Re: MD: cheaper optical cables
Hi James, Thanks for the note. This is the first I've heard of TOSLink optical cables with miniplug adapters. I'm forwarding your note to the MD mailing list, I think others will find it interesting. Rick "James G. Owen" writes: I found at Target (big mall retailer) "Recoton" brand "dvd" "Digital Optical 6 ft. Stereo Audio Cable" for a mere $15 (!!) or so. On the back of the card it says "DVD901". It did take me half an hour of looking at every single thing in their video/audio section. But not only are these cables considerably cheaper than the $40 offerings elsewhere, they are "universal" in that they come with "miniplug" adapters for both ends. That is, out of the bubble-pack they have the square post style optical connectors which I gather you can plug into some CD players; however there are supplied two little plastic gadgets which you can snap over the square posts to convert them into the Sony-style 3.5 mm stereo/optical miniplug connectors. One of these has worked here at least twice for digital copying minidisk to minidisk from a Sony MZ-1 to a Sharp MD-MT15 and I look forward to using it to connect to my VS840ex, which has a square post style output. Much thanx for minidisc.org; the info has been priceless. You're welcome! - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Sharp MS-722
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: 50% DOA rate? All of this seems more likely that the shipper you used mishandled the units than anything else. Where did you see DOA?? Most of these units lasted a few weeks. This had nothing to do with shipping problems. This had to do with sh!t quality control on the part of Sharp. Even if they were DOA. They shipped dozens of units a months of all brand as well as player only units. The only ones that ever came back in mass were the 702s. The Sonys, Aiwa, everything else was fine. In the entire time that this person had this business while the MS200s and Denon clones (I think that the Denon actually had a better looking case, yet they cost a little less) they got maybe one back. Larry Hmm Let me see I've had a Sony Walkman that lasted 13 months. So I 'upgraded' to a Sony Discman who lasted 14 months So I didn't want Sony anymore and thus upgraded to a Sharp 702. This unit works, works and works. Even after 2 and a half year with an average usage of 2-3 hours a day, it still works fine! It reads all discs and I've never had any UTOC error. Anyway, in this two and a half year, I bought a Sony Deck (MDS-S38) which has the famous turn-on bug of the JE510 (S38 == 32cm version of the JE510). I also bought the MDX-C7900R for my car. This unit was without problems for the first 8-9 months, but it started hatting several brands of disks... (disks who worked fine without any problems before on this unit!). Thus regarding my track-record with Sony audio gear, I would say that I going to try to stay away from them However, looking at the messages on this list, I can only conclude that Sony portables have a good track-record. The Sharp units have also a good track-record, and one should keep in mind that the 702 offered several 'advantages' over the MZ-R30 which had the same price, notable size and the LiIon battery. My best guest is that if you had one of the first 702s (like me), you were lucky. But if you have one of the latter, you could have a unit that went trought and 'optimized' fabrication process. Ie, Sharp had probably problems meeting the demand and thus Cheers, Ralph - who's SONY CMD-Z1+ GSM phone brook down a few weeks ago! -- === Ralph SmeetsFunctional Verification Centre Of Competence - CMG Voice: (+33) (0)4 76 58 44 46 STMicroelectronics Fax:(+33) (0)4 76 58 40 11 5, chem de la Dhuy Mobile: (+33) (0)6 82 66 62 70 38240 MEYLAN E-Mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] FRANCE === "For millions of years, mankind lived just like the animals. Then something happened which unleashed the powers of our imagination: We learned to talk." -- Stephen Hawking, later used by Pink Floyd -- === - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: End-Search petition response
I didn't see anyone mention this on the list yet: http://minidisc.org/sony_endsearch_reply.html - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: md-l-digest V2 #707
At 10:39 10/08/00 -0700, you wrote: Still looking for "Just Dropped in to See What Conidition My Condition Was In" by Kenny Rogers and The First Edition (available on a Hits CD, but I don't like anything else on the disc - won't buy another disc just for one song). This track is also on "the big lebowski" 's soundtrack together with alot of beautiful other tracks. Tommy - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Sharp MS-722
* las [EMAIL PROTECTED] on Fri, 11 Aug 2000 | Where did you see DOA?? Most of these units lasted a few weeks. You did not say that. -- Rat [EMAIL PROTECTED]\ Happy Fun Ball may stick to certain types Minion of Nathan - Nathan says Hi! \ of skin. PGP Key: at a key server near you! \ - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: media people are all idiots (a little off topic)
=== The original message was multipart MIME=== === All non-text parts (attachments) have been removed === ok, so i was channel surfing tonight and i ran across cnn headline news. = anyway they were talking about 5.1 channel systems. i swear i heard = them say "with 5.1 channel sound only being released to the public this = year" u excuse me but i could swear i've seen dts stuff out for = quite some time now and 5.1 is way older than a year. anyway maybe in = 10 to 15 more years they will report on this neat new invention call the = minidisc. imagine a cute little re-writable thing that will hold as = much as a regular cd. and the sound is nearly exactly the = same.nah that sounds too far fetched for reality. === MIME part removed : text/html; === - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: ATRAC3 -- Friend or Foe of MD?
