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Defying Expectations, Third Generation Hi-MD Unit Surfaces?

Christopher

By Christopher,
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FenderP Newbie

FenderP

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Figures. I just ordered a blue RH10 from Japan ... this one looks like a killer recording unit. Maybe I'll sell the RH10 if this comes out.

Errm, if the unit can record in all the new atrac bitrates, isn't this kinda covered?

:blink:

That's what also has me excited - if you can record in ATRAC lossless, you can get more per HiMD on the disc instead of just PCM, and decompress later.

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The_Stamp Newbie

The_Stamp

Posted
Posted (edited)

Guess what just popped up on engadget! Link!

Like a zombie that keeps coming back from the dead no matter what you do (even "kill the brain and you kill the ghoul" doesn't work), Sony's MiniDisc format seems destined to survive all attempts to relegate it to the disc shredder of history. And despite expectations that Sir Howard would do his best to finally kill the format, it looks like it's going to make at least one more appearance, with the rumored third-gen HiMD recorder that may be just around the corner. According to various postings on the internets, the MZ-RH1 will be targeted at live-music enthusiasts, and may include such computer-friendly features as USB 2.0 and Mac compatibility. The recorder will, of course, use Sony's SonicStage software and ATRAC3plus data format, and will reportedly sell for about $300. And, now, Sir Howard, can we recommend the shovel to the head?

Sweet! 300 US dollars = 400 canadian big ones!

But its kinda depressing that Sir Howard wants to kill the format :( Maybe this is THE last! Most likey the most popular i bet. Maybe even Howard will change his mind and let it go for a few more rounds (years). Minidisc history is turning into the Drive-In history. Although some people want it, and lots of people vouch for it... not nearly enough people goes to make the service sustainable. :(

I guess we can say that this is the last ride to minidisc fandom, boys/girls. Breathe it in... Breathe it in. At least they went out with a bang, with the HD digital amp. I think i might buy into this one.

Edit:

LOL! it points to this thread! But where did the $300 MSRP come from?

Edit 2:

I feel bad for the server, now that 130 people just jumped into this t hread. Expect thousands more in the next 24 hours :P. Good luck server. Just wait, and the server will be taken off line (restarted) due to a human DoS :P

Edited by The_Stamp
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indeego Newbie

indeego

Posted
Posted

Engadget always had a very special view on MD or/and Sony. Just forgive them. :P

And then, they even didn't mention their newsspy in this case. Tse, tse. Where came just this picture from ;)

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Damage Newbie

Damage

Posted
Posted

Engadget always had a very special view on MD or/and Sony. Just forgive them. :P

And then, they even didn't mention their newsspy in this case. Tse, tse. Where came just this picture from ;)

Considering that their collective noses are up StevieJ's RDF buttcheeks (in one way or another), it's not surprising at all.

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Justin42 Newbie

Justin42

Posted
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This looks really neat. I do REALLY hope that it has an external AA battery option, as well as a standard USB connection. I'll probably end up with one either way, though.

This might be good for the format-- just release one mid-to-high priced model that covers most bases, and see how it sells. I wonder if the array of models (all with some advantages over the others, even the AA ability of the NH600 made it interesting in some uses over an NH1!) turned off some potential buyers. This way, anyone who wants a HiMD unit gets this one, for better or worse.

I generally like it. The devil's in the details, but from what we know, it looks like Sony did a good job. :ok:

Edited by Justin42
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stefan1 Newbie

stefan1

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Well the aluminum is nice, and it is a small unit by the looks of it. But aside from supporting all ATRAC formats, I'm not necessarily seeing how this is 3rd gen.. It seems more like generation 2.5 No word on native MP3 support either (but if it's going to be crippled like the RH10, then it doesn't matter anyways). Also, it looks like we won't be seeing that 2GB disc we had all dreamed about for gen3. Nothing groundbreaking in my opinion.

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peare Newbie

peare

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Well the aluminum is nice, and it is a small unit by the looks of it. But aside from supporting all ATRAC formats, I'm not necessarily seeing how this is 3rd gen.. It seems more like generation 2.5 No word on native MP3 support either (but if it's going to be crippled like the RH10, then it doesn't matter anyways). Also, it looks like we won't be seeing that 2GB disc we had all dreamed about for gen3. Nothing groundbreaking in my opinion.

I think us MD freaks also are a bit guilty... We (not me) kept on asking for mp3 format. Who cares mp3. There's lot of cheap, crappy mp3 players around. I loved ATRAC from the begining. I love its clearity... MD is ATRAC, and we ignored that. I dont think SONY murmured: "THEN THERE WILL BE NO MORE MD".... still I feel guilty on our behalf.

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stefan1 Newbie

stefan1

Posted
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I think us MD freaks also are a bit guilty... We (not me) kept on asking for mp3 format. Who cares mp3...

