fkoustrup

The car HiMD player would be a convenience but not crucial for me. I wouldn't bother with it myself. A cassette adapter works fine for the rare times that I listen to MDs in the car. A pro- or semi-pro HiMD recorder could be very interesting. Perhaps as a machine for studio transfers and archiving, while keeping a portable for field work and sound gathering. One version with industry-standard inputs and outputs (SPDIF, AES/EBU, TOSLINK) would find a market. A stripped-down version with basic analog inputs and outputs would appeal to theatrical venues, bars, or other places that use background or incidental music. MD would be more stable, flexible, and convenient to use than CD players. But the most significant improvement that Sony could make would be to add simple, hardware control of recording levels to the portables. Use buttons or knobs! I miss the ease of live recording on my first MD, a Sharp. The 'plus' button raised the level; the 'minus' button lowered the level. Simple, effective, reliable, and not expensive. On the Sony that I bought to replace the Sharp when it stopped finalizing recordings, I have to fuss with menus, the sequence of which I usually forget. This inhibits my effective use of this recorder because it takes too much time in the field. Often, the subject of a recording is unpredictable and needs a quick response. And I cannot "ride the fader" with the Sony. I would have replaced the first Sharp with another Sharp, but this brand is almost extinct in Canada. Sony should allow other manufacturers to build HiMD machines - to keep themselves honest and widen the format's market.