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What Do You Want To Ask Sony...?

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MDfreak

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Next week (wednesday the 9th) we from MDcenter.nl have an appointment with Sony Netherlands to have a "hands-on" with a couple of samplemodels of the new Hi-MD lineup.

We also have the opportunity to ask questions and our list is already pretty long, but maybe we forgot something interesting. That's why I ask you wat you want us to ask them or what we defenately have to try out.

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give us a list of which models have AA batt slots and which have AA attachments. (please:))

figure whats up with the file browsing. what use is it? Can you open up files? (eg: txt files?)

Follow up: figure out why the mp3 files are put on seperately(unlike the giant *.hma file) via sonicstage, but you can't take them off the unit (renders them unplayable). Retarded concept if you ask me.

Obviously, drag'n'drop onto the player.

edit: regarding the followup question.. perhaps they allow you to play the mp3 off the player in explorer.. but not when its on your HDD.... hmmm...

Edited by The_Stamp
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Which units do have LineOut-mode (Level up/EQ & Effects & Loudness off)?

When they have a working DH10P, take some sample photos, so we can see the quality of that.

Which brings up the next question: How the photos are stored?

One fat file or individual, directly readable JPEGs?

And what about firmware updates for 1st. generation units?

(Not MP3, but fixing the Hi-LP edit problem and maybe improved codecs.)

[EDIT]

Which bitrates are available in standalone MP3-recording?

Only the 128kBit stated on this: http://www.sony.net/Products/Hi-MD/capacity.html

site, or is it freely adjustable over the whole range?

[EDIT2]

When is the next SonicStage version is out (> 3.0), that doesn't mess up peoples libraries?

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Do the units allow you to make Manual Volume the default setting for Recording instead of 9 (count them) clicks every time you record?

Does the preamp still overload if there's a bass drum anywhere near the concert?

Will Sonic Stage allow you to upload selected tracks instead of either single tracks or clumps of adjacent ones?

Will Sonic Stage allow you to drag and drop .wav recordings instead of having to upload and convert them?

Will the remotes include a Track button and a Record button?

You might say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one....

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1. Will a disc written with MP3s on one unit play on another unit of the same generation?

#1 Explained: I was concerned that my discs may have DRM that prevents them from playing on another newer player. This would be bad if you made a lot of discs and broke your player.

2. Can a minidisc with MP3s on it that has been written for playback also be used for archiving purposes?

#2 Explained: I'd like to use my MDs to archive my MP3s instead of CDs. Being able to PLAYMP3s on a minidisc AND copy them back off of the discs would be helpful.

Why is this a benefit?

I would hope that we wont have to save one MP3 to a different MD as data, or a CD or hard disc to archive them. It would make us use twice as many MDs to keep the same music and I would have to have to continue using CDs or hard discs to save my music archive.

It isn't the end of the world, but it makes using the media much more attractive, and I feel that MD media acceptance will go a long way to help MD gain greater footing in the market. The fewer gotchas to using the media that customers have to deal with, the better it looks. Users want to treat MDs like CDs in terms of the freedom of writing and extracting their data back off of them.

Thanks smile.gif

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2. Can a minidisc with MP3s on it that has been written for playback also be used for archiving purposes?

#2 Explained: I'd like to use my MDs to archive my MP3s instead of CDs. Being able to PLAYMP3s on a minidisc AND copy them back off of the discs would be helpful.

I agree that this would be useful. There is a strange comment on one of the websites (might be Sonicstage v3.0) where it says MP3s can be copied to another computer but not played on that computer.

Does Sonicstage add DRM to MP3s? If so, is this only for the MP3s it encodes or all MP3s that pass through Sonicstage? (I think I know the answer to it).

Also if I use another player to play MP3s that have been transferred back through Sonicstage, will it play? (Such as WinAMP)

When is sonicstage v3 updater coming out?

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Any home decks planned?

Can they confirm what remotes will ship with the new units? The pictures posted show what looks like the old RM-MC35ELK, where's the 55ELK??

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Seconded - with this bit of clarification: will drag and drop work (not necessarily supported - just working is fine) on other operating systems like Mac and Linux?

thirded wacko.gif can I drag files on linux onto the disc as a data device and it still has the ability to play them.

Also, battery life/price/specs for the player unit???

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i am quite interested in aquiring one of the new hi md players and and thankful of the chance to clarify a few poins.

firstly im concerned with the durability of the rh10, from what ive seen the 5line screen seems to be contained under a uniform front plate. does that mean the front plate has a perspex (or similar) outer layer and wouldnt that be quite prone to damage, scratching, etc.

secondly the remotes seem all to be single line remotes will the players also be compatible with the 3line remotes?

Also will the players be able to dowload the new audio formats without sonicstage? and will they be able to download from any no of computers?

finaly and i suppose this is wishful thinking but will there be any posibility of mac- sonicstage or similar?

i think sony would have been far better of if in the begining they released atrac as a playable file format for pc's in the first place... maybe thats the next step..

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Can you find out about what types of ports are on each model? Specifically, do any of them use the weird proprietary USB cables like the NH1, or are they all standard mini-USB cables this generation? Can you charge AND transfer at the same time? (i.e., like the NH1 dock, but with AC *and* USB) And/or does it now charge off USB? (not just get power from-- actually recharge the battery)

Will these continue to be compatible with the card reader? (MCMDR1)

to expand on the "What happens if you put a disc with MP3s in a 1st gen unit" question, can that disc continued to be used in the 1st gen unit? Could you record new tracks (either through the inputs, or through SonicStage)? Or is the disc kind of "off limits"?

Can MP3s be used directly from CD/DVDs (I burn discs full of MP3s and do not store them on my PC) or must they be imported into the library on SonicStage for us?

