MD Mini Revival apparent

[1kyle]

Hi all

Hope you had a merry Xmas and have a happy New year

Just recently I've seen something of a renewed interest in MD here in the UK. Even Morrisons supermarket now often carries MD blanks (not alas yet the 1GB variety but no probs with the 80 Min type for around 2.99 GBP / 7 USD for a pack of 5.

We've had all sorts of Dire Future projected Street crime statistics in the UK with things like Ipods on top of muggers targets.

Added to which the problems of losing entire music collections and other drawbacks with downloaded music (DRM, incompatable formats, poor compression etc). have given people a new impetus to re-visit things like MD again.

I've actually noticed a lot more people using MD's lately.

Even Itunes have admitted that music downloads are now slowing (this was meant to be THE growth in 2007 --won't happen now) and apple's Ipod sales have finally peaked.

Whilst the MD (especially the RH1) is really designed for portable recording there's no real problem in using it as a play back device and with 80 Min discs you can still have a days worth of music by carrying 2 or 3 discs even when using HI-SP mode.

I think actually we WILL see some new gear in 2007 although how the RH1 could be bettered I really don't know except possibly for an optional title track display.

Cheers

-K

Edited December 28, 2006 by 1kyle

[Midnght]

I do certainly hope so.

Md has never gotten it's full due in most parts of the world especially in the U.S.

But then that's to be expected from generations of consumers who don't know anything about what they are buying, the technology they need or that is good,

They buy game consoles because they're children want them not because one is a smarter purchase over another in the long run.

They're all abunch of bill gates automotons who couldn't command line their way out of a paper bag.

}:>)

I love MD have for a long time. My only issue is JVC didn't make a good brand on the bookshelf console I bought ages ago now it no longer plays md's at all. }:>/ But my old sony's going strong and my MZ-M200 is on it's way.

Long Live MD

[DATfan]

IMO it's not so much a revival as the grand finale.

[brian10161]

I really hope MD comes back (well, around here it never was all that popular). I really wish it would come to these parts, everyone has a friggin iPod (I myself have one, but I find I'm using my MD player more and more everyday). The main reason I really wish it would start up here, is so I can get a new MD player and some discs. I only have a few MD's right now (about 18 or so) but I still love having them.

People really need to know what it is they are buying, iPod isn't the way to go (IMO, poor sound quality compared to an MD player with the same headphones).

I just hope they release a new MD player that doesn't cost an arm and a leg, and has good battery life, good sound (I don't any of them don't) and is between $100 and $200 Canadian. The MD player I have now was $129.99 when I got it (MZ-NF520D).

And I hope blank MD's get cheaper/easier to find, and they release some pre-recorded ones too, that would make my day

[tekdroid]

Just recently I've seen something of a renewed interest in MD here in the UK. Even Morrisons supermarket now often carries MD blanks (not alas yet the 1GB variety but no probs with the 80 Min type for around 2.99 GBP / 7 USD for a pack of 5.

I assume this is a big supermarket chain? I dunno if this can offset the fact that so many so many don't stock MD, nor sell the units. Or unit Or can afford the unit on sale now.

We've had all sorts of Dire Future projected Street crime statistics in the UK with things like Ipods on top of muggers targets.

I guess muggers take what has value. Or an easy target (white..).

Added to which the problems of losing entire music collections and other drawbacks with downloaded music (DRM, incompatable formats, poor compression etc). have given people a new impetus to re-visit things like MD again.

What gives you the impression people are doing this? Music collections dying out on HD or the unit itself are an issue, only because Apple chose to encrypt the music on the device for the unassuming public, as Sony and Microsoft and others still do. The average person doesn't know what to do with this 'database'. They aren't just playable files that can be natively dragged-n-dropped and copied and pasted like their competitors offer. Speaking of DRM, this encryption is still a form of it. It's still lock-in and less convenience and incompatible formats (SonicStage cannot accept many open source formats, for instance - and the hardware can't play many formats, either). In fact, SonicStage needs a major overhaul, IMO. Or to be dropped completely (insert incessant whine).

I've actually noticed a lot more people using MD's lately.

I once saw a guy with a Hi-MD. Shocked the hell outta me. He told me he bought them after they were on sale here in Australia. MZ-NH600. This was about a year ago.

