MD newbie: Hi-MD MP3 support/Mac support

[nonesuch]

I have several main questions about finding the Hi-MD player that's right for me. For starters, I'm your stereotypical broke college student, but I require native MP3 playback. Questions:

1. Among MP3-playing Hi-MD players, is this functionality provided by the hardware or is it just a firmware feature? In other words, can MP3 support be obtained on older (cheaper!) players by flashing new firmware? (I'm coming from the MP3 player side of things, where adding new features is expected. I'm not sure if this is a dumb question or not.)

2. When playing MP3s, how is the navigation? Is it folder-based, ID3-library based, or simply linear navigation through a flat folder?

3. The Sony MZ-NH900 description says it has an iPod-like wheel. Does it work similarly? Do you physically spin the wheel and click on it to do Volume/track change, or are those functions provided by the little nubbon in the center? How about the MZ-NH600D? Is that a wheel? The MZ-RH710? (wow, that's a sexy player... too bad I can't find any on US eBay!)

4. Can any player be used with newer versions of Sonic Stage software, or only with the software it shipped with? I need Mac support, which I understand newer versions support. Can the Mac program support older players?

Wow that's a lot of questions. Any answers I can get will be gladly appreciated!

[jaylen]

1. As far as I know, only 2nd generation Hi-MD units can play native mp3 (I think the RH1 can, too, but not sure) so I think it's a hardware issue. The RH10 and RH910 and their Mac counterparts. Here is the MDCF browser that lists the specs of most of the newer units and pretty much all the older units:

MDCF equipment browser

3. I've seen the DH710 on sale on US eBay, but it is a downloader-only unit, and for the same price you can get an NH700/NHF800 brand new (also on eBay).

4. I have older MD units and I can use them with the latest SonicStage that can be downloaded for free on this forum. Macs can only be used with the RH1 (not out yet) and the M100 and M10, which are Mac siblings of the RH10 and RH910, I think. Here is a thread on that:

Mac compatible Hi-MD

Good luck!

[nonesuch]

Thanks Jaylen! I'm disapointed to hear Mac downloading is not supported. Maybe it would work in Virtual PC? I currently do have a PC, but I plan on selling it soon. I found the DH710 on eBay for about $125, not bad. Point taken about the recording, but MP3 playback without recompressing is more important than digital uploading for me right now. If I record on a non-uploading machine, can I later put the disc in an upload-capable player to dump it onto my computer? I realize you're not used to catering to the iPod people in here, but what I'm really looking for is something that combines the advantages of my old CD-MP3 player (cheap player & media, expandibility) with the advantages of an HD player (pocketable, larger data capacity). A mini-DVD MP3 player would be perfect, but they don't seem to exist.

Given all this, I'm still concerned with my interface-related questions in the first post (2 & 3). Anyone else care to chip in?

[Damage]

I have several main questions about finding the Hi-MD player that's right for me. For starters, I'm your stereotypical broke college student, but I require native MP3 playback. Questions:

1. Among MP3-playing Hi-MD players, is this functionality provided by the hardware or is it just a firmware feature? In other words, can MP3 support be obtained on older (cheaper!) players by flashing new firmware? (I'm coming from the MP3 player side of things, where adding new features is expected. I'm not sure if this is a dumb question or not.) Remember that only the "RH" and the "DH" tagged units can play MP3s. "NH" and "EH" units can not and will not play MP3s (it'll display CAN'TPLAY error).

2. When playing MP3s, how is the navigation? Is it folder-based, ID3-library based, or simply linear navigation through a flat folder?

3. The Sony MZ-NH900 description says it has an iPod-like wheel. Does it work similarly? Do you physically spin the wheel and click on it to do Volume/track change, or are those functions provided by the little nubbon in the center? How about the MZ-NH600D? Is that a wheel? The MZ-RH710? (wow, that's a sexy player... too bad I can't find any on US eBay!)

4. Can any player be used with newer versions of Sonic Stage software, or only with the software it shipped with? I need Mac support, which I understand newer versions support. Can the Mac program support older players?

Wow that's a lot of questions. Any answers I can get will be gladly appreciated!

1. Hardware based, and only possible with MZ-DH710, MZ-DH10P, MZ-RH910, MZ-RH10, MZ-M100, MZ-M10, and the upcoming MZ-RH1. While in the past, units have been hacked to add functionalities such as 6-band EQ and VPF Acoustic Engine functions (think SRS), proper Japanese language support, and volume cap removing, the firmware can't automagically add another codec into the decoding chip.

