DATfan

Ebay. Vendor = "buyfromjapan"

You are speaking of buyfromjapan. Currently does not have that remote listed. That is why I bought 3 last time for spares. (I did have one break on me recently. )

So, let's say I download a radio podcast in MP3 on my computer. I transfer it to the RH1. It cannot be edited or even deleted? And I though the RH1 got rid of this type of restriction. So, any way to defeat this?

I just decommissioned my MZ-NH900 in favor of a MZ-RH1. I often listen to radio shows, and use the speed control (SC) feature. What a difference! The MZ-RH1 on speed control provided totally smooth, pitch-controlled audio. Listening at +100% (2x) was not only actually possible, but EASY! I've used speed control on the regular MD business players, and they shared the same problems with audibility that the Hi-MD MZ-NH900 did ... you really can't go past +50% without losing audibility, and there are sharp "cracks" in the sound that are annoying. You really have to work at listening. In fact, I had stocked up with 2 MZ-NH900s back when we learned that the second wave of Hi-MDs had dropped the SC feature. But, shortly thereafter, the MZ-RH1 arrived and re-implemented SC, but I soldiered on with the MZ-NH900, because I didn't believe Sony would change the speed control algorithm. Boy, was I wrong!! I now have 1 MZ-RH1 and 2 MZ-M200s and have decommissioned that MZ-NH900, and have a 2nd new-in-box that I just won't be needing at all.

Bump... any stand-alone chargers for the LIP-4WM battery? And are there any non-Sony versions of this battery?

Right, I see that there is something called "ATRAC LOSSLESS" but you can only burn it to CD-ROMs, not transfer to MD.

Just purchased 20 blank Hi-MD from Tape Warehouse dot com for a reasonable price. They do go in and out of stock.

There are a handful of places online to buy the Onkyo Hi-MD decks, shipping to the U.S., U.K., and other non-Japan markets. My Onkyo deck is happily working on a step-down transformer here in the U.S. Easy to obtain (I used amazon.co.jp and a friend's address in Japan), quick to ship, and intuitive to operate, everything (except the printed manual, but who reads that? ha) is in English. YMMV...

I picked up a bunch of new, blank MDs at < JPY 40 ( < USD 0.35) each, last time I was looking at some discount store in Fukuyama.

Download Link for mplayer 1.0 rc 1 http://www.mplayerhq.hu/design7/dload.html Use the commandline (not GUI) version, I think the latest (for Windows) is: MPlayer-mingw32-1.0rc1.zip Command line functionality is documented here: http://www.mplayerhq.hu/DOCS/man/en/mplayer.1.txt HTH

So, other than the fact that BluRay is not magneto optical, and uses different diameter discs . . . It's all so diabolically clever.

Mplayer is easy. Never needed to look for anything else. Mplayer performs similarly. I am happy to keep the original AC3 and a down-mixed 2-channel PCM (for use with MD of course). Mplayer can be invoked to process AC3 files to 2-channel PCM. It seems to be very versatile. But it's good to know there is alternative free software out there.

I have the MD-133. I am not really set up to test this (no CD player hooked into it). So I will propose a computer-based solution which I would have a lot more confidence in, anyway. For bit-for-bit accuracy on CDs, I use Exact Audio Copy, but the soon-to-be-finalized dBPowerAMP Music Converter R12 (now in beta) may have a superior ripper. See http://dbpoweramp.com/secure-ripper.htm . I think you should be able to put all such resulting wav PCM on Hi-MD. For DVDs, I think mplayer is the best free utility out there. It lets you isolate the audio you want and get it. Regardless, you can get exactly what is on the DVD (AC3, DTS, etc) in its original form.

IMO it's not so much a revival as the grand finale.

This would appear to be within the realm of possibility. Hopefully someone who knows more will post here. But all evidence is that Sony is not developing MD technology any further. Hello Sony Service department.

AFAIK, if I change machines or reinstall the OS, the license key is no longer valid and the files cannot be used. You are asking a minidisc user why he doesn't use something more common? EDIT: Here's a great comparison table for various CODECs. http://wiki.hydrogenaudio.org/index.php?ti...less_comparison Because my goal is to compress and archive, I choose to compress to the smallest file size. To compress to larger than the minimum file size does not make sense. I do admit one ulterior motive, the ability to tag OFR files. I also admit FLAC files are definitely intriguing, especially the ability to include pictures of the CD cover & booklet.