Even Itunes have admitted that music downloads are now slowing (this was meant to be THE growth in 2007 --won't happen now) and apple's Ipod sales have finally peaked.

Sales peaking is not necessarily a sign that people have lost interest, or are losing interest in a product. If you have a source for this and them admitting music downloads are down, this would be great, too. It could be signs of a saturated market, more innovation (or colours! ) needed, and so many other variables, really. Sony (and Hi-MD, IMO) would love to live off Apple's crumbs about now, I'd think. Not that I think Apple makes anything remotely resembling the right product for me.

Whilst the MD (especially the RH1) is really designed for portable recording there's no real problem in using it as a play back device and with 80 Min discs you can still have a days worth of music by carrying 2 or 3 discs even when using HI-SP mode.

I think most people are crazy for these tiny flash devices. Look at store displays to see how much real-estate they devote to them. MD is large, bulky...slow. A great product overall, but out of place - and riddled with years of bad experiences with bad software and DRM that Sony foisted on the public for years and only recently got sane with. This was when it had the market to itself, basically. Joe User, assuming he knows what the MD is, sees it as an anachronism and 'old technology'.

Joe sees units of same size offering multi-gigabytes and blingy display. Or far smaller units offering equal or more space (for less money). Joe hands over cash.

I think actually we WILL see some new gear in 2007 although how the RH1 could be bettered I really don't know except possibly for an optional title track display.

At least one follow-up model is guaranteed, IMO.

Bettering current unit:

Jog dial for easier navigation.

AA battery.

Lower prices.

Better (3-line) remote with larger LCD and rolly wheel!

An LCD display on main unit for better daylight viewability

USB OTG support, etc.

There's lots of room for improvement - even just looking at MD's speeds, which are still lethargic compared to all other alternatives, but IMO has some strange charm associated with it - as long as you're not pounding your fist to quickly get out the door with some new music

IMO, if anything, the increasing rareness of Hi-MD blanks here recently indicates there is no real MD resurgence as far as I can tell. Most I can say is Sony have repositioned the unit to a different market and priced it to perpetuate its 'status' now; a niche tool for the non-general user - with the general market none the wiser about the activity (or lack thereof) in MD land.

[brian10161]

I once saw a guy with a Hi-MD. Shocked the hell outta me. He told me he bought them after they were on sale here in Australia. MZ-NH600. This was about a year ago.

I've seen 2 people in my school using MD players (both looked like mine, one was identical to my unit, but the other was a blue one like mine without radio) and that is all I have ever seen in public. I wonder why MD never really caught on

[WaywardTraveller]

While I'm not sure I'd call it a "revival," I'd swear that JB Hi-Fi here in Melbourne started carrying MD blanks again after not stocking ANY MD stuff for a while (although I could be wrong on this). As to why MD never caught on, Sony needs to take the blame for shitty marketing (read: NO marketing to speak of?) for a product that would have done (and be doing) much better had the word gotten out further. This also includes, IMHO, pushing Hi-MD not only as a data-storage option, but as an option that lets you keep both music AND data on any given disc.

My own personal reasons for adopting and continuing to use MD are admittedly "non-21st century" - I will always prefer to have my music (as well as data) volumized and never in one place or on one stealable/breakable unit; and with MD I can keep a player at home, in my uni office, etc. etc. and not worry about forgetting to bring a player on which to listen to my music. MDs are very, very sturdy (both in terms of media integrity and their plastic shell) and IMHO too much is made of the portability issue - I don't have any problems keeping a few discs in my pocket while I bop around town. Moreover, I find the audio quality better than other portables I've heard (see, jaylen? I'm resisting using that I-word ).

But all these points have been made many times before. I guess the point is that the vast majority of people just want bop-tunes and don't care too much about bitrate or audio quality when it comes to portability.

peace

WaywardTraveller

[brian10161]

I guess the point is that the vast majority of people just want bop-tunes and don't care too much about bitrate or audio quality when it comes to portability.

So true, I've listened to other people's iPods and generic MP3 players, and their songs sound so horrible. I can't stand listening to a song thats been encoded at 128kbps by Xing, it sounds all squishy and I hate it. I love it when I listen to my MD and I hear all the cymbals being clearly regenerated and the bass is great, very deep.

