zerodB

Scale Factor Edit. Though I'm not sure this is even possible with ATRAC3+ encoded material. :sigh: Also: MP3 CD/ATRAC CD compatibility. That one would be fairly easy to implement. Digital in/out.

I imagine some clever programmer could write an extension for Windows using the Shell Namespace object in order to facilitate drag & drop in Explorer. Wouldn't be too dificult to do based on what has been discovered I imagine, though I don't know terribly much about such things myself. EDIT: Just thought about it... something similar to the GMail Drive shell extension.

Ok. Your R900 will still be able to play all the tracks - it will just not recognise the groups. The group information is actually stored in the title of the disc, and on a non-group unit will appear something like this: 0;Disc Title//1-7;Group One Title//8-15;Group Two Title// This is just an example. The name of the disc is "Disc Title". The first group on the disc encompasses tracks 1-7 and is called "Group One Title". The second group, called "Group Two Title" contains tracks 8-15. So you CAN actually edit/assign the group information on your MZ-R900 by editing the title of the disc. If you make a mistake however, the groups will not be recognised. Group-MD units will ignore this code at in the title, and recognise the individual groups. As for the NetMDs, the majority of the use a USB to USB-mini connector. It's similar to what many Palm and pocket-PC devices use I'm told. Shouldn't be hard to track down. Hope that helps.

Read the part of the help file you posted again, and you'll find that it is referring to the ripping of CDs in SonicStage to the MP3 format. This was something, that, until now with the release of an MP3 ripping plugin for SonicStage, was not possible unless you had a Sony VAIO computer. (I'm not to sure how good the encoder is - I suspect you will be better off using EAC + LAME)

sxc, there are a couple of threads in the "Hi-/MD Evaluations + Criticisms" forum devoted to SS 3.0 bugs & annoyances... perhaps you should post your gripes there. Try this one for starters: http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=8958

Haha! Though unfortunatley it seems that in recent times that "eStore" has pulled MDPs altogether.

Sefu, I considered purchasing an MDP from you guys a while back... but I found the $475.00AUD price for an E620 quite ridiculous when a certain Singapore e-store could offer it for $200AUD less. I know that this unit is a Japanese import, so it's a slightly different story, but even so, the end price was about ~150 less after postage and purchasing a local adaptor from an electronics store - about 30% off your listed price. In the end, of course, I went with the Singapore e-store (bluetin).

Great to hear that EAC can rip CPCDs...

Keep in mind that MD was orginally desgined as a replacement for the cassette tape - so it's not much different to recording onto a tape. Except for the fact that you get the benifits of digital sound, random-access non-sequential media, etc. Just think of what we did before the advent of MP3 and ascociated technologies. (...although there are some MD/CD units that can do a 4x SP dub). For me, MP3 has done for portable music exactly what the Microwave has done for cooking - no longer do you have to wait for a warm meal... but has it improved the quality of cooking?

To think I paid around $500 AU for my N510 a couple of years back. I paid dearly, but have since learned my lesson.

Firstly, you need to know that MDs may skip when you are doing continued exersice. If the sound starts skipping or jumping, place the MD on a flat surface where it cannot recieve any bumps, shocks or vibrations. Subjecting your MD to futher vibrations may damage the read mechanism. Personally, I would avoid working out with your MD, they are not designed to be subject to that sort of use. However, if that's not causing the problem, then I would check the terms and conditions of your warranty. Some Sony warranties extend worldwide. If there is a problem with your unit, I'm sure you'll be able to have it repaired under warranty in your current locations. If not, you could always consider having it shipped to a service centre in Australia. As for the SonicStage problem - well... it's simply a result of you reinstalling SonicStage and therefore resetting the OpenMG encryption. There's nothing you can really do about it, save, erase the MDs, re-rip or re-import the original material into SonicStage and start transferring all over again. If the content you are talking about is stuff you originally recorded from your MD, I would recommend freeing the material from SonicStage by using Marcs HiMD->WAV rendering utility (you can find it in these forums).

