NorthStar

I figure you are the only guys around who can help me out with this. I'm still using my NH1, partially because I love it, and partially because I currently am too broke to pay the 350 for an RH1. Unfortunately, the remote for it just... died. For some strange reason, nothing shows up on the display anymore, and the buttons don't work. Though for some reason, every now and then when I hit the play button, it fast-forwards. and if I hit fast forward, the volume goes up. This is the second time that I ended up with a busted remote, though the first time was my fault since it had gotten crushed by a car door (fell out my shirt pocket without me knowing). Now, these things are expensive. I was lucky to get the current dead one at 75 bucks, since I know these things go for $100. I don't have the scratch for that again, so I was wondering is there any other remote that will still give me access to all the NH1 features, just minus the triple line screen. I know that because of the way the NH1 was designed, you can't access everything without it's remote, but I was wondering if it's just that remote that can access everything, or is there another cheaper one that can do the job?

Thanks to one of my cats, I now have a cut cord for my RM-MC40ELK. the only wires still intact are the white and green wrapped ones... everything else was shredded. I was thinking I could just re attach the wires, but someone who did this sort of work told me that I wouldn't be able to get it working, because it wasn't just copper wires that were used. I noticed some fibrous material mixed in there too; he said those also needed connecting, that they were a bitch to work with, and that I shouldn't bother wasting my time. I don't know if that's true or not, but since electrical work isn't my area of expertise, how would I know? I figured that before I go get another remote on Ebay, I might as well ask you guys. Should I try to fix the remote myself, or give this thing up for lost and get a new one? And is that guy right about the non metal fibers interwoven with the metal wires?

Ok, before you guys slap me for asking such a stupid question (no matter what answer you might be thinking), hear me out. I've been wanting to get an RH1 for a whole now. Even though I already own 2 NH1's, I figured that considering it's gotten sorta rare these days, I should get myself a new recorder, as to increase the lifespan of those other two by using them less (one of my NH1's goes with me wherever I go), and well, the RH1 is pretty much the last MD unit around, not to mention the most advanced as far as features go, so it feel sorta foolish not to nab it. But reading the topics around here and looking at pics, it's apparent that you guys have some really nice ones, a couple which I would love to get... specifically the NH3d and the EH1. Now, I know those are REALLY hard to get these days, especially for a guy like me in the US. But as an MD fanatic, I'd love to get my hands on one. Besides, they'd also be a way of helping my NH1's last longer... keeping the recorders at home unless needed, and using the players as my main music devices when going out. I know getting an EH1 is next to impossible, but I did find a NH3D being sold at a Chinese site... for $172 no less. Unfortunately, I was told by someone knowledgeable that sales aren't direct, and things aren't guaranteed as far as buying things from people there. So basically... should I still risk trying to contact the seller to try and get that NH3D? Or would it be smarter to get the RH1 first, and then just continuing looking around until I find a more stable venue for getting the other dream units? I'm pretty sure I know the smarter thing to do, but as fellow MD fans, I just wanted your opinions.

Ah.. so basically I'm taking a risk by going there... ah well. That's a shame, considering that I just saw a MZ-NH3D there for $172. Maybe I should hold off on that anyway, considering I also want the RH1, and that's relatively easier to find.

Thank you very much. trying to navigate through the site now... if only I knew Chinese.... Oh well... I wanna get my hands on that NH3D (or maybe even an EH1!), so hopefully this will be my ticket to it. Again, thanks.

I know this came up a while ago, but I would love to find out what online shops you saw those units at also. I'd like to increase my arsenal, and considering how potentially expensive that's going to get, any place that I could get them cheaper would be a help.