My own personal reasons for adopting and continuing to use MD are admittedly "non-21st century" - I will always prefer to have my music (as well as data) volumized and never in one place or on one stealable/breakable unit

Agreed.

MDs are very, very sturdy (both in terms of media integrity and their plastic shell) and IMHO too much is made of the portability issue - I don't have any problems keeping a few discs in my pocket while I bop around town.

I haven't had any major problems with any of my MD's, other than one failing (It was a blue one, so it irritated me as I had a purple one that still worked, so I cracked open the shell and transferred the discs ). As for portability, I always have 2 or 3 discs with me anyway, so it's great and I don't mind. I'll sacrifice a tiny amount of convenience for great sound quality on the run.

Some people I know at school say "The only reason I never got a Minidisc player was because they can skip". And I always say to them, that may be true, but with my cheap little MZ-NF520D player, I have never had a disc skip. Little do they realize the disc only has to spin up for a few seconds to load about a minute and a half of audio into memory.

I really hope MD comes back.

[johnnybebad]

Walmart here in Newfoundland has NEVER carried blank MDs, as far as I can remember (5 years or so that I would have noticed....)

But they're there now. No HI-MD, but lots and lots of 80 minute discs. I was actually surpised because I got my first mindisc player this year, and assumed from the start that I would have to order blanks online.

The guys at the Sony Store here said they can't keep MDs in stock due to students at the university. They even said they still regularly sell bulky cassette recorders... So, things are dead yet at all.

After using the M100 for a while, it blows my mind that Sony never marketed Hi-MD at all. These things could have definitely been popular. You pretty much have an endless supply of 1 GB Mp3 Players... Or however many discs you're willing to stop at.

[Midnght]

I wonder why MD never really caught on

Well one reason why it never caught on (aside form bad marketing etc) is that the Music Industry never embraced the secure techonology.

I mean think about this.

MD's were out about when CD's were making their hit.

Most if not all companies complain and whine and moan about digital copies and copy rights blah blah blah.

As we all know there is no secure way to keep music from being copied, A simple mic does the trick.

Yet (correct me if i'm wrong) MD was made so that you can put digital music to your MD but you can't take digital music from it (New players not withstanding. Yet even the new record/players still protect anything you write digitally to your MD and won't allow it to be copied backwards right?)

So great you put that record or cd to your MD but you can't digitally copy it down so it's pure and clean and run off more digital copies.

In this respect the media indistry failed to see that they had PURE copy protection. Any copies would be low grade crap.

So they industry never quite understood this and now they bitch about it every damn day. Also, but I don't know perhaps the cost to put on MD was higher at the time than putting to CD. Personally I would have gone MD and protected my music. But hey if it wasn't for the industries mistakes we wouldn't be able to get perfect quality digital music. Hey remember when CD's came out what was it they touted "Never skip or scratch." Hahaha what a joke. I can't scratch my MD's };>)

So sure MD didn't pick up much here around the world cept Japan and some other areas. But really whose fault was that?

Not Sony's, sure they didn't have any huge backing but they offered a techinically superior and secure format, one the Music Industry was too stupid to realize as the way to keep their profits up even if for a bit more of a cost hike at the time.

Sony's always been on the superior edge of recordable formats the problem is the world is full of people who want to pay less, and to pay less you get crap.

[brian10161]

Well one reason why it never caught on (aside form bad marketing etc) is that the Music Industry never embraced the secure techonology.... snipped

Makes total sense. I don't know if this is true or not, but wasn't betamax superior to VHS as well?

[Midnght]

Makes total sense. I don't know if this is true or not, but wasn't betamax superior to VHS as well?

Yup superior in picture and sound quality.

Though that whole problem aside from techno-idiocy was largely to blame on Sony they didn't get the seriously major backing form any of the motion picture studios to suport their format this they got crushed by vhs who had major support. At that time both brand new techs superior format etc wasn't looked at in the video relm as much as it is today by more educated consumers. Remmeber the LaserDisc. };>) Which then came the DVD and on to Blue Ray and HD-DVD.

Laser Disc had the same issues as betamax not enough large firm backing and they discs were huge which as we've seen in todays market people want smaller (go figure) even when it's not always better (case in point ipod and many other mp3 players the cube yeesh sooo tiny).

