a320sherif Posted April 11, 2004 Report Share Posted April 11, 2004 hy every one, I am new to new hi-md stuff, 1-in my pc hard disk i have 30 gig of mp3's that i took from everywhere, older hdd, friends,.... converted cd etc etc, some mp3 's are 192kbs and some are 128kbs, I would like to know what is the best compromise between quality and size with the hi-md disc ? I really like mp3's at 192 kbs which is equal to what atrac 3 plus compression? 2- I will probabily buy the SONY MZ-NHF800 Hi-MD , can someone tell me how its remote will work , i mean it will have at least a pushbutton to select the albums in my midisc compilation? because one line will be thanks sherif... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazeybt1 Posted April 11, 2004 Report Share Posted April 11, 2004 Check out... http://minidisc.org/hi-md_faq.html sorry i don't have the time to explain now. hope this helps u Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Posted April 11, 2004 Report Share Posted April 11, 2004 1.) You would want to use 256kbps ATRAC3plus, aka Hi-SP. Check this out: http://www.sony.net/Products/Hi-MD/capacity.html#3 2.) The remote works like any other Minidisc remote. It features buttons which can pretty much do whatever the buttons can do on the unit itself. Record, edit, group, track, sound/volume, radio [in this case, since you'd be purchasing the NHF800], and a few other things. I will admit it seems like it may be a bit cumbersome cycling through tracks in such a manner - and that's where the benefit of having up to 20 groups and 2,000+ bookmarks comes into play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Stamp Posted April 12, 2004 Report Share Posted April 12, 2004 since mp3 uses a different kind of compression, i use the LP2. I too use 192kbps for mp3's, and i find the LP2 does it justice very well. When i get the Hi-MD, i will be using the LP2 because: a) i've always been using LP2 for my 192's 16 hours!!! on a hi-md c) its proven that Atrac3(plus) has a higher quality (by far) compared to mp3 at the same bitrate. my two cents. edit: the remote has the radio completely built in. Kurisu: nice touch with the amount of words! tells users how useful the user in question actually is (well, unless he/she has been typing words like a,s,d,g,r,s,,q,s,c c c d d w df , like i just did ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a320sherif Posted April 12, 2004 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2004 thank you for your answers guys, sorry i have more questions.... 1-what about using HI-LP/atrac 3 plus, to convert all my mp3's...............is it good? 2-about the remote of the MZ-NHF800 , i just can't image how the music playlist will work and will appear in only one line...., for example there will be a push button that will change the folder of the bands name then it will give the songs list inside this folder and then move a fwd or back pushbuttons? can someone be more clear about this... or how does the bookmark function works? 3-the model MZ-NHF800 will have the backlight on the unit itseltf? the backlight is vital for me,....especially when i am driving at night or sleeping in the bed... 4-so to recharge the AA battery i have to take it off from the unit itself and recharge it in a standard recharger or i can just plug the unit in a recharger? 5-so just to confirm.... i can convert anykinds of mp3 NO MATTER where they came from? no copyright stuff.....? 6- the remote of the MZ-NH900 just look simpler from the MZ-NHF800 , can it perform the same functions..... 7- i have the chance to travel a lot ...i can buy the hi-md from canada , new york , osaka (japan) or bangkok? what is the best place to buy an hi-md? thank you guys i can't wait the time to put all my lounge and buddha bar music collection on the hi-md and go around the world with it ........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sbetsho Posted April 12, 2004 Report Share Posted April 12, 2004 thank you for your answers guys, sorry i have more questions.... 1-what about using HI-LP/atrac 3 plus, to convert all my mp3's...............is it good? 2-about the remote of the MZ-NHF800 , i just can't image how the music playlist will work and will appear in only one line...., for example there will be a push button that will change the folder of the bands name then it will give the songs list inside this folder and then move a fwd or back pushbuttons? can someone be more clear about this... or how does the bookmark function works? 3-the model MZ-NHF800 will have the backlight on the unit itseltf? the backlight is vital for me,....especially when i am driving at night or sleeping in the bed... 4-so to recharge the AA battery i have to take it off from the unit itself and recharge it in a standard recharger or i can just plug the unit in a recharger? 5-so just to confirm.... i can convert anykinds of mp3 NO MATTER where they came from? no copyright stuff.....? 6- the remote of the MZ-NH900 just look simpler from the MZ-NHF800 , can it perform the same functions..... 7- i have the chance to travel a lot ...i can buy the hi-md from canada , new york , osaka (japan) or bangkok? what is the best place to buy an hi-md? thank you guys i can't wait the time to put all my lounge and buddha bar music collection on the hi-md and go around the world with it ........1. I have used LP4 for even 128 kbps mp3's and I think they are just fine, so HI-LP will be somewhat better, of course not everyone will be satisfied, but I think the quantity compensates the loss of quality very well. 4. If it is same as in old MD-devices (which I strongly believe it is), then it will recharge the battery inside the MD-device. 5. If you record them manually, then yes, not sure about special type of mp3's that are being recorded via sonicstage, but most mp3's will transfer just fine (first being converted to Atrac3+ of course) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadoh6 Posted April 13, 2004 Report Share Posted April 13, 2004 This may sound like a newbie question but.... Does the bitrate of the MP3 matter when converting to atrac? Or put in another way, When uncompressed, will all bitrate MP3s have the same sound quality? And finally, What bitrate will represent the closest analog to PCM quality? (320?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anont Posted April 13, 2004 Report Share Posted April 13, 2004 This may sound like a newbie question but.... Does the bitrate of the MP3 matter when converting to atrac? Or put in another way, When uncompressed, will all bitrate MP3s have the same sound quality? And finally, What bitrate will represent the closest analog to PCM quality? (320?)Yeah MP3 bitrate makes a difference. Different people will have different opinions, but to my mind, 128 kbps (or lower) bitrates are only good for listening in a noisy environment - which is OK if you listen while jogging, on the bus, etc. I think at 192 or 224 kbps, you start having music which sound pretty good even when put through a stereo system. And, of course any MD copy of a MP3 will sound slightly worse than the source MP3. 