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Thanks for the clarification dex. My theory is that we don't have true-SP downloads because og the fact that Dolby holds these patents.

Kurisu has been hinting at the next hardware release of Hi-Md as being something huge! I'm wondering whether the next generation of HiMD hardware will still retain compatibility with regular MD, as in the current batch? Is this likely? What do you all think?

That's hardly a viable solution by any means. I think you'd want to use the HiMD the way it was intended - AS A PORTABLE MUSIC DEVICE!

I heard on another forum that RealPlayer doesn't seem to get on well with the latest version of the OpenMG Module - the one required for HiMD. SonicStage is probably a lot better to use than RealPlayer IMO. The only advantage that real player really offers in terms of NetMD use is the ability to convert RealMedia files directly to OpenMG for transfer to your unit.

Question: Does this distortion occur as well when the ATRAC3 files are played back on the PC? Or does this only occur when the files are played back on your MD?

The problem is largely to do with the hardware: NetMD hardware is just not capable of uploading from MD->PC. It wasn't designed that way. Then there's the issue of copyright. Don't forget that the ATRAC codec isn't owned by Sony, it contains portions which are licenced out to them by Dolby. It is for this reason, I suspect, that we don't have true-SP PC-MD downloads. Anyhow, what you want to do is just not possible. Your best bet is to use your NetMD in conjunction with the program "WinNMD", which uses the NetMD interface to automate the process of uploading in realtime to PC. You just need to plug in the correct cables, hit START, and the program will automatically take care of splicing the final WAV/MP3 file into seperate tracks and titling those tracks just like they appear on your MD. If you can get a NetMD deck with digital out, and a soundcard with digital in, even better.

MDCF SonicStage 3 & Simpleburner 2.0 Installer Project UPDATED: 4/3/2005 INTRODUCTION An all too common request on this board as of late has been for a standalone offline install package of SonicStage. Too many users are frustrated with having to wait to download from Sony's network of websites, and if a problem occurs with either the installation or downloading of the software, they need to restart the download again. Not to mention the other problems that occur when people need to install the software on a program not connected to the internet. If a user finally manages to get SonicStage installed on their machine, the problems don't always end there. Few users, if any, seem to follow the the reinstall instructions in the HiMD/NetMD Software FAQ Thread, and this will, on most occasions, cause problems when SonicStage or other OpenMG compliant software have been installed (or have attempted to have been installed) on previous occasions. Other problems occur with conflicting software, such as certain service packs, and libmp3, to name a few. I have therefore deicided that we need to take matters into our own hands, and create our own full-packaged installation of SonicStage 3.0 and MD Simpleburner 2.0. An example of what the end product might look like is shown below. Kurisu has been enthusiastic about the prospect, as am I, but I need all of your help, thoughts and discussion in order to make this a success. SO WHAT WILL SUCH A CUSTOM-BUILT INSTALLER DO? You're probably thinking: SonicStage is allready available on the web, why on earth would someone go to the effort of making their own installer? Aside from not having to download an SS install package from Sony every time you need to perorm an SS installation, our own custom-built installer would be able to automatically perform a clean up the relevant files and registry entries as detailed in the HiMD/NetMD Software FAQ Thread prior to installation, solving many errors associated with prior installations of OpenMG software. In addition the installer could warn the user when attempting to install SonicStage where there are known compatiblity issues. The end user would be able to select which components to install. For example, those not fond of SonicStage may wish to just install the OpenMG Modules and MD Simpleburner. (Previously, one had to install SonicStage to obtain the OpenMG Modules required to get SB to function, then install Simpleburner, before finally uninstalling SonicStage). There might be other cases, the end user may only wish to install the MD Drivers. Also, Connect support (US/EURO/MORA JAPAN) could be made optional We would be able to tweak such an installer to our own needs - add links to the MDCF support forums in the SonicStage Help menu, add our own custom backgrounds, in addition to links to other related resources such as Marc's Hi-MD Renderer, etc. FURTHER INFORMATION - For the time being, the installer will be in English, and contain the English versions of SonicStage and Simpleburner. The setup, however, will not be limited to English only versions of Windows. - On Windows XP/ME/2000, the installer will require you to be in Administrator mode. - According to the SonicStage readme, SonicStage will only support Windows 98 SE, ME, 2000, and all versions of XP. The installer will therfore warn the user when attempting to install on a non-supported OS. - Prior to installation, the installer will attempt to warn the user of any potential software conflicts. - Where the user is performing a re-install of SonicStage and the OpenMG modules, the installer will remove all previous files and registry entries associated with SonicStage and OpenMG in order to ensure a clean, sucessful installation. - The installer will contain the OpenMG Secure Module, SonicStage 3.0 (with CD Burning & optional Connect Support), MD Simpleburner 2.0 (version with PCM support) and the HiMD, NetMD and Network Walkman Drivers. DirectX version 9.0c is required for the applications to run successfully, and the setup program will check for this. - The DirectX 9.0c files WILL NOT BE INCLUDED (however you can download this seperatley) - The total file size for the setup is estimated to be just under 30MB. SKINS Just a short note: remember the old skins from SonicStage 1.5? The good news is that they're fully compatible with SonicStage 3.0! These skins will be available in seperate install package available shortly.