So the betamax vhs thing is far more understandable. The CD MD war made no sense at all when at that time there was a lot of consern over pirating digital media which stemmed from the pirating of vhs and the companies KNEW how pure and clean cd's were. Yet they walked that path. Heck I've got a few Lable made MD's, so I don;t think the backing wasnt; really around. I really think it was price and techno-idiocy.

But at least now we got Blue_Ray versus HD-DVD and Sony has learned from its' mistakes. Which if all goes well will net Blue-Ray as the new DVD standard. They've got really LARGE inductry support, some of the largest names in the market (Lets face it kids drive purchasing through parents. Kids want Disney };>) See * at the end for supporters of Blue-Ray ) And they have smartly (even if it's slow going right now witht he wii competition) given out what something like 800,000 or more Blue-Ray players at $500-600 bucks a pop already in the form of the Ps3 so those folks won't need to out buying a new player for the new format, and Blue-Rays been in Japan for a logn time before it's hitting the states, most know microsofts havin problems REALLY penetrating the japanese market with their gaming system. While HD-DVD hahah well go buy a new stand alone player (or an xbox360 hd-dvd add on which brings your xbox360 up to the same relative price as teh ps3, but don't think you'll get hd-dvd games your not it's purely an hd-dvd player. };>), or a dual HD-DVD Blue-Ray player.

In short I think the thing to get from all this is that Sony's got new blood and the new blood is doing their best to learn from past mistakes so the world (not just japan) can have the best media available.

But this is all my humble opinion and i'm sory for digressing a bit here. Later folks.

More than 170 leading companies have joined the Blu-ray Disc Association including the following:

* Apple, Buena Vista, Disney, TDK, Dell, FOX, LG, Hitachi, Panasonic, Paramount, Phillips, Pioneer, Samsung, Sharp, Thomson, Warner Brothers.

http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP....blue_ray_player

** The Above shows they've learned something from past mistakes. Maybe it will come to MD as well.

P.S. Based on the american name of the latest MD player. It feels as if sony's moving their MD hardware out of the realm of the player/competition of mp3's cd's etc and instead embracing it for what it has largely (form what i've read) been adopted for across the world of music audio/professionals "Hi-MD™ Field RecorderMZ-RH1" Field recorder does smack of being aimed at recording artists etc. All the extras are bonus for those pedia even teh MZ-M200 is listed as PRO Audio. Those are not terms aimed at the mass public I feel. Time will tell.

Edited December 29, 2006 by Midnght

[brian10161]

P.S. Based on the american name of the latest MD player. It feels as if sony's moving their MD hardware out of the realm of the player/competition of mp3's cd's etc and instead embracing it for what it has largely (form what i've read) been adopted for across the world of music audio/professionals "Hi-MD™ Field RecorderMZ-RH1" Field recorder does smack of being aimed at recording artists etc. All the extras are bonus for those pedia even teh MZ-M200 is listed as PRO Audio. Those are not terms aimed at the mass public I feel. Time will tell.

I hope they release a cheaper model than the MZ-M200, I don't have that kind of money to spend on an MD player. I'd like to buy a new one soon as mine is getting kind of old/used harshly. It's still working and in good shape, but I fear it may die one day on me. Though, it hasn't shown any signs of aging or dieing yet, so I suppose I'm really worrying about nothing.

[WaywardTraveller]

Well one reason why it never caught on (aside form bad marketing etc) is that the Music Industry never embraced the secure techonology.

True enough....I don't know much about the history of prerecorded MDs, but they didn't last that long.

Yet (correct me if i'm wrong) MD was made so that you can put digital music to your MD but you can't take digital music from it (New players not withstanding. Yet even the new record/players still protect anything you write digitally to your MD and won't allow it to be copied backwards right?)

This used to be the case, but thankfully no longer. Music you transfer to MD CAN be uploaded to any computer as long as it's running a recent version of SS (music ripped with older versions CANNOT be transferred from MD) and the "Add Copy Protection" box in the Import CD dialogue window is UNCHECKED.

I hope they release a cheaper model than the MZ-M200, I don't have that kind of money to spend on an MD player. I'd like to buy a new one soon as mine is getting kind of old/used harshly. It's still working and in good shape, but I fear it may die one day on me. Though, it hasn't shown any signs of aging or dieing yet, so I suppose I'm really worrying about nothing.