While ATRAC3 is a great format, MP3 is more widely used. I'd rather have my library of music sitting in MP3 format (CBR 320kbps JS, LAME q=0, no less). The main reason why native MP3 support is important, is who cares about USB2.0 and fast transfer speeds if we are still hindered by the conversion process. That said I do like ATRAC3 (most non-mp3 stuff on my computer is atrac3 256kbps)

Edited by stefan1
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peare Newbie

peare

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While ATRAC3 is a great format, MP3 is more widely used. I'd rather have my library of music sitting in MP3 format (CBR 320kbps JS, LAME q=0, no less). The main reason why native MP3 support is important, is who cares about USB2.0 and fast transfer speeds if we are still hindered by the conversion process. That said I do like ATRAC3 (most non-mp3 stuff on my computer is atrac3 256kbps)

I am a classical music listener and I dont download music from usenet or elsewhere unless it is in flac format. I generally convert them to ATRAC then. Not directly of course as you would know.

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pata2001 Newbie

pata2001

Posted
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- Ability to record in all of the new ATRAC3plus bitrates, e.g. 192kbps + 352kbps and PCM (wav)

Maybe 192kbps and 352kbps, but I don't think all the new bitrates will be available, unless Sony decided to unlock all the bitrates in this unit's version of SS3.4.

Any news on player only units? Maybe sony should release a player only version of this unit (would be nice with the LCD on it).

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stefan1 Newbie

stefan1

Posted
Posted (edited)

I am a classical music listener and I dont download music from usenet or elsewhere unless it is in flac format. I generally convert them to ATRAC then. Not directly of course as you would know.

I'm a big fan of FLAC format, now that FF Directshow wrappers are easily available. Great for backups, especially classical music. However, MP3 is still the most "accessible" file format. And for modern music I personally find 320kbps is more than enough (speaking to portable audio devices mainly).

In that respect, it's nice to have that convenience if you have multiple devices to avoid conversion steps. ie: transfer mp3's to your hi-md, iaudio x5, etc.. And as I mentioned there's the speed of transfers w/o conversion.

Although that said, I'd be far more partial to storing my music in ATRAC3+ if you could configure atrac as an external encoder... so integrate it into Exact Audio Copy or CDex for example.. that would be pretty nice (as is anything that enables you to avoid sonic stage)

EDIT:

@Pata I'm with you completely, I really hope there's a player released as well. That would be an instant buy for me. Any word/speculation on this?

Edited by stefan1
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Stuge Newbie

Stuge

Posted
Posted

I'm a bit of a newbie, so, I need to ask:

When does Sony do their official announcement? A couple of people have said April. But April when? April 1? Or April 30? And, when the announcements happen, there will be hue and cry here right? :D

Hi Fat Muttony,

We are still not sure when Sony will officially announce this But Might get an announcement from Sony in April.

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fatmuttony Newbie

fatmuttony

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Hi Fat Muttony,

We are still not sure when Sony will officially announce this But Might get an announcement from Sony in April.

*fingers crossed* It looks really nice. Does this also mean that older units like the MZ-RH910 will become cheaper if and when this one hits the market?

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Stuge Newbie

Stuge

Posted
Posted (edited)

*fingers crossed* It looks really nice. Does this also mean that older units like the MZ-RH910 will become cheaper if and when this one hits the market?

There is always a chance that older units getting cheap when new unit comes out in the market but that takes sometime time ..But I have seen your profile that you are also from India ..& Sony is never going to launch it here ..Aslo It is not easy to get these from Gray market also .

So We might need to to import it from outside .

Edited by stuge
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fatmuttony Newbie

fatmuttony

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There is always a chance that older units getting cheap when new unit comes out in the market but that takes sometime time ..But I have seen your profile that you are also from India ..& Sony is never going to launch it here ..Aslo It is not easy to get these from Gray market also .

So We might need to to import it from outside .

Yes, I understand your pain. I don't understand why Sony has not released the MDs officially in India. They should atleast offer to import one for you on request. But the Sony World showroom has 145 Walkmans stocked, and atleast 14 pieces of the same goddamn 500 Billion Watts television sets.

I had to get mine from the UK. I will have to scout for people travelling between the US and India to get one through them. Or, we'll have to order through minidisco.com I suppose. But this time, I'm going to research my purchase a lot more :)

Where in Dilli are you? And what do you use your MD for? Recording? or as a portable music player?

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Stuge Newbie

Stuge

Posted
Posted

Yes, I understand your pain. I don't understand why Sony has not released the MDs officially in India. They should atleast offer to import one for you on request. But the Sony World showroom has 145 Walkmans stocked, and atleast 14 pieces of the same goddamn 500 Billion Watts television sets.

I had to get mine from the UK. I will have to scout for people travelling between the US and India to get one through them. Or, we'll have to order through minidisco.com I suppose. But this time, I'm going to research my purchase a lot more :)

I`m not sure whether Sony will import one for me .If they do they will charge me alot of money for importing that .for eg if that cost around $300 in US they will charge me $500 in US or more .I will rather prefer to buy from Abroad .Even after paying customs it will not cost me that much .