I had another one but am blanking now...

Edited by Justin42
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Things I would like to know.

Top of the range units (both with & without camera) can they take AA cells & have an internal rechargable battery

Can MP3's be drag & dropped

Docking station, does it have USB & power... God I hope it does as my NH1 is getting to be a pain.

and the main one, please ask this if nothing else.... Can we expect a firmware upgrade for the first gen Hi-MD's, if not can we trade them in.

The 2nd gen is what Hi-MD should have been in the first place realy.

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Guest tony wong

i agree. why arent the new flagship hi-md units supplied with the RM-MC55ELK remote, though the D-NE20 is supplied with it?

seems this 55ELK is equiped with discman only

other models of discman DO equiped with it(e.g. EJ720)

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Thats a very good point, if i put mp3s on my minidisc via drag and drop as data will they be playable, or do they have to be copied via sonic stage 3.0 to actually play back? i suppose the same goes for pictures, can u drag and drop them and have them viewable or does sonic stage has to be used to make them md viewable?

Edited by bobdibest
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seems this 55ELK is equiped with discman only

other models of discman DO equiped with it(e.g. EJ720)

that's why i'm wondering. they put it on their PCDPs but not on a Hi-MD player. i hear it works properly too (well, a 53EL on a NH700). or is it because the 53EL/55ELK doesnt have the "Hi-MD" input on the LCD like the 38EL(K) does...

and yes, the D-EJ720 is supplied w/ the RM-MC53EL only

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We also have the opportunity to ask questions and our list is already pretty long, but maybe we forgot something interesting. That's why I ask you wat you want us to ask them or what we defenately have to try out.

Where are all the 1GB HiMD blanks? I can find regular minidiscs just about anywhere - Target, Radio Shack, Best Buy. No 1GB's anywhere except online. What's the deal?

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Do you ever plan to come out with more ATRAC3plus bitrates - rather than relying on the previous and old ATRAC3 to fill in the mid-bitrate ranges from 64-256 - i mean because ATRAC3plus is a huge advancement in my opinion - it just sounds so good for sizes like 64k/sec - but it is still a tad too low ... a bitrate like 96/ 128k would be great - but ATRAC3 at 132 is too big - and well you could do better quality wise.

Why doesn't sonicstage support certain vbr mp3s... I have quite a few random mp3s that just don't work - i don't know whether it was the program i used to rip it but I still think that your mp3 decoder in Sonicstage is pretty poor - because there are so many mp3s that i'm forced to convert to wav, then reimport, then reconvert, then transfer... so much more complicated then convert and transfer.

Too many times this has been asked: MP3 support 1st GEN HI-MD! PLEASE OH PLEASE!

And to second someone else - just how well/bad has hi-md done - i mean ... i still haven't found anything about it's sales success - in fact loads of people don't know what a hi-md is.. which is kinda worrying.

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Guest tony wong

Do you ever plan to come out with more ATRAC3plus bitrates

cannot agree more

rather than relying on the previous and old ATRAC3 to fill in the mid-bitrate ranges from 64-256

personal thinks this is wrong

Sony is provide 2 choice - quality or size-saving

quality : Hi-SP

size-saving : Hi-LP + ATRAC3pls@48k

I do guess the lack of bit rate between 64 and 256 is simply because :

1. too many bit rate will cause confusion to the user

(but not mean mix up ATRAC3@132 with ATRAC3plus@132

what I mean is just too many choices make people confused when using the unit to record)

2. the chip for encoding cannot pick up too many codec

too many codec may increase the price of the chip and also may decrease the quality

[added]well in between there is LP2/LP4 for compatibility with MD, they'll have to drop something else

obviously, what's between 64 and 256 for ATRAC3plus is dropped[/added]

bitrate like 96/ 128k would be great - but ATRAC3 at 132 is too big - and well you could do better quality wise.

guess that will be available soon after eliminating MDLP and SP support laugh.gif

Too many times this has been asked: MP3 support 1st GEN HI-MD!

seems someone really needs to ask Sony about it

And to second someone else - just how well/bad has hi-md done - i mean ... i still haven't found anything about it's sales success - in fact loads of people don't know what a hi-md is.. which is kinda worrying.

on the beginning of a day u won't ask for lobster, right?

bread and egg is already enough for a breakfast, Yeah, I do think so

Hi-MD is a new thing

actually it is "not" MD anymore

Edited by tony wong
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Things I'd like to ask Sony:

* What is the ADSR envelope of the AGC's normal and loud music modes, and what are their thresholds, assuming -10dBV equipment is used? [i.e. what are the threshold, attack, sustain, decay, and release parameters of the AGC's compression/limiting in both modes?]

* What is the resoultion of the input ADC, and if it is a 1-bit converter, is its PCM conversion capable of putting out >16-bit data?

* Is the atrac/3/plus LSI capable of directly encoding >16-bit streams from either the internal ADC or optical input without requantising to 16-bit?

* Does HiMD employ watermarking?

* Are recording levels pre- or post-gain when using the mic preamp? [they appear to be post-gain]

* Assuming record levesl are post-gain, what is the "unity" setting? [no attenuation, no added gain to the mic preamp's output]

* What are the actual gain levels of the mic preamp in both low and high sensitivity modes, before level control takes place?

* Is there any analogue pre- or digital post-ADC lowpass or bandpass filtering on the analogue inputs? [there doesn't appear to be, as demonstrated by audible harmonics recorded on the units when the input signal is >22,050Hz]

Many of these depend on what reference standards are used, so I would ask that Sony also include what standard they're using for measurement.

I've got more, I just need to think of them.

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