nhcbybik

I have the same question. I like the quality my old-style minidisc deck gives and so wanted to get my vinyl onto PC in the least-compressed current ATRAC format, so I could use the PC as a music library. I intended to download the (relatively) large ATRAC files to a net walkman and possibly to wirelessly stream it to the hi-fi. After nagging Sony a lot I was told that Sound Forge won't convert analog signal to ATRAC and the only streamer that supports ATRAC is Sony's own, which will only run with a VAIO PC. It seems that Sony barely make ATRAC available for people to use except as firmware in their own kit (which I suppose made sense until the net walkman came along). My question now is whether I can get equivalent quality from a different codec - perhaps WAV? Alternatively can I use some other conversion software to convert analog to a full size CD file (is this PCM?) and then Sonic Stage (as supplied with the net walkman) to compress in ATRAC (against the day when I get a VAIO or someone produces a streamer that will support it and to download to a net walkman in the meantime? I would like to hear my vinyl on a net walkman, but I don't want to spend forever doing it or create a library that I cannot use for anything else. Any help with this would be appreciated - it's difficult to find much out from Sony.....

I'm trying to establish: 1. whether I could use the new hard disc unit to store perhaps 100 cd's at an equivalent quality to the "old" minidisc I know and like (not bought it yet) 2. whether I can keep a library of CD's on my PC in that quality compression and download them to the hard disc portable more than once (if necessary) 3 whether I could use that PC library to stream by wireless network to my hi-fi without losing quality. 4 whether there is software that would convert an analogue signal from vinyl to linear PCM so that I can upload my old vinyl to PC 5. whether sonic stage would convert those linear PCM files on my PC to Atrac3+ so that I could store the vinyl in high quality Atrac format (which is what I use my old minidisc deck for). Any help with this would be gratefully received!