SONY can beat APPLE in this way!

[bendany]

Make MD as a external USB SOUNDCARD.

currently I can't satisfy with my notebook/PC soundcard's quality.

if sony can make MD as a external usb soundcard. that will encourage

a lot of people to buy one...

I think it will be possible without modify the hardware of MD.

[pauljones52]

bendany if you pick up an old NET MD model, these currently function as external soundcards to some extent (although u have to transfer the music to the disc first). When playing music in sonicstage the sound will come through the headphone socket of the unit. Probably not good enough for what your looking for, but you can pick up cheap usb soundcards on ebay for about a tenner. I have one and it is surprisingly good quality!

[MDGB2]

Ways for Sony to make Hi-MD/MD sucessful:

Remove all copyright restrictions and allow MDs to be 'dubbed'.

Produce Internal/external PC drives for recording data/music from CDs/other sources.

Full 'drag n drop' capability.

Make media as cheap as CD-R (this would probably rely on 3rd party manufacturing)

Produce affordable Hi-MD in-car units.

Hi-MD DECKS!

Push the format to other companies.

ADVERTISE!!!

Ah well, maybe if they'd have done it over 10 years ago...

[bendany]

bendany if you pick up an old NET MD model, these currently function as external soundcards to some extent (although u have to transfer the music to the disc first). When playing music in sonicstage the sound will come through the headphone socket of the unit. Probably not good enough for what your looking for, but you can pick up cheap usb soundcards on ebay for about a tenner. I have one and it is surprisingly good quality!

Yes, I can do it like this way, but it doesn't act as a real soundcard.

all I want SONY to do is make the MD act just like an input/output system

when connect to the PC.

surely I can find a good quality USB soundcard, But I think it will make me feel

better that my MD can do that.

it is just a dream. I certainly don't think SONY will help us do that...

Ways for Sony to make Hi-MD/MD sucessful:

Remove all copyright restrictions and allow MDs to be 'dubbed'.

Produce Internal/external PC drives for recording data/music from CDs/other sources.

Full 'drag n drop' capability.

Make media as cheap as CD-R (this would probably rely on 3rd party manufacturing)

Produce affordable Hi-MD in-car units.

Hi-MD DECKS!

Push the format to other companies.

ADVERTISE!!!

Ah well, maybe if they'd have done it over 10 years ago...

Personly I think the MD has come to its end... currently MD disk cannot produce more

high capacity without changing the laser length. that is why UMD disc comes.

But UMD cannot record. that is another problem. I don't know what the hell SONY thinks.

perhaps SONY want to introduce another recordable media in the future? if it is true.

I think SONY must be CRAZY.

current situcation is that the cost of MD disk is far more cheaper than memory stick.

(I have bought 20 80mins discs today by 1080 JPY, about 10$? ), and I see that SONY

has let MD market off... since I am a MD fan, I am sad to see that...

[chico75pi]

One simple way to help MD go back on the road is doing what every manufacturer does in this case: you sponsor a big sci-fi movie, like the "Fantastic Four" and give the cool guy a MD recorder...

As for the advertising, you pick a cool young star (from music or cinema) and give him/her the MD...

That might sound naive, but it has always worked. (Then of course you should cut the prices of MD blanks).

Miky

[Sony_Fan]

Ways for Sony to make Hi-MD/MD sucessful:

Remove all copyright restrictions and allow MDs to be 'dubbed'.

Produce Internal/external PC drives for recording data/music from CDs/other sources.

Full 'drag n drop' capability.

Make media as cheap as CD-R (this would probably rely on 3rd party manufacturing)

Produce affordable Hi-MD in-car units.

Hi-MD DECKS!

Push the format to other companies.

ADVERTISE!!!

Ah well, maybe if they'd have done it over 10 years ago...

The biggest factor of the ones mentioned above is ADVERSTISE!!!! I want to see Hi-MD commercials on T.V.