If MD is to survive as a format, I think it's essential that it offers some of the features becoming commonly available. It's good to see ATRAC bitrates are becoming scalable - something MP3 has always had. For the spoken word, high bitrate stereo is unnecessary. I think MP3 at comparable bitrates to ATRAC offers similar audio quality. LP2 and LP4 is nice but it may be too little, too late. I'd like to see a MD that has these features: High disk capacity. 640Mb maybe, backwardly compatible with the current 140Mb. Multiple codecs in flash memory so they can be upgraded when necessary. Provision for codecs to be loaded automatically from disk so disks would not be dependent on codecs already in the player. USB interface. Capacities of some low bitrate codecs suitable for speech on a 140Mb disk are: Voxware RT24 at 8kHz Mono, at 300 bytes/sec - about 135 hours. ACELP at 8kHz Mono, at 605 bytes/sec - about 67 hours. ACELP at 11kHz Mono, at 1110 bytes/sec - about 35 hours. MP3 at 16kbps Mono - about 20 hours. David Smith http://www.powerup.com.au/~dssmith - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: cheaper optical cables
"James G. Owen" writes: I found at Target (big mall retailer) "Recoton" brand "dvd" "Digital Optical 6 ft. Stereo Audio Cable" for a mere $15 (!!) or so. On the back of the card it says "DVD901". they are "universal" in that they come with "miniplug" adapters for both ends. That is, out of the bubble-pack they have the square post style optical connectors which I gather you can plug into some CD players; however there are supplied two little plastic gadgets which you can snap over the square posts to convert them into the Sony-style 3.5 mm stereo/optical miniplug connectors. This is the first time that I have ever heard of standard Toslink to Toslink cables with mini plug adapters. This is a great and brilliant idea as long as it works. This would totally eliminate the need for 3 different cables for different situations. Currently if you own a portable CD player with a dig. optical out, it will be a mini plug. So will a portable MD recorder. So for that you need a mini to mini cable. Then if you own a stereo system (almost all of Aiwa's in expensive mini systems-not mini disc-come with a digital out) or DVD player with an optical dig out it will be TOSlink. If you have a deck it will also be TOSlink. If you have a deck you need a TOSlink to TOSlink cable. Finally if you have a DVD player or something like the Aiwa and a portable recorder you will need a mono on one end and a TOSlink on the other. So you have to buy 3 different cables. Unless you are very careful about were you keep things, chances are you will never be able to find the right cable when you need it. Too bad there are on Targets near me. That's a goo deal. If CC carries them, they will probably cost $40. I don't CC would even want to carry them because it might interfere with the sale of the $100 monster cables. Regards, Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: ATRAC3 -- Friend or Foe of MD?
