No Hi-MD for this Musician!

[jazmaan]

Read it and weep:

UPLOADING

One of the biggest questions about Hi-MD is the upload capability. Let me outline what it is:

- Uploads are simply carried out through the same transfer window in Sonicstage that you use to transfer music to Hi-MD.

- All uploaded files, be they Hi-LP, Hi-SP or PCM are encrypted with the OpenMG digital rights management.

- You cannot burn uploaded files to Audio CD. You can burn them to ATRAC-encoded CD's for playback in ATRAC Discmen.

- No third-party programs to edit OpenMG encrypted files are available at this time.

- You cannot email the resulting .OMG file to other people as they do not have the rights to play the file back.

- You CAN create copies of your own recorded material to other Hi-MD/MD discs, and of course you can listen to the files on your PC.

The end result is that the upload facility is of diminished usefulness in a practical context, and will be of a particular disappointment to one of the major niche users of Minidisc... amateur musicians. The only way you'll get recordings into Cubase et al will be to play the sound in via analog in the old way, or to grab the WAV stream internally on the PC as you play the sound back in real time. This MAY change in future versions of Sonicstage, but it's not guaranteed.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Sony Sucks!

[Fast Eddie]

That's a pain. But surely it's recording lengths are of benefit still?

[jadeclaw]

So we're back to realtime recording, this time off the wave mix - or we hope for SonicStage 2.1

But that explains, why the user manuals have so little information about uploading and exporting.

And since SonicStage is even unable to handle my DVD+RW drive, all forms of export are out of the question, except for the backup function.

So the goal will be decoding the .hma files on the disc itself. If these are encoded, it must be using only one or only a few keys, as the disc is playable in any recorder.

Until then, the only advantages are the longer playing time and the USB-drive function.

And if that justifies the price of the new rigs, well, that question still has to be answered.

Let's see, what Michael from Russia reports, if the european version is that anal too, it is time for another petition.

[jazmaan]

It's going to take more than longer recording capability to get me to shell out the big bucks. I'll stick with my trusty R-50.

[tekdroid]

Read it and weep:

- All uploaded files, be they Hi-LP, Hi-SP or PCM are encrypted with the OpenMG digital rights management.

...and with that, Sony relegates a promising format to a niche of an already well-established niche.

[sup8]

Then i'm better off with my MZ-10. at least i can edit and use my recordings any way i want to after they have been recorded to my PC. more importantly, use the recordings to go with video onto a DVD. this thread may have saved me $250.. assuming the hi md will only give me files i can do nothing but listen too on my computer? LAME.

[bhangraman]

I think it's a real shame. When the Hi-MD was first introduced to me last year, I was very excited about it. But the more time passed, what I was discovering was not what I could do with it but what I couldn't.

Of course, why they did it is obvious but it renders a potential music-maker's dream tool not that much of an advance on MD (apart from the recording length). Kurisu noted that the way I wrote what jazmaan quoted, that I was casting Hi-MD in a negative light... but I think in light of the limitations, it was probably more correct for me to outline what you couldn't do. What I'll try soon are some PCM upload -> WAV grab tests to see if there's any problems.

[ekiekitabaang]

I don't understand in the first place why SONYs official hi-md publicity

campaign speaks about easy uploading for musicians etc.. Are they deliberately misleading us?

I can't figure any case that this kind of uploading is useful. Why would I want to hear my band/lecture whatever recordings in my computer while the Hi-MD player can play those and is much more portable than my computer.

To speak about uploading function is deliberately misleading customers who are figuring out later that the uploading possibility is not actually a function but just window dressing.

This was the reason I brought my net-md back to store: The shopkeeper let me understand that uploading was possible... Then I found SONYs Hi-MD campaign pages speaking about uploading and started to wait these Hi-MDs... luckily i found these pages to get more information.

As for artists who wants to have flexibility to create, SONYs deals has allways been a pain in the... (have couple of friends who had deals with SONY)

Now I find out that it is just the same with the whole corporation... but the will to power, to control is at the same time dangerous as it is for anorexic. SONYs management is killing all the creativity of their product innovations, of their customers and artists...and finally no breathing..

