Roamer

Regarding SonicStage: Do something usefull with Atrac lossless by using the lossless part for encoding and not reencoding from the compressed part. Include the new bitrates (352k,192k, ...) in SimpleBurner (SB has not improved since 3.0) Import at 192k (make sense, just why they haven't done it already ?) Regarding the unit : Allow recording at 352k (should not be that difficult) Larger capacity HiMDs (2 Gb would be fine for me) Remote with recording button, level display ... Option to start in manual recording without going to the menu each time

There is a new version worth the upgrade, but my guess is that the recording might be corrupted. Try playing with SonicStage and recording with TotalRecorder or Audacity (or any similar software).

The quality drop down 'Normal(Fast)' / 'High'allow you to tune the quality. If you chose high, it will take longer to process, but use a better way to encode for the same bit rate. 132k is old Atrac3 as you have guessed (aka LP2). This is mostly usefull is you want to use legacy netMD. If you use higher bitrate, the quality should improve, but the quality option does also matter. 352k with 'High' quality should give the best quality, and 48k 'Normal(Fast)' should give the worst. I think the 64k Atrac3+ will be worst than LP2 , but better than LP4, although i haven't done any real testing (IMHO, they are better options to use).

HiMD units can't go faster than USB1 anyway (due to drive mechanisms limitations).

About 15 HiMDs and 150 legacy MDs (mainly 80 mn).

hma files are useless outside their support because of DRM. You can try to ask Sony Support to recover the content. Proper ways to upload are described here : http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=6330

2) it is limited by USB1 and drive mechanism. Zip drives has been made in various format (100, 250, 700 Mb) and connectors (parallele, IDE, SCSI, USB ...), so this can vary a lot ...

1)LP2 is encrypted on the MD with DRM, so there is no program that can 'manipulate' it in the first place. And as zerodB pointed out, even if that was possible, you can't get better bit rate from something with a low bit rate (the quality will not inprove).

I remember from another thread Marc telling than his software is almost, but not completly bit-accurate.

HiSP or PCM when recording (which is my main use, and it would be great to be able to record at 352k) Legacy LP2 for listening in the public transport (for backward compatibility with my Sharp unit)

Good tips, although that means carrying that bulky filter ... I 'll try it (maybe tomorrow ) !

If you happen to have a recording that you can play, but refuse to transfer via USB, the best is probably to transfer via analog or Total Recorder. Trying to add T-Marks is more likely to compromise the recording even further.

You're correct, not all mp3s types are supported. Convert others to wav and inport with SonicStage.

It could be the case ... Try recording line in/mic in and/or with a different media.

Keep your HiMD in case a solution is found and try to contact Sony support ... And really consider upgrading to 3.2 !

The default for recording is always automatic gain, so you will have to switch to manual before starting any record.

Interesting, but my small Packard Bell USB Flash Player can also record at 44 khz, and i would nether use it that way, because the levels are non existent and the built-in mic is crap. So there is a bit more than recording frequency to make an acceptable recorder (for more than just voice recording ...)

There is a pool on the subject : http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=11777 but as ishiyoshi said, it really depends on your needs.

2)If you only have mp3s, a 2nd gen unit like RH10 will support mp3 natively, so you don't need to spend time converting to Atrac.

The built-in camera is 1.3 million pixels, but i would also go for the RH-10 if i had to. To fit 45 CDs on one HiMD, you must use HiLP, which is more or less close to LP4, so if you don't like LP4, don't expect much for the quality and use HiSP instead.

It's built-in mics in XY configuration, but agreed, at this price, there are several users who would prefer phantom power output and plug their own mics. There are already 3 posts on this unit, maybe we should merge the comments ?

Nice to see M-Audio a bit cheaper that i was thinking, but with import duty to Europe, well, i will probably also wait a bit ... I've seen the picture now. It look nice, but it is much more expensive than HiMD, probably doesn't fit in the pocket ... There are pro users who could be interested, but that's a different market segment than HiMD. I wonder about the inputs/outputs of the PCM-D1, which are not listed (yet).

There wasn't that much competition (with PCM quality) under $400 (apart from HiMD and refurbished Creative Jukebox 3). I was looking at M-Audio and Edirol offers, but found them still a bit expensive for my current budget. I hope they have very good specs for this price tag ...

There has been a few changes since OpenMG (which i have never used ...) But the SP that you can get from SonicStage is actually 'fake SP' (similar to LP2 in quality). Check this for example : http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=11247 The only advantage is that it plays on older units ...

Starting with better encoded mp3s (or even better, original CDs ...) should surely help ...