In case you didn't know, the M200 is nothing more than the MZ-RH1 with a mic thrown in to the deal. they are exactly the same unit. Moreover, we (as in somebody on these forums) have reliable information stating that Sony plans to release a low-end version of the RH1 at some point - same unit but cheaper, with LCD and not backlit display, gumstick battery, etc. There's a thread on this somewhere here but I don't have the time to look for it...

peace

WaywardTraveller

Edited December 30, 2006 by WaywardTraveller

[ozpeter]

I cannot for a minute imagine MD taking off now for portable playback purposes. For Christmas, in response to a major hint, Mrs Oz gave me my first iPod, one of the new generation Shuffles, the one with a clip. It's the clip that made me ask for it - I can clip it to my shirt or whatever and I don't know it's there. The control buttons can be operated without looking at them (importantly the pause button in particular is easy to locate by touch when Mrs Oz wishes to speak to me...). It loads quickly and simply via iTunes and having ripped all our CDs to mp3 some time ago, there's no work to do on that front. Sound quality is perfectly fine as far as I am concerned, and it will drive full size Sennheiser HD580 high quality cans to too-high levels (unlike any MD device I have). I can't think of any reason why I'd weigh myself down with an MD player for personal audio now - despite owning an RH-1, and NH-1, and an NH900.

But for recording - no contest, particularly as the iPod doesn't record!

By the way - just before Christmas I acquired a Sony NW-HD1 20gig player, which was being cleared locally at only 1.4 times the price of the 2nd gen iPod Shuffle. There's a sign of the times. Probably going cheap as it transcodes, slowly, mp3 to ATRAC when you load it via SonicStage, which for most people is a no-no. Just not in the same league of usability as the tiny iPod as a music player. But I couldn't resist the bargain! Might see if I can find someone doing the firmware upgrade to enable mp3 native playback though.

Edited December 30, 2006 by ozpeter

[mmp64]

By the way - just before Christmas I acquired a Sony NW-HD1 20gig player, which was being cleared locally at only 1.4 times the price of the 2nd gen iPod Shuffle. There's a sign of the times. Probably going cheap as it transcodes, slowly, mp3 to ATRAC when you load it via SonicStage, which for most people is a no-no. Just not in the same league of usability as the tiny iPod as a music player. But I couldn't resist the bargain! Might see if I can find someone doing the firmware upgrade to enable mp3 native playback though.

The NW-HD1 is a great unit to listen to "albums" on - solid construction, outstanding sound and battery life. I wouldn't bother with the MP3 firmware upgrade - (unless your library is all MP3) - you can't apply custom EQ to MP3 files on this unit. Also - I don't think Sony is offering the upgrade any more, but I could be wrong.

It is not good for using playlists, since it really doesn't support them. Also not great for managing a large amount of music. Once stuff has been transferred to the device, your only view of the files in SonicStage is in the order in which the files were transferred.

For fun, try encoding a couple of your favorite CDs in SonicStage using HiSP then transfer to the NW-HD1 and check out the sound quality.

[brian10161]

I cannot for a minute imagine MD taking off now for portable playback purposes. For Christmas, in response to a major hint, Mrs Oz gave me my first iPod, one of the new generation Shuffles, the one with a clip. It's the clip that made me ask for it - I can clip it to my shirt or whatever and I don't know it's there. The control buttons can be operated without looking at them (importantly the pause button in particular is easy to locate by touch when Mrs Oz wishes to speak to me...). It loads quickly and simply via iTunes and having ripped all our CDs to mp3 some time ago, there's no work to do on that front. Sound quality is perfectly fine as far as I am concerned, and it will drive full size Sennheiser HD580 high quality cans to too-high levels (unlike any MD device I have). I can't think of any reason why I'd weigh myself down with an MD player for personal audio now - despite owning an RH-1, and NH-1, and an NH900.

I'd much rather have my MD player than my iPod or an MP3 player mainly because it isn't so small in comparison. The reason? I prefer a device with a bit of weight to it. It usually reminds me if I have forgotten it or not. If I don't feel the weight of it in my pocket, it will cause me to start searching for it, so then I know I haven't left it behind anywhere.

