Hydrogenaudio.net. Therefore, it must be true, and any and all things remotely related with ATRAC (from MDs to Real Audio) will suck. There will be no more explaining of Dogma #7 8. Are there any other devices capable of playing Atrac3/plus files? Yes. The current line of CD Walkmans and Network Walkmans can and does play ATRAC3/plus files. As of writing date, there was one PSYC line of mini-boombox that had ATRAC3/plus CD support. You can find all of these products and descriptions on Sony's Online Catalog. 9. What is transcoding exactly and why do a lot of people (some of them vehemently) hate it? Transcoding (audio or video) occures when you take a lossy-compressed file, decompress it, then recompress it using another lossy compression scheme. Each time you compress a picture, movie, or song using a lossy compression scheme (a CD track into a MP3 track, for example), the program discards lots of data in order to make the final file small as possible while retaining the quality requsted by the user. Transcoding is frowned upon because it throws away more data. The final quality of the transcoded product is extremely worse compared to the original files. The loss of quality, however, will indeed vary from person to person, and you may not notice any loss of quality at all in certain cases. YMMV 10. Are there any other forums I can visit to get more of my questions answered? 10a. Regarding MiniDiscs and HiMDs? Minidisc T-Station Forum 10b. Regarding Headphones and HiFi Systems? Head-Fi.org. Standard greeting: Welcome to Head Fi, sorry about your wallet. 10c. Regarding other Digital Audio Players? http://www.ipodlounge.com http://www.hydrogenaudio.net http://www.dapreview.net http://www.nomadness.net

kurisu, your answers have been incorporated into the FAQ --- Batteries 1. Why should I use rechargables vs. Alkaline, Lithium, or the new "Oxyride" batteries? Several Reasons: 1. Save money! A NiMH rechargable battery has about several hundred to thousand recharge cycles. So, in best case scenarios, you'd save money by not buying hundreds, if not thousands alkalines that you would've purchased. 2. Save the environment: Less waste and potentially toxic materials are introduced to the environment by either improper disposal or eventual breakdown of the battery in the landfill. 3. Required by unit. Some units will only accept rechargable Gumstick or LiIon batteries, and therefore will not accept AA batteries. In this case, you're left to using rechargable batteries that came with the unit, usually. 2. Which batteries should I use? 2a. AA Batteries? If you're out of rechargable AAs or in a situation where they can not be recharged, any Alkaline batteries will do in a pinch. Look for AA or LR6 batteries. To get the most battery life however, the author recommends Energizer's Lithium AA batteries. On average, these batteries delivered additional 50%-75% playing time of normal Alkaline batteries. However, they cost nearly 2X the normal Alkaline battereis. 2b. What is a Gumstick Battery? They are rechargable Nickel Metal Hydride batteries that looks like two sticks of gums stacked together. They can be obtained from e-tailers or on eBay. 3. Should I use a separate charger to charge my battery or is it okay to use the in-unit charger? Usually, the in-unit charger is sufficient for recharging your batteries. They do not completely refresh your batteries Ni-MH batteries, which cuts down on capacity down the road. In unit chargers may not also charge your battery fully, especially in an older unit. To get the most out of your rechargable Ni-MH batteries, drain them completely once every 2 to 3 months (more or less depending on your usagE), then charge them completely. To get the most out of your LiIon batteries, keep your batteries topped off by charging constantly if possible. If your player or device has a fuel gauge (battery meter), it will help to drain your LiIon once in every 30 to 40 cycles (similar to 2 to 3 months) to calibrate the gauge. Battery University has more information on how to take care of your rechargable batteries 4. I can't recharge my Batteries!! Which batteries would you recommend that I use with my HiMD Unit? Any AA or LR6 Alkalines will do. Heavy Duty and other dry batteries are not recommended. 4a. Li-Ion AA Batteries? Currently, the only Li-Ion batteries available on market are the Energizer Lithium. Batteries. Average cost for these is about $2.50 per battery (8 pack costs $20 on the average). However, of all AAs, they provide extra 50%-75% playing time, and maybe very useful on long recording sessions or extended trips where obtaining batteries maybe difficult 4b. Oxyride Batteries? Panasonic-Matsushita has recently introduced these batteries. It differs from Alkalines by packing in the cells denser, there by giving constant power for longer duration than Alkalines. They are also cheaper than Lithium Batteries, with prices hovering around $1 per AA cell. Another unexpected benefit to these batteries? They should be shortly arriving to your local retailers soon. Panasonic's Oxyride Battery page. Another report of the Oxyride Battery