Yeah, that's something about the RH1 that's made me hesitate a little about getting it. I don't know... it seems all the Hi-MD units have some kind of strange flaw in each, some worse than others. I still plan on getting an RH1 though... as it's the last and most advanced unit, it just makes sense to me to get it before it's too late (it kinda already is, since I know have to get the MZ-M200 in order to have a chance) I don't plan on ever going back to MDLP however. I first got started with MD's thanks to my old reliable N510 (still got it, along with a n610... both still work great), and as much as I loved its long battery life (40 to 45 hours on one AA battery is nothing to scoff at... though I've seen even better with other people's models... Sharp anyone?), and overall decent design, my fate was sealed the day I got my NH1 (for 200 bucks even. Funny thing was that it was a few people on this forum who convinced me to get it). I've been enjoying the minidisc world even better since then... the Hi-MD format just seems overall better and more versatile than the older formats, and the sound seems just a hell of a lot better (I've recently stuck to having my music recorded no lower than 192k bitrate and up... anything lower is for talk only.). Thanks to Hi-MD I've archived lots of music, lectures, and live mixes by friends of mine, as well as lots of data files, programs, and even backed up website data for my server in case of a crash. The discs really aren't hard to find at all... I tend to get the Hi-MD 1gig discs for really cheap on Ebay (average $4.50 a pop), and we should all know by now how easy it is to get the regular discs... they're all over the place if you know where to look, and I use those extensively for music, keeping about 5 disc's with me at all times in one of those old Sony hard plastic cases that come with their standard 5 packs when I go out. Granted, I do have some problems with the design of the NH1... sure it's durable, and has a great look, but being totally reliant on the remote for all it's features sucks... my remote recently broke, so I now have to scramble for a new one on Ebay... and the unit only able to charge it's battery with a charge stand was a bad idea. But I'm still happy with my NH1 overall... even the battery life doesn't bother me much, since I tend to keep an extra gumstick on me in case I get caught out there with a low battery, and to be honest, that's rare. 10-12 hours of playback is actually enough for me during the day... I'm rarely outside for longer than that, and I can't listen to my music during work anyway. I still have recordings in NetMD/MDLP formats, and I tend to keep them that way just so my son can listen to them on the N510 I gave him, as well as to maybe pass them on to any MD enthusiast who's interested in them (if you're into Jungle and /trip hop and acid jazz type music that is), but I don't have that many discs recorded that way, and since I want to land that Oynko deck I'm not too worried about most of the MD tech out there being made for MDLP only. If it comes to it, my NH1 will just end up being my man playing unit... just gotta hook up some bigger speakers to it for home use, and that's not hard to do. I got my hands on a second one anyway (the first one being a bit more beat up from use and accidental drops, but still works fine), so until I get that RH1 I'll have one for the home, and one for outside. So yeah, long winded post summed up... Happy with Hi-MD, have no reason really to go back to MDLP except under special circumstances (recording a disc for someone else for instance).

Ok, I think I solved my problem. Basically it was one new tune I added to my folder that I was importing from, that was causing the crash. I'm not sure what exactly was wrong with it, since the bit rate was well within limits, and the ID tag was fine. But I recoverted the mp3 with CDex, and that fixed things. So I suggest, for anyone having this problem, to basically do what several others were saying, and try to import your files individually. Hopefully it isn't every single last one of your mp3's that are messed up in some way. Of course, you can always just reconvert your tunes just to be safe, and then try to import again. Hopefully this will help some.

I've recently been having the same problem. I haven't installed any new programs recently, nor have I changed any of the hardware. And I'm still using the Nh1 I bought several months ago. Anybody have any ideas??

