Most wanted feature for gen. 4

[Avrin]

A homedeck could have made a difference for the HiMD standard. No way though, anymore. It is now a "professional" format. Not for home listening. Just for recording.

Though the only device that SONY have created for really professional recording lately is the PCM-D1. Not that it is going to become really popular...

[danielbb90]

Yeh, as soon as I can find a *good mp3 player I'm gone!!!

The features of Hi-MD like the 6 band eq on my NH1 are keeping me with the format for now!!!

lol

*Good means in my opinion, thats hard to meet!!!

[unignal]

I want Atrac3Plus to be "open" just like ogg and flac.

"Imagine the possiblities."

[Tunster]

I want Atrac3Plus to be "open" just like ogg and flac.

"Imagine the possiblities."

It may be possible with the announcement of an SDK coming out in relation to the ATRAC format. Don't know how "open" they are going to be, but it would be nice to see open-source developers tweak the hell out of it and revive it. Who knows .

[himd_anxiety]

-The restoration of the radio remote

-Add a backlight to the radio remote instead of making it appear to have one in ads

-Non-real time, high-speed Line In to Line Out recording from tape recorders (possible?)

-2-3 Gigabyte disks

-Jog Dial on unit

-Back light on unit sceen

-Large, color 5-line display

-Digital Amplifiers on all players

-Line out on all players

-Full metal bodies on at least two players

-*DIRECT* AA support for all units.

-No whack cameras

[raintheory]

Two features that I think would be useful from a recording perspective are:

Time-Machine Recording (30sec or so).

Ability to actually start recording from the remote (without having to have the unit in rec-pause).

The Time-Machine Recording would be a big plus. One of my previous pro-decks had this feature (only 6sec though) and it was reeally something.

[Justin42]

Time machine is an awesome feature. Both the MXD-D400 and JE480 decks have it (I'm sure many others do). I've never understood why the HiMD units don't -- granted 6 seconds of PCM is not an insignificant amount of data, but RAM has gotten cheap, and it is a lifesaver at times.

Edited June 28, 2006 by Justin42

[greenmachine]

Programmed recording with internal clock/calendar would be nice. In case i can't be on location at the time.

[Neolander]

Hmmm...

-Ogg Vorbis playback.

-Free open-source sonicstage-like software (deleting it is a bit difficult because you need it to update track informations. If the md did itself the job, I guess the firmware would need to be completely re-written...)

-Low Price

-External AA battery

[Tiesto]

A car HiMD unit would be a must, although I just read the Xplod website and there's no sign of minidisc word at all Also I would like to know what the japanese forums have to say about the features they are looking for.

[DrSiddons]

I'd like to see Mac compatible music transfer software (the equivalent of SonicStage & Simple Burner).

Dr. S.

[WaywardTraveller]

My two cents, and all of this is strictly IMHO:

I think there's a lot of whinging about drag-and-drop. I've never had any problems with SS that haven't been because of my currently crappy OS...IMHO it's just the laziness factor speaking out loud...although I WILL say that Sony should drop the acid-trip way SS manages music files on the computer...apart from that, you won't save that much time dragging-and-dropping vs. using the SS GUI.

But for the record, here's what I thought of (whether or not they've already been mentioned):

- OPEN BITRATE CHOICE using a jog dial. When I record, I want to be able to cycle through possible bitrates from 48kbps -> 352kbps and PCM, including the bitrates supported by SS but NOT the unit itself.. (MP3 as well, maybe?) - and what about support for other progressive formats like FLAC?

and since Hi-MD's emphasis is on recording, I think these following TWO are particularly important:

- GROUNDED AC ADAPTORS so that one can record indefinitely off wall-plug power WITHOUT annoying electric hum in the background! (PLEASE SONY PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!)

- To add to the above note..it would also be nice to record using a remote like, say, the MC40ELK WITHOUT picking up interference from the remote itself. Hmmm? I mean why bother being able to set recording levels with such a remote when recording with the remote attached compromises the quality of your recordings??

- why not incorporate a small HD into the unit to enable you to, if you want, copy some key music/data to the HD for frequent use, but switch to MD or copy it to MD at will? This would probably impact on the unit size, but I dunno...