=== = NB: Over 50% of this message is QUOTED, please = = be more selective when quoting text = === David, dream on. While it is possible that one or two of the minor things you would like to see might happen, I don't think that you are going to see most of them. Larry David Smith wrote: If MD is to survive as a format, I think it's essential that it offers some of the features becoming commonly available. It's good to see ATRAC bitrates are becoming scalable - something MP3 has always had. For the spoken word, high bitrate stereo is unnecessary. I think MP3 at comparable bitrates to ATRAC offers similar audio quality. LP2 and LP4 is nice but it may be too little, too late. I'd like to see a MD that has these features: High disk capacity. 640Mb maybe, backwardly compatible with the current 140Mb. Multiple codecs in flash memory so they can be upgraded when necessary. Provision for codecs to be loaded automatically from disk so disks would not be dependent on codecs already in the player. USB interface. Capacities of some low bitrate codecs suitable for speech on a 140Mb disk are: Voxware RT24 at 8kHz Mono, at 300 bytes/sec - about 135 hours. ACELP at 8kHz Mono, at 605 bytes/sec - about 67 hours. ACELP at 11kHz Mono, at 1110 bytes/sec - about 35 hours. MP3 at 16kbps Mono - about 20 hours. David Smith http://www.powerup.com.au/~dssmith - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Sharp MS-722
Thus regarding my track-record with Sony audio gear, I would say that I going to try to stay away from them Ralph, my personal experience with Sony has been so bad that it makes yours look very good!!! If I remember correctly, the early Sharp 702s didn't have as many problems. I think that Sharp decided to really mass produce these and dumped a load of them on the US market. Fry's was the first place to have them and at much lower prices then our cost! However, looking at the messages on this list, I can only conclude that Sony portables have a good track-record. The Sharp units have also a good track-record, and one should keep in mind that the 702 offered several 'advantages' over the MZ-R30 which had the same price, notable size and the LiIon battery. The MZ30 was from the Sharp MS200 generation. So you have to compare the 702 to the Sony R50. But the Sharp MS200 offered impressive features and had a lithium ion battery (it still does G). There may have been one or two advantages that the Sony had, but I can't remember them and over all in my humble opinion, the Sharp MS200 and it's clones were the best portables made. You can't say, "but it didn't have this or that feature", if the features were not available on other portables at the time. Sony's end of search thing alone seems to be a major reason for not buying a Sony. My best guest is that if you had one of the first 702s (like me), you were lucky. But if you have one of the latter, you could have a unit that went trought and 'optimized' fabrication process. Ie, Sharp had probably problems meeting the demand and thus Cheers, Ralph - who's SONY CMD-Z1+ GSM phone brook down a few weeks ago! OK, you forced me to give you my Sony experience. I'm probably going to forget a few that ended up in the trash, but here goes: Beta Cam, died and was NEVER able to be fixed so that it lasted more then a few weeks after that! Original Sony Portable CD player. Died a few months after purchase. Was replaced with a different unit, lasted until just the end of the warranty and died. Sony Hi Fi Beta Recorder, died shortly after the warranty period (I still have it- It will start to play a tape just fine then completely die after a few seconds or so. The MZ-1 Portable MD recorder. Would not eject the disc after a few months. Was returned to Sony and took about 6 weeks to fix. When I got it back it no longer would record! (just play). Sent it back again. Finally fixed after another 6 weeks. To the best of my knowledge this unit still works (amazing surprise). Portable Sony 5 inch TV (true Cathode Ray, NOT LCD). After a short while it would not properly search for channels. Then picture started to deteriorate. First Sony CD boom box. The tape search was the first thing to go. Then it would not work at all. The point I am trying to make is that not only did I have problems with Sony products, but often they kept reoccurring until I had to throw the unit out. - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: End-Search petition response
Thanks for that - I have been wondering (and asking) if there was any response - nice to see something, although it's not a lot... GB - Original Message - From: Dan Frakes [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: MDList [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, 11 August 2000 4:07 Subject: MD: End-Search petition response I didn't see anyone mention this on the list yet: http://minidisc.org/sony_endsearch_reply.html - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Sharp MS-722
