Is Sony Missing a Beat By Not Offering Hi-MD Options?

[Fifty9]

I have been waiting (and still waiting) for a HiMD car unit. I want to be able to listen to music and my recordings inside my car without the use of fm transmitters, cables and adapters. I am not a kid anymore, I don't ride in the back seat of my parents car and I don't rely on public transportation. In those situations portables make sense, but I just want to grab a disc, stick it in my in-dash head unit, and listen to my stuff. I had to buy a used MDLP unit (MDX-CA680x) on ebay because I got sick of waiting. Come on Sony, take more of my money. Please!

A home deck would be nice, but I probably wouldn't buy one if it was much more than $300. At this moment, it's not as much of a priority to me as a in-dash player.

[ZosoIV]

A home deck would be lovely - not so sure about a car player, though. CD-R's are so cheap nowadays that if one gets scratched, you burn another. Current decks even play compressed files off CD-R/RW. That, coupled with the high price per MB relative to CD/DVD-R, near-unavailability of 1GB blanks in B&M stores, and lack of consumer interest in MD would ensure that car players never get a foothold.

Even for the home market, I wonder how many people still "record" things? Nobody I know (even my age) does much taping anymore with the advent of CD-R, internet radio, and HDD-based/streaming jukeboxes. Audiophiles won't bite, either - their golden ears are "too good" for 16/44.1 LPCM anymore.

[petrucellij]

hey,

The best alternative is that every car stereo have an adapter which allows the user to connect their portable music device to it.

As for a Pro HI MD unit would be a good move for sony and there audio

components.

[Fifty9]

An in-dash HiMD would be just the same as a regular MDLP in-dash in the sense that no matter what recorder you own you can still play your discs in the car. If the MDX-F5800 did well, then surely there is enough demand for a HiMD compatible car receiver.

Edited March 30, 2006 by Fifty9

[mattwiks]

Honestly with the onset and huge popularity of iPod, HD based car units, and now in-car DVD players that can read mp3's burned on DVD's (how do you like 1,200 songs on a single disc?) the market for a Hi-MD unit in the US (or just about anywhere else for that matter) is all but dead. I still have my old Eclipse E5508CMD and love it to death but with so many other options that already interface with much more popular mediums I cannot see any viable market for an in car Hi-MD player.

Actually even the portables will become less and less viable to the general public as hard drives get smaller and cheaper. Soon we'll have 5 or 10 gb players smaller than the Nano....how can MD ever compete with that??

MD was a cool and very user friendly digital format about 10 years ago before the advent of MP3s, but in today’s world its use will likely slowly be phased out and replaced with higher capacity digital storage devices. They might have a small niche with field reporters or garage rock bands, but as far as appealing to the masses it's going to go the way of the cassette tape sad to say.

-Matt

[bland10000]

I want both a home and car unit.

[stormynight]

I would buy a Hi-MD deck in a heart beat as long as the price was half way reasonable (ie: $500 or below). But I gotta say that just like alot of you, I too am a little miffed at Sony for not supporting the hi-md format more than they have been. They've always had a great offering with their older md formats. So the least they could do, is give us hi-md customers at least one generation of car & home decks. I bought my Sony MZ-RH10 portable the first day they came out & have had nothing but a positive expeirience with it. But I don't always like wearing headphones & spend most of my time either in the car or listening to my sound system at home. So come on Sony! Give us loyal minidisc fans what we want! Otherwise we'll have to resort to buying from your competitors. Onkyo anyone?

[matthewricha]

Sorry if this has been said before, but I've been wanting a Hi-MD car stereo and obviously can't get one, so have bought one of these for my MDX-A680(?) and will connect my MZ-NH1 to it!

http://www.connects2.com/pdfdocs/productsh...kmanandiPod.pdf

So I can control and display info on the head units screen! I bought one of Ebay for £30 !

It part number is AHDD001.

I think it's brilliant, because if I ever get a sony 20GB walkman I will have access to my entire CD collection!

Lion

[pethunia]

I would certainly buy a good HiMD deck. ..Just like my father did appr. 11 years ago with regular MD, actually. For playing and editing that might just cut it above SS on the PC. ..Though I must say: SS 3.4 has made life a lot easier nowadays!(thank you, Sony). Yeah a deck is on my wishlist.