Great. Just great. I just recently got my hands on that Nh1, and this comes out. Well, I knew it was coming out, but not with the features it has. Ugh. :-P Well, at least I can afford it when it does come out. The question is, will I? After all, I don't have tons of old live sp recordings that cry out to be uploaded to my computer. I'm not constantly recording bands and live shows outside. My md units are primarily used for recording music from my cd's and from other peoples music (be it digital or analog), and as my personal music player, as well as my file tranfer device (love those iGb disks... that' pretty much what I use them for). I was planing to record my piddling little online radio show with my Nh1 though... maybe I should jump on this model for that purpose. Not to mention that I am just a tech geek anyways, and any new cool toy just calls out to me to nab it. Especially since I've loved the md format for a while now anyways. I can sorta understand the whole argument against Sony using the LIP-4WM batteries, instead of the other NH-14WM ones, or just plain AA's, because of the battery life and such, but I can also understand why they decided to use the more expensive format. For one thing, they do last longer in the long run. For another, the higher voltage helps with true line in, as it was stated before. Plus, having spare battieres is the professional thing to do if you are going to be making long live recordings anyway, thugh it's not exactly all that atractive with these, because of the cost and difficulty in charging them on the fly (I STILL don't know if there are any chargers for this kind of battery around yet). There is an often overlooked reason for using these batteries and keeping the whole slimline look though: Sony's main market. Let's face it, the western world isn't exactly sony's main market when it comes to minidisc. Japan is pretty much their main bread and butter, and the japanese love their tech as sleek and sexy looking as possible, otherwise they aren't interested. That was one of the main reasons why the first X-Box did so badly over there (besides the fact that it had games that the japanese weren't really interested in). Sony is simply working with that trend, making their recorders look as atractive as possible to the Japanese market, especially since the iPod is making a killing over there. Come to think of it, the iPod's invasion there may be the reason why all the things we've been asking for are begining to show up: if Sony wants to keep their customers, they had to start giving them what they wanted, especially since the Japanese are now grabbing stuff from Apple. They might be just focusing on the recording and profesional market though: notice that we're seeing a new recorder, but not a new player. It is annoying that we still don't have recorder to recorder transfer yet, nor can we upload mdlp files from one computer to another (that copy protection crap is really getting annoying Sony... if you would just make the minidisc format the truly open detachable media theya re supposed to be, like cassettes were, people would be more receptive to them). And don't get me started on the fact (one that you guys all have been griping about) that we STILL don't have a HiMD deck yet. But who knows. Because of the constant demands of consumers, Sony finally delivered on most of the things we wanted, so it may just take a little more noise to get those other problems squared away too. So any Sony reps, if you do happen to be reading this, keep that in mind: we want a HiMd deck, and we want true detachable format capabilities... that means no more anti-copy crap. Period. Oh, and as one more personal request: car md players. I would like those back, so that I can get one. I really don't feel like paying ridiculous amounts of cash just to import one for my car. Start making those damn things for the US again, please. I know we're not your best market over here (the nationals here tend to be... well slow), but some of us here do buy the stuff you know. So make us happy to keep supporting the format please? Anyways, still rooting for this thing, and the md format at large of course.

Actually, I think the RH910 is a better value, overall, than the Rh10. I could be wrong, and if I am, please correct me, but considering that all the Rh10 has over the 910 is a better pannel display and an aluminum lid, yet costs around $235 at the least, while the Rh910 goes for $170... it just seems like a no brainer to me. The RH910 has all the main features of it's higher priced "cousin", and you save some cash getting it instead. In fact, the only reason why I recently picked up the NH1 as you guys suggested is because I realize now how much of a collectors item it is. Sure, it looks freakin' sweet, and I personally love mine, but the fact is, the RH910 has a lot going for it that trumps the NH1... consider: more common and cheaper battery that has gives longer play time, not dependend upon the remote for all of it's functions, isn't dependant on the special stand for charging purposes, has a standard AC power port, which means you can also power it with a car lighter power source for listening to while driving, and the fact that it can also use AA batteries. Until the RH10 lowers it's price, the Rh910, while just one (small) step down, would be what I would recomend for those interested in getting a HiMD unit. However, this is not to say that the NH1 isn't worth the $200 that I spent on it. I love the way it looks (obviously), I like the fact that it's made of metal (durability is always good), and the remote is well designed. While I wish the charging stand didn't render the unit incompatible to more common power sources, it still was a good idea, since it provides a nice stable platform while recording, and it does help to add to the elegant look of the NH1. I can imagine placing this on a coffee table, and hooking this thing up to a really good speaker system. Then use it to play some tunage when friends are over... I'm sure they'd be impressed with such a small cool looking thing pumping out such quality sound. So yeah, in case you guys are wondering, I'm glad I took your advice and got that NH1. I'm getting another one soon for my wife, who also likes it a lot. I'm probably going to get an Rh910 however... I would like something that can play in the car without wasting battery life, like my old N510. I might also buy a few more NH1's and auction them on Ebay... I know where to get 'em cheap now, and I know people are willing to pay a lot for em... :-P

I got it I got it!! And it looks freakin sweet! ... Now I just gotta charge it up. :-P

Well, I'm definintely going to get it, but something just recently came to my attention when I went back to the store to tell the guy to hold it. He's got TWO of them. They haven't moved at all (obviously), so he's willing to sell both of them to me for $200 each. That's two NH1's for $200, when other places are selling them for much more than that, if you can find them. I'm grabbing both by this Monday just on generally priciple. If later on I want to get the RH910 (again, for all that it offers, $170 is a steal), I might auction off one of the NH1's on Ebay, not just to make some extra scratch, but also to see just how much people would pay for it. Then again, consdidering how nice these things look, I might not... we'll see.