The minidisc equipment browser is your friend!!! Try looking here: http://www.minidisc.org/equipment_browser.html In terms of the latest NetMD units: MZ-NE410, N420D, NE810 - MD Downloaders only. No audio input jacks. MZN510 - Basic NetMD unit with 3.5 line-in/optical jack. (used to record analog powered sources such as stereos, tape decks, etc.) NF610 - Same as the 510 but with a radio tuner remote. N710 - More advanced NetMD unit with 3.5 line-in/optical in AND MIC-IN for recording from stereo MICS NF810 - Same as N710, but with radio tuner remote. N10, N910, N920 - Top of the line NetMD models. All have MIC in/line in/optical in. The N10 is the smallest of the bunch, owing to its built-in battery. The N920 and 910 have gumstick batteries. The 920 has a digital amplifer to reduce battery consumption. My recommendation is to either get a 910, 710, or used N707 in good condition on ebay.

The TrProtect Error occurs when you try to delete a track that has been transfered from computer to MD via NetMD. How did you record the original disc?

edit: ok, i'll keep it to myself!

NO. ABSOLUTLEY NO DIFFERENCE WHATSOEVER. Digital = Digital = Digital. However, there is a difference in build quality between discs. Try to stay away from ultra-cheap no-name brands. There have been some horror stories where inferior shutters have broken off while the disc is still inside the unit, forcing the owner to become immensley frustrated at having to send their MD unit in for repairs... The same can also be said for CDs. I recall atrain having a similar problem with ultra-cheap CD-Rs. For some reason, the discs were not perfectly circular, and caused all kinds of havoc when spun at high-speed in a CD-Burner.

I WOULD NOT recommend this method by ANY MEANS. Randomly poking around in your SonicStage Instalation folder is likley to cause you EVEN MORE problems, the least of which is because: i) You are likley to install the programs components in the wrong order. For in order for SS to function problem, all the components must be installed in the correct way so that they can integrate with each other in the manner they were intended too. ii) If your installation isn't working to begin with, you are likley to be missing critical system components, or your SonicStage package wasn't downloaded correctly. Unlikley that SonicStage will function at all anyway. iii) Only by executing the exact commands specified in the SonicStage Install Launcher can SonicStage properly function. This commands including entering correct registry keys, registering the installed modules, and preparing your system for the use of SonicStage by executing commands related to the OpenMG subsystem. Further more, the *.exe files you mention are run with specfic command line switches to make sure the programs are installed correctly. Why Sony have such a convulted setup routine is anyone's guess, after all, OpenMG is an extremley sophisticated piece of software enginering, it's just a shame the the front-end to this subsystem (SonicStage) is so annoying to use. If your installation worked by following the method above, it was a complete fluke. Otherwise, I would not recommened the above procedure to anyone. Try it at your own risk!

In some countries, (here in australia) the wholesale + aftersales taxes on electrical goods are phenomenal, so it makes sense for us to import small goods such as portable MD units from our e-tailer friends and ebayers in S.E. Asia. I think the rule is you can import up to $1000 of goods for personal use tax- I guess that applies everywhere though. You'd be amazed at how much lower than the recommended retail price prodcuts can go for.

