Hi Charlie, I'm cc'ing to the MD mailing list. Mr Charlie Ward writes: >Do most portables come with am/fm radio??? No, just a couple. One from Sony (MZ-F40: http://www.minidisc.org/part_Sony_MZ-F40.html) and one from Aiwa (AM-R10: http://www.minidisc.org/part_Aiwa_AM-R10.html), neither is in production any longer AFAIK. >Is the mini disc 10 second read ahead any different from that of discmans? >I know of discmans that still jump with the 10 second read ahead and it >chews the batteries a lot too. MD portables generally have 40 second shock memory these days, and while the system is not in principle different from CD players, MD seems pretty robust in terms of shock resistance. In very harsh, repetitive shock situations it is still possible to make MD skip however -- if you go jogging with one you have to be careful how you support it to avoid muting. (See the "Minidisc Tales" section for some jogging tips -- http://www.minidisc.org/md_jogging.html). The shock memory cannot be disabled (although on older Sharps (only?), it can be optionally reduced with a user setting), so it's hard to say whether the system "chews batteries". The manufacturer's given battery times seem roughly accurate. >Can we expect to see MD portables to get cheaper in the near future - >Mini Disc portables are still around $550 in Australia. Well, prices continue to fall, but I don't expect any big price jumps in the near future. >Is optical out (digital out) standard on most new stereo systems??? On which HiFi component? It's standard on almost all home MD decks (I think only Sony's low end units are without it: http://www.minidisc.org/part_Sony_MDS-JE330.html and http://www.minidisc.org/part_Sony_MDS-JE320.html). I don't know the answer for optical output on home CD decks. >And finally, can a mini disc portable be used as a 'non portable' player - >Ie can I hook it up to an amp and play music 'out-loud'??? Yes, certainly! Just cable it in through the portable's headphone jack (or line-out if available) . Regards, Rick ----------------------------------------------------------------- To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