Ok, I think I've made up my mind. I decided to check out places online selling the models I was interested in. The prices shocked me: RH10: $235 RH910: $170 NH1: $542 Yes, you saw the price for the NH1 right: $542.13 to be exact. And the store I looked near my job is giving it away at $200 cause they can't find anyone to buy it. I'm nabbing that thing as quick as I can. I get paid next week: it will be mine then. I do plan on grabbing that Rh910 however. At $170, it's also a steal, especially since the only thing the RH10 has over it is it's special panel screen. But yeah, that NH1 is getting nabbed. I only hope no one suddenly pops up out of nowhere and takes it before I do. Wish me luck.

Yeah, I have to admit, you guys have good points. And thanks a lot for that import link. Yes, the prices are pretty high, but I can save up the coinage for it. :-P I'm probably going to go ahead and get that NH1, but I recently saw a MZ-RH10 going for $235, and I'm tempted to get that one instead. true, I've heard the button layout on that unit could have been better, but then again, that's what the remote is for. :-P So anyway, yeah, I'll make the move. Question now is, what model?

I currently own a Sony MZ-N510 model Md recorder, and even though it's an entry level unit (and has no mic jack.. ugh), I like it a lot. I've had no problems with it so far, and I've owned it for almost 2 years now. However, I recently saw one Sony MZ-NH1 going for 199 at a music shop near where I work. Considering that this player is usually sold higher than that, I figured it was a bargan. However, two things are making me hesitate; the much lower battery life, and the fact that it's Hi-Md. Now, don't get me wrong; I have nothing against the Hi-Md format. It's just that if I do get it, it's just going to be playing music instead of recording it, since my wife also owns a MZ-N510, and I usually make the disks she plays. Plus I'm planing to get an MD deck (the Sony MDS-JE480 model is pretty much what I'm looking at), and considering that there are no hi md decks been sold in the US, I'm pretty much stuck using the MDLP format. If I knew how to import a Hi md deck (at decent price, to boot), then I might not be so hesitant, but since I don't know how, I'm not sure about this. I don't want to just have the portable players the only source of playing my minidiscs. Should I still move to Hi-Md anyway, and get that player, or stick with my N510? And if there is a way to get a hi-md deck, how could I do it? Yeah, bunch of questions. I would appreciate the help though.

Atually, you can do the same with the older minidiscs. I've recorded off my cd's during break at work, with no computer whatsoever, just with my MD recorder, CD player, and power adapters (of course). As long as you had gotten yourself a decent model, you really didn't need a computer to nab yoru music. Granted, it's faster with a computer, but it isn't yoru only source. In fact, it's that versitility that kept me from getting an iPod. Speaking of regular md's versus HiMd, I haven't moved to the latter format for the simple reason that they haven't bothered making a deck for it yet. They got bookself models and decks for the older discs, but I have het to see anything for HiMd. Until they do that, I'm not touching it. I don't want my little player to be the only thing that can play my discs. That's just stupid. If Sony really wantred to push their HiMD stuff, they should have come out with stereo systems, decks and the like to support it. Futher proof they fubared a good thing.