[Fast Eddie]

However to somebody that just wants to rip CDs and MP3s to a Hi-MD and enjoy the massive capacity for music on the move, Hi-MD is a godsend.

It's not all doom and gloom.

[skyther]

Uhm... sorry, but isn't that what an iPod does? No transcoding needed either.

So which exactly is the "Godsend"?

[Jobete]

Wow. This is almost too bad to be true. I really hope there's some way to upload stuff recorded on the Hi-MD into some usable format on the computer. I totally want to be able to record my band's rehearsals, then take the Hi-MD home and upload it--NOT in real time, 'cause I can do that already! I don't want to have to wait 2 hours to play back the entire practice! And then I want to be able to make CD copies to give to each of the band members so we can practice on our own. But from what I'm hearing, this may not be a possibility. Maybe if Sharp came out with a Hi-MD recorder it would do the trick. You guys can throw down the $300 and let me know if it's worth it for this musician. In case you're wondering, check out movemusic.com to hear my band.

It's true that Hi-Mds have a high capacity for music playback, but 1 GB is not that much more than the 700MB on a CD-R. Not worth three times the cost of a Sony CD Walkman, I'd say. Throw us a bone, Sony. With a little meat on it.

[|/|3]

Just like the **** only less convenient and less apple. Maybe there's a merit in having discs, rather than hard disks.

Sure your friends can have a copy, if they own a HiMD player. What a way to make a product popular - FORCE it on the consumer!

Speaking of HiMD players, I think the EH1 came with Sonicstage and everyone was confused? It's probably for uploading. Duh. I'm stupid.

[mmp64]

I thought I read here somewhere that ripping uploaded files to a CD in .wav format (CD audio) will be possible with SonicStage 2.1... or at least I thought that was a rumour I read here...

[bhangraman]

Currently you can't send PCM to Hi-MD via Sonicstage. 2.1 addresses this. I've heard nothing from Sony product managers about de-restricted burning in 2.1.

[.Den]

I'm sorry, but I don't understand most of things, my english is...bad... Can anyone tell me, in short version, what are you takling about? Thanks...

[sinadex]

Sony kill MD/HI-MD with piracy excuse...

you agree?

you record your self perfomance, upload on pc, then you CAN'T record on cd, for example...

[woppin]

skytherx, do you think md is really a viable format for portable audio? I was going to get an nh3d until i realised an iriver ihp-120 could do everything hi-md can do, with the same battery life, and with digital out. Without sonicstage and the drm restrictions would you favour a minidisc over a hard drive solution like an ipod?

[highlandsun]

This whole HiMD campaign has just been a series of lies on top of lies. They said HiMD would be released first in the US (not that we believed them) and surprise surprise, the flagship units have appeared first in Japan, as usual. Idiotic.

Well, I've given Sony tens of thousands of my hard-earned dollars thru the years, in three XBR TVs, laptop computers, stereo receivers, and all my MD gear. I think I've bought my last Sony though; my next laptop is not going to be a VAIO. My next TV probably won't be a Trinitron. Screw 'em.

To the other question - removable media is still king for portable recording. I go to music festivals and record 6-12 hours of music/day for a solid week. If I was using an HD solution, the thing would fill up in a day or two and I'd need to have a computer with me to offload and make room for more music. With a removable disc, I just pop in a new disc and keep going. I can leave the computer at home and do all my editing there, without distraction.

[anont]

skytherx, do you think md is really a viable format for portable audio? I was going to get an nh3d until i realised an iriver ihp-120 could do everything hi-md can do, with the same battery life, and with digital out. Without sonicstage and the drm restrictions would you favour a minidisc over a hard drive solution like an ipod?

To my mind, MD has two advantages: they're still the best for making easy concert recordings, and the battery life is much better (and with many models, an AA battery adds energy, which is important when you're traveling for extended periods).

In other regards, certainly MP3 players are better than MD players.

