Deanage

If you have l33t modding skills you could make it red anyway. You might be able to get some LED's in there as well For some strange reason I don't think Sony would honour (honor) your warranty though.

Now that Hi-MD is basically dead I (we) have to choose a new upgrade path once our walkmans die. After contemplating HD players, which have no way of upgrading capacity, I am now thinking about portable DVD players, as extra capacity is as cheap as chips (about 6hrs of WAV for around $1.50). I only need it for WAV playback and my 3 main "must haves" are -Ability to put WAV files on a DVD and have the player able read it. -Decent battery life (5hrs+, WAV audio only). -A SNR near or equivalent to Hi-MD (100db SNR, I believe it is). Also being able to turn off the screen (and use a small dot matrix display) when playing back audio would be cool, so as to save battery life. Using AA's would rock, but chances of this happening are minimal so battery type isn't much of a issue. I couldn't give a toss about size either but a remote would be handy so I can leave it in my bag and use the remote for volume and etc. I'm yet to find a player that can do these things. Anyone know of a product? Thanks in advance

It most certainly does, sorry to say. I'm using one right now. Can't remember the remote name but it's the FM radio one. Can only adjust volume and skip songs with it and it takes age for the player to recognise though.

Would I be correct in guessing that most of your non-Japanese friends probably own Japanese stuff? That's usually the case for non-Japanese people. Think of something electronic you own and chances are it's Japanese. Canon cameras, Playstations, your television, the list keeps gong. Do you live in America? I heard that it's a bitch to get a Japanese imported car in America. In Australia it's pretty easy so there's lots of Japanese imported cars (and electronics). It's possible to get a Nissan R32 Skyline GT-R here for less than AU$20,000 (crap condition though). Over here most of the electronics come from the European market, rather than the U.S. or Japanese markets, so people buy electronics from Japanese companies with no worries. Japanese electronics also have a great reputation for reliability (like Toyota cars...). Also, American electronics have a, let's say, less than prestigious reputation over here compared to their reliable Japanese counterparts (except high-end audio; possibly the only industry where America make products that rival their European counterparts. My next Hi-Fi setup will be Mackie based). When I say high-end audio I don't mean iPod, even though they're from an American based company. How a company with such an excellent reputation in the audio industry can make an audio product of such poor quality is beyond me. (Yes, I know there have been squillions of them sold but just 'cos something sells in high volumes doesn't mean it's any good. SUV's for example...).

Ha ha ha. I suppose I shouldn't laugh but that is typical Aussie buying habits. Who careswhere it comes from so long as it's cheap and/or good looking. Most Australian electronic manufacturing is industrial anyway. Clipsal, Bosch, MOTEC, etc The new 380 is a wholly Australian product (so if it's no good then you know why ), but the ninja Lancer Evo series is Jap made. Half the stuff over here from Mitsu is built in the Adelaide plant though. Pretty much all of Holden's small car range is Euro (Vauxhall, Opel) with the exception of the new Daewoo, er, Barina (it's all GM anyway). Most of the dumb, lumbering "big V6" and V8 models are Australian assembled with Chevrolet engines and foreign parts. Monaro (Pontiac GTO for all the US visitors), isn't being sold here anymore, only exported to the US. Who the hell wants a big V8 with petrol as it is? By the way, the Mitsu 380 is 68% Oz made and the new Commodore (when it arrives), is 62% Oz made. It's quite funny when you tell that to a Commodore loving bogan who hates "Jap crap" (they're just scared they'll like Jap cars). Anyways, we're WAY off the orignal topic. Back to the Hi-MD...

"Nationalistic Reasons". Strange, considering Sony is headed by a foreigner and also has it's head office in the U.S. It's like how some people in Australia call Holden a more Australian product than Mitsubishi, even though both manufacturers employ numerous Australians at their Australian design and assembly plants and Holden is GM owned. Also, I spoke to my Japanese teacher the other day about the sort of MP3 players the Japanese use and most of the stuff comes from Korea. It helps when you only have to ship a product a few hundred kilometres (or kilometers, for the Americans in the forum), from a plant that pays thier staff a small percentage of what the American based companies must pay. Where are iPods made anyway?