[pauljones52]

Ahh so true, absolutely everyone I talk to says MD is old technology. no-one knows about HIMD! I only found out about it when I got a replacement on my insurance for my old MD player! It could have been a revival of the format, but that's not going to happen if no-one knows about HIMD!

[dex Otaku]

Make MD as a external USB SOUNDCARD.

currently I can't satisfy with my notebook/PC soundcard's quality.

. . .

I think it will be possible without modify the hardware of MD.

For under $100, one can purchase USB sound adapters that heve 24-bit/96Khz DAC and support 6 output channels [for 5.1 audio] as well as having a stereo line input. Since they are designed to be powered by USB, they can have full line-level outputs and some even sport half-decent mic preamps. Most also will work at any sampling rate between 8-96kHz.

By contrast, MD and HiMD portables work only with 16-bit audio [though the ADCs in HiMD units are 20-bit]; they are locked at 44.1kHz for playback; no current models have an actual line output as they are designed to run from a single 1.2V NiMH battery.. &c.

To have full function as a USB sound card without compromising the sound quality of any non-44.1kHz stream sent to them, they would need:

* to support a full range of sampling rates for playback [i.e. not to resample everything passing through]

* to support higher bit-depths natively for playback

* a redesigned power section with output amp made to support full line-level [which would likely also mean increasing the number of batteries req'd to run the unit or deciding to go only with at least 3V lithium cells], not to mention higher power to handle less-efficient full-sized headphones

To put it simply, a USB sound adapter and the output section of any netMD or HiMD unit are not equivalent to each other. They could perhaps include this functionality in future units but IMO, even if it's possible, to enable such on older and present units would be a waste of time.

Ahh so true, absolutely everyone I talk to says MD is old technology. no-one knows about HIMD! I only found out about it when I got a replacement on my insurance for my old MD player! It could have been a revival of the format, but that's not going to happen if no-one knows about HIMD!

This depends on where you are. Very few people where I live have ever heard of or seen MD equipment, including employees on audio/video shops, local broadcasters and/or reporters, police, &c. When shown the recorder or discs, and informed that the format has been around for 14 years [and basically took over in Japan for a long time], they usually stammer incoherently.

[Ezra4no1]

I have long left the MD world for the simplicity which other audio Hard Drive recorder/players offers in the way of simple drag and drop and little to no DRM restriction.

Still...I just recently picked up an eleven year old MZ-B3 in excellent condition for under a hundred dollars on eBay for the sole purpose to replace an audio cassette recorder. Audio Cassettes are fragile, poor sound quality, degrade over time, prone to breakage with usage, but are very cheap. In all these areas but price MDs is superior format.

Sony could push to have MDs replace audio cassetts. The way I see it, audio cassetts currently still fills a need and are the only options which non technical people have to record audio or live events, such as lectures, simple music, and the such. If Sony would market an inexpensive no frills MD for under 50 or 60 dollars, used good marketing as well as licensees and partners with other companies tohelp push and carry these MDs, they could have greate success since MDs could replace audio cassetts and fill that need. The MD recorder would need to be redesigned to be a bit more rugged, and to be as simple as a tape recorder (much like the MZ-B3 with an internal Mic, and speaker). Though this MD wouldn't need to be Hi-MD specs to keep cost low, but the SP recordings would need to be compatable with all the downloading features of Hi-MD so if people upgraded to the more expensive models they would still beable to keep their recordings.

Anyway, just my thoughts. I see no reason why MDs couldn't replace audio cassetts all together. there is still a large markethere ands Sony could re-introduce MDs at a Budget Price for everyone else. This could bring alot of life back into the format and lead to High fedality MD players and recorders in car stereos, home systems, and boom boxes again. Also.. with the new Hi-MDs Gen2 I couldn't see why Sony couldn't market MDs as a perfect way to archive and save your Mp3 files without possibile losing them from your computer.