The NH3D doesn't record and doesn't have such an extended battery life. It's made to be prestigous, which I find silly - most people aren't familiar with MD at all, there's no prestige in which brand you own.

[ekiekitabaang]

I was thinking also to buy ihp-120 but found out that all these HD player/recorders has quite short time for recording. I think iriver has like 30 minits before it stops / or you hear a skip in the music. I have not tested myself but heared rumors.

I think that it is because HDrecorders need a fair memory buffer for recording long takes and there has been lack of it.. i guess?

Has anybody more info of this or could there be a good HD player/recorder which can record uncompressed sound as long as the battery will allow?

Cause then it would compete well unless SONY change its corporative politics.

[skyther]

To my mind, MD has two advantages: they're still the best for making easy concert recordings, and the battery life is much better (and with many models, an AA battery adds energy, which is important when you're traveling for extended periods).

In other regards, certainly MP3 players are better than MD players.

The NH3D doesn't record and doesn't have such an extended battery life. It's made to be prestigous, which I find silly - most people aren't familiar with MD at all, there's no prestige in which brand you own.

Hi, anont. When did you become me?

Woppin, I'm not sure which aspect of use you're referring to in comparing these two devices. In terms of recording, neither Hi-MD nor the iPod will be of any use. The iPod simply does not facilitate recording, nor was it designed to. The add on recording pack (I think it was a Belkin) does 8-bit recording from what I've heard, and makes it no better than a convenient note taker. Hi-MD is too restricted to be any good. There is absolutely no point in being able to record something and not do anything with it. The solution? Plain jane MD. Not a cost effective solution - this involves buying a higher-end deck with optical outs, but that's your only choice for a pure digital rip. And, of course, no PCM.

Now that the recording part is done with, this is where my opinion comes from - the viewpoint of a someone who just wants his music on the go, simple, quick, hassle free and with much better than average sound quality. I can't simply ignore Sonicstage and Sony's DRM issues as you say. I'll go through all the comparable points about both devices:

- Getting your music on the device

The primary method of getting music on both devices is via the PC. Now I know that the MD fanboys continually argue that the major benefit of MD is that it can record off any source that has a line/optical out. Then again, every bloody 'advantage' that MD has to them is a major advantage. Now here are the facts. A single Hi-MD disc holds 7 hours and 55 minutes of audio using Hi-SP. Hardly anyone, in this day and age, can be bothered recording that much of music off a CD player. I record MDs (plain jane MDs) on my deck, straight off the optical out of my CDP, and I get annoyed having to switch discs at least 15 times for every compilation I make. 7h and 55m, no thanks. Even if I recorded 8 full CD albums on an MD, I'd still have to change discs 8 times and make sure I do it every hour or so. That leaves real-time recording out of the question for practical purposes.

Ripping CDs on PCs are much faster, even when done with EAC's secure mode. Here's where the software comes in, and exactly why Sonicstage cannot be excluded from a fair comparison. If I don't like iTunes, I have other programs that I can use to sync music with my iPod. Ephpod, Anapod, Foo_pod, and some other crap that's around. Freedom of choice. Hi-MD = Sonicstage, and Sonicstage alone. Sonicstage already had a bad reputation, and a bad rep it still has. Not as buggy as 1.5, some quirks were fixed, but still not there yet. No where near the usability and flexibility of iTunes, and we're not even going into the third-party software there is available for the iPod yet. Sony is still telling YOU, the consumer who pays for the rice in their bowl, what YOU can and cannot do. DRM? Sure, you get DRM in the iPod. A little note that says "Don't steal music". Are there restrictions to where you can place your music? Copy files in and out as you wish? What about codec restrictions?

MD fanboys also enjoy speaking of Hi-MD as a portable disk medium. With what, it's 0.5MB/s transfer rates? Let me point this out - the iPod is a fully functional hard drive that does a (relatively to Hi-MD) blistering 8MB/s to 12MB/s. In the amount it takes for Sonicstage to transfer a single ATRAC file to a Hi-MD disc, you could have transferred an entire album in AAC at the same bitrate to an iPod.