I went into Sony Central (Adelaide) today and there was an MZNH600 sitting there all by itself. Oh wait, there was a tape based notetaker sitting underneath it, 'cos, you know, they're everywhere these days. Everyone uses tape! Good to see Sony has it's priorites right...

*cough* someone please make a WAV/WMA hack for Hi-MD so people can use the excellent Creative Mediasource software *cough*

Ah, yes, the unwritten rule of portable audio. NEVER, EVER, EVER use stock earphones. Quite frankly, you would have to be an idiot to jam plastic into your ears. But I digress. My point on my earlier post is that iPod owners use stock earphones just to (try to) look cool. One could safely assume that Creative and iRiver owners care more about what's coming from the earphones rather than being shallow enough to worry about what they look like. I honestly couldn't tell you the last time I saw someone using the crappy stock Creative or iRiver (or Sony) earbuds. Even now, I'm seeing more iPod owners start to use aftermarket headphones. The small, white, plastic distortion creators are still prevalent though... It would be good if Sony were a higher level audio company, like Mackie or Tannoy, where if they turn a profit then that's good enough. It RELLY sucks when profits get in the way of good products (video games, anyone...). I'll have to argue the cost point. Look at BOSE; way overpriced yet people still buy BOSE in droves because thier stuff looks good and performs good enough. Not GREAT, but good enough for Joe Blow, not that Joe Blow could afford Bose's ludicrous prices. Speaking of purchasing based on looks, have you heard of a company called Bang & Olufsen? This is probably going to sound hypocritical but I when someone asks me "what sort of portable audio device should I buy", the first thing I'll say is "What do you need it for?" and then I'll say "Don't buy an iPod". I do my best to accept that some people aren't as banal or picky as I when it comes to audio, but it really shits me off when peple buy an inferior product (that usually costs more), justs because it looks good. I have a saying that goes "iPod is a waste of the gift of individual thought", i.e. you have the power to think differently from other people but instead you go and decide to be just like everyone else. Derr I'll do my best! Thanks for the constructive criticism anyway. No, really, I mean it.

That, and flash cards are really easy to lose. Even USB flash drives are getting stupidly small.

Just buy a TV tuner card and DVD burner for your PC. Should be less than AU$200 compared to the ridiculous prices for HD/DVD recorders/PVR's over here (chepest I saw was AU$699).

Spot on! Hence why MD is so popular in Japan. For such a technologically advanced society it's (initially) surprising to find out how few people actually own a computer. That is, until you see a typical Japanese shoebo- erm, apartment. Where the hell are you going to put a desk, chair, PC and monitor/keyboard/mouse in a Japanese apartment. That's also one of the reasons why so many stereos come out with CD/MD players with direct copy. Optical-in = much happiness Damn right. the next time I hear Ken Kutaragi (SCEE) say "photorealistic graphics"... Fire his ass! P.S. Ken, the PS3 does not have photorealistic graphics. Neither will the PS4, or 5. Give it at least 15 years.

Did you read the post I made near the start of the topic? recap. 850Gb AO-DVD from Toshiba. Expected release in 2008-2009. I hope this format crushes Blu-ray & HD-DVD. That way the companies involved can stop bitching about whose format is better and make things easier for the consumer. The audio industry is quite possibly the ONLY industry where you CAN'T (or it's damn near impossible to find) an equivalent product for half the price. Audio equipment is not a commodity; a good system will last well over 10 years so it makes sense to spend good money. "Buy it once, buy it right'. Let's be honest; people only use those little white earbuds of distortion so that they can tell the world how cool they think they are. Flash memory won' t take over optical for DECADES. Flash is expensive to manufacture, there are too many CD/DVD drives in the world (people are loathe to upgrade unless it is for a good purpose. Look at HD TV in Australia; the content has to be worthwile to warrant purchase), and blank optical storage is REALLY cheap. By the way, aren't floppy discs meant to be dead by now...