I don't belive MD Simpleburner will work with freedb, only CDDB. As far as CD-Text goes, SonicStage 2.x is capable of reading CD-Text Information straight off the CD. On my PC, this only works when using a physical CD in the CD drive, for some reason, the Nero Image Drive "virtual CD" program will not read the CD-Text info in SS. In the old days, NetMD Simpleburner 1.0 shared the same database as SonicStage 1.5, and it was possible, using the program CD-TEXT Manager (google it) to export the CD-Text info for a certain disc to the SonicStage database. However, that won't help you, since you're using a Hi-MD, and in anycase, it doesn't work with MD Simpleburner 2. My advice is to try and use SonicStage 2.x, since it can support CD-Text, and also, according to the help file, MP3s with ID3tag Versions 1.1, 2.2, and 2.3.

Ok. I want to know whether the ATRAC3 files are playable on your PC. You see, when you import your MP3 files into SonicStage, and then transfer the music to your MD, SonicStage creates a copy of the .MP3 file in .OMA (OpenMG Audio) Format on your hard disk, since the MD can playback MP3s natively. So you end up with two files instead of one. When you right click a file in SS, and hit properties, you should be able to see a list of all the files (MP3, OMA) associated with a track. If you click play in SonicStage, it will usualy play the MP3 file associated with that track, but in actual fact, it's the OpenMG data which is sent to your unit. If you get rid of the original MP3 from the SonicStage database (go to the file proprties), you'll end up with just one file, the OpenMG one. I want to know whether the OpenMG file plays back properly, so we can determine which link in the chain isn't functioning. But since you'll end up with two copies of your music collection anyway (OpenMG and MP3), why not just convert the files to WAV, and then import into SonicStage? Another great trick is to burn the files (MP3s) to a "virtual CD" (.iso or Nero Image), and then mount that cd (through Nero Image Mount, or Daemon Tools) and then you can either i) rip music into SonicStage or ii) transfer music using Sony MD Simpleburner.The Simpleburner method, might, in the long run, be a better option for you, since you're dealing with MP3s to begin with anyway. In my experience, SonicStage is only really useful, when you rip all your music in Sony's proprietry format (OpenMG). Anyway, let's see what happens...

You could also try reading your user guide that came with your unit. That's always the best place to start. The Sony ones are fairly informative, and provided great info on how to get started recording, especially for those new to MD. After that, the FAQ section @ http://www.minidisc.org is the best place to go for all your info. If you've lost your guide, or you didn't get one with your unit, most of them can be found online.

Also, it is essential that you read the Software Problems FAQ prior to posting: http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=8071 The most common problems occuring can be solved by a simple uninstall/reinstall as detailed in the FAQ thread. It is absolutley imperative that you remove all the Sony/OpenMG related files, folders and registy entries from your system,prior to installtion, in order to properly ensure a "clean" install. If you don't do this, any problems you might be facing are likley to occur again when you re-install the software. In addition, make sure your unit is unplugged while running through this procedure. In addition, please make sure you operating your unit as per the instructions in your user guide. Make sure your NetMD/HiMD device is attached directly to your computers USB (not via a USB hub). If you use a NetMD device, make sure you are using a fully charged battery or the unit is plugged into an AC adaptor before attempting to use your unit with the software. If you suspect that a hardware issue to do with your unit might be causing the problem as well, read through the Troubleshooting/Error Messages section of your user manual. And also search around! It may be that other users have experienced similar problems to you in the past, and will have found or have had solutions posted. While the moderator/VIP team here are very knowledgeable, they are not on the board 24/7 and may not be able to respond to your post as quick as you'd like.

Yep, I reckon I can help. Ok. to convert MP3s in SonicStage you need to have Windows Media Player 6.4 or later on your machine. SonicStage can handle CBR MP3 files with bit-rates from 32 to 320kbps. Unless you're using VBR, it's probably not the bitrate that's causing the problem. Also, only files at 32 kHz, 44.1 kHz, or 48 kHz sampling frequencies can be supported. Any of the above could be the problem. Also you don't have any FDDSHOW codec packs installed on your system? They tend to conflict with SS. Finally, are the ATRAC3 files playable in SonicStage? Can you play both the orignal MP3 and converted ATRAC3 file back in SS? Let us know how you go.