- The codec arguement

MD fanboys swear by ATRAC. These fanboys need to tell me something. What have they heard? What are they comparing ATRAC with? Xing/FhG encoded MP3s ripped with Audiograbber that they downloaded off KaZaA? Suprisingly, I've heard some pretty stupid fanboys say that the MP3s which they encoded into ATRAC (transcoded files) actually sound better than the source MP3s that they encoded from. Heh. These fanboys need a taste of some real equipment before making sweeping and idiotic statements.

MP3 is old. LAME has been tried and tested, tweaked to hell for the best that MP3 has to offer. Compared to ATRAC3 (not +), LAME is in most cases the superior codec. AAC is undoubtedly superior to ATRAC3. I don't know where ATRAC3+ stands exactly. Often I get flamed when I voice my personal opinions, so I'll just wait until someone does an ABX of ATRAC3+ and MP3/AAC for solid evidence to back me up. Regardless of the superiority of each lossy codec, more importantly is, once again, the freedom of choice. Hi-MD offers ATRAC3+ and PCM. And it's PCM implementation has only very recently been completed. iPod does PCM, Apple Lossless (lossless (PCM) quality compressed to about 70% of the original size), and the 2 primary lossy codecs, AAC and MP3.

Then of course, Sony's ridiculous claims that 64Kbps ATRAC3+ > 128Kbps MP3. Even the semi-intelligent MD fanboy knows that's not possible. Amazingly, there are people who believe that bs of a claim. Brought to you by the same people who said that the 20GB NW-HD1 was cheaper than the iPod. What they failed to mention was that they compared it to the 40GB iPod. They claim their 20GB can store 13,000 songs while Apple only claimed 10,000 with their 40GB. This goes hand in hand with their superior 64Kbps ATRAC3+ claim, of course. Sony, in my eyes, has zero credibility. They have resorted to sleazy tactics that one can never imagine a corporation of their size would do.

"MP3" playback, Sony says. Fortunately, some people are intelligent enough to know that transcoding (converting from MP3, which is already lossy, to ATRAC, which is even worse) is a no-no. Despite the "Sony should fix this, this and that" comments from fanboys, they don't seem to realize that there already is a solution that doesn't suffer from Sony's idiosyncrasy - Apple's iPod.

- The sound quality argument

"The HD amp rocks!", says the MD fanboy, with his Streetstyles, MX500s, EX71s, or even Eggos. Here's a tip - get a pair of E3cs, put it on an iPod with properly ripped files. "But nah, the iPod sucks, and there's no bass" claims the fanboy, after toying the iPod with it's stock earphones and 128Kbps Xing encoded MP3s.

No digital amp is going to give MD what it needs to match the iPod in terms of sound quality. Sound quality has been a priority kept in mind in the design of the iPod, and this is reflected in the quality and the specifications of the components used.

Finally, it's time to realize something. The current iPod iteration, the third generation, has been around for over a year and three months, and is still going. Here we are, commenting about how good something that has just very recently hit the Japanese shelves is, when there has been something else around that has been able to do all that and more since a year ago.

Have fun toying with old technology. We aren't in the 20th century no more.

[skyther]

PS. Don't be fooled by iRiver's 'features'. It's 'digital/line out' isn't clean, it's basically no better than having no line out. I didn't really like it, the interface is much too messy over the iPod.

[woppin]

oh great...so the digital/line out feature is kinda useless then. I dont want an ipod because the battery life is too short. So if i was to use the hp-120 as a home stereo by linking it to an external amp/speaker set-up using the digital line out i would experience what? Disgusting bass and shrill treble or something? As far as portable sound goes, when im riding a bike and im not going to spend more than i spent on ex-71's any portable unit is going to be fine really...

How many different hdd, flash, and md players have you tried? If i need more than 8 hours battery life what is the best way to go?

woops...forgot to say thanks, you come across as someone whos opinion is based on fact rather than marketing rubbish.