* las [EMAIL PROTECTED] on Fri, 11 Aug 2000 | Ralph, my personal experience with Sony has been so bad that it makes | yours look very good!!! So what you are saying is that Sharp is bad but Sony is worse? My own experience with Sony equipment has been consistently below Sharp. | The MZ30 was from the Sharp MS200 generation. Sharp MS-701 generation, actually. The MZ-R30 and the MS-701 were competing units in Japan. The MS-701 never showed up in the US except as an export. | So you have to compare the 702 to the Sony R50. About the time the MS-702 showed up in the US, Sony had pretty much retired the R50 for the R55 and R37. | But the Sharp MS200 offered impressive features And a clamshell case instead of a slot. | and had a lithium ion battery (it still does G). So did the MS-701 and MS-702, MZ-R30 and MZ-R50. So does the MS-722; in fact, the MS-722 uses the same LiIon "gum pack" as the 702. etc. -- Rat [EMAIL PROTECTED]\ When not in use, Happy Fun Ball should be Minion of Nathan - Nathan says Hi! \ returned to its special container and PGP Key: at a key server near you! \ kept under refrigeration. - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Sharp MS-722
So what you are saying is that Sharp is bad but Sony is worse? My own experience with Sony equipment has been consistently below Sharp. No. I'm saying that the 701/2 was bad. The rest of the Sharps seem to be fine. Sharp MS-701 generation, actually. The MZ-R30 and the MS-701 were competing units in Japan. The MS-701 never showed up in the US except as an export. I don't consider the meager selection of units available in the US when talking about generations. What counts is the release date in Japan. That is when the unit was actually available in the US (via the internet). Nick Boyd, S. Denki, MiniDisc Now were in existence when all of these models came out and I consider them the source for to judge availability by. Try and get a replacement battery from Best Buy, Circuit City, Fry's etc., let alone any accessories. You probably still can't and you certainly couldn't back then. The Sony R30 was introduced in October 1996. The Sharp MS 200 in January of 97. So they are actually in the same generation. The 701/2 came out in Sept. of 97 (just about a year after the MS200). The Sony R50 came out in October of 1997 So you have to compare the 702 to the R 50 and the R30 to the MS200. The R55 came out in 10/98 and the 722 in 9/98. | So you have to compare the 702 to the Sony R50. About the time the MS-702 showed up in the US, Sony had pretty much retired the R50 for the R55 and R37. See above. I think that you have your dates and models confused. | But the Sharp MS200 offered impressive features And a clamshell case instead of a slot. Wrong again. This just isn't your day. The Sharp MS 200 is a slot in design. I own the Denon clone so I'm not just quoting from Community page facts about that. | and had a lithium ion battery (it still does G). So did the MS-701 and MS-702, MZ-R30 and MZ-R50. So does the MS-722; in fact, the MS-722 uses the same LiIon "gum pack" as the 702. There you go!!! The statement about the battery is 100% correct as far as both using the same battery. The lithium Ion battery is a newer technology then NiMH. But, maybe because they are cheaper, you still see a lot of NiMH batteries being used in many new products. Many offer the L I battery as a more expensive accessory. The biggest problem that I have found with the NiMH is that it does not hold a charge for very long. Leave some NiMH batteries in your what ever for a week and you are lucky if there is much power left. Ni Cads are ancient technology but do offer one advantage. They can sit around for years and very often will still be capable of being recharged. The make NiMH batteries in standard sizes. But I have not seen Li Ion AA or AAA batteries. If anyone know where to buy them, let me know. Also interesting is that you can't judge a battery just by the mAh. Alkalizes have much more then the NiMH, yet Kodak recommends that you use NiMH batteries to get the most pictures from their camera (e.g. you are shooting dozens of pictures at about he same time). So guess that the type of equipment and drainage properties are sometimes more important then mAh. Here is the info on the Sharp problem: "Problems:There have been reports on MD-L of Sharp MD-MS701/702 units malfunctioning, displaying intermittent "UTOC Error" messages with damaged/irrecoverable recordings as a result. A user ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) advises: 1.It is important not to do an auto calibration in service mode without a "tdys1" (sony) testing MD or equivalent (Teac). This will definetly cause more problems! 2.Unit should be returned immediately when the first UTOC errors appear, it is a bad sign! It makes no sense to wait until the warranty has expired. Sharp later introduced the 702MK model to address the UTOC problem. Failure rates for this newer version are reported by Minidisco.com to be about the same as they have seen for other modern MD recorders (1-2%). " This if from our community page so if there are any errors (even if it is just spelling, it is what it says there and not my error or statement. Have a great weekend, Larry - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Sharp MS-722