I'll get it started: Disk Usage: 1. Can I use my HiMD with: 1a. Windows 200X/XP? Yes. Just plug your unit with the supplied cable (NH1 only) or USB A to Mini-B cable (supplied with NH 900/800/700/600/D, NetMD units, and various small portable electronic gear) while your computer is on and operational. No drivers are necessary for this. This assumes the installation of the latest Service Packs for these OS, SP2 for XP, SP4 for 2000. 1b. Windows 98/ME? Yes, but you will need a driver, which is supplied with the SonicStage package downloaded from the web at http://www.connect.com, or with the SonicStage CD that came with your unit. You will need the supplied cable as well. 1c. MacOS Reports are, you can indeed use your HiMD as a removable disc with MacOS X by following the procedures for WinXP/200X. 1d. Linux? Reports are, you can indeed use your HiMD as a removable disc with Linux by following the procedures for WinXP/200X jadeclaw, of Minidisc Community Forum reports the following: Thread 2. Can I watch DivX/XviD/MPEG4 Movies with my HiMD discs? Yes, however depending on the bitrate of the video file in question, it may or may not skip. The drive's optical unit must operate around 1.4Mbps (the bitrate of uncompressed PCM CD-quality audio), so if your DivX/XviD/MPEG4 files are less than 1.4Mbps, then it should play without any problems. The author has tested this with a 500-600kbps DivX, and played without any skipping. Seeking speed was slow, however. 3. What is the transfer rate with my computer? File transfers take on the average, 500-550 KB/s (that's Kilobytes per second, not kilobits per second). It took about 17 minutes to transfer 550 MB file to a 1GB HiMD using NH600D. Thread URL - Will transfer you to T-Board. 4. Can I defrag my HiMD? Yes, but only data files using the defrag features from your OS. Audio files, are limited to several files in your HiMD folder. All your audio data is stored as a single flat file (compare this with ATRAC3plus CD, where audio files are stored individually), so there is no way to defrag your audio tracks. No units currently offers this ability yet. 5. How can I determine if my disc has a bad sector? Can I use Scandisk or other disc repairing tools to determine this? Apparently... You can presumably use Scandisk or similar tools to see if there are any problems with data structre or file structure. Whether or not they can determine if your MD has a bad sector is as of yet untested and unknown. kurisu, the administrator of Minidisc Community Forum reports: More as it develops. 6. Can I attach and use multiple HiMD units as removable disks? For instance, can I attach and use files from my MZ-NH1 and MZ-NH600D? Yes. If you were to plug in NH1 then NH900 to your computer, NH1 would be reported as Drive G: then NH900 as Drive H: (assuming your computer has 2 Hard Drives and 2 CD/DVD drives, for example).

Not recommended unless you're going to be using those two batteries on a very regular basis. LiIons have a notoriously short shelf life (about 2-3 years) vs. NiMHs or Alkalines. I'd pass on it until the you're nearing the end of the charge cycle, probably within the next year and a half or two, assuming 300 odd charge cycle. If battery will be of concern to you, stick with NH900.

It is possible. No matter how soft the material is, when there is surface to surface contact, there will be scratches. If you're utterly concerned about scratching, then go with "SoftSleeve" CD holders. While it's still sleeve type, it's one of the better sleeves I've used and the potential for scratches (still there) isn't as bad as some of the Case Logic holders... In fact, I suspect some of these Case Logic sleeves doubles as a fine Sandpaper in a pinch. Again, if portability isn't that much of a concern, use the CD-R cake holder thingy. Works nicely and is about the most compact things to house them.

