Topic: EDIROL R-09 WORLD'S 1st SDHC compatible recorder

[Taper Jeff]

EDIROL R-09 NOW WORLD'S FIRST SD HIGH CAPACITY COMPATIBLE
STEREO FIELD RECORDER


Los Angeles, California, November 17, 2006—Roland is proud to announce a new firmware update (v1.10) for the award-winning Edirol R-09 WAV/MP3 recorder, making the R-09 the world's first SDHC (SD High Capacity) compatible stereo field recorder on the market.

The R-09 is fast becoming the hand-held recorder of choice for professionals everywhere. From musicians, podcasters and courtroom lawyers to college students, reporters and business people the R-09 offers intuitive, high-quality recording for everyone---at an affordable price.   

Responding to demands in the marketplace, the Edirol has recently updated the R-09 to support the new SDHC standard for SD memory cards. Previously, the R-09 was limited to a maximum SD card capacity of 2 gigabytes using standard SD memory cards. As of November 17, 2006 the R-09 is now fully compatible with SDHC memory cards that offer sizes over the 2 GB limit and increased data transfer speeds.

As more SDHC-compliant memory cards become available to the market, the R-09 will be able to use and access the higher capacity memory that these SDHC memory cards offer. Of course, standard SD cards remain compatible with the R-09 according to the SDHC specifications. (Please visit  http://www.sdcard.org/sdhc/index.html for more information on the new SDHC v.2 specifications.)

Other enhancements in the v1.10 firmware update include superior data transfer speeds across the USB 2.0 connections,  a longer power switch cut-off-time, cycling of the alphanumeric characters when naming files or folders, and improvements to the internal time-stamping feature when using the MOVE and COPY operations respectively.

For customers updating from v1.02 firmware, the v1.03 added features are included in the v1.10 update. ( v 1.03 enhancements include updated support for a wider range of SD memory cards, and improvements to guarantee stability in high temperature environments.)
 
With the new V1.10 firmware update, Roland once again demonstrates its commitment to excellence in the marketplace.


DOWNLOAD INFORMATION:


To download the R-09 Firmware Update or to find more information about the Edirol R-09, please visit: www.rolandus.com/edirol


DIRECT LINK to R-09 WEBPAGE:

http://www.rolandus.com/products/productdetails.aspx?ObjectId=757&ParentId=114

R-09 SYSTEMP PROGRAM UPDATE REQUIREMENTS:


 The following items are required to update the R-09 system program.
 * R-09 WAV/Mp3 Recorder
 * R-09 USB cable (supplied with the unit)
 * Supported SD memory card. Roland recommends using the SD memory card supplied with the R-09. Note: The memory card must be formatted on the R-09 and have at least 2 MB free.

For more information regarding system update procedures, please read the R-09_Ver.1.10_Update.txt file that is included with the firmware update.

Roland is a world leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of electronic musical instruments, professional audio equipment, multimedia products and music accessories. For more information, contact Roland Corporation U.S.  www.RolandUS.com.

We just got some SanDisk SDHC 4GB cards here at the store. Glad to see Roland/Edirol supporting them right away!

-Jeff

Jeff Betts
Cascade Media, LLC
For All Your Digital Recording Needs
Portland, Oregon USA
(888)336-4643
(503)353-6860
(503)353-6864  -fax
http://www.cascademedia.net/
mailto: jeff@cascademedia.net

[flintstone]

4GB SDHC cards from Panasonic, Toshiba, Transcend and Sandisk are available today.  Prices are high, more than double that of Compactflash cards of the same capacity.  Hopefully competition will move the price of SDHC cards lower after the hoidays.

Recording two channels at 24/48 (the highest rate the R-09 offers), a 4GB card holds a few minutes less than 4 hours of tracks.

The largest capacity today for SDHC is 8GB. Transcend has an 8GB SDHC model shipping, and Toshiba just announced an 8GB model.

For audio recording, there's no need to purchase an SDHC faster than Class 2 (rated for 2 megabytes per second continuous write speed).

Flintstone

[JD]

Does this mean that the R-09 will be able to fully utilize a 8GB SDHC card?

[flintstone]

Yes, just as a machine that uses Compactflash can handle a 2, 4, 8 or 16GB card,
an SDHC compliant machine will handle 4 and 8GB cards today, and up to 32GB
in the future. 