A car set..? Well I would want one, but that certainly would be a slim market for Sony, I guess. A good jack-in on every car set and an attachment for a HiMD walkman is probably a better option (with easy 'hands free' operation - preferably).

A H

[hobgoblin]

someone posted a link to a car unit with a usb port in front. in theory any mp3's stored on the disc in data "format" would be readable by said unit...

so if sony would allow for playback of data format mp3's, it could combo nicely with said car unit, and basicly skyrocket the value of the himd format...

listen to the music directly from the player while outside the car. plug into unit and continue to listen when inside car...

ok, so you could have two discs with the same music on it. but come on! why make it more complicated then it needs to be?

as for a deck, i would pick it up in a flash if it had a usb port and allowed for high speed writing (as in external power for single pass delete/write with a high power laser).

Edited April 4, 2006 by hobgoblin

[Marcello]

I already own a MD car deck and looking forward to a Hi-MD unit if ever available.

I am deferring the purchase of a bookshelf (since 3 years! Listening to CDs on the DVD player...) because I would like to hve a HiMD bookshelf... I know, there is one already, but it has never been marketed out of Japan. Does this make any sense to Sony?

[hobgoblin]

was it even sony that made said bookshelf? i have a feel it was a third party...

[gconoh]

I've continued to use minidisc rather than iPod and the like because it's the only digital format (besides the cheaper but inflexible and easily damaged recordable cd) that you can use with both your computer and your home stereo. Your options for recording music digitally without a computer are few. Oddly enough, both of the widely available models are from Sony (their MD and recordable CD decks). I record in sp mode, which provides great sound quality, but I'd love to be able to create mixes on my home deck in an uncompressed mode, which you can do with Hi-MD (PCM). I haven't bought a Hi-MD portable because it doesn't adequately support the original SP mode. Sony (and others) need to realize that there are folks out there who don't want to be tied to their computers to create/edit their music. And minidisc is still the best way to record from and edit analog sources. Minidisc should have been the worthy successor to tape for home audio enthusiasts. The fact that many electronics stores still sell (and several companies manufacture) cassette tape decks suggests that Sony has missed out on an underserved market segment.

[The Low Volta]

I haven't bought a Hi-MD portable because it doesn't adequately support the original SP mode.

sorry...but this simply isn't true: all 1st gen recorders (not the 'D' downloader model) are able to record real SP in realtime... it's just SS that doesn't do real SP but since you do not want to touch a computer this won't be of any concern for you (the 3rd gen RH1 will be able to do real SP also)

[Terence Kelly]

sorry...but this simply isn't true: all 1st gen recorders (not the 'D' downloader model) are able to record real SP in realtime... it's just SS that doesn't do real SP but since you do not want to touch a computer this won't be of any concern for you (the 3rd gen RH1 will be able to do real SP also)

I think the likely complaint here is no convenient way to put Hi MD through a stereo system. Sony could solve the stereo enthusiast's problems with either a Hi MD deck, as this thread requests, or by supporting SP downloads so people could use their current decks without having to use LP2. I occasionally see references to some patent/copyright issues with regards to SP downloads. Does anyone know why Sony is reluctant to support SP in Sonicstage?

[EnglishRob]

I'd certainly buy an in-car HiMD unit. I think the ultimate in-car HiMD unit for me would be either a HiMD/MDLP version of the MDX-C670RDS or an Active Black version.

The nearest I'm going to get to an in-car HiMD unit at the moment is using my portable HiMD recorder with one of those Connects2 Sony HD Walkman to Sony head unit adaptor.

Come on Sony, do us a favor and release an in-car HiMD unit!!!

Rob

[broandrews]

http://www.humdingit.com/minidisc/SS34_MDCF.zip

For those seeking a good download link for Sonic Stage v3.4 Full Version. THIS IS A GOOD DWNLD link for Sonic Stage Full Version V3.4. You can resume and use your (flash get etc) downloaders with this one.

[MDX-400]

I voted "Yes, but I wouldn't buy it" on both counts...