2. Folder Based, though it's only one level deep. Once you mess with SonicStage, you get the idea. The HiMD units can, however, sort tracks by artists, albums, groups, and individual tracks. This makes navigation less cumbersome. So, really it's a combination of folder based and ID3 search. It is therefore, upto the user to choose how he navigates through a disc; this is a bit of a holdover from the original MD tech, where 80 minutes were the maximum limit (until MDLP and HiMD came along).

3. The jog wheel is for navigation only. On the first gen units, it navigates as if it were a flat list, though the folders must be clicked with the center nub to open. There are separate volume control on the unit and this negates the use of the wheel for volume control. Likewise, when in the menu structure, you can use the jog wheel to navigate through.

4. Yes, SonicStage 3.4 supports all NetMD and HiMD units (other than player only units since they lack any way to connect to the PC), Network Walkmen, and even the dead and buried Clies and Vaio Pockets. Mac support, unfortunately, is nil. If you are fortunate enough to have an Intel Mac, an obvious workaround would be to dual boot w/ Mac and WinXP.

And the motto: Never stupid questions, but there are stupid answers.

Edited April 4, 2006 by Damage

[jaylen]

And the motto: Never stupid questions, but there are stupid answers.

Haha, very true.

This post has been edited by Damage: Today, 01:49 AM

^ Thank goodness for that, eh?

[pirata]

1. Hardware based, and only possible with MZ-DH710, MZ-DH10P, MZ-RH910, MZ-RH10, MZ-M100, MZ-M10, and the upcoming MZ-RH1. While in the past, units have been hacked to add functionalities such as 6-band EQ and VPF Acoustic Engine functions (think SRS), proper Japanese language support, and volume cap removing, the firmware can't automagically add another codec into the decoding chip.

Hi, I'm wondering if anybody can point me in the right direction as to where to find a firmware upgrade for my MZ-M100 so I can get native mp3 playback. And also how to flash it.

Any info will be appreciated.

Thanks.

[A440]

Read the post you quoted. There is no flash upgrade. As the post reads, it is hardware based. Sony has basically abandoned minidisc, but there were never any flash upgrades for the units themselves anyway.

But the MZ-M100 is already supposed to play mp3s natively.

With Windows, you transfer mp3s via SonicStage--not drag-and-drop. With Mac you use Music Transfer, which should be on the disc that came with the MZM100 or downloadable somewhere on the Sony website or available here:

http://forums.minidisc.org/downloads/details.php?file=95

http://forums.minidisc.org/downloads/details.php?file=98

I don't know the difference between the two files (other than size). The MZ-M100 is the Mac-compatible equivalent of the RH10.

Here's the manual:

http://bssc.sel.sony.com/BroadcastandBusin...acv20manual.pdf

Hi, I'm wondering if anybody can point me in the right direction as to where to find a firmware upgrade for my MZ-M100 so I can get native mp3 playback. And also how to flash it.

Any info will be appreciated.

Thanks.

[pirata]

Thanks for the info, i misunderstood what was written. I thought that only those models could get a firmware upgrade.

I've had 2 other MDs before and just didn't notice with this one that my files were not converted to Atrac3. I guess what i was looking for is a firmware or way to transfer files thru windows without using sonicstage. like any other mp3 player out there.

Thanks again.

Read the post you quoted. There is no flash upgrade. As the post reads, it is hardware based. Sony has basically abandoned minidisc, but there were never any flash upgrades for the units themselves anyway.

But the MZ-M100 is already supposed to play mp3s natively.

With Windows, you transfer mp3s via SonicStage--not drag-and-drop. With Mac you use Music Transfer, which should be on the disc that came with the MZM100 or downloadable somewhere on the Sony website or available here:

http://forums.minidisc.org/downloads/details.php?file=95

http://forums.minidisc.org/downloads/details.php?file=98

I don't know the difference between the two files (other than size). The MZ-M100 is the Mac-compatible equivalent of the RH10.

Here's the manual:

http://bssc.sel.sony.com/BroadcastandBusin...acv20manual.pdf

Hi, I'm wondering if anybody can point me in the right direction as to where to find a firmware upgrade for my MZ-M100 so I can get native mp3 playback. And also how to flash it.

Any info will be appreciated.

Thanks.

[A440]

I guess what i was looking for is a firmware or way to transfer files thru windows without using sonicstage. like any other mp3 player out there.

That would have been sensible, user-friendly and probably not that difficult. But it apparently never occurred to Sony.

[aafuss]

You need a M100 or M200 for Mac compatibility.