A belated thanks. I finally understand what you are saying about the license issues. Apparently, I would not be able to recover the original WAV from my ATRAC files should I attempt to do it on another machine (or on my own machine, if I had reinstalled my OS). Yikes! After much research, I have decided to use OPTIMFROG for all long-term WAV archiving (not day-to-day use).

Bump for my edits to previous messages.

Well, now I know, it's absolutely trivial to do and get the timer record function working. See http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=7920

... by Sony. Printed by Sony, on the Sony MD-8HCL head cleaner. Nevertheless, I do note that Sony is not precisely recommending this use, merely stating that this will keep the head clean at all times (regardless of unmentioned side effects such as possible wear). So I will not be cleaning my MD recording heads twice a month. Once a year maybe. And cleaning the lens? Most likely never! That is, as soon as anyone can clarify if the Sony MD-8HCL head cleaner is acceptable for use in Hi-MD units. What is it about MD car and data drives such that Sony instructs against using the MD-8HCL, and are those characteristics shared by Hi-MD units?

EDIT: No, it doesn't work with just the tuner and deck. The timer can be programmed, but will not trigger without the A-933 Pre-Main Amp. The A-933 Pre-Main Amp is required for the timer to operate. EDIT: A 15 ft long mono (monaural) patch cable, terminated with mini-plugs, works correctly in place of the R1 cables. EDIT: The user can timer-record from one external source (i.e. something other than an Onkyo Intec 275 component). I use an ICOM IC-R75 base receiver. Of course, the user must ensure that this component will be operating at the needed time. EDIT: In the timer menu, I can choose to record from AM, FM, or LINE. The MD-133 takes as "LINE" the input to which the MD-133 was last set (DIGITAL1, DIGITAL2, ANALOG) . Because the timer cannot specify between the three possible inputs DIGITAL1, DIGITAL2 and ANALOG on the MD-133, the timer cannot make the input source change from whatever is currently selected for the MD-133. Other notes: The AM band is, of course, the Japanese standard, so it is fairly useless in the U.S. There are a few coincidences of usable frequences, such as AM 630 kHz, WMAL (ABC) in Washington, D.C. Even using the small AM antenna, I found the T-433 was able to lock on strongly, and found myself listening to WMAL's Christmas programs. I am using a step-down transformer to 100 V. 500 W should be sufficient, as I am not using any speakers with this setup, it's strictly a recording rig.

Sony MD-8HCL instructions: "To keep the magnetic head clean at all times, carry out cleaning regularly at a rate of about once every two weeks." Recommendation is implied, but not directly stated. Also of interest, the head cleaner is not for use in "car-mounted MD units" or in "data drivers." I wonder whether the characteristics of car-mounted and data driver MD units (that render head cleaners unsuitable) are also shared by Hi-MD units?

Wow! This system is really slick. Very easy to operate, solid feel. The three essential components are the A-933 pre-main amp, T-433 tuner, and MD-133 Hi-MD player. Some might desire the CD player and speakers, but I omitted them from my purchase. I feel it was worth spending just shy of USD 2000, including all taxes and shipping. Especially so, as I remember the Sony MDS-E12 pro deck was USD 1200, by itself. I was going to describe how to set it up and make the timer record function work. But there's really no need, it is so straightforward. So, I'm not going to post a whole review just yet. The timer-record function does really work! EDIT: The A-933 is required for the timer function to operate. More later!

I am finding my NH-900 to be unreliable under certain known circumstances. When doing a single recording operation to 80 min MD media in Hi-LP mode, and reaching the full disc capacity, frequently all recorded data are lost. I think this is probably some flaw in the firmware.

UPDATE (again). Yesterday, my NH900 did this with a 80 min Nashua MD. That is, lost all data. It appears the NH900 (tested using a standard 80 min MD in Hi-LP mode) cannot reliably record, in a single operation, to the complete end of a MD (in this case, just over 10 hours). The disc in question was blank, but it had been full-erased after a successful prior attempt to write to the end of the disc. I am now thinking there might be a need to "refresh" the MD by some method other than full-erase.