Seems to me Sony should have done this since Hi-MD started, again on both counts. I never got into Hi-MD and though there's a very slim chance of me possibly getting an RH1 when it is released, I probably never will. Therefore neither would be something I would buy.

Not making a Hi-MD car unit was actually the worse of the two, I'd say. Because Sony actually released another MD car deck after Hi-MD was released (the MDX-F5800 IIRC) but it didn't have Hi-MD support. Talk about stupid. At least they didn't make another deck after Hi-MD (to my knowledge) that still only supported legacy MD.

Now it's a bit "too-little-too-late" for either really, IMO. Perhaps a deck would still be nice and could happen but I seriously doubt they'd release a Hi-MD car HU at this point.

[z3frog]

What I really wish is for Sony to license Hi-MD out to other brands. I currently use a Sharp NetMD portable... and HiMD is looking really tempting, except for that fact that all the players are from Sony. I really hate those Sony stick remotes. Plus, Sony tends to be more pricey... if only Sharp came out with a Hi-MD portable.

[hobgoblin]

i think its not a problem of sony licencing the tech, i think its a problem of the other companys not finding it sane to licence a tech with a limited marketability from the company that basicly have the whole market coverd.

[joelthoman]

I really don't see the point for either device. My car is a Scion xA and it has an aux in where I can plug my HiMD into. It sounds great. As for the pro unit, I don't think that is where HiMD belongs. I think it is a great tool for recording on the fly and having high quality recordings at that. I think that sony should be focusing on mac compatibility so that everyone with either of those two systems can utilize its massive storage of ones personal music. I replaced my iPod last year in June with the HiMD MZ-RH910 because of the battery on the iPod being too weak.

[MDX-400]

I really don't see the point for either device. My car is a Scion xA and it has an aux in where I can plug my HiMD into. It sounds great.

Aux In is no substitute for a real Hi-MD HU or changer--you lack control and display on the HU and sound quality usually isn't quite as good. Controlling the Hi-MD portable with the portable itself is, well, ghetto, LOL.

Also, your factory stereo is no substitute for aftermarket gear either, lol. But that's another story I guess ...

[bland10000]

At least they didn't make another deck after Hi-MD (to my knowledge) that still only supported legacy MD.

They did, the mds-je580. Not much difference from the 480 except for the extra 300 dollars in price.

[MDX-400]

They did, the mds-je580. Not much difference from the 480 except for the extra 300 dollars in price.

JE580 eh? Never heard of that till just now! Funny that it even looks like the JE480. I'm guessing that the only difference would be an optical output? Since it is a 500-series deck it would normally follow that it would have an optical output. But for $300 more? LOL they have to be kidding. Not like you can't add a optical out to a JE4x0 for like $20 anyway

I'm guessing that unit was not relased in many areas? Certainly didn't get released in the US.

[dunebug81]

Also, your factory stereo is no substitute for aftermarket gear either, lol. But that's another story I guess ...

Dude, didn't you hear him? Hes got a Scion!

[cfairfowl]

I wouldn’t buy a car unit unless – and here’s the rub, (now pay attention SONY) I could slide it out of a tray in the car and use it indoors too. Be really nice that - two units for the price of one (how many people use the car players while indoors)? All that money tied up doing nothing for hours and hours just sitting there waiting to be stolen……….

I know I know I am being silly – the human race doesn’t have the technology yet to produce a combined in-car/HiFi HiMD unit. Be really nice though...........

I would buy a professional or high grade unit like my MDS JB940 and MDS E10 units, I record loads of live stuff off the wireless – sorry radio and my NH-700 in it’s (home made) timer cradle has recorded literally hundreds of hours of programs direct from DAB that I would have otherwise missed. I just love HiMD, facilitating the recording of many programs or one program up to 7hrs and 50minutes in HiSP on one little convenient disc, edit and dump onto reformatted MD80 discs – brilliant.

A high grade or professional unit with timer switch (of course) I would buy immediately.

[bland10000]

I'm guessing that the only difference would be an optical output?