Got kurisu's email a while ago, though I've been busy reading all the stuff you guys had to say (still reading!!), as well as all the other online stuff I gotta keep up with (been too long since I've updated my own site), but I wanted to at least put up my few thoughts on my beloved little disc. As far as these things go, Sony really dropped the ball on this one. You can blame two major things for their lack of support and popularity beyond Europe and Japan: lackluster marketing and their stupid obbession with copyright. Many times when I was first fighting with the original version of SS (before I started working around it with my little tricks, and relying on direct recording), I wished I had the power to teleport to the Sony corporate building and throttle teh chairman, or whoever was responsible for all the crap we've had to deal with. Then I'd probably yell something like: Look you morons; everybody wants to be able to record their music in peace. People have been doing it way before the digital age came out. there was another medium back then. Remeber it? It was called the cassette tape, you know, the media you were trying to replace with the Minidisc? What did you think people were going to use it for? Decorating their homes? Wearing as jewlery? They were going to record music! So what if they're recording off of a cd they bought? Leave us alone and let us do it! We paid for it, we can do what we want with it! If I want to archive my music from a cd to my minidisc in order to keep my master copy free from scratches and other damage, then let me! If people want to record something from an outside source with their md recorders and then store them in their computers, LET THEM! Do you have any idea how much more of this stuff you'd sell if you would have just let people use them the way they wanted to?? I've constatnly wowed iPod users with the fact that anytime I wanted to lift something from their precious little devices, I could just use a stereo plug, conect my recorder to their iPod, and a few minutes later, I'd have their tune, something they can't do at all. Don't you realize how cool that is?? Cna't you see that should be a marketing point?? "Freely record from any source with our reccorders, and experience playback with digital clarity, plus easy storage in Minidisc and easy uploads to the computer, via Sonicstage." People are willing to pay money for that! So give it to them, and leave them the hell alone!! Yeah, that's what I'd say to the suit at my most wrathful voice possible. If I had the power to do so. But I don't. And Sony continued to be stupid about things, all while things like the iPod kicked their asses in teh digital music realm here in the States. Now, I'm not entirely certain they are going to totally do away with Minidisc. Yeah, things don't look good, but I'm still seeing these things being sold in places like Fry's, and even in places Like Walmart and Target (albeit in rather small amounts), so maybe there' some hope. What I think should be done though, is some kind of mass petiton from the MD users. There's no better time than now to Let Sony know how we feel about Minidisc, and what we'd like done with it. Trust me, if enough noise is made, something can come of it. If a bunch of ravers could cause Oprah Winfrey to freak after she was stupid enough to make a show filled with mis-information about them ( http://www.ishkur.com/articles/oprah2.php ), then I'm sure millions of people worldwide can make some kind of difference in how Minidisc is handled. It can be done. After all, I'm sure these guys some way to contact them....

Honestly, I think that as long as people like us keep buying, using, and critiquing MD devices, there's still some life left to be had in the medium. Plus there's the fact that it's just in a class all it's own. I happen to live in the US, a place where the MD is struggling, but I still turn heads whenever I pop my n510 out, and after I tell them what it is and what it can do, even iPod users tend to be interested. There's just something about those little discs that catches people's attention. The Minidisc medium, and it's devices, aren't perfect by any means. I love my recorder/player and my many cool looking minidiscs, but I can still see the flaws. From the SonicStage program and it's copy limiting properties (not to mention it's bugs!), to lossyness from atrac3 conversion (though I don't really have that much of a problem with this codec... as much as I like my mp3's, lp2 conversion suits me just fine), these things have their setbacks. All of them can be pointed right at Sony... for some strange reason they seem to love mis-managing this product. Why would one worry about how many times someone will copy a music file when competing (and higher selling) products don't limit the user at all in regards to that? Why would they sell lower priced units without line in/mic in support, when those are some of the biggest selling points and strengths these things have (the ability to record from various sources, not just the computer)? Why would they limit select markets from certan products (take the new MZ-RH10 that just came out... four colors to chose from in Japan, just one color here int the states... my wife wanted the blue one, and now I have to look at inflated prices if I want to import???)) Why come out with this new Hi-MD stuff if you aren't coming out with decks that support those discs? Where are any new minidisc boomboxes or car radios?? Using car kits get's annoying after a while. The list goes on... I'm sure you guys could come up with more essential questions, as you have been in the game much longer than I have. Still, despite these problems, the minidisc has chugged along... mostly because of the diehards that still use them, and becaues they find ways to get around the many mismanaged produced short comings. Forums and sites like this also keep it alive, because of the constant flow of information and mutual feelings that's shared among users over the MD. I honestly think that's what's kept MD from going the way of Betamax years ago. It just keeps going... and who knows, maybe Hi-MD will freshen things up a bit. But it all depends depends on how Sony manages things. And they haven't done a good job so far. I think it's way past time (if this hasn't been done already, and if it has, keep doing it), for everyone to send a deluge of their gripes and opinions at Sony over this. A few people here and there complaining about these and other issues is one thing, but a large mass of people letting them know what's up is a whole different situation. There's no reason why Sony can't do this right and please the customers who continue to use MD, they just need the right motivation. They were already motivated by lack of sales, the popularity of mp3 players, and user gripes to make the two latest models mp3 playable (even though it's not totally to our liking), so that means they can bend under the right kind of pressure. This could be the perfect time to let them know what we want... who knows, we might get something good out of it, like being able to copy discs without resorting to tricks, or eliminating that whole "check in/check out" thing (yeah right, I can dream...). Just something to consider. Still though, because we all feel so strongly about MD that we discuss it's potential, it's problems, and it's future willingly, I think it still has some decent amount of life left. How much more might be up to us. - NorthStar