I can see the MD's starting to become more popular, but they will never be as popular as the iPod

[Sparky191]

I'd much rather have my MD player than my iPod or an MP3 player mainly because it isn't so small in comparison. The reason? I prefer a device with a bit of weight to it. It usually reminds me if I have forgotten it or not. If I don't feel the weight of it in my pocket, it will cause me to start searching for it, so then I know I haven't left it behind anywhere.

I can see the MD's starting to become more popular, but they will never be as popular as the iPod

... is that that MD in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me?

[brian10161]

lmao

[rich1068]

Might see if I can find someone doing the firmware upgrade to enable mp3 native playback though.

Not sure about where you are but in the UK Sony did offer this service themselves. There was a small charge IIRC but it brought the HD1 up to a similar spec as the HD3. Might be worth contacting Sony direct.

Edit - Oops. Just read mmp64's post.

Edited December 31, 2006 by rich1068

[1kyle]

Hi everyone

Happy New Year.

Jeremy Clarkson in "The Sun" wrote an interesting article about the problem with "gadgets" and his problem in particular with a New Ipod when trying to copy music from one device to the new one -- He lost his entire collection (around 7,000 songs) because of problems of trying to copy music from the Old device to the New one. He needed to use a computer and of course he lost the entire collection (DRM ? / incompatable format ? -- I don't know how it happened other than it did and he wasn't a happy camper after that).

Whilst he wasn't a computer genius he's no technophobe either (as anybody who remembers seeing the original series of "Top Gear" where he was the main presenter will testify) the fact that he had a problem in losing music when changing devices leads to the inevitable conclusion that this problem is more common than one might think as people replace their devices.

I still say I've seen more MD units around now than for quite a while.

Incidentally (and I've also seen it published elsewhere --can't remember the exact source) but the 7 inch VINYL single is also making something of a comeback --now that's something I certainly didn't expect --and there's even now a large number of USB turntables appearing now for transferring Vinyl to MD or whatever (No DRM of course).

Don't forget also that when you use something like Itunes you'll always get some type of compression which renders the music not so good if you ever get a chance to listen to it on real professional or high end gear -- lot's of people now are making Home Cinema / Sound studios so they can enjoy DVD's and Music at TRUE fidelity. Itunes etc also put a lot of restrictions on what you can actually do with the music you've downloaded as well.

There's a whole world of difference in listening to an Ipod on a train or in the Street with those horrible ear bud phones and to sitting at home with a nice large drink in your hand listening to music on speakers like Mission's or whatever. MD sounds fine through these systems. An MP3 at 128 kbs usually doesn't - especially if it's a copy of an already hideously compressed source in the first place.

(Take a standard Jpeg image file --just edit it it around 3 times and you'll see how the quality degrades very quickly indeed)

Don't write off "removable media" for convenience and security of your collections. (And it's far cheaper per MB of storage than solid state devices).

There's still a lot of life in the old dog yet.

Happy MD'ying in 2007.

Cheers

-K

Edited December 31, 2006 by 1kyle

[Sparky191]

Clarkson's an idiot.

Apple Lossless.

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=200547

[MDGB2]

I think the mp3 phase is dying down a bit now, as everyone and their dog owns one of some sort.

Anything "exclusive" or niche market, such as MD will always be cooler than something used by the masses (mp3)

Edited December 31, 2006 by MDGB2

[mmp64]

Not sure about where you are but in the UK Sony did offer this service themselves. There was a small charge IIRC but it brought the HD1 up to a similar spec as the HD3. Might be worth contacting Sony direct.

Edit - Oops. Just read mmp64's post.

I would like to take this opportunity to correct myself. The ugrade is still offered - until March 31st 2007 (in the U.S.)

http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/news-item...&news_id=63

[ozpeter]

Thanks for the comments and advice on the NW-HD1 - I'm in Australia. There's a agent not far away from here who should be able to advise me on the local situation (which I'll report here FWIW).

I only use the SonicStage library for my own live recordings - all my CDs are ripped in mp3 format. So I'm faced with transcoding, or re-ripping, or the upgrade, or using it for the classical stuff I've never ripped. A brief experiment with transcoding indicated that it's not a total disaster for casual listening, but there's the psychological thing of knowing that it's transcoded...

When it comes to size, indeed there's a problem with tiny players simply getting lost. Advice seems to be to always leave the headphones attached!

[1kyle]

Clarkson's an idiot.

Apple Lossless.