No optical output on this deck, standard analog. I'm looking at the spec. sheet and can't find what makes this deck 300 dollars more expensive; signal to noise ratio is the same, both are 24 bit sampling, frequency response for the 480 is 5-20kHz +/-0.3dB while the 580 is 5-20kHz +/-0.5dB. Size is the same and convenience features are the same; timer standby recording, mdlp, sampling rate converter. According to US sites, the 480 has MP3 playback so maybe Sony is charging more for the truthful advertising of the 580 which makes no claim to play MP3.

[MDX-400]

LOL MP3 playback. What a laugh But the JE580 was never released in the US so I doubt US customers would ever get to see the "benefit" of dropping that misnomer.

Not only is it a mystery why it is any more expensive, but if it doesn't have an optical output, it's also a mystery why they named it the JE580 and not the JE490. I think that must be the first 500-series deck without an optical/digital output. Previously only 300 and 400 series decks have been without the optical output.

[atrain]

is it silver? maybe silver plastic costs 300 more to produce?

[gr496]

Would love a deck. My MDS-JE530 is still very much in use for timed radio recording. If only it could do more than ~2.5 hours mono.

Have Sony pulled the plug on MD in Europe? I can't find a new Hi-MD anywhere here in the UK. Discontinued I'm told (by phone and online). France and Germany Amazon reports no stock as well.

The RH1 sounds nice, but at what cost? I really want a cheap portable and a deck with timed recording and optical out.

Will I be back to using cassettes this time next year?

[batfastad]

I just find it incredible that there isn't a Hi-MD deck.

To have made everyone go nuts about the new format it would have been great to have a batch of decks released when the first portables were put out there.

A couple of weeks ago I was looking through the decks in the equipment browser pages at minidisc.org and the range semi-pro / pro rack-mount minidisc decks that were about is absolutely stunning.

If Sony had played their cards right there could have been a Hi-MD rackmount recording deck out there in every DJ booth!! From my point of view that would be awesome.

I'm a DJ and I've gone completely digital now (Pioneer CMX-3000s) (apart from when I need to rip vinyl to CD of course), and I still make great quality recordings for mates on my MDS-JB980S.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE SONY!!!!

[oti]

I just find it incredible that there isn't a Hi-MD deck.

To have made everyone go nuts about the new format it would have been great to have a batch of decks released when the first portables were put out there.

A couple of weeks ago I was looking through the decks in the equipment browser pages at minidisc.org and the range semi-pro / pro rack-mount minidisc decks that were about is absolutely stunning.

If Sony had played their cards right there could have been a Hi-MD rackmount recording deck out there in every DJ booth!! From my point of view that would be awesome.

I'm a DJ and I've gone completely digital now (Pioneer CMX-3000s) (apart from when I need to rip vinyl to CD of course), and I still make great quality recordings for mates on my MDS-JB980S.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE SONY!!!!

Hé man, I would say it could well be that Sony isn't ready yet to push out a permanent deck because as you can see the portable HiMD machines are evolving rather quickly these days.

So to my opinion things must reach a certain level of rest before you can put an more or less stable homedeck for the long run on the market.

We don't want to have to change from a homedeck every year because something new (and hopefully better) was added to the HiMD concept.

Be patient and let there be peace in the valley. Who said that, can you guess?

If only there would come a possibility to upgrade the firmware of your mobile recorder.

That would be honorable by Sony.

Oti

[Black_Shoulder]

My bigger want would be a car deck because I listen to my HI-MD a lot while on the road... plugging that casette adaptor into the tape deck of my car greatly kills the good sounds of my HI-MD.

A home system would be nice as well - although, when I'm at home, I may be all right without my MZ-NHF800, and still be able to listen to my music.

[k-spin]

I've held off getting Hi-MD due to the lack of a home hi-fi separates option. Decided to e-mail Sony (UK) and ask if they had any plans to release one and got the following reply:

"Thank you for your recent enquiry.

At present there are no plans to introduce a Hi-MD separate system and I am not aware of any future plans to release this type of product.

It is therefore with regret that I am not able to provide any information on such a product at this time, but should we launch this type of product in the future details will be posted on our website, www.sony.co.uk.

I am sorry for any disappointment this may cause."

