Big Yin

Oh well. That's a pity. One day maybe...hopefully (he said, with naive optimism). Thanks very much for the response.

I started another thread the other day that went off topic quite quickly and was closed by a Mod. Some of you may have seen it. My query was whether it was possible to transfer music stored on Hi-MD in Hi-SP or Hi-LP2 to an MP3 player without the use of a PC. The answer was, as I thought, a definitive NO. The Hi-MD music has to be converted before it can be played on MP3 player, and such conversion can only be done via PC. However, I did a bit more digging and found the Sony NW-E507 flash-based MP3 player. It supports Atrac3Plus playback, which is, as I understand it, what Hi-Md plays. So, I'm now wondering, given that they both play Atrac3Plus, would it be possible to transfer directly from one to the other using USB and at speeds much faster than real-time?? Please say yes, I would love it if this was possible! Thanks.

:D This squabble is very entertaining :D To be honest though I'm now quite confused. I wonder if we could try and clarify for the sake of anyone/everyone reading this: Is it better to use a tree or to use a doorway for the best functioning of the unit? It seems to me that a door might be a more practical solution but I'm willing to spend the extra time and money to get a tree if it would improve things significantly. If the tree is the way to go, can anyone suggest the best type to get. I'm not bothered about looks. As long as it functions properly and is dependable that's fine for me. I'm sorry if these are questions that are asked here a lot but I'm a complete novice with all of this technical stuff, and I couldn't find anything using the search function. Thanks very much for any more help you can give me. You lot are fantastic.

:D Didn't mean to start a war over the relative merits of back-lit screens and Sony remotes. This place is fantastic. :D Anyhoo, I think it will be another NH900 for me, or maybe hold out to see what the next model after the RH1 is (I don't really fancy the RH1 that much). I've done a bit more reading about the RH10 and it doesn't have the "Group" button on the unit itself like the NH900 does - you can only access "Group" via menu. I use the "Group" button a lot on the NH900 and find it extremely convenient. Wouldn't want to be without. If I'm wrong about the RH10 let me know - I'm assuming that it is quite fiddly to change groups compared to the Nh900 (without using the remote)?? The back-lit screen on the RH10 would be really nice, but I can do without. P.S. Funnily enough, having praised the NH900 "Group" button, I've actually been having problems with it lately. But maybe that's a topic for another thread??... But I'll put it here anyway. So here's the problem: Every now and then, when I press "Group" button while playing music, the display goes into the main menu just like it does when you press the seperate "Menu" button. This is very strange, and very annoying. Shouldn't happen. Anyone else experience the same thing?? Any suggestions on how to sort it??

Yeah, I'm now thinking that myself. I only fancied a flash player 'cause they're soooo small, but that alone isn't a good enough reason for me to buy one. So...I think it's time for a new minidisc player/recorder then. I've been looking at the RH10 model, or the RH910, or maybe another NH900!! The RH1 is outside my price range, especially as there are some very good deals on the older ones on Ebay. Are there any real advantages with the RH10 over the RH910 or NH900? If you were given a choice to have only one of them which would it be? Is anything on the RH10 proprietary? I hate proprietary, which is why I bought the NH900 and not the NH1. I'd really appreciate any further thoughts. Thanks.

Sparky, thanks for the reply. They were recorded direct from CD using Hi-SP mode, so not in MP3 format then. So is that definitive - it's impossible to transfer to MP3 player without a PC? Any recommendations on relatively small MP3 players - 1GB to 6GB - that allow good line-in recording from Hi-MD? I know there are quite a few that have line-in, but I'm dubious about how good they will be at doing this.