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=200547

He may or may not be "an Idiot" as you say --but certainly a lot of people have had similar problems to him -- losing music is always a risk with these type of "fixed" media devices and a lot of people today are still not very savvy about computers --just go into a PC World store in the UK and listen to the questions people ask the (usually just as ignorant) staff.

Makes those "Scam TV quizzes" seem like getting a Ph.d at a university.

You know those that ask questions like is 1 + 1 = 2 or is 1 + 1 =3 . Phone your answer (on an expensive premium line @ GBP1.50 per sec) to claim your prize (and wait 20 mins on the phone of course @ GBP 1.20 a second). Anybody whos'se ever seen ITV 1 in the UK will know what I mean about these so called "quizzes".

Apple Lossless (as any other lossless format) is fine if you can get your (uncompressed) format music into Apple Lossless. It's no point converting an already compressed Itunes 128 kbs MP3 into Apple lossless as the Itunes stuff is already highly compressed -- As I said earlier this is probably OK for listening on ear bud phones in a noisy environment like a train but not good enough for serious home listening.

The other point of the MD is RECORDING. Granted if you only want casual playback from time to time then the convenience of the small mp3 players might well suffice but for recording and then transferring your recording to other people either via Email or "Snail Mail" you can't beat the MD.

(Forget texting and mobile phone transfer as well -- If you have a BEBO account --Free http://www.bebo.com) you can send / receive your recordings direct to your friends accounts as well -- makes Texting like "Dinosaur Technology --yesterdays stuff).

Until solid state media becomes as cheap as MD's per MB I can't see it being replaced any time soon. As a working PJ (Photo Journalist) I'd be totally LOST without the MD recorders. The RH1 is 100% perfect for this job -- the older PRO TASCAM units - also MD based were much to bulky to carry around in lots of places.

I know about 85% of the readers on these boards are probably people who just download music / rip CD's and use the devices as mobile playback devices.

For working musicians, photogaphers, police officers etc etc. small portable RECORDING units with removable media are still tools of NECESSITY.

More than once an MD recording has been used as part of evidence in Court as well.

Happy New year everyone.

Cheers

-K

Edited January 1, 2007 by 1kyle

[Richard]

* Topic Moved To Appropriate section of forum

[Midnght]

I fall into the casual listner catagory in general. but I will say there's nothing quite as satisfying as busting out the ol md player attach mic hit record and record those lengthy meetigns or training sessions to rip down to mp3 and store for later use be it for people who missed the meeting for one reason or another or to pass on the live training without needing to go to class again.

People always ask what's that and i'm more than happy to tell them. }:>)

Also it's great for recording conversations with the wife so when she or you say you said such and such you can go um no I didn't here listen. Or show em see you got mad not me so stop saying i'm the grumpy one. };>) And the player fits neatly in a shirt pocket with mic sticking out hahaha.

As for the ol ipdo. Apple can take it's $99 battery replacement scheme (maybe it's come down in price some what but i doubt it) and put it in places your mother says never put things. Like it woudl have killed them to allow you to pop in a new batery. Nooo they have to have you ship it back at your cost pay $99 for a new battery they'll install. Pfffft money grubberss who needs em.

Well I see the cost has come down.

http://www.apple.com/support/ipod/service/battery/

Not a replacement of the battery though BUT YOUR ENTIRE unit. that's damn near worse than just replacing the battery. And to get this cheaper fair you have to buy into a program. for $69.95 per unit jeez my $40 shuffle just became hidesouly expensive to replace the battery.

Bah the maker of ipod should be shot IMHO for making yet more plastic crap that should be thrown away harming the environment.

Edited January 5, 2007 by Midnght

[Sparky191]

He may or may not be "an Idiot" as you say --but certainly a lot of people have had similar problems to him -- losing music is always a risk with these type of "fixed" media devices and a lot of people today are still not very savvy about computers --just go into a PC World store in the UK and listen to the questions people ask the (usually just as ignorant) staff....

Stupid is as stupid does.

Most people don't bother to do a course or read a manual, then blame the equipment when they make a mess of it. Hard to have sympathy for that after the nth time you see it. iPods have DRM restrictions, so buyer beware, and learn what those limitations are, Besides MD is not immune to losing data either. For a very long time we had to live with errors in the software trashing recordings and SonicStage doing crazy things for no logical reason. You still see posts from people who have DRM issues even with the latest version of SonicStage.