Wasn't especially surprised but disappointing anyway

[sector001]

I've held off getting Hi-MD due to the lack of a home hi-fi separates option. Decided to e-mail Sony (UK) and ask if they had any plans to release one and got the following reply:

"Thank you for your recent enquiry.

At present there are no plans to introduce a Hi-MD separate system and I am not aware of any future plans to release this type of product.

It is therefore with regret that I am not able to provide any information on such a product at this time, but should we launch this type of product in the future details will be posted on our website, www.sony.co.uk.

I am sorry for any disappointment this may cause."

Wasn't especially surprised but disappointing anyway

a HiMD deck is never gonna happen at this late stage.......

[andrelipinski]

It's the end of an era: Sony's removed the MDS-JA333ES from their Hi-Fi page at:

http://www.ecat.sony.co.jp/AV-HiFi/product...cfm?category=MD

I checked this page just a few weeks ago and it was still listed, and the Hi-Fi PDF Catalogue from the japanese web site at:

http://www.ecat.sony.co.jp/pdf.cfm

still has the unit listed, but the catalogue is dated July 2006.

Unless we see an announcement soon for a JA or JB level Hi-MD Deck, I think we will never see one.

Is there anything more constructive we can do, beside discuss here, to motivate Sony to produce a Deck for us? (Car, Home, Rack-Mount, anything will do.)

Hrumph,

Andre.

[garyc]

I know that neither would ever be released at this stage - but I would've bought both without hesitation

[Tiesto]

I would like to see a car deck, but I think that Sony's car audio division arent aware of the existence of HiMD

[blackdot1]

Just about anyone recording live shows in PCM with a Hi-MD portable would love to take the disc home, kick back in his best chair, and do his editing with a remote. I would think that Sony could double its sales to a high percentage of RH and NH owners.

I bet Sony is waiting for dealers to finish clearing their shelves of JE480's before committing. Which is too bad, I bet the 480 is a really great machine, but no way in heck I'm buying a deck that won't play my Hi-MD discs!

Sony could produce a really successful deck, with rack ears available as an option for mobile pro use. Pretty much a JE480 with digital and analog ins and outs, a usb plug, the usual editing features, and the very latest version of SonicStage; make the list price $199 and you've got a winner. Used rackmountable E-series pro decks are bringing huge prices on Ebay-- and Sony isn't getting any of that revenue. I'd buy a sturdy deck that's not too esoterically priced and overengineered.

Where I think Sony has really missed the boat is in their effort to promote Hi-MD as the answer to iPods and mp3 players. The first HiMD product packages had "45 hours on 1 disc!" splashed across the front (translation: you can get 45 hours of the worst possible compressed audio quality on 1 disc!), and no mention that 1 1/2 hours of full CD quality had been achieved. Minidisc has a loyal following that appreciates high quality and portability, not to be confused with the lowest common denominator of joggers, etc, for whom mp3's are just fine.

[King Ghidora]

I hate to say it but the ship has sailed on using MD as a primary audio device. CD was effectively marketed many years ago and MD wasn't. There just isn't enough of a base to get MD players like we want. The technology has always been great and still is. But there are new technologies that are taking the markets away from MD that traditionally MD has owned. People who want to record live music are moving away from MD every day. The Edirol's are the current favorite of people doing live recording. Even a rock boxed iRiver is becoming more popular.

That all spells bad news for MD unfortunately. I've loved my MD recorders and players for many years now. I just bought one too so I haven't given up on it. But the writing is on the wall. MD is living on borrowed time. It's a terrible shame because the quality is there in so many ways.

I don't expect to see Sony get their heads out of their rears long enough to realize what they are letting slip away. I'm not even sure they could save MD if they addresssed all our complaints (SS free uploading and downloading etc.) and sold MD cheaper than the competition. Ipod's have taken the mobile market, CD's took the major market many years ago and now Edirol is taking the live recording market. That doesn't leave anything left for MD IMO.

I still think MD could be made into a top notch pro recording platform and sold as a cheaper alternative to other recorders. If Sony did that they could keep a big chunk of the live recording market. But without 24 bit sound, a better computer interface (as in connecting as a hard drive), larger HIMD capacity to avoid the problems with swapping discs in a concert and a few other things MD is going to lose almost all of this market.