Any HiMD home decks on the horizon?

[sanaka]

Will consumer level HiMD decks follow close on the heels of portable HiMD?

I was ready to buy a Sony MXD-D400 MD/CD deck (they're around $300) for my home/computer setup. BUT, field recording w/ a HiMD portable direct to PCM 16x44 will be a way cool option for me, and this deck would be of limited utility then (only usable for regular MD).

Granted, the main advantage of the deck was to get digital out to my PC, which I'll be able to do directly w/ HiMD, but the convenience and stationary nature of a deck is still important to me. A HiMD version of the above mentioned deck, for about the same price, would be just _wacky_ cool

Anyone know what may be the possibilities? Thanks!

Peace,

Sanaka

[Rumz]

The only word we have thus far is that if Hi-MD does well in the portable arena, we'll likely see some decks follow. I guess time will tell... I'd like a Hi-MD deck as well, eventually.

[JFK]

I think Sony coudn't have decided to release a new kind of format like Hi-MD without do any works in decks or stereo components. If their aim is to a standard with Hi-MD, then we well soon see a complete range of products : portable, stereo, decks, in-car, ... Moreover, now you can do lossless recordings, and it is pretty cooler for home high end recorders.

If not they are not going to do a music hit with Hi-MD!

[PDOG58]

The only word we have thus far is that if Hi-MD does well in the portable arena, we'll likely see some decks follow.  I guess time will tell... I'd like a Hi-MD deck as well, eventually.

I think Hi_MD decks would be usful EVERYWHERE. Especially in the corporate world. I am a Radio Broadcasting student and to me, it would be invaluable to a radio station. I know the radio station I listen to still records its live talkshows on DAT and regualr audio casset. A single 4 hour show requires 2 DAT tapes. With a Hi-MD deck, you could record an entire DAY on a single Hi-MD mini disk at a qualioty of 64kbps. And from what I have read, ATRAC3plus at 64kbps is near perfect. This would save the station TONS of money. Personally, I am a multimedia coordinator at my church and I would LOVE to create an Audio Archive of all our services. With a Hi-MD deck, I could get 2 months worth of services on a single MD. Talk about inexspensive and space saving.

[Breepee]

And from what I have read, ATRAC3plus at 64kbps is near perfect..

You've just been reading Sony-propaganda. Of course this is bulls***. Microsoft claims CD-quality at 64kbps WMA, Thompson at 128kbps mp3 or 64kbps mp3pro and so on and so forth.

It's all plain nonsense. Just please listen to some demanding pieces of music on a nice HiFi set, and everthing below 160kbps will sound like s***. Above it, the difference fades (for me). To be on the safe side, I just stick with lossless, (Hi)SP or 256kbps and up.

CD-quality == HiSP, not a bps less.

[Christopher]

Yes, breepee [and please don't use such language next time, thx], but if his work is predominately in radio and what I can assume voice recordings, would such bitrates be necessary? The average radio broadcast is quite low in the bitrate sense. You need to read the context of the post before making such brash statements. :sleep:

[PDOG58]

The average radio broadcast is quite low in the bitrate sense.

Heck, even if it were recorded at a higher bit rate, you can still fit 7+ hours on a single MD. In radio, that would be invaluable.

[jadeclaw]

Heck, even if it were recorded at a higher bit rate, you can still fit 7+ hours on a single MD. In radio, that would be invaluable.

For talk radio, 64k is more than sufficient.

And that gives still 10 hours on old discs. :smile:

In addition, tapes have only a limited shelf life.

---

But in case of demanding music, I have to agree with breepee. Especially when listening to Jazz and classical music.

However, I agree with kurisu, foul language is inappropriate here.

[Breepee]

For speech LP4/64kbps could suffice, though I've experienced something like 'channel-clipping' when recording stereo speech (and actually using the two channels). Sounds like a problem with joint-stereo, but I'm not sure. I prefer LP2 (which is near CD to my ear) and doesn't clip channels.

[and please don't use such language next time, thx]

That's OK, I just get itchy when big companies spread lies like 64kbps == CD-quality. Wont do it again

[jadeclaw]

For speech LP4/64kbps could suffice, though I've experienced something like 'channel-clipping' when recording stereo speech (and actually using the two channels). Sounds like a problem with joint-stereo, but I'm not sure. I prefer LP2 (which is near CD to my ear) and doesn't clip channels. [...]