Edited January 6, 2007 by Sparky191

[ozpeter]

(Re the NW-HD1 firmware upgrade to provide mp3 native playback - the local service agent says on the phone that the upgrade is free if the unit is under guarantee, and takes about 24 hrs. I can't resist anything free - so I'll give the offer a try as soon as their relevant staff member is back at work next week).

[Sparda]

Clarkson's an idiot.

Apple Lossless.

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=200547

So all those boxes strapped to iPods are for the purpose of line-out? And then they must get those $120 cables just because it has cotton... I really don't see the point, somebody show them MD please, its just sad, seems so redundant to me. Ha, feel like posting my rig even though my headphones aren't very good, at least my DAP is.

Edit: I would love to register at Head-Fi just for that one reason.

Edit 2: Yes I am very bored as you can tell... Ahem, so does all that effort they put in make it sound any better, anybody would have an idea how it sounds compared to Hi-MD? I mean if they go through all that for nothing then really, what are they thinking?

Edited January 13, 2007 by Sparda

[GQ Smooth]

I own a 30Gb Ipod, and a RH1, but mainly use my RH1 for listening pleasure. I ilke the ipod for having my ALL my music at my disposal, but don't like the sound. I like the sound of my RH1, plus the fact that it comes with a remote control( unlike the ipod, which use to. Now to make track/volume adjustment you have to show the whole world that you have an ipod) I don't think Sony should bother trying to compete with Apple. I think they should continue making the best sound playing removable hard disk units on the market, as, to my mind there will always be a demand. Sonic stage is a bit more work than itunes, but worth it

[heathenmagic]

I own a 30Gb Ipod, and a RH1, but mainly use my RH1 for listening pleasure. I ilke the ipod for having my ALL my music at my disposal, but don't like the sound. I like the sound of my RH1, plus the fact that it comes with a remote control( unlike the ipod, which use to. Now to make track/volume adjustment you have to show the whole world that you have an ipod) I don't think Sony should bother trying to compete with Apple. I think they should continue making the best sound playing removable hard disk units on the market, as, to my mind there will always be a demand. Sonic stage is a bit more work than itunes, but worth it

Well said. I have the same opinions as you. Especially the SQ issue. I much prefer the RH1 sound to Ipod and my Creative Zen. Being a musician, I have professional use for hi-md. So would love it for Sony to bring out further models sometime in the future. The RH1 has sold well apparently.

[ozpeter]

(Re the NW-HD1 firmware upgrade to provide mp3 native playback - the local service agent says on the phone that the upgrade is free if the unit is under guarantee, and takes about 24 hrs. I can't resist anything free - so I'll give the offer a try as soon as their relevant staff member is back at work next week).

I'll finsh my report here thought it's not really on topic...

Heh, well that didn't quite work as expected. I've only just got the unit back - and was charged about $95 (Australian). Apparently the free upgrade is no longer available, and also there was a delay of several weeks to obtain the necessary software CD that has to accompany the upgraded unit. The joke is - the software disc is SonicStage 2.3!!

Fortunately after all that, the player works just fine with SS4.0 - though when first connected a message came up telling me that the unit would not work with that version until all files had been deleted from the player, which was no problem to me. Then it came up as a recognised device. I've just wacked a CD's worth on mp3 files onto it, which was very fast now that no conversion is taking place. They show up on the display as mp3 with the bit rate also given. And it sounds fine.

For the total price now paid - $250 - I could probably have got a non-Sony 20Gb player, but it wouldn't have played classical recordings in Atrac format, nor my RH-1 recordings natively. So I'm content.

[Sparda]

Ahh, the NW-HD1... I once thought of using that over a MD but still stuck with it. It is a work of art, should have gotten one when I had the chance. I like the fact that it can store 20GB worth of music and still not sound like crap, and it supports ATRAC. I liked the old styles Sony had for their Walkmans, what happened? They are now all ugly looking *sigh*.

Edited February 10, 2007 by Sparda

[A440]

should have gotten one when I had the chance.

There's always eBay.

[ozpeter]

Or, as in my case, your local retailer who found some in the storeroom and put them in the window at a quarter of the original sticker price.

Yay!