[skyther]

Bloated bass, yep. As far as home components go, just stick with a good CD player. The iPod's line out isn't really clean either, it goes through DSP, just like the iHP, but comparing both I'd say that the iPod does feature a better line out.

I think with the design of the iPod, there is something to be considered. It's a really flexible device. Let's just say that I like to consider things with experience, not just facts. What you see on paper does not usually reflect on what you experience in real life. Just like a car, you can take a look at the specs sheet but you won't really know how it drives until you've done so for a while. With the iPod, it charges from your PC's firewire port. You don't need the AC adaptor, it's really just there for travel purposes. It charges while you sync your music. iTunes does this for you automatically, but you have a choice to manually update things yourself if you choose to. These aren't really features you can put on paper. They can't really describe to you how "plug and play" really works for the device on a piece of paper, you've got to experience it for yourself.

I don't know what you're really looking at. If it's portability, go for a flash based player. If you're just feature crazy, go for the iHP. The iPod is what I call something that just works. It does well at what it's supposed to do. I think what you're trying to achieve here is something that's a jack of all trades. The iHP would probably fit you best, but from another standpoint I'd like to say that it doesn't do everything best. I own a iMP and I've had a iHP-120 to fool around with for about 2 days or so, and I personally find iRiver devices to be too cluttered with features that it becomes a hassle to use. It definately lacks user friendliness and simplicity for one.

I've toyed around with the iFP series of flash players, and of course the iPod. The list of MD players I own is fair: R55, R70, R90, R900, N10, DS8. I have relatives with N1s, E10s and such, as well as a load of other friends with MDs. I bought my N10 as an 'upgrade' to the R900, along with another classmate of mine. It's really awe-inspiring at the store, but you don't realize how much of a can of worms it really is until you've used it for a while.

I'm no longer interested in portable audio as much as I used to be, home components are really the way to go as far as sound quality and entertainment is concerned. My iPod's just there to accompany me on the bus, and it does well for semi-serious listening, much better than MD would otherwise.

Taking note that you are in Japan and that you say you're contented with EX71s, Hi-MD might be a little more viable for you than it is for me due to your location. Just a note tho, digital amplified units do NOT have true line-outs. It's a restriction of the technology since the DAC/filter/amplifier are integrated together into a single stage, hence it becomes impossible to bypass the amplification stage entirely as what *should* happen in a true line-out. That aside, the iPod also has an analog line-out, but it's on the dock.

[woppin]

thanks so much...after having two minidisc units die within a year im not going to keep using md after i get my hdd player. Yeah...i guess i was looking for something that just hasnt come about yet. I also want to use the hdd to archive photos from my digital camera, but seeing as every unit around can do that its not really an issue. If the ipod had longer battery life gee the choice would be easy! I think ill stick with the iriver, as a portable audio player it will be good enough for me, and if it turns out to be good enough for home use then thats going to be a bonus.

By the way whats all this about mi-md blanks being rare in the us? Theres heaps of them at the local shop along with the silver and gold nh1 models and also the eh1 and they only came about on saturday...Its interesting that just about everyone i talk to over here has an MD but wants an ipod or a flash player. Sony won the market years ago and now the poor people cant get away from it.

[skyther]

Hehe, jack of all trades, master of none. IMO you're really asking for too many things in one, and that's why manufacturers keep coming out with products that try to be everything. Just like phones with PDA functions and MP3 playback, a phone is a phone, and with all that extra stuff it becomes too cluttered and no longer user friendly.

If you can find a store that has a satisfaction gurantee sorta thing, try both. You'll find that the 8 hour battery life isn't that bad since you can just pop it into the dock when you get home and take it out before you leave the house. I've only had it die on me due to a low batt twice, but that's mainly because I didn't bother charging it.

[papagoose]

Hi all,

thanks fol all the useful info. But for me (as a musician) it's necessary to have a mic-in, so the iPod will not work for me. However, maybe you know this; what is the soundquality of the iPod when I want to record live music with a microphone plugged into a mixer and connect the mixer to the line-in of the iPod? Will that work or is there no line-in on the iPod ?

