Jump to content

Hi-MD Firmware updates?

Rate this topic


danielbb90

Recommended Posts

I will now attempt to read the minds of Sony's Minidisc people....

....

....

....

nothing there.

All kidding aside, what are you expecting to get with firmware upgrades? WMA support? How about some more stable mp3 support?

Only Sony really knows why they don't update their MD devices with more features, but one guess would be the cost of developing newer firmware is not balanced by the profit of selling MD devices.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is how I see it:

If Sony were to release firmware updates for 1st generation models to improve functionality then people are less likely to buy into the second generation. Not only would Sony lose money on development but they would lose money on sales too.

So the chances of a firmware update are pretty small. Does anyone know if the Hi-MD units are capable of firmware updates over USB though?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1st generation players and recorders play mp3's just fine, they are trancoded though. If it is so important that you don't want transcoding, get a second generation,. but remember there is life beyond mp3, and that is the strength of minidisc.

Bob

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Earlier on there is one model (I forgot the model name) of second generation Hi-MD where there were some problem with displaying the "keyboard" that appears whenever you want to rename your track. So Sony asked those with affected units to check in at the Sony Service Centre for firmware upgrade.

So i think chances are we are unable to upgrade the firmware ourselves, although it can be done. Maybe that has something to do with the EPROM they use.

If you like to have a device with tonnes of firmware update regularly, get iAudio Mp3 players from Cowan. :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1st generation players and recorders play mp3's just fine, they are trancoded though. If it is so important that you don't want transcoding, get a second generation,. but remember there is life beyond mp3, and that is the strength of minidisc.

Bob

Correction, 1st generating players cannot play MP3s, because they need transcoding first.

Sony claim that their Minidisc units can play MP3s, WMAs etc., when they actually can't and need to be transcoded first. Personally, I find the information Sony provide to be misleading and innacurate (perhaps, reading closely, it isn't such innacurate but it's very sneaky indeed!)

Correction, I meant generation, sorry :unsure:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Correction, 1st generating players cannot play MP3s, because they need transcoding first.

Sony claim that their Minidisc units can play MP3s, WMAs etc., when they actually can't and need to be transcoded first. Personally, I find the information Sony provide to be misleading and innacurate (perhaps, reading closely, it isn't such innacurate but it's very sneaky indeed!)

Correction, I meant generation, sorry :unsure:

Nah. I think its a matter of reading careful. I read and discovered that Sony mentioned popular file formats like Mp3, wma, wav are SUPPORTED. While it says that Atrac3plus can be PLAYED on the unit. They are just playing with words. As consumers, we should also be more careful.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The best case scenario would be an open ended system like the PSP's, which people have hacked to hell to cheat the system. Now I realize we're talking about two different things here, but we also have to take into account that Sony sells more PSP units than Minidisc units, yet Minidiscs get the lockdown. With the right people, i'm sure the Minidisc commmunity could break through the technological gates Sony set up inside of the MD format, and crack it wide open. With the right info, we could create an alternative browswer, create our own firmware, even improve performance! Some hacks (The battery hacks for one) are already realized and put into motion. But most of these don't actually have anything to do with what makes the Minidisc run.

It is a dream, but it may not be too far off.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...