(Apologies for bold lettering, I just wanted to avoid any confusion) I have searched this site and others on the Internet but cannot find the answers I need. Apologies if I am asking oft repeated questions. I would be very grateful for any help... .... I have a Sony NH900 Hi-MD. I am going to buy an MP3 player, probably flash-based but possibly microdrive/HDD, which will be my first foray into MP3 players. I would like to know if I could directly transfer the music from my portable Hi-MD player over to the MP3 player using a USB cable...without using a PC. Simply a direct transfers from player to player. If the MP3 player works as an external drive then presumably it should work just the same as uploading from Hi-MD player to PC. But as I understand it the problem is the fact that the mnidisc music is in ATRAC, which MP3 players will not play, and so it must be converted to MP3/Wav on a PC first, then transferred to the MP3 player. If anyone can confirm this for me I would be very grateful. If indeed it is not possible to do this with my NH900, is it possible to do it with a more up-to-date Hi-MD player? Or alternatively, are there any MP3 players that would do this job - the Sony MP3 Walkman players perhaps?...again, I emphasise, without using a PC. If direct USB transfers are absolutely impossible without using a PC then I know I can at least transfer directly from NH900 to flash MP3 player via line-in (presumably only in real time???). In which case, could you recommend the best MP3 player for doing this, for both the flash-based type and microdrive/HDD?.......I have read very bad things about Creative's line-in recording function on their flash players so would like to know of better alternatives that do line-in recording very well. .... The reason for my questions is that, for my personal usage/circumstances, I don't like being tied down to relying solely on my PC for music. So if it is possible I would like the MP3 player I am going to buy to be usable in conjunction with my Hi-MD recordings without a PC as a necessity. Thanks very much for any help you can give me.

Big apologies A440 for not acknowledging you last response - I've been away from the PC over Christmas. Thanks for your help. I now have a clearer idea what I need/want, so I'll be going down to the January sales hopefully to find myself a bargain Hi-MD. Thanks again.

Thanks very much for your help Zombie and A440 - I really appreciate it. Unfortunately I think the RH-10 is a bit more than I want to spend. The NH700 seems good though. However, I'm in the UK so that rules out Sony Canada. I'll have a hunt around though. A440, you said: "Hi-MD is better than NetMD because it is capable of uncompressed PCM sound--NetMD at best was SP, which was very high-fidelity but still compressed. PCM needs bigger disc capacity: 90 minutes of PCM on a 1GB disc, compared to nearly eight hours of Hi-SP, which is likely good enough fidelity for portable and possibly home use, and 34 hours of Hi-LP, which is fine for portable use. Unless you're in a very quiet place with very good speakers or 'phones, you're not likely to hear much difference between PCM and Hi-SP" That's pretty technical but I get the jist. It all seems a bit vague and non-commital though, if you don't mind me saying. The bit I've highlighted doesn't fill me with confidence. I definitely need something that will sound good for home use. Could you elaborate a little please.......have you tried listening to your NH800 through a Hi-Fi system? Regarding transfering MD to MP3, could you briefly explain to a ludite why it is possible to transfer from CD to MP3 player without the use of a PC, but not possible to transfer MD to MP3 player in the same way? I'm curious. I suppose maybe I just need to go and buy one and be done with it, but I'd be very grateful of any further advise to help me decide.

Hi everyone. Excellent forums. I'd really appreciate a little advise from you. I've read a lot but all the technical stuff is way over my head and I'm still confused as to the best minidisc for me. There's just too many to choose from. I hope you can help (apologies if this as a bit long). My needs are as follows: 1. To transfer CD to MD with excellent sound quality - through headphones as a portable unit and through a home Hi-Fi system. Quick transfer rates would be a nice feature but not essential. Sound quality is paramount. I'm confused as to how Hi-MD compares to Net-MD in this department. 2. I do not envisage using it at all for any MP3 music. Purely for transferring CDs to it. So ease of use with computer etc is irrelevant. 3. If at all possible, to transfer music from MD to a small flash MP3 player for sports use - without the use of a PC as I don't have one at home. I hate computers so would really like to avoid using one for doing this. I know you can transfer from CD directly to MP3 as long as the MP3 player has line-in, so can you do the same with MD? 4. Proven durability. I don't need any fancy stuff like LCD displays, or "sexy" appearance etc. I just want a player that's robustly built, really dependable with excellent sound. 5. Not essential, but good mic recording would be good. 6. Removable battery. AA would be good (not an external pack), but as long as the battery can be easily removed and installed without having to send anywhere, as is the case with ipod. I'm attracted to Hi-MD because of the amount you can store on a single disk, but so far I've been unable to really clarify if the sound quality suffers as a result. Would I be better with Net-Md or Hi-Md for my needs? I'd be really grateful of some help. I don't want to make a first MD purchase that I regret.