Thanks!

[aeriyn]

Bah.

Why does Sony do this? They have a good product and they mess it up in favor of their second-rate record production company.

Sony needs to learn that they are a first-class consumer electronics company which SHOULD be their #1 priority. Not their lame record producing section.

I'll stick with my N10, kthnx. Maybe Sharp will release an Auvi Hi-MD unit...

By the way, Skytherx, you must really like iPods. Ick. They sound great and all (once you ditch those horrible stock 'phones) but... ugh. So ugly. And big. And weird-shaped...

Yeah, yeah. I don't like them. |8|

[jadeclaw]

@Papagoose: The iPod doesn't record.

And after looking around again, the portable HDD-based recorders offered aren't really satisfying, unless we go professional...

So, qualitywise MD / Hi-MD still looks like the best solution for portable recording.

Personally, I think the export problem with current Hi-MD units is solved faster than someone manages to teach recording to the iPod.

[skyther]

*sigh*

The iPod simply does not facilitate recording, nor was it designed to.

It doesn't record. No line in, no mic in. Period.

If you want to record, buy yourself a MD deck. Until higher end Hi-MD decks with digital outs are available, it's useless for bootlegging.

If you like the N10, don't bother. I did a couple of blind tests. My girlfriend says the N10 sounded like crap, she couldn't stand listening to it. Compared to everything else, it felt like something was piercing her ears, and this was with D66s. She said the R70 sounded better as well, but not by much. And she knows nothing about electronics despite my rather insane collection of audio equipment, both portable and non-portable. :happy:

And then, it's not what you like or don't like. It's a question of which works better. This is all my N10 ever does - sit around for pictorial comparisons. It's night and the camera sucks, but...

Fancy a mirror? I know which I'd rather take out.

*edit* Oh yeah, I didn't get the odd shape comment. Most things normal come rectangular...

[bhangraman]

When (European) N10 owners listen to mine, they always say "I had no idea the N10 could sound that good!". Odd, eh? And it doesn't seem to be just the volume either. The tricky part is getting the iPod to look good in pictures. As I've found, neither the full size iPod not the Mini are that photogenic. It's really only after you use it that it starts to make sense.

Here's a better picture, for what it's worth. (click)

[Syrius]

I still like my Sharp SR 60 and my MZ E35... -__-

[woppin]

i agree about the `anti-photogenicness` (find me a better word please) of the ipod. after simply looking at pictures on the apple website i thought it looked ridiculous. having a look at one in the store made me seriously consider buying one. After seeing the nh1 one the other hand i was utterly repulsed. tragic that i can be swayed by beauty alone.

[papagoose]

Thanks all, dumb me, I should and could have known the iPod doesn't record. @ Jadeclaw: what kind of professional portable unit do you recommend?

I own an antique Sony MZ-R35 and a Kenwood DMC-K9R (oldie).

Thanks for the nice pix skytherx...

[Sharpo51]

So we're back to realtime recording, this time off the wave mix - or we hope for SonicStage 2.1

I'm surprised how many people assume that all these restrictions (or at least the most annoying ones) will be gone with SonicStage 2.1. What makes them believe in it? Is there more than rumour and hope?

Gunther

[Leland]

I suppose one reason there is this belief is that no such restrictions exist if you use SS on a Sony VAIO computer. I have a VAIO and it is really nice to be able to burn normal CD's from SS. Gives me an "out" when I need one.

The other reason is from a comment made by a Sony rep in Europe. See the following article:

http://www.minidisc.org/himd_mdcenter_news.html

[bhangraman]

You can burn Audio CD's of anything that you're ripped into Sonicstage (the current version), be it a VAIO or not. You can't burn Audio CD's of uploaded Hi-MD recordings (it claims "due to copyright restrictions").

I'm working on VAIO's too.