Go with a well burnt EX71s, Kurisu. Save your money for that NH1!

iPod may not need drivers for modern OSes (2000, XP, Mac OSX, linux), but it's not entirely compatible with older OSes without drivers. Also, it needs to be enabled in HD mode in iTunes, otherwise, it's just another pretty DAP with no disk access. And I believe that the metal workings on the sony unit is top notch, having had pleny of models in full magnesium and/or partial magnesium/alumnium bodies. As a note, my Clie did take a face plant in cement, and other than having the memory stick jarred out along with the stylus, the unit suffered no harm. Paintwork, however, is another problem altogether.

Having used pretty much all of the HiMD units in one form another, here are my recommendation in order: 1) Best bang for buck I'd say NH900. Best battery life of the bunch, HD Digital Amp, almost all of the features of NH1, ability to use USB while in dock, etc. 2) Slickest unit is NH1 by far. If you carry tons of stuff with you, that extra $100 you invest will be worth it. NH1 sat in my pocket the last couple of hours, and if it weren't for the remote clipped on conspicously on my shirt, no one would be the wiser. NH900 feels like a fat brick in comparison. NH800? No comparison. 3) NH800F is a good choice, is the only model with a Tuner, comes in handy in emergencies or when you're bored. It is also cheaper vs. NH1 by $150.

Ctrl-V'd from my post in T-board, but it deserves a mention elsewhere. First this, and whoohee, NH1! -- This is possibly the most expensive Cup Noodles you'll possibly come across, the King of Ramen, Ra-OH! IF you're sick of hovling around in your Maruchan Spicy Chicken Cream Instant Lunch, take a look at what $4.09 plus sales taxs nets you: Packaging: Contents 1: Contents 2: (Left to Right: Pork Packet, Lard Packet, Seasoning Packet, Noodles on front) Pre adding hot water: Final product: It's Greasy, Salty, Soy Saucy, and maybe a bit of porkiness in the broth, maybe not. It's also the closest thing to an actual Ramen from a Ramen Stand in Tokyo or a restaurant in US State Side. Unfortunately, there's too much grease in the liquid sauce... I mean Lard packet, so it comes out way too greasy. Mind you that Double Quarter Pounder you pounded down before is much fattier and greasier, but liquid grease is more visceral. And the roasterd pork in the packet? OK, but again, they had to cook it till kingdom come in high temperature, so it's tough, dry, and way too porky in flavor. All in all, decent way to blow $5 but you might be more satisfied with a Six Dollar Burger / ThickerBurger from Carl's Jr/Hardee's. Slurp!

(All questions are now incorporated in main FAQ - Please Delete as necessary)

Considering that we still do not have a portable DVD Audio device (even a simple one that plays MP3s) on a wide basis, I wouldn't expect much in the way of such devices anytime soon. By the by, Sony did release such device two years ago: Everything but the kitchen sink and ATRAC playback! Battery life, to say the least, was terrible by current Sony's standard: 10 hours MP3 playback, 4 hours Redbook Audio, 1.5 hours DVD. Finding this unit was hard enough as is, good luck trying to find one now these days. I expect there will be some sort of portable DVD player (COBY has one that looks like a walkman with a LCD screen, 2.5 hours Battery life). If those batterymisers at Sony haven't yet figured out a way to reduce battery life on these suckers....

Yep, the grey paper thingy. This is my variation on the silver mod. It's less destructive and keeps the balance in check. the other Silver Mod, I had hard time getting the balance back the way it was previously (they recommend removing the paper, and stuffing the hole with foamies from stock or elsewhere, then replacing that with silver tape with hole or holes). It's similar idea, but the three hole tapeover seems to have more effect than anything else. BTW, I used 3M Silver Duct tape.