It`s sad that Till now I don`t have Any MD players but i`m sure soon i will get it ..

I have Quite a few Atrac Devices like E505 ,HD5 ,HD3 etc =>See here http://www.atraclife.com/forums

Alos See your PM(personal message)

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shigzeo Newbie

shigzeo

Posted
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finally sony brings back the refinement of the mz-r37 front-plate controls. uploading is a must for mac. still, sonicstage will be the death of all my patience.

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Roamer Newbie

Roamer

Posted
Posted

Well the aluminum is nice, and it is a small unit by the looks of it. But aside from supporting all ATRAC formats, I'm not necessarily seeing how this is 3rd gen.. It seems more like generation 2.5 No word on native MP3 support either (but if it's going to be crippled like the RH10, then it doesn't matter anyways). Also, it looks like we won't be seeing that 2GB disc we had all dreamed about for gen3. Nothing groundbreaking in my opinion.

I'm using MD almost only for recording, and I could easily sacrifice mp3s support for the new bitrates (Especially recording at 352k). And the new bitrates are also an easier compromise to implement than 2Gb discs (which would have been nice for PCM recording, but i don't think it will happen).

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Artstar Newbie

Artstar

Posted
Posted

F__k me that's a brilliant piece of kit. The only problem ... NiMH battery? For crying out loud!! I've got 2 NH1's (since Sony Australia's clearance pricing was too good to resist) but now that this is supposedly in the works, I'm lusting after the idea of recording at higher HiMD bitrates. The display is sweet for stealthiness but useless as my MD unit usually sits in a belt-clipped leather case with the input sockets facing up.

But the NiMH battery is a real friggin' let down. Dammit.

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fatmuttony Newbie

fatmuttony

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F__k me that's a brilliant piece of kit. The only problem ... NiMH battery? For crying out loud!! I've got 2 NH1's (since Sony Australia's clearance pricing was too good to resist) but now that this is supposedly in the works, I'm lusting after the idea of recording at higher HiMD bitrates. The display is sweet for stealthiness but useless as my MD unit usually sits in a belt-clipped leather case with the input sockets facing up.

But the NiMH battery is a real friggin' let down. Dammit.

Could you explain this a little more? About the NiMH battery? Why do you not like them so much? I've used only one unit, and it runs off AA batteries. I tried reading up on this site, and elsewhere. But, not much luck.

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Stuge Newbie

Stuge

Posted
Posted

Actually i prefer standarized NiMH over expensive, proprietary li-ion.

Fat, read more about battery chemistries here:

I have seen that people are selling that LI-IOn battery of MDplayer for about $ 2 or 5 on ebay .They say sonys original new battry but i have doubt on them..

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mrsoul Newbie

mrsoul

Posted
Posted

I have watched this thread with some excitement and have even posted over at Taperssection.com about our soon to be RH1. I use my RH10 99% of the time for recording only with the RH910 getting a little more playing time (but really only for road trips,etc). I will definitely consider selling off either my RH910 or RH10.

Most probably ditch the RH10, since I feel the RH910 will probably last longer (the LCD v. OLED screen for one) plus it would be nice to have at least 1 unit that I can read in the daylight, since that RH10 in the daylight is very hard to read.

My wife is already rolling her eyes about 1 more MD purchase. I am going to Boston in late April/May and I am keeping my fingers crossed that my purchase of the RH10 last year at the Sony shop will be topped by a RH1 this year!

Since my hobby is recording live music, the functionality benefits I see in the RH1 make it a "no-brainer purchase" for me. Especially if we get a metal body, the 352k recording, USB 2.0 upload, manual recording level adjustments and no auto-tracks. I will need to be physically restrained from not purchasing this unit. :D

Thanks for the updates and enticements! Can't wait for the lights to go down, the music to start and to see the RH1 in action!

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jamesavis Newbie

jamesavis

Posted
Posted (edited)

<<Shame though about no Hi-MD deck appearing since this means I'll just have to keep legacy MD's around --would be nice to have everything the same.>>

This new unit is great but I would trade it in a moment for a HI-MD deck for my sound system. Sony, who in the past has produced deck at every 50 dollar price point, has yet to come up with one for the HiMD format. A deluxe unit like my JA50ES would be just the thing.

Edited by jamesavis
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Sparky191 Newbie

Sparky191

Posted
Posted

I'm not sure if this means anything, but why does it say 'Hi-MD audio'? Are they trying to differentiate this from some other Hi-MD? Currently, I can use a Hi-MD disc for audio or for data and I don't know of a 'Hi-MD Video'. Just wondering out loud. :unsure:

They used to have MD camcorders. Maybe they've another on the way? Doubtful though.

A HIMD deck and Car unit would be great.

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