* las [EMAIL PROTECTED] on Fri, 11 Aug 2000 | No. I'm saying that the 701/2 was bad. The rest of the Sharps seem to | be fine. Bad compared to what? I own a 702 and a 722, no problems. Friends of mine own 701s, 702s and 722s, no problems. I have yet to actually see a 701, 702 or 722 fail. On the other hand, both of the Sony MD recorders I've owned, MZ-R30 and MZ-R90, have failed on me in some fashion. | The Sony R30 was introduced in October 1996. The Sharp MS 200 in January | of 97. So they are actually in the same generation. That doesn't change the fact that MZ-R30 and MS-701 are the comparable units. Sharp's ATRAC 4 in the MS-200 is effectively a generation behind the MZ-R30; Sharp's ATRAC 5 brought it up to date with Sony's ATRAC 4 in the R30. [...] | Wrong again. This just isn't your day. The Sharp MS 200 is a slot in | design. I own the Denon clone so I'm not just quoting from Community | page facts about that. Hmmm... I'm probably crossing the MS-200's guts with one of the MT model's looks. Big deal. | The biggest problem that I have found with the NiMH is that it does not | hold a charge for very long. Leave some NiMH batteries in your what ever | for a week and you are lucky if there is much power left. | Ni Cads are ancient technology but do offer one advantage. They can sit | around for years and very often will still be capable of being recharged. Now it is you are wrong. The charge "bleed" on NiMH is about half that of NiCD. If you are experiencing otherwise, then either you have a defective or damaged cell, or a defective or damaged device. | The make NiMH batteries in standard sizes. But I have not seen Li Ion AA | or AAA batteries. If anyone know where to buy them, let me know. One, LiIon requires an on-board charge regulator to prevent overcharging. Two, LiIon is *very* volatile, and requires a substantially more durable case than the steel shell NiMH or NiCD require. That's why the S31BT is rated at 800mAh where a NiMH cell of similar volume would be in the 1000- 1200mAh range. | Also interesting is that you can't judge a battery just by the mAh. That's because the amp-hour rating is based on a given discharge rate, which may be different from the power requirements of the device you are using. And the ratio is non-linear. | Alkalizes have much more then the NiMH, yet Kodak recommends that you use | NiMH batteries to get the most pictures from their camera (e.g. you are | shooting dozens of pictures at about he same time). And that is because alkalines are good for steady discharge, such as with portable MD players, whereas NiMH and NiCD are better for "burst" discharge, such as with camera flashes. | So guess that the type of equipment and drainage properties are sometimes | more important then mAh. | Here is the info on the Sharp problem: | "Problems:There have been reports on MD-L of Sharp MD-MS701/702 units | malfunctioning, displaying intermittent "UTOC Error" messages with | damaged/irrecoverable recordings as a result. And I repeat: I have yet to see it for myself. I have experienced a 100% failure rate for Sony equipment and a 0% failure rate for Sharp. Yes, the 701 is buggy. The 702mk was released *specifically* to address those bugs -- which the rest of the MD Community writeup states -- and has a 1-2% failure rate according to Minidisco, which is in line with everyone else's recorders. And Fry's got a huge batch of refurbished 702 units, so that's why there are problems with those. It is not that the 702 is inherently flakey. So enough with the FUD. The 702 is not the piece of shit you are making it out to be. -- Rat [EMAIL PROTECTED]\ Do not use Happy Fun Ball on concrete. Minion of Nathan - Nathan says Hi! \ PGP Key: at a key server near you! \ - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: cheaper optical cables
las [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Too bad there are on Targets near me. That's a goo deal. If CC carries them, they will probably cost $40. I don't CC would even want to carry them because it might interfere with the sale of the $100 monster cables. Next time I go to Target, I'll check up on these. Maybe I'll pick up a few and if people want them I can send them at the purchase price. I know how frustrating it is to look everywhere for a cable and never find one for less than $40. - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: MDLP question
Hello, I'm new to the list. I was wondering if the new MDLP records will also be able to record in the standard SP (74 or 80 minute) mode as well as the MDLP24 modes. I read the MDLP FAQ and couldn't find the answer in there (Although I apologize if it was there and I somehow missed it.) Thanks. -- -Nicholas Christ [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: MDLP question
From: "Nicholas Christ" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Hello, I'm new to the list. I was wondering if the new MDLP records will also be able to record in the standard SP (74 or 80 minute) mode as well as the MDLP24 modes. I read the MDLP FAQ and couldn't find the answer in there (Although I apologize if it was there and I somehow missed it.) Thanks. -Nicholas Christ [EMAIL PROTECTED] I would say the answer has to be yes, there is no way they could hope to make a new generation of equipment that is totally incompatible with older units. Actually I would expect the default setting for the new units to be SP mode, and recording in LP2 or LP4 requires specifying in a record-mode selection. PrinceGaz. - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