- And yes, methinks the AA supplement on all units would be sweet.

- I'm not too fussy about the 1GB blanks...I have no problem with them...but they could be a bit cheaper in some parts of the world, and although my hunch is that Sony is waiting to see how things sell before they invest in more designs, PLEASE GIVE US SOME COOL Hi-MD DISC DESIGNS!

- AND it would be nice for them to abandon the "don't give one unit too many cool features" philosophy...keep what the RH1 has and build on that, i.e. digital out, larger display and maybe that organic electroluminiscent display a-la the RH10, but one that is built to last!

Oh, and I mostly DISAGREE with what UMMWOOFWOOFF says...I will agree more once they phase cassette tapes out entirely, which - by the way - hasn't happened.

peace

WaywardTraveller

[jonny mac]

I wish people would stop writing totally unrealistic things for what they want in a next gen unit. It doesn't do the cause any good. There will be no HDD in portable units; in a deck, yes, I can see advantages there but not in a portable. It would double the price and size for no real advantage.

THERE WILL BE NO DISCS WITH A CAPACITY GREATER THAN 1GB. EVER. It's not possible within the technology without either losing backwards compatibility or having two read/write heads.

So here's my list of features that could (reasonably) be added:

Timer recording

Greater bitrate choice

Better screen (less remote dependant)

Drag & drop and/or better software

Fade-in (and out) recording

AA battery pack

[broox]

3 things... easy.

*Drag and drop too AND from pc's AND macs

*Also get rid of the LI-ON battery bring back the NIMH "gumstick style" so you can put on a AA battery if you do lots of field recording.

*and put a 100-240v power supply in there so you can RUN the minidisc from anything but the internal battery!

atleast this gives them somewhere to go with a new model (and they will get the sale too!)

long live MD

-Broox

[broox]

Drag and drop, have we thourght about the ability to even do this?

To make it play atrac3(plus) files you have to have software!!!

Unless your talking aobut .mp3 files,

that ones possable and would be kinda usefull - But Hi-MD isn't a MP3 Player!!!

Don't turn it into one!

i just want it like the new mac software (but for PC), drag from the MD window to the desktop and auto convert to a .WAV file ... couldnt be easier if u use the MD for recording and laying that audio over some video footage... (all the new High Def handycams record there audio in a compressed Mpeg2 format.. and HI MD shits all over it!)

[bobt]

What I'd like to see is Qualia put an RH1 in a stainless steel, bronze, unobtanium, or whatever case, Linux support would be nice, home and car deck would be a plus as well.

JMNSHO

Bob

[alberttf]

-The restoration of the radio remote - Yes,I like the radio

-2-3 Gigabyte disks - or more

-Line out on all players

-Full metal bodies on at least two players

-*DIRECT* AA support for all units. and aa unit

[BobS]

I would like to see some variety come back into Sony's line

One of my favorite MDs is my MZ-B100. I would very much like to see a unit like that in HiMD. It should also directly support 48 Kbs and 192, on the unit, since it is designed mainly for spoken word.

A DECK

An MD version of the Sony ICF-SW1000T. This is an AM-FM-SW radio with a built in auto-reverse cassette recorder. If Pogo Products can make a digital recorder with AM, Sony can.

Some kind of mid-range, not too large, boombox type unit.

Separate line out on portable units. That way you could use the remote and line out at the same time. It would make it much easier to use in the car.

[DATfan]

As long as we are dreaming...

Hi-MD car deck with features like the 800REC, mainly

-- recording and editing functions,

and new features such as

-- digital radio reception including subchannels

-- variable speed playback up to, say, 200x or 250x original with pitch-control.

Pro Hi-MD deck with features like the MDS-E12 ...

-- REC timer function (internal calendar and clock)

-- time stamp on recording

-- coaxial and optical digital inputs

-- optional balanced audio in/out

AND something the E12 never had,

-- variable speed playback up to, say, 200x or 250x original with pitch-control.

Edited October 13, 2006 by DATfan

[doomlordis]

I would be happy with a RH1 that had artist /title info on unit.

2gb disc would be nice.

Nose cancelling cirquit like the s700 series flash player.