Topic: Mini-Disc with TEETH

[pfife]

It looks like you can transfer your files from it to a PC via USB though, so that's a good improvement over previous model MDs:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3378627.stm

[George]

Quote from thoman8r:

Why would somebody buy this over the jb3 when they are at similar price points?

My response: Simple, the MD units are tiny and have removeable discs, which make it a very viable solution, plus i image the MD units will be somewhat durable compared to the jb3.  

We, as tapers, may not see this new MD format as a viable option, but many people who like to lug some tunes when out and about may love it.  Well, i'm wondering if this new MD format will support higher capacity discs.

[joemango]

Looks good to me, if for no better reason than a way to upload old MD recordings via USB.  It also acts as a USB data drive natively, so you can transfer without the aid of some crap "jukebox" program.

But the biggest kicker is that it records straight PCM (WAV) without any compression as well!  So I guess that would be about 100 minutes per disc at 16 bit 44.1KHz. looks like the MD flippers will have to go to longer shows if they want to keep flipping

If you want to find out more, go to www.minidisc.org and look in the news column on the left.  Looks like they have found the real successor to DAT.

[pfife]

If you want to find out more, go to www.minidisc.org and look in the news column on the left.  Looks like they have found the real successor to DAT.
Looks good to me, if for no better reason than a way to upload old MD recordings via USB.  It also acts as a USB data drive natively, so you can transfer without the aid of some crap "jukebox" program.

But the biggest kicker is that it records straight PCM (WAV) without any compression as well!  So I guess that would be about 100 minutes per disc at 16 bit 44.1KHz. looks like the MD flippers will have to go to longer shows if they want to keep flipping

There are people debating these statements in the open forum area... from what it sounds like, the uncompressed recording is not for sure yet...

[Judderbar]

As a current MD user it looks good, but I'm a bit concerned by the 'mic recorded' part of "Provides PC uploading of mic-recorded audio".  Does that mean that if you've used line-in, or outboard A/D, it'll block an upload?

And for me in the UK, I like the idea of removable media - I got 'caught' (dobbed-in by some do-gooding arseholes) once, with the result that the venue security took all my discs (fortunately only 3), before getting a video camera to take pictures of my gear and me and then kicking me out... I think the law does prevent them from taking the equipment since that would be theft - but I do wonder what would happen if I was using a HD recorder and got caught again - would I have to be able to prove that I had erased everything before they let me go... or would they confiscate the thing and find their own way to clear the data...or just not give it back...

[Sean Gallemore]

ahhh yes, but Sony has a long history of throwing good money after bad and trying to make their proprietary format into the format

hmm...let's see...off the top of my head:

dead - Beta, Digital Compact Cassette
dying - Digital 8, MicroMV (both video formats)
will die - SACD, MD

I'm sure there are others.  Not to say that Sony isn't a great innovator - they made some fantastic contributions - PCM, CD, s/pdif are most relevant to this group.  

I think the CD format gave them a taste for what happens when YOU come up with the adopted format.  Royalties like crazy.  It's just that they don't know when to give up!

i wish the 7pin was on that list

[dklein]

Yeah - I wish a lot of stuff was on that list.  Everything they do has to be different and proprietary.  I needed a cable for a video camera - it's basically a 1/8" connector with audio/video RCAs on the other end.  I get one - only getting mono sound.  Turns out Sony has to take the standard connector that every other manufacturer uses and make the pin length  on the 1/8" plug just a few mm longer so that only THEIR cable will work.

They always go to the extra effort when there are perfectly acceptable, standardized solutions already in place...

[pfife]

ahhh yes, but Sony has a long history of throwing good money after bad and trying to make their proprietary format into the format

hmm...let's see...off the top of my head:

dead - Beta, Digital Compact Cassette
dying - Digital 8, MicroMV (both video formats)
will die - SACD, MD

I'm sure there are others.  Not to say that Sony isn't a great innovator - they made some fantastic contributions - PCM, CD, s/pdif are most relevant to this group.  

I think the CD format gave them a taste for what happens when YOU come up with the adopted format.  Royalties like crazy.  It's just that they don't know when to give up!

i wish the 7pin was on that list

Back in the day, and maybe still, the plug on their AC adapters/cigarrette lighters cords for their discman(s) were some proprietary size as well...


That suckled, but I think it is either extinct, or irrelevant nowadays for most of us...

[BobW]

"Stepping up in the line, the MZ-NHF800 model has an AM/FM/TV/Weather Band tuner remote, making favorite radio and TV programs and on-the-fly editing just a click away"

I still think that they are missing our little market niche.
But wait, I could record that South Park episode during the set break !
Dang ! Not enough battery.

BTW, if this thing DOES record PCM ...1GB = 90 minutes at 16/44.1 .....almost plausable.

If Sony wanted to play with us, they'd have come out with "ATRAC7  lossless   compression."  They simply are making strong marketing decisions to not create a device that could hinder record sales, IMHO. They will specialize in products that mass market consumers will buy and bearly learn how to use.

 

[1st set only]

is atrac only found within the MD player? there is no such thing as a atrac file is there?

[BobW]

is atrac only found within the MD player? there is no such thing as a atrac file is there?

I'd have to open a book, but I recall something about multiple frequency bands and think that that would mean some hardware would need to be involved.

Details  which I'm too bleary to read:
http://www.minidisc.org/aes_atrac.html

[taperkat]

http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/ptech/01/11/sony.minidisc.ap/index.html for more.

i'm already going to get the import when i'm going to Singapore this summer... for fucking sure

[Tim]

I don't care what they say about how good it will sound, compression is compression and certainly degrades signal performance and fidelity.  I wonder why they don't just come up with a flac encoding technology or something, and ditch the atrac stuff all together.  

flac is compression...

[Scuba Jeremy]

Somewhat off the topic, as I am a MiniDisc fanatic myself, I wanted to mention this Japanese concept that I would love to see in America. It was something like a mix between a vending machine and iTunes. You could walk up to this kiosk, put a dollar in or slide your credit card, insert a recordable disc, and buy a song when you're out at the mall or leaving a movie, something like that. You would use a touchtone screen to select your song, and it would download it to your disc. It would never work here, since only about 7% of Americans even use MDs, but the idea struck me as just awesome. When/if I ever travel to Japan, I'll be bring a few blanks around, just in case.

[splumer]

Actually, Beta's not dead. It's still a widely-used pro video format. TV news uses it a lot, but DVCam is supplanting it.