As far as I'm aware, the only enhancement on SS2.1 is to be able to get PCM out to Hi-MD. The product managers mooted that burning of uploads may be available in 2.1 but I'm not holding my breath... from what they said they and their staff seem not to even have tried uploading in 2.0.

[mmp64]

This is probably a stupid question - but since it is possible to record in PCM mode on the unit - and Hi-MDs are seen as a USB mass storage device by Windows - couldn't we just copy a PCM file from the MD to PC via Explorer, then burn a CD of that PCM file using the software of our choice... (as opposed to SonicStage). Or is there some DRM stuff going on that I don't understand...

Of course, it would be nice to record at Hi-LP mode, because of recording time.

[Sharpo51]

This is probably a stupid question - but since it is possible to record in PCM mode on the unit - and Hi-MDs are seen as a USB mass storage device by Windows - couldn't we just copy a PCM file from the MD to PC via Explorer, then burn a CD of that PCM file using the software of our choice... (as opposed to SonicStage).  Or is there some DRM stuff going on that I don't understand...

Of course, it would be nice to record at Hi-LP mode, because of recording time.

According to http://www.minidisc.org/himd_mdcenter_news.html this is not possible:

All recorded audio is placed in a collection of ".hma" files (of unknown format) in a single directory on the MD. One large .hma file contains all the audio-data, the other files are for index-data & titles. These ".hma" files can be freely copied back to the PC hard drive, but no subsequent playback of them is possible. (They present fertile ground for further investigation however).

Gunther

[Michael_Walker]

Well, THIS musician WILL have Hi-MD, actually i was expecting it a couple days ago but the SONY delivery service seems to be having trouble finding a single truck that can make it across town...

Anyway, I am disappointed that some VERY USEFUL inherent functionality was done away with, with a few keystrokes of a programmer.

But i still expect to get SOME use out of it.

1) its still a portable recorder, that can record in PCM. I dont have to drag my notebook around town anymore.

2) it has re-usable removeable media, so i can record lots of stuff, archive it, sort it out later, and eventually reuse the Hi-MDs ( if they ever start to ship any!)

3) Sony told me i could always high-speed upload ATRAC-compressed stuff I record (Just not PCM!) and access the files freely for conversion. So its fine for recording rehearsals, dumping them to the puter, and converting to MP3s for distribution to band members. Right now, i record a couple hours of WAVs on notebook, bring it home, hook it to my LAN, copy all the WAVs across ( which takes quite a few minutes) then run batch converter to make em into lo-fi MP3s that my band-mates can quickly download off my server.

SO - unless i am missing something - i can still do a similar process using the MD (and i can leave the notebook at home)

4) I record a lot of rehearsals, not much of it its actually "KEEPER" material - but on the other hand, GIGS, and other stuff thats really WORTH uploading to the computer, i can (cross fingers) always at least digitally 'rip' in real-time by snagging it off the soundcard. The main thing is that I am able to record PCM, uncompressed... and record LOTS of it to relatively cheap re-usable media. I have avoided buying a MD-recorder for years because i didnt want to record "lo-fi".

5) PCM recording time on the (perhaps mythical) Hi-MD minidiscs is long enough to actually be USEFUL for recording gigs. Sure, I have 5 gigs free on my notebook hard drive, but that thing is fragile and heavy, i'd prefer to leave it at home and use a PORTABLE recorder. Plus, when im doing a LOT of recording, im always having to 'clean off ' the hard drive and achive stuff to CDRs - might as well just archive stuff to MD right from the get-go...

Regrets? i have a few (maybe more will come next week when i actually get to start testing this stuff)

1) it WOULD have been nice if the machine could at least KNOW if a recording was made via its analog line-in, and treat all such stuff as "NOT COPYRIGHT" - letting me stream the PCM files to my puter as fast as USB 1.1 could carry em - for further processing in a WAV editor. I think that digital-digital bit-for-bit exact copy recordings done on the optical input perhaps might argueably sometimes need to be "copy-protected" in some way - but COME ON!? Analogue recordings?!!?? Why isnt Big Brother hanging around the line in of my cassette deck, too??