Edited February 23, 2006 by Ezra4no1

[dex Otaku]

Why MD/HiMD won't replace audio cassettes: [and this relates to why CD- and DVD-R won't replace 1/4" tape]

Tape is mechanical, and electromagnetic. There is absolutely no need for digital circuitry of any kind to be involved in the manufacture of a tape recorder or player. Ergo, facilities and/or countries with low-tech manufacturing [i.e. developing nations] can build or repair a tape machine, but don't have a hope in hell of building a CD player, MD recorder, DAT, &c.

The most complicated "unknowns" of tape recording/playback involve things like recording bias and pre/de-emphasis equalisation. Bias depends on tape formulation, and actually isn't required at all for units to record [it's not used during playback at all], all that suffers is linearity - you still get a recording, though.

Pre/de-emphasis are well-established in well-publicised standards that have been around for many, many years. No mysteries there, no patents to worry about, no proprietary encoding formats [unless you want to get into noise reduction or dynamic range compansion], no special concerns about only one brand of tape working ..

Old-tech has many advantages that newer technologies don't and even can't have. Foremost among them are design simplicity, all-analogue construction, and potential longevity [as a format, not of a specific tape] that no digital format can even begin to profess to compete with.

100 years from now, your descendants will be able to take some bits of metal, some coils of wire, and the simplest analogue circuitry [whether they use tube, transister, op-amp, or what have you] along with some motors and other parts [which they'll likely be able to find in junkyards] and make a working tape player, assuming that no one is making players at that point.

Do you think they'd stand a chance of making a CD player? MD player? DVD player? Do you think anyone will still be making any of those?

Digital formats are closed-loops. They will die, and with their death, we'll be left with tonnes of media that will be completely inaccessible for the rest of eternity [or at least, until someone decides to spend the carloads of money required to manufacture one single player, assuming they can find the infomation on the built-in proprietary systems used by most digital formats that will even allow them to do anything with the data they contain].

[Sparky191]

I doubt that I'll be around to care about obolesence.

I find HiMD is a great recorder. I'll hang on to it just for that. But I think it makes little sense as a player unless its priced the same a 1GB flash MP3 Player. Which is why 2nd hand units are a great deal.

[Ezra4no1]

Why MD/HiMD won't replace audio cassettes: [and this relates to why CD- and DVD-R won't replace 1/4" tape]

Dude.... what whole do you live in? Look around you.. Everything from TV to Radio is going digital. Who cares about 3rd world countries when they don't even have running water or electricity in their homes. Do you Think for a moment that BMW or Mercedes Benz gives a damn about what technology will exist in 100 years or what 3rd world country can reproduce a technology when they decide to put a CD player verses a tape deck in one of their cars?

That's the same point I am getting at. Who give's cow's @$$ if CD players will never make absolete the audio cassette, as long as every place else sells CD players at a reasonable price in 1st world countries, (granted if you live in one of those countries - If not than keep saving to get your tape deck, because that will have no effect here where I live).

With the Buzz of everything going Digital - from cable TV, to satalite, radio, TV sets, digital downloads, and so on, Sony could create a market for themselves selling a Digital Replacement for the Audio Cassete by selling low end and simple to use MiniDiscs. If Sony would pull their thumbs out of their @$$ and license their technology out inexpensively and use corporate partners they could push the MiniDisc in this market and make a killing off of the royalties. I mean imagine what royalties would of been from blank audio cassettes, or blank CDs if existed.

But again.. just my thoughts.

Edited February 26, 2006 by Ezra4no1

[dex Otaku]

Do ou Think for a moment that BMW or Mercedes Benz gives a damn about what technology will exist in 100 years or what 3rd world country can reproduce a technology when they decide to put a CD player verses a tape deck in one of their cars?

No, I don't think they do - and that's exactly the point.

Because they don't care, we have to.

You obviously don't, though.

[danielbb90]

This idea appeals to me! I don't have a line-in port in my laptop... It would be usefull! Go sony do it!