(All questions are now incorporated in main FAQ - Please Delete as necessary)

(All questions are now incorporated in main FAQ - Please Delete as necessary)

Complete HiMD Usage FAQ Structure. Please PM Damage or reply to the thread for new questions. Note: New Questions are in bold. General 1. What is HiMD? 2. What is the difference between MD and HiMD? 3. Can I play my old MD discs with a new HiMD unit? 4. Can I play my HiMD discs with my old MD unit? How about my NetMD unit? 5. What is the difference between 1GB blank and normal MD Blank? 6. Will there be HiMD blanks with bigger capacity than 1GB? How about smaller than 1GB but bigger than 300MB? 6a. Can I use my MD Data Disc with my HiMD unit as a floppy? 6b. Can I use my Video MD Disc with my HiMD unit in either Music or Data mode? 7. Is there a way to keep my old recordings while recording in new HiMD mode? Units 1. What units are currently available? 2. Will there be other units? 3. Will there be units from XXXXXXX? 4. What are the differences between the units? 5. What are the differences between the "stick remote" and the "3-line remote?" 6. What is the Mic-in Line and why should I care? 7. What is the Optical Line In port for and why should I care? 8. Why does my unit have neither the Line-In or the Mic-In port? Can i still record with that unit? Connectivity 1. Will my HiMD unit go faster if I use USB2.0 (or High Speed) port? 2. Can I directly connect my HiMD to my digital camera? 2a. To my Inkjet Printer with USB port? 3. Can I connect my HiMD to my PS2 and use that as a memory card? 4. Can I connect my HiMD to my Home Theater System? 4a. Does it play multi-channel audio? 4b. Dolby Digital, DTS? 4c. Dolby Surround? Recording 1. Can I upload my old MD recordings with my Hi-MD unit? 2. Which microphones should I use with my Hi-MD? 2a. For Concerts and Live performances? 2b. Vocal Recordings or lectures? 2c. Stealthy Recording? 2d. Can I use my headphones as a microphone? 3. How should I record my CDs? 4. Can I still record in SP mode? 4a. Can I record in SP mode using my 1st Gen HiMD unit? 4b. Can I record in SP mode using my 2nd Gen HiMD unit? 4c. Can I record in MP3 mode with my 2nd Gen HiMD unit? What are the restrictions on those recordings? 5. How should I record my .MOD (or other random audio file) file from my computer? 5a. With my Sound Blaster (or Soundcards with no digital output)? 5b. With my SoundStorm Enabled Motherboard (or soundcards with digital output)? 6. Can I record a Dolby Digital track? How about DTS? How about Dolby Pro Logic? 7. Can I record my Super CD track? 8. Can I record my U2 DVD concert tracks to my HiMD*? 8a. Can I record my DVD-Audio tracks to my HiMD*? 9. Can I record from my TV? How about my Satellite TV Music? 10. Can I record from my FM Radio? 10a. My HiMD unit comes witha Radio Tuner. Can I record from that tuner to my MD? 11. What is T-Mark button for? 12. What is Download button for? 13. How do I adjust volume during recording, it's entirely too loud! 13a. For microphone recording? 14. How can I record music from (Insert any other estoeric electronic devices here)? Disk Usage: 1. Can I use my HiMD with: 1a. Windows 200X/XP? 1b. Windows 98/ME? 1c. MacOS 1d. Linux? 2. Can I watch DivX/XviD/MPEG4 Movies with my HiMD discs? 3. What is the transfer rate with my computer? 4. Can I defrag my HiMD? 5. How can I determine if my disc has a bad sector? Can I use Scandisc or other disc repairing tools to determine this? 6. Can I attach and use multiple HiMD units as removable disks? For instance, can I attach and use files from my MZ-NH1 and MZ-NH600D? Batteries 1. Why should I use rechargables vs. Alkaline or the new "Oxyride" batteries? 2. Which batteries should I use? 2a. AA Batteries? 2b. What is a Gumstick Battery? 3. Should I use a separate charger to charge my battery or is it okay to use the in-unit charger? 4. I can't recharge my Batteries!! Which batteries would you recommend that I use with my HiMD Unit? 4a. Li-Ion AA Batteries? 