I orginally had problems downloading SS 2.3. For some reason, the installer detected that I had a previous version of SonicStage installed, which was downloaded from the CONNECT (US) website. When I tried to download the Asia-Pacific version, the installer hung halfway for some strange reason. Try unistalling all Sony/OpenMG related software, and deleting all the references to SonicStage and OpenMG hanging around in your registry before attempting to download again. The details are in the FAQ. .

If you're going straight from CD --> MD using SonicStage or Simpleburner, ther should be no gaps between tracks. The Atrac codec (all versions) is gapless by its very nature, whereas MP3 and other formats are not.

Odd, this is what I got: [Info] Name=INTL Version=1.00.000 DiskSpace=8000;DiskSpace requirement in KB [Startup] CmdLine= SuppressWrongOS=Y ScriptDriven=1 ScriptVer=9.0.0.333 DotNetOptionalInstallIfSilent=N OnUpgrade=1 RequireExactLangMatch=0404,0804 Product=OpenMG Secure Module PackageName=OpenMG Secure Module.msi MsiVersion=2.0.2600.0 EnableLangDlg=N DoMaintenance=Y ProductCode={BB92E35A-F5B8-4D59-90F3-CF863871BCF3} ProductVersion=4.0.05.10290 SuppressReboot=Y PackageCode={5D601345-BAFB-419D-8CF0-2CCC05F0C1CE} [SupportOS] Win95=1 Win98=1 WinME=1 WinNT4=1 Win2K=1 [Win95] MajorVer=4 MinorVer=0 MinorVerMax=1 BuildNo=950 PlatformId=1 [Win98] MajorVer=4 MinorVer=10 MinorVerMax=11 BuildNo=1998 PlatformId=1 [WinME] MajorVer=4 MinorVer=90 MinorVerMax=91 BuildNo=3000 PlatformId=1 [WinNT4] MajorVer=4 MinorVer=0 MinorVerMax=1 BuildNo=1381 PlatformId=2 ServicePack=1536 [Win2K] MajorVer=5 MinorVer=0 MinorVerMax=1 BuildNo=2195 PlatformId=2 [Languages] count=2 default=409 key0=409 key1=411 [OpenMG Secure Module.msi] Type=0 Location=OpenMG Secure Module.msi [Setup.bmp] Type=0 [instmsiw.exe] Type=0 Location=instmsiw.exe [instmsia.exe] Type=0 Location=instmsia.exe [ISScript.msi] Type=0 Location=ISScript9.Msi

Ok, this is a new idea I want to try. What EQ/DSP setup do you use on your gear (if you do at all), and why? I'll start the ball rolling: On my E620, I set the 6-band EQ as follows: CUSTOM 1: 1) 0 2) 0 3) +1 4) +1 5) -1 6) 0 CUSTOM 2: 1) 0 2) 0 3) 0 4) +1 5) 0 6) 0 Custom 1 gives a nice balanced sound, compensating for the recessed mids and harsh highs of the EX51 in-earphones. I like my music warm. It's useful for nearly all types of music. Custom 2 is the same idea, but more neutral, and is better suited for classical music/jazz. What do you do?

Ok what langauges can you speak/read? What languages do you know? If you could learn/speak any langauge at all, what would it be? To start the ball rolling, I know: * English (you don't say!) * German (Well, I should know it... I did it at school for 6 years, but hardly use it that often) * Also a bit of Latin, which will come in handy once time travel has been perfected. I would love to know: * Arabic, French, Japanese, Spanish & Hindi. What do you know? And by the way, just so someone can't be smart, langauges such as HTML, Java, php, C, etc don't count, at least not for the purposes of this thread, but artifical languages such as Esperanto and Klingon do.

It makes sense to have ads that support the MD community. I would be more inclined to pay attention to such adds, rather than the standard "Google" or random ads which attempt to make themselves relevant by scanning the contents of your page. Of course, if ads become too obtrusive, irrelevant or just plain annoying, I can always make use of the Firefox Abblock Extension!

Yes of course it can! Just click the "Transfer" drop-down menu and you should see an option to "Create Audio CD". I'm pretty sure SonicStage 2.1 [Connect] had the ability to do this also, but it seems that Sony disabled this feature in the SonicStage bundled with the HiMD units. Odd. At this present time, SonicStage is the only program that can burn OMA files. I'm not too sure whether you can burn OMA files you upload from your Hi-MD (ie self-made recordings) but than again you still have the WAV convertor, which also comes in handy in case you need to edit the files first.