It's still fake SP I believe.

Well, an old-skool (Net)MD user like me only has a few options to play with. Usually, it's SP for albums and the like. But I also use NetMD LP2 for custom mixes downloaded from the PC.

Also a lot to do with the ridiculously high whole-sale sales tax... Aparently it came down with the introduction of the GST a while back - but the prices are still through the roof. It's not that Aussies are not keen to pick up the latest tech - no, it's not that at all - it's more a case of the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" scenario - why adopt MD when we are content with our tape recorders and portable CD players! Technologies such as mobile telecommunications and such are flourishing in Australia, because people see the benifits and revolutions that they provide. Other technologies, such as digital TV and radio are recieved with limited reception here - people just don't see the point in replacing their old gear, or burning money on new stuff when the old gear does what they want just fine. It's not old fashioned, it's more about technology adapting to people, rather than the other way round. My opinion: It will be a sad day indeed when MDs are no longer available in AUS.

Debugging or patching the code of the software is MOST DEFINATLEY illegal and is in void of the Sony End User Licence Agreement, which you agree to as a condition of using the software. Attempting to hack, debug or reverse engineer the software could leave you liable - Sony may come after you to sue for damages - what those damages are exactly we'll leave to the vivid collective imagination of the Sony Legal department - the point is is that you violated your contractual obligations to Sony, and therefore you are fair game, so to speak. I echo peter's sentiments - check out the FAQs and posts here - there's a wealth of useful information on the board - handy tips and tricks which don't have to result in doing anything illegal.

That's correct. If you select SP in Sonicstage... you end up with LP2 rebaged as SP. As for line in recording, the general concensus is that SP is better, but only MARGINALLY so. There was a thread about ABX tests on SP vs. Hi-SP a while ago I believe - SP was the victor, but only by a very slight margin. You wouldn't be able to compare the two just on a single listen. If you have a Hi-MD, why not take advantage of what Hi-SP has to offer.

So... did you end up doing sugery on your E3s at all?

That's why we call it "fake SP". - It's SP yes, but you end up with LP2 quality.

I don't think he's painted it YET!

Try updating to the latest version of M-Crew @ http://www.sony.net/Products/homeaudio/m_c...own_m_crew.html The latest version is 2.01E I am using M-Crew 2.10 (version specific to the CMT-333NT) with WinXP SP2 without a glitch.

Well... If it IS still under warranty you could put it back together - take it to your nearest Sony authorised service centre and just say to the blokes there: "I honestly don't know what on earth could have happened to it... It was working fine one moment, and the next thing, it just stopped..." I'm sure they won't be happy with you if they find out you've tinkered with it tho.

There are some cheap USB devices avail from xitel, (www.xitel.com), designed specifically for this purpose - recording from an external source into a PC/laptop.

Bear in mind that the RH10/910 take gumstick batteries in the main unit. To use AA batteries with these models, you need to use the (supplied) AA battery screw-in battery attachment.

I have just ripped the audio from DVDs for the first time myself. You can use DVD Decrypter to extract the audio only. Use IFO mode, and enable stream processing to demux the appropriate streams. I just grab the stereo stream - I haven't tried it with surround sound as of yet. If all works well, you should end up with a bunch of *.ac3 (dobly digital files) lying around where you told DVD decrypter to chuck the files. The next step is just a simple process of conversion - you can get a Nero plugin for AC3 files from http://neroplugins.cd-rw.org/ and then convert the file to WAV, FLAC (a FLAC plugin is available for nero too!) or burn straight to CD. Be patient when fiddling around with DVD decrypter - if you delve into the options dialog, you will find a host of settings to tweak which will help you automate the DVD ripping process. Personally, I simply use Nero and that website full of plugins for most of my Audio needs - it saves the hassle of having to have different software. EDIT: Yes, you can convert FLAC to WAV.