320 kbps will sound very good, as will SP-MD. But even high-quality compressed music will be noticeable in a side-by-side comparison to the original, at least on my equipment. If you're concerned about getting the best audio quality, it's best to use CDs, or FLAC compression - it compresses to about 600kbps, but doesn't lose any audio quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zbigas Posted April 13, 2004 Report Share Posted April 13, 2004 2-about the remote of the MZ-NHF800 , i just can't image how the music playlist will work and will appear in only one line...., for example there will be a push button that will change the folder of the bands name then it will give the songs list inside this folder and then move a fwd or back pushbuttons? can someone be more clear about this... or how does the bookmark function works? 3-the model MZ-NHF800 will have the backlight on the unit itseltf? the backlight is vital for me,....especially when i am driving at night or sleeping in the bed... 2 - You press the group button, then group function is activated, then you press the fast forward/rewind buttons: the group names are displayed. Then you select a group by pressing enter button (or just waiting few seconds) and palyback of group tracks' begins. Then you select a track using fast forward/rewind buttons. 3 - well, AFAIK, only very few portable md units have a backlit lcd display on the unit itself (Sony MZ-1, Sony S-1), however, I could be wrong. And it is not mentioned in pre-specs that MZ-NHF800 will have such a thing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmp64 Posted April 13, 2004 Report Share Posted April 13, 2004 "And, of course any MD copy of a MP3 will sound slightly worse than the source MP3. " I don't agree. In fact, to my ears, the ATRAC sounds better than the source MP3. Do the test yourself. I think it is probably due to the superior EQ and Bass Boost on Sony's MD units vs. your garden variety MP3 player (in my case, the Nomad Zen Xtra). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay_zhead Posted April 13, 2004 Report Share Posted April 13, 2004 thank you for your answers guys, sorry i have more questions.... 1-what about using HI-LP/atrac 3 plus, to convert all my mp3's...............is it good? 2-about the remote of the MZ-NHF800 , i just can't image how the music playlist will work and will appear in only one line...., for example there will be a push button that will change the folder of the bands name then it will give the songs list inside this folder and then move a fwd or back pushbuttons? can someone be more clear about this... or how does the bookmark function works? 3-the model MZ-NHF800 will have the backlight on the unit itseltf? the backlight is vital for me,....especially when i am driving at night or sleeping in the bed... 4-so to recharge the AA battery i have to take it off from the unit itself and recharge it in a standard recharger or i can just plug the unit in a recharger? 5-so just to confirm.... i can convert anykinds of mp3 NO MATTER where they came from? no copyright stuff.....? 6- the remote of the MZ-NH900 just look simpler from the MZ-NHF800 , can it perform the same functions..... 7- i have the chance to travel a lot ...i can buy the hi-md from canada , new york , osaka (japan) or bangkok? what is the best place to buy an hi-md? thank you guys i can't wait the time to put all my lounge and buddha bar music collection on the hi-md and go around the world with it ........1. It'll be fine. I suspect it will be about the same quality as your MP3's. The only way to know is to try it. 2. When you press the group button, a single group name is displayed. Then you can change the group with the forward-backward slider. When you press play (enter) it will start playing the selected group/album. 3. I don't think so. The unit is the parallel of the R70, the R700 and the N700 series, all of which do not have a backlight on the unit's display. The backlight is only on the remote. If you must have it on the unit, go for the NH900. 4. Neither. You plug the AC adapter into the unit and then press the Stop/Cancel/Charge button. The unit will charge the battery to it's fullest capacity, and then turn off automatically. 5. If your question is about copying music TO the device, then YES! There are NO copyright restrictions onto the source of the MP3s. Any MP3's will do (any WAV files or CD's too). The copyright management comes into play when copying tracks FROM the MD back to the PC: you cannot upload files from the MD that you had downloaded to it from a different computer (say, at your friend's house, for example). You CAN however upload music that you had manually recorded to the MD (via the line in, Microphone or Optical inputs). Also, you can copy MP3 files from any computer to the Hi-MD as data, and then upload them anywhere, but the MD will not play them as such. But as for your music library - don't worry. The software will convert any MP3 sound file to ATRAC and download it to the MD. 6. The remote of the NH900 has exactly the same functions of the NHF800 minus the radio. The NHF800's remote is bigger only because of the tuner. 7. I'd probably say New-York. In any other country it will be more expensive, besides Japan. But in Japan you get Japanese-only software and Japanese-only manuals. Plus, it will only be released there in June. In the US it should become available within the next month, and it will be cheapest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Posted April 13, 2004 Report Share Posted April 13, 2004 7. I'd probably say New-York. In any other country it will be more expensive, besides Japan. But in Japan you get Japanese-only software and Japanese-only manuals. Plus, it will only be released there in June. In the US it should become available within the next month, and it will be cheapest.Actually, I'd buy it in Japan - it'd be much less expensive. Are manuals and software an issue anymore? Minidisc.org carries a hundred of english manuals for units these days and we'll definitely have the Hi-MD unit manuals, and English versions of Sonicstage [which your Hi-MD unit will need] are already available! Of course, you may want to buy in America for a warranty.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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