Quite possibly the ONLY good thing about living in Adelaide is that since we are so slow to get new technology (we still don't have wireless broadband), we're slow to get rid of old technology. Sony Central (69 Grenfell St, Adelaide, 5000. Ph 08 8232 6800), had a few walkmans the last time I checked just over a week ago. Adelaide also just got a new shipment of Hi-MD blanks. REJOICE! Sorry to hear about your loss, leonyuhanov. That truly sucks. If you find the lowlifes, kick their head in for me.

Hey genghisbunny, where did you get your avatar? Me like, me like very much because me dislike iPod very much

Nano cracked? Serves you right for being dumb enough to buy anything iPod branded.

In all honesty I only use PCM for CD-MD recordings (hence my username). Then again, I'm also an overly banal audiophile I use MDR-F1 headphones so it's pretty easy to tell the difference between compression and non. However, you should choose whatever suits you. If you are recording from CD though, you should use the highest bitrate you can. I also use SP on Net-MD's for when I go to Japan, as Hi-MD is virtually non-existent over there (regular MD, however...)

My friend just bought a Creative Zen Touch. Using the software (Creative Mediasource) was an absolute pleasure. 3 step copying and it NEVER crashes. Sony could learn a lot from the king of sound cards. I'd have to disagree with "MD's are unreliable". One of my discs is so screwed you can pull back the protective "door" and touch the disc. Now the disc has all sorts of gunk on it but it still works. If you want unreliability, buy an iPod. I can't tell you how many stories (many verified) there are of dodgy Pods. Dead On Arrival shouldn't really inspre consumer confidence but many of these "victims" went through the 'return, wait, get screwed around, wait some more' procedure just to get a working iPod. Duh!

Ha ha ha. MP3 distortion would be a more accurate description. What about Blu-Ray vs HD-DVD? That could be a good battle... What do you mean no-one cares?!

I heard Toshiba is working on a new format called "AO-DVD"(Articulated Optical DVD), expected to hold about 850Gb and due for release 2008-2009. Imagine engineering THAT into an MD case. 250Gb, thank you very much. One can dream...

Maybe Sony's ego has gotten in the way with accepting that other companies can be a threat *cough* SAMSUNG *cough* One thing I've noticed is that Apple spend a LOT of money on advertising irritating, Puerile, overrated devices. When there is a lull in the marketing blitz (as there needs to be, otherwise, OVERLOAD!), I see less people using iPods. I really don't understand how people can be swayed to buy an inferior product by a bunsh of sillhouettes that dance like how idol contestants sing i.e. VERY POORLY. There are 3 certanties in this world. Death is inevitable. Taxes are inevitable. iPod owners are insecure tools.

Thank you for your help!

I received some GOOD news. I visited Sony Central in Adelaide and I asked them about the current MD situation. They said, and I quote, "Sony is scaling back MD operations; however, walkmans will still be available and blank media will definitely be available." So there won't be as many walkmans (meh), and you will still be able to buy Hi-MD's. Yay! Last time I looked at "portable" SSR's I found one called a NAGRA V. You use standard PC hard drives (it's portable in that it comes with a bag portable), has a ton of inputs & meters and id meant to be really, really good. Last time I checked it cost $10,000...

Does anyone know a way of doing the opposite i.e. inputting hiragana/katakana/kanji onto an MZNH-600? I tried cut & paste from MS Word...to no avail. The IME doesn't seem to want to work with SS. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

A 1gig memory stick costs around AU$200 though. A 1gig Hi-MD costs about $5. It's like pirating N64 games. Possible, but the whole point of piracy is so that you don't pay heaps (if anything). Why the hell would you bother?