4b. Oxyride Batteries? SonicStage 1. Can I use Sonic Stage to record my CDs to my MD? 1a. Simple Burner? 2. What modes are availble for me to record using Sonic Stage? 2a. Simple Burner? 3. What is Simple Burner? What is the difference between Simple Burner and Sonic Stage? 4. Why can't I record/rip/download in SP mode with Sonic Stage or Simple Burner? 5. What is the MP3 converter? 6. What is a better method of downloading MP3 than using Sonic Stage (or, is there a way to minimize loss of quality during transcoding process?) 7. What is "Create ATRAC CD for?" 8. What is "Create MP3 CD for?" 9. Can I use my other Sony Walkman with SonicStage 2.X? 9a. Clie 9b. Vaio Pocket 9c. Network Walkman 10. How can I get Sonic Stage to display my CDDB tags in other languages? 11. Can I transfer to multiple units at the same time? For instance, can I transfer to both my MZ-NH1 and HD1 for example? 12. Help! SonicStage just deleted my recorded tracks from the Justin Timberlake Concert I went to last week! What's going on!?! Uploading 1. What recordings can I upload to my computer? 2. Must I always use Sonic Stage to upload my recordings? 3. What is this WAV Converter for Sonic Stage? 4. What is this HIMD Renderer b MarcNet's Software? 4a. Can I convert my uploaded recording to OGG, MP3, AAC, or other codecs? 5. Can I transfer my recordings to other units, like my Network Walkman or my Walkman CD Player? 6. How can I upload my NetMD to my computer? Can I do this faster than real-time? 6a. Why can't I use my USB port to upload my NetMD tracks to my computer? 7. Can I upload tracks that I downloaded from my friend's computer? My laptop? 7a. What is the authorized account function in Sonic Stage for exactly? Does that allow me to upload tracks from one computer from another? 8. What is Self-Uploading anyways? Accessories 1. What headphones should I use with my HiMD? 2. What remote should I use with my HiMD? 3. Can I use my batterypack from other MD units? From my other Sony Units, My CD Walkman's Battery Case for example? 4. Can I use the Dock that came with my other HiMD units with other MD units? Vice Versa? Misc. 1. What is HD Amp? 2. How can I activate Line Out mode? Does my unit have Optical Out? 3. Can I use Line Out mode with my Remote? 4. What is VPT Acoustic Engine? 5. What is the 6-band Equalizer? Will future units make use of Parametric EQs on CD Walkmans? 6. Does my HiMD use Type-S DSP that my NetMD player used? Which DSP does it use exactly? 7. What is Head-Fi Dogma #7? 8. Are there any other devices capable of playing Atrac3/plus files? 9. What is transcoding exactly and why do a lot of people (some of them vehemently) hate it? 10. Are there any other forums I can visit to get more of my questions answered? 10a. Regarding MiniDiscs and HiMDs? 10b. Regarding Headphones and HiFi Systems? 10c. Regarding other Digital Audio Players? Shopping 1. Where can I buy blanks for my HiMD? 2. Where can I buy XXXXXX for my HiMD units? What about Import Units? 3. What is the main difference between Japanese, American, European, and World Tourist Units? 4. Why do I need a voltage converter? Where can I buy one? Paranoia 1. What is SCMS? 1a. What is SCMS Stripper*? 2. What is DMCA and why are some of the topics here potentially illegal to read and to discuss in the US*? 3. Can I download SonicStage without Connect.com components? 4. Does SonicStage "phone" home like Windows Media Player? New Additions: ====== 2ND Generation HiMD 1. What's the big deal with these units anyway? 2. What models are available? 3. What modes can I record in with these units? 4. Are there any restrictions in transferring MP3 files from my computer to my HiMD discs? 5. Can I play my HiMD discs full of MP3s on my 1st Gen unit? 6. What is Digital Amp and why should I be interested in it? Note: Potentially dangerous questions under DMCA has been marked with an asterisk. You've been warned!