It is the joint stereo. The problem, both channels are mixed down to mono (the sum), then processed, at the same time the difference between the channels is processed as well.

Normally, that allows for more data being allocated to the 'sum' of the signal.

And exactly that is the point, where things get ugly.

Normally, there is enough crosstalk between the channels to keep the amount of data in the 'difference' low enough.

But with high channel separation, joint stereo encoders have to cut corners to keep the bitrate inside the limit.

The resulting artefacts sound quite nasty.

The worst offender is MP3 here... :wacky:

OGG-Vorbis is a good example that you don't need joint stereo to get good sound at low bitrates, OGG at 48k easily outperforms mp3pro at 64k. And doesn't has these effects as OGG always processes the channels separately.

And if Hi-MD is at 64k as good as OGG at that speed, then we could be quite happy. That quality is well on par with FM-Radio.

[lewchamp]

Go to this home page minidisc.org and hit browse and click on HIMD and you will find a home unit from Sont for HIMD. Apparently this unit is not available to June but that is just around the corner.

[jadeclaw]

Go to this home page minidisc.org and hit browse and click on HIMD and you will find a home unit from Sont for HIMD.  Apparently this unit is not available to June but that is just around the corner.

[ ] You do know, that the first poster asked for a home deck to be integrated into an existing HiFi component system.

[ ] You have read, that the home unit displayed there is a bookshelf system

[X] You will reread the topmost posting and the description of the set again.

[X] You will look up the description for the MXD-D400 MD/CD and compare that to your posting.

Thank you.

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@Sanaka:

I have talked with Sony Germany before and the guy on the hotline refused to give out any useable information of future developments. He simply said, "We don't talk about that."

I suspect, as others before, that it depends on the success of the portables in the market. So, all you can do is sit and wait...

Or take one with 'Line out mode', the NH900.

Ok, Sony, if you reading here: I need 2 decent home decks and 2 internal PC-Drives (5 1/4 " or 3 1/2 " Formfactor).

[jay_zhead]

I think that SONY will probably wait to see how well this new format catches on, and then decide on the variety of models and the prices for Hi-MD decks. I'm sure that eventually Hi-MD decks will follow. If the format becomes widely successful, then there would be many models and they would not be expensive. If not, then... :smile:

As for me, I do not have a need for a deck. The MD's portability is it's #1 factor for me. If already I'm gonna carry large equipment for a recording, I'd prefer to carry a Laptop equipped with a 24bit/96khz sound recording system, it would be about the same size and weight as an MD deck. And the MD portables have 99.9% of the features found it decks, so...

[jadeclaw]

There are good reasons to have a home deck, as editing with a jog-dial is done much faster than the aim and shoot technique necessary with a portable unit.

The sound quality on playback is much better as well.

I don't think, that a low voltage amp can match the well designed output stage of a home deck, where the supply allows for a much higher dynamic range before hitting the supply rails.

And a digital optical output is a welcomed addition too.

Sony's last portable MD with digital out was also the first - The MZ-1...

[jay_zhead]

I don't know. It seems to me that the NH900 has a wonderful jog dial, bigger than most home decks I've worked with, plus the optical out (for me) is no longer needed taking into account the fact that the new units stream the sound via USB in real time (there is your digital out), as well as the upload capabilities. As for the sound quality... I've worked with MD decks and haven't noticed any difference in sound output quality compared with portables.

There is no question however that a deck is much more convenient to use in a static environment (such as a studio or your home). I was merely stating that there is no use for it TO ME, people who use the technology more at home than on the move should definitely get a deck.

[jadeclaw]

I don't know. It seems to me that the NH900 has a wonderful jog dial, bigger than most home decks I've worked with,  ...

It is the rehearsal mode, that makes editing such a snap.

I hope that Sony is bright enough to include that too.

plus the optical out (for me) is no longer needed taking into account the fact that the new units stream the sound via USB in real time (there is your digital out),

The problem is that most soundcards unnecessarily resample to 48kHz and doing that in a way, that it degrades the soundquality as well. (A Terratec soundcard delivered better sound under Linux...)

As for the sound quality... I've worked with MD decks and haven't noticed any difference in sound output quality compared with portables.

Depends on amp and speakers used for playback. My R500 ended up on Ebay because of the sound quality.

... I was merely stating that there is no use for it TO ME, ...

I'm not criticizing that. Use what fits your needs best. My needs are different.