If you're considering 8 hour recording sessions (and beyond), remember to
figure out how to provide enough battery power to keep running.  The
R-09 FAQ has links to reports of 7+ hours of battery life using 2700 mAh
rechargeable AA batteries, but 8 hours is pushing it.

Flintstone

[hyperplane]

4GB SDHC cards from Panasonic, Toshiba, Transcend and Sandisk are available today.  Prices are high, more than double that of Compactflash cards of the same capacity.  Hopefully competition will move the price of SDHC cards lower after the hoidays.

Just pointing out something here... I have no idea what current CompactFlash card prices are at, but I just ordered a brand new Transcend 4GB SDHC card for $72 shipped (NO rebate to mess with) from MWave.com. So the prices of SDHC cards can be reasonable, depending on the dealer.

[flintstone]

Thanks for the update!  That $72 price is only about $10 more
than the cheapest 4GB Compactflash cards I've seen.  So the
cost penalty to use SDHC is insignificant.  Cool!

Flintstone

[justink]

is there a difference between "4gb SDHC" and a standard "4gb SD"?

-j

[dorrcoq]

is there a difference between "4gb SDHC" and a standard "4gb SD"?

-j

I think the "HC" just refers to "high capacity", which means anything larger than 2 GB

[guysonic]

is there a difference between "4gb SDHC" and a standard "4gb SD"?

-j

I think the "HC" just refers to "high capacity", which means anything larger than 2 GB

By reading HC 2.0 general specifications over SD 1.1 specs there does seem to be significant protocol differences and devices designed only for the older SD 1.1 protocols seem NOT to work consistently or at all with newer SDHC flash. 

More evidence is Transcend's 4 GIG SD flash verses their SDHC product that has different compatible device listings.

If this is true, then it's a bit more than just anything greater than 2 GB capacity and users of SDHC should be careful about card protocol compatibility issues.

[hyperplane]

Just more FYI here.

Running the R-09 under firmware version 1.10, as sleepypedro reported previously, it does a seamless split at the 2GB mark.

The fairly inexpensive Transcend 4GB SDHC card that I got from MWave.com for $72 shipped will formatted and recorded just fine with the initial recording test.  (No affiliation with MWave, other than being a satisfied customer.)  So I'm pumped to have full 4GB support. 

Now i just need some shows to record...

[dorrcoq]

Just more FYI here.

Running the R-09 under firmware version 1.10, as sleepypedro reported previously, it does a seamless split at the 2GB mark.

The fairly inexpensive Transcend 4GB SDHC card that I got from MWave.com for $72 shipped will formatted and recorded just fine with the initial recording test.  (No affiliation with MWave, other than being a satisfied customer.)  So I'm pumped to have full 4GB support. 

Now i just need some shows to record...

DAMN!  Another company that does not accept international orders.  Them and newegg.  Great prices, and I can't buy.

[udovdh]

So I'm pumped to have full 4GB support. 

Thanks for teh info.
Does the old 4GB Transcend still work OK? (non-SDHC)

[phr]

SDHC cards are guaranteed to meet certain speed specifications, which is needed for SD digital camcorders (those are getting more popular).  Video needs more speed than audio.  For something like an R09, even at 24/48 PCM, speed of the SD card shouldn't be an issue.  There may be some other protocol differences, but based on earlier reports, I'd say there's a good chance of non-HC 4GB SD cards working fine.

I see someone on ebay has been selling 8GB SD cards for a while at around $200.  He doesn't specify that they're HC though.  He also has 16GB CF cards for $380.

[hyperplane]

So I'm pumped to have full 4GB support. 

Thanks for teh info.
Does the old 4GB Transcend still work OK? (non-SDHC)

I believe sleepypedro is using a "regular" (non-SDHC) Transcend 4GB card--the popular one people have been using for months--and I think he said the "old" Transcend 4GB card works fine under firmware version 1.10.

[udovdh]

So I'm pumped to have full 4GB support. 

Thanks for teh info.
Does the old 4GB Transcend still work OK? (non-SDHC)

I believe sleepypedro is using a "regular" (non-SDHC) Transcend 4GB card--the popular one people have been using for months--and I think he said the "old" Transcend 4GB card works fine under firmware version 1.10.

OK, thanks. http://shop.transcend.nl/product/ItemDetail.asp?ItemID=TS8GSDHC shows a cheaper 8GB... (still holding off until I need 8G)