Ppk3000

...and while it's in my mind, skyther: what's the overall average compression ratio for iPod's lossless audio format (comparing to raw uncompressed)...?

I am not completely certain but I'm somewhat sure the NH900 supports the gumstick NiMH rechargeable, not Li-Ion.

I am pretty sure "deafplayer" was referring to "portable audio" in the post above so what else counts if iPod doesn't? (Nope, I don't trust those mp3'ers either for maximum quality... I seem to like the idea of lossless comparing to high quality lossy compression, such as 320kbps MP3). I do stand corrected for the fact that I forgot (but had in mind) to mention about average (not necessarily stock, but typical class) headphones/earbuds... on the contrary, you can't expect everyone to spend big bucks on 'phones that provide sound isolation + ultra high quality :rasp: I've known several stubborn few believing in nothing but cheap 'phones because "they break easily" (*shrug* don't ask me why they are so against getting higher quality 'phones, I'd like to know the clear answer to that myself)

I am pretty sure you are stuck with Sony's ATRAC3/ATRAC3plus for compression methods in the Hi-MD line... the Soundforge developers are most likely in another department under Sony. (and we all know how well their cross-department relationships are in the recent history... :laugh:) The iPod is for you if you need lossless compression. Although for casual on-the-go listening, I think Hi-SP (256-kbps ATRAC3plus) is sufficient... even for the audiophiles: how can you pick out those small frequency/dynamic details with a street-full of cars? . Based on other opinions here, however, you most likely need the iPod if you're camping in quiet places with trained ears seeking for near-perfection :sleep:. As for your question on the future: I wouldn't bet on it. Sony is not known for meeting most (in some cases, any) user needs. However I will hope for a better future, think they will do better (again...) and give themselves a better reputation.

Hip Hip Hooray!!! It's here. Air express courier delivered sweet package to my door half an hour ago. Gotta rush of to work now but I ll post few pics tonight. Have to say I'm impressed with the look of this device. Finish is absolutley amazing. Now to your question. It is defaulted to Kanji of course as its japanese model,but you certainly can switch it to english only. I have also received instructions of how to do that. Few clicks on remote menu and good bye Kanji . Cheers

I believe that depends on the version of Sonic Stage you use... as in the Japanese version automatically using Kanji while the English version would hide them.

The overwhelming broken images on that site makes me doubt... besides they just might've forgotten to put the "coming soon!" indication and you'd end up waiting after submitting the order :whatever:

Not that I know of in the audio section. Plus I know little about Sony other than a bit of Playstation and a little portable audio.

Well Hi-MD fits into all those cateogories. Of course I assume you know that you need a good mic that fits your purpose. :laugh: Hi-MD is probably the most physically compact, yet virtually largest recording solution you can go with. In addition, it seems like someone at Sony has finally (*gasp*) heard some of our complaints about not being able to freely use recordings without their digital rights management. In this recent news post, Sony will soon release a utility to allow us freely use analog recordings without OpenMG's encryption.

errr... my mistake, I based the CD-RW/DVD-RW assumption on bhangraman's review of iPod vs. NH1's storage :laugh: oops... But current portable HD's can still seek + send data faster than the Hi-MD, but I suppose their storage capacity are also much higher. However we don't know if Hi-MD is at its peak possible performance or if Sony hiding something up their sleeves :whatever:

Yeah there's a full scale line-up of recorders and players. Here is the equipment info link: http://www.minidisc.org/part_Hi-MD_Sony.html Most places only have the MZ-NH600 out for sale. But the NH700/F800/900/1 will come late july/early august (or late august for the higher range... ). As of the present time, they can transfer songs back to the PC. But you can't freely use the data as it's still encrypted. However, it seems like someone at Sony finally realized the complaints and confusion: restricting the free use of self-recorded uploads back to the PC is a mistake. According to this recent news post, Sony will release a tool to allow us to convert analog recordings into fully unlocked WAV data... of course most of us would want this tool out now... :whatever:

Well it depends what the demand is. MiniDisc's can possibly become a popular storage medium in the portable storage market for its reliability and form factor. But I think some users would prefer a higher data transfer rate and lower waiting time for files to be sent. After all, what good is the largest storage capacity with the lowest throughput? I can only think of the backup market being applicable for such an unbalance type of storage. Speaking of capacity, the ratio of capacity to the dollar of (Hi-) MiniDiscs is still much higher than portable hard drive solutions, or even CD/DVD-RW's. On the brighter side, MiniDiscs are probably the strongest format against physical abuse for its price, making it a convinient format to carry around without too much care. Try dropping that portable hd once or twice... and we all know how vulnerable CD/DVD's are to scratches. Yes, flash memory is just about as durable as a MD, but the pricetags of those climb exponentially high when you look beyond 256MB.

It comes with the unit :smile:

Most likely yes... most remote-compatible MD units I've seen can operate off regular headphones without a remote.

Yes, you use the black AA extension pack that connects to the bottom of the unit... similar to the N10.

I think it's the physical process of writing/reading from the magnetic disc... I've read about magnetic backup as a solution for large storage servers and one of the main issues is slow transfer speed. However, it is possible that there is an artificial limit somewhere. Maybe Sony has capped the speed at 100x so they can easily achieve and advertise greater speed for future recorders... never know... :whatever:

I noticed lol... I refreshed the page a few times in the index and the new posts/no new posts icons kept changing on me... :wacky:

Heh you just want people around here to signup so you have lots of referred credits... Sounds like a legal fancy way to say "Don't complain to us if you get more spam than you already do"

The loading time has gone down... highly noticeable too :happy: Did the forums move to another physical server? :cool:

Hi-MD and memory stick... wonder what they'd call it The thing looks pretty simple (unit inside?). Except I'd have to say the casing resembles too much of a typical computer case finishing. :whatever:

It might not be the cheapest, but it's sure a lot more cheaper than Sony Store (~$650 :wacky:). Perhaps I'll get my Hi-MD from this site. :happy:

I don't know yet... still have a few more days to decide before NH1 arrives . What's that Minidisc Canada place like? :ohmy:

Yeah me too... but I don't really like the fact that the AA pack isn't there. Guess Sony is trying to sell out more of their Lithium-Ion sticks :rasp: Where are you getting your's? Perhaps I can go check it out :happy:

Living in the same city as you, I asked 2 Sony Store rep's (called different locations). They seem clueless about it. One said he thinks the NH1 is made from Japan and the rest he doesn't know, while the other said "it depends which shipment wave you purchase from"... :whatever: You decide which of the two to believe (or call up a few yourself heh).

...might not be the most convinient thing, but Sony's utility would probably keep the WAV quality much closer to the original recording :happy: