Re: MD: Q about MDLP - ATRAC3
wolfgang buresch [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I just read on the MDCP the faq about ATRAC3 at http://www.minidisc.org/mdlpfaq.html and it says for Q#10: What bitrates are used? A:.In LP2 and LP4 modes 20 bytes of dummy data per 212 byte soundgroup.. -- those 20 bytes -- are they a fact or just a wild guess? Fact. I double checked it with Sony. Sorry, my fault, but I guess I was misunderstood. I understand that ATRAC3 has to be somehow embedded into ATRAC1 and I know that that's a fact. What I meant was whether the number of bytes (20) are a fact or not (Why not 19 or 21 bytes per SG). For, you only need 13 bytes per soundgroup to produce silence. I even could ask differently. If we were ask to define the new ATRAC3 algorithm and we know we have to embed it into ATRAC1, why come up with 132kbps? Why waste 7 bytes per SG for nothing? Think about it, we have 775.104 SoundGroups available for recording, that means we are wasting more than 5MB per 74m59s disc and there is no future use for that space. Right. I received the 20 bytes number from Sony after publishing an initially incorrect guess at the number of bytes needed to produce silence in ATRAC1. My guess is that 132kbps is really just the average, and that the extra unusused space is actually slop space for the Huffman encoder. Since Huffman coding exploits redundancy in the information to be encoded, some signals will require more space than others (just as with .zip files). ps: last Q: Does anyone know why the very first ATRAC coder [ATRAC1 Version1 (MZ-1)] sounded soo bad. (I know the answer, but before I am going to post it I want to have your thoughts). The 16 bit math? Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Q about MDLP - ATRAC3
Hi Wolfgang, Nice to hear from you. I just read on the MDCP the faq about ATRAC3 at http://www.minidisc.org/mdlpfaq.html and it says for Q#10: What bitrates are used? A:.In LP2 and LP4 modes 20 bytes of dummy data per 212 byte soundgroup.. -- those 20 bytes -- are they a fact or just a wild guess? Fact. I double checked it with Sony. We know from ATRAC1 that it records at (exact) 292162.5 bits/sec. I could not find an exact number for ATRAC3 (LP2) -- is it 132300? Yes, and it's easy to calculate: We know that SP mode runs at 172.266 soundgroups/sec (ref. FAQ Q#10), LP2 mode gets precisely twice the capacity of SP mode (contrary to Mr. Rat's freely made up facts and figures), so that's 172.266/2=86.133 soundgroups/sec. Multiply by (212-20=192) bytes/soundgroup = 132300.288 bits/sec for LP2. LP4 should be precisely half that: 66150.144 bits/sec. I also read somewhere that LP uses huffman coding (fact?) -- only on computers or on MD decks as well? (Well, it's got to be both or neither to be compatible with all players, right?) In fact it's true (again, contrary to Mr. Rat's free-association-masquerading-as-informed-posting), see http://www.minidisc.org/atrac2_paper/3.html where they show the particulars of the Huffman code table. And last: at Q#18 this nice picture. What do they mean by tonal/non-tonal component decoding? See again http://www.minidisc.org/atrac2_paper/3.html. They use some measure of tonality to decide when there is a tone in the spectra and then encode it with parameters such as a location and width (seems a bit like run length coding for graphics). This allows them to get a better/more compact representation for tones. where in this picture takes the joint stereo stuff place? any thoughts are welcome! Good question. I think the joint stereo stuff is completely left out in all the ATRAC2 literature. Mr Rat writes: Sony had to do it that way becuase they left no room for expansion in the MD storage algorithm. Admittedly, they never forsaw a time where anyone would want to *reduce* recording quality. Sony did in fact provide for future expansion by allocating bits in the UTOC to indicate different encodings (see http://www.minidisc.org/md_toc.html#sec0cstruct), the problem is that non-MDLP players seem to ignore the encoding bits and try and play everyting as SP audio. Looking at ATRAC in bits per second is somewhat inaccurate because it doesn't work that way. An ATRAC encoder gets a 16 bit wide block of data (Linear PCM, same as CD-DA). Standard ATRAC removes 4 bits out of every 5 from the signal resulting in a 5:1 reduction ratio. LP2 is 10:1, removing 9 out of every 10 bits. LP4 is not 20:1 bitwise reduction, but ~15:1 reduction (I would have to check for the exact figure) combined with partial stereo channel merging (joint stereo). ATRAC operates on 512 samples at once (1024 actually if you want to include the frame overlap), ATRAC3 on 1024 at once (again, 2048 including overlap). In ATRAC's case these 512 16 bit samples (1024 bytes) produce 212 output bytes, or a compression factor of 1024/212=4.83. Saying it removes 4 bits out of every 5 makes it sound like it operates without regard to longer periods in the signal, which seems misleading. Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Cd Players
Hi Joshua, [I'm cc'ing to the MD mailing list] Joshua writes: I've seen mini CD's that are half the size of CD's that play in cd = players. If I took off the casing of the MD, would I be able to play = the CD in a regular CD player. If not, is it because the size is = different, or the compatibility? It's an interesting question. There would be multiple problems trying to play a bare MD in a CD player: 1) Physical Disc Diameter: Mini-CD (hereafter MCD) = 80mm MD = 64mm 2) Lead-in diameter (where the data starts on the disc): MCD/CD lead-in = 46mm MD lead-in = 29mm 3) Chucking mechanism: MCD/CD = 15mm chucking hole MD = magnetic clamping through steel plate on MD (with alignment hole) 4) Recording system: MCD/CD = PIT/LAND MD = PIT/LAND for pre-recorded, Magneto-Optical for recordable 5) Encoding: MCD/CD = PCM, MP3, WMA, etc. MD = ATRAC, ATRAC3 The MD and CD track pitch and optical parameters (spot size) are the same however. Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Re: MD-CD deck player/recorder
Mark Ligtenstein [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I bought a Sony CD/MD MXD-D3 last year. I'm very happy with this machine. Maybe you can get one of these, since it has been replaced by the MXD-D4. The new model also includes MDLP. If I were to buy a new machine right now, I would save for the MXD-D5C. It has the same functions as the D4, but includes a 5CD changer and a PS/2 keyboard in. Great for titling and the only thing I really miss on my D3. Mark, I've just been told that the EasyTitle2 is back in production. This allows you to use a normal PS/2 keyboard on any Sony deck. See today's minidisc.org news. Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: NetMD upload petition?
Hi Folks, I've heard from reasonably reliable sources that NetMD will *not* support audio upload from MD to PC (what has looked like upload so far has just been check-in). So, I'm considering petitioning Sony to add the feature. Before doing so, I think it's wise to hash things out and see if we can settle on just what such a petition should be about. Here are a few ideas, feel free to comment on what interests you, or add new ones. 1) Are the copyright/DRM (digital rights management) issues so glaring that it is hubris to imagine consumers could get Sony to change the status quo (bear in mind that direct ATRAC download looked similarly bleak until NetMD was announced). Or is there actually any problem at all? If NetMD upload allowed you to easily make MP3 files of MD tracks, would it offer anything we didn't have today? (We can already make MP3 files directly from CD tracks). What is it that makes NetMD upload a rights management issue? 2) Do we even need NetMD upload? Though musicians and field recordists would certainly love it, would mainstream MDers use it? And digital upload is already possible using an optical-out MD deck and optical-in soundcard. However this is expensive, allows real-time transfer only, and requires a user to push RECORD and PLAY simultaneously (pretty clunky in the Wired Age). 3) Assuming it's a must have feature (and I think* it is) how should the copyright issue be handled? Here are possible approaches: a) Why any copyright restrictions? You can upload digitally from MD to PC today (albeit slowly), what are the grounds for further limitations? (Note: Upload to PC was not envisioned when SCMS was established, and PCs are not SCMS compliant. The existing upload path to PC can be seen as outside of AHRA protected practice). b) Only allow NetMD upload for audio tracks recorded from line or microphone sources, i.e. those with SCMS-penultimate status. Assuming this were allowed: i. the MD track would be deleted after upload, or, ii. the MD track could only be uploaded 3 times (quasi check-out like) or, iii. leave the MD track alone (it's my own audio dammit!) c) Once the audio is uploaded, is it now open audio, or is it encrypted/locked and allowed to be played only on your PC? If locked, the upload feature is worthless, because the whole point is to be able to use the uploaded audio freely, e.g. emailing it to a radio station, creating a CD of it, etc. But what about the ability to send ATRAC files to others, is that a requirement too? What if conversion to MP3 or some other open format was necessary in order to share audio files? (Sony has to date never allowed ATRAC data to exist outside of the MD firewall). Perhaps it would be fair to allow almost anything to be done with uploaded ATRAC data other than for it to be copied verbatim onto a new MD. This would disable indefinite generations of copying that SCMS was designed to prevent. 4) What is the political angle? Are consumers being hamstrung by Recording Industry fears and greed? Should we be demanding this capability as a right? NetMD's USB interface leaves absolutely no technical hurdles in the way of implementing the upload feature, it has really come down to an issue of the rights and privileges of the consumer versus those of the recording industry and their artists. Your thoughts? Rick * One of my reasons for wanting it is philosophical: The portable MD recorder is *the perfect* digital field recording unit. Because it's digital, it begs to offer a seamless conveyance of its recordings back to a PC. Denying users this capability relegates Minidisc to a broken, crippled existence in the digitally networked world. - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: comment re sti minidisc at Circuit City
=== = NB: Over 50% of this message is QUOTED, please = = be more selective when quoting text = === Thanks for your comments Reg! I'm passing them along to the MD mailing list. -Rick Reg Smith writes: Hi Rick, I noticed the mention of the el cheapo 25 pack of minidiscs at CC. I bought a brick of these a while back, and have used them with no trouble at all. They are made in China. My sole complaint with these - but it is significant - is that their label area is incompatible with normal label dimensions. This is because they are half-moon shaped, and do come with their own labels, but they are too small to get much info on, and have annoying little cartoonish markings on them. I won't buy these again just because of this aggravation. I like to be able to re-use my MDs and once you install their unique label, they are not only VERY hard to remove, but there are no spares to reuse. Price isn't everything. My 2-cents worth! Reg Smith - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Intro MZ-R700 and D vs. A recording
Hi Brian, One of the things I'm psyched about is the non-analog recording ability brought by the Xitel dongle. I'm assuming, however, that the R700 has the ability to record in analog, as well, tho, correct? Is there any functional difference between digital and analog recording? Will, for example, the recorder not be able to put in track marks in analog mode? I've updated the FAQ to answer your questions: http://www.minidisc.org/minidisc_faq.html#analogrecording Where's a good place to buy blank MDs? I've read a couple of articles (probably on minidisc.org [md.o?]) that suggest there's no real difference in quality of the various media, so I guess it boils down to price. The only places I can think of in town to buy 'em (Phoenix) is Best Buy and Fry's Electronics. I'm assuming there're good on-line vendors, but where? Someone just told me about STI blanks for $1.20 from Circuit City, see today's (10/4) minidisc.org news. Has anyone tried these STI discs? I've never heard of them. Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Re: Auto MD
Matt Wall [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I have an 800rec and i must say i absolutely 110% wub it. Dont use lp so that isn't an issue with me, that's all i can think on that unit that would be an issue with anyone. Matt, you forgot to mention your nice review of it: http://www.minidisc.org/Sony_MDX800rec_review.htm Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Sharp Playback Problems
David Watson [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I've been having a problem with my Sharp MD-MT161. When I play back a disc I have recorded I often get places on the disc where playback seems to pause, sometimes for several seconds. It will then resume. I suppose it is like skipping but it happens at the same point on the disc every time. I was wondering if it was a problem with the discs (maxell) but I have heard a whisper that this problem has occurred with other Sharp units. It sounds like your machine is getting read errors. Try playing the disc in a different unit, to isolate whether your machine or the recording is at fault. On Sony machines at least, when the time indicator does not advance that indicates that the machine is getting errors reading the disc. Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Net MD drives
Richard Rudie [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Anyone have any more dirt about these Net MD drives? Like why is Sony releasing two of them, what's the differences? Any ideas about how much they'll cost? It'd be wise on Sony's part to make them relatively inexpensive, so maybe people will actually buy MD stuff. Hmm... maybe the MDS-NT1 is one of the Net MD drives that other article referred to. I was picturing something more like a Zip drive. (I I agree, at least one of them has to be the MDS-NT1. (See the photo of the back here: http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20010912/sony0060.jpg) There's no controls on it other than headphone volume, and no ports other than power, headphone, USB, and analog (in and out?). I'm wondering if the other drive was actually one of the compact bookshelf systems and the reporter was just mistaken. Hopefully not, a bonafide built-in MD drive would be a real boon. Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: Beta testers needed for Miyadisc 345 minute blanks
Hi, A few years back we had the idea of offering extended length (hacked TOC) blanks for sale, but since they weren't compatible with Sony gear, and only offered 6 minutes more than a normal 80minute blank, they didn't quite seem worth it. However, now with MDLP equipment, such a blank would hold 5h45m of LP4 audio, or about 25 minutes more than normal 80m blanks. Plus, I've recently found that the Sony MZ-R900 can play the extended length discs fine, though it still won't record much over 320 minutes on them. So, since the discs are playback compatable with modern Sonys and probably recordable in Sharps, it seemed like it might be worth at least checking to see how they do in the latest Sharp gear. With this in mind, we're looking for more Miyadisc beta testers (see http://www.minidisc.org/miyadisc if you don't know about these blanks). We are interested in finding folks who can try these discs in the Sharp units that were introduced subsequent to the MD-MS701/702, i.e.: Sharp MD-MS721/722, -MT821, -MT831/832, -MT66(MT866), -MT77(MT877), -MT770, -MT80/90 -MT88/99, -SR50/60/70/75, -MT15/20. Also, modern Panasonic or JVC portable owners are invited to participate. Price: $5/blank inside US, $6/blank in Europe. Prices include shipping. This is a limited offer intended for people who are really willing to test the blanks (we are seeking essentially one or two testers per piece of equipment). The beta test procedure is outlined in: http://www.minidisc.org/miyadisc/beta_info.html (it will probably be modified slightly before the beta discs ship). If you are interested, please let me know what equipment you would be willing to test them in. Thanks, Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: NET MD (MD to PC upload)
Shawn Lin [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: t0ner, inc wrote: AM I missing something here? Is NET MD going to allow me to upload my minidisc field recordings to my PC faster? Am I going to have to use my crappy Windoze machine?-- I'd rather use my Mac... No. Net MD works the other way, PC to MD. Not MD to PC. Hi Shawn, What do you make of the comments by the folks at My-Minidisc.de, saying they were able to perform MD to PC upload with a Sony NetMD setup at IFA? I found it surprising of course, but I talked to them subsequently by phone and they were quite earnest and serious about being able to perform the transfer. Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: about NetMD, can it do SP? -- And: NetMD upload path
Brian Youn writes: Having owned the new Sony Clie, I can say with all certainty that the current versions of OpenMG Jukebox don't allow for anything above the 132 kbps ATRAC3 format, and that was with version 2.1... so is version 2.2 (which is what was announced with the MZ-N1) going to add the codec/encoder for the standard 292 kbps ATRAC? I really doubt that personally... Matt Wall [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: The only thing i can see of that maybe say's otherwise is i believe that in one of the press releases that it said compatible with all older units, so sp should be ok. now if i am wrong then you are correct that sp wont be in there, but i hope i read the release correctly. I agree with Matt. From the original press release: Because Net MD will accept current MiniDiscs and will be compatible with both ATRAC and ATRAC3 audio codecs, Net MD recordings can also be played on existing MD products. and: 2) Compatibility with the existing MD hardware: To ensure backward compatibility with existing MD products, Net MD will support both ATRAC and ATRAC3 audio compression technologies. Music recorded in ATRAC3 must be played in ATRAC3 compliant devices. This clearly indicates that SP mode will be supported. What I'm still thinking about is the report from the folks at My-Minidisc.de of their experience at IFA with download *and upload* of data. I talked to them on the phone about this, and they were quite clear that upload was being carried out. They tried it themselves on a Sony VAIO hitched to a NetMD unit (I think it was a deck). This is a major improvement over the current state of affairs for those wishing to move audio from MD to PC. My question is, what are the properties of audio upload? Is the track deleted from the MD after you upload it? Are you allowed a limited number of uploads? And given that OpenMG Jukebox 2.1 already supports .WAV, .WMA and .MP3 download (via an internal transcoding to ATRAC3 step) I think NetMD will be very interesting after all. Does anyone know what the download speed of MP3 audio to a Memorystick Walkman is? Is it limited by the transcoding step, or the Memorystick interface bandwidth? Is there a good newsgroup for Sony OpenMG and Memorystick Walkmans? Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: track titles
Hi Richard, I'm responding to MD-L as well. richard conte writes: I have a minidisc walkman and a home stereo minidisk deck. Both Sony. I reco rd from the radio on to my minidisk with the stereo deck. I make titles for t he songs on the tracks I recorded. Then I took my optical cable and hooked it to my MD walkman and recorded digitally. the tracks and audio were copied, b ut the song titles I made were not transfered. Why is that? Thanks for the nice question, I've added it to the Newbie FAQ (even though in fact it's a pretty mature question): http://www.minidisc.org/very_faq.html#q15 I recorded from the radio to MD, titled the tracks, and then digitally copied that MD from my home deck to my portable MD recorder. The audio and track marks were copied, but the track titles I made were not. Why is that? The S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Audio Interface) standard used by consumer audio gear such as Minidisc, DAT and CD equipment carries audio samples for the left and right channels (at 32, 44.1, or 48 khz, and up to 24 bits wide) as well as several status bits (e.g. copyright and track information). Although in theory it would be possible for consumer S/PDIF to carry track title information (there are unused bits in the data stream [in fact in S/PDIF Professional mode, ASCII information about the audio source and destination can be transferred]), carrying such information was not made a part of the consumer S/PDIF specification and hence no consumer equipment implements it. A brief HTML document and more complete PDF document give further details about the S/PDIF standard. Regards, Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: Drag and drop interface (or something similar) for PC to MD downloading
Hi Dan, I'm responding to MD-L as well. I was wondering if there was a product to record mp3 files to my portable minidisk player/recorder (sony mz-r700) that would allow me to just drag and drop and then write the data to the MD. I've had the player since may and have recorded a total of 3 disks just for the simple fact its a pain in the ass. I agree, the lack of speed and convenience in PC - MD audio transfers is silly and really hampers the fun you ought to be able to have with Minidisc. Recently Sony announced NetMD, a facility that many of us hope will address these problems head-on by allowing audio to be downloaded rapidly from PC (see http://www.sony.co.jp/en/SonyInfo/News/Press/200106/01-037E/). This won't help you today however. Sony's own drag and drop PC-to-MD solution is the MDS-PC3, a PC integrated MD deck. Some people (including me) feel that Sony still hasn't provided sufficient PC integration through this unit, and there is already one shareware alternative to Sony's PC control software for the deck; see http://www.ripnet.co.uk/pagetemplate.php?pagecontent=freeware.phpprogdir=ripmdspc3 As for doing something with your current setup, have you considered the Mironics MD Suite? (See http://www.mironics.com/). It's a new, $60 hardware/software solution that Mironics claims will do pretty much what you are asking and connects to your MZ-R700 though a parallel port adapter. The Minidisc T-station recently had a review of it, see http://www.minidisct.com/cgi-bin/rms/equipment/do/display_reviews.cgi?product-sku=minidisc_accessories_mironics_mdsuiteproduct-info-routine=installed Especially since the track marking system isn't that accurate ( I get many trackmarks in the middle of songs) and when I take one out there is a noticeable blip in the playback. This is strange and something seems wrong here. Are you using a digital or analog link? I have sometimes seen flakey digital sources cause unwanted track marks, so you might see if the same problem occurs with another MD or DAT recorder. If you are using an analog link, you should not get track marks except during silence. In any case, there should be no blip from a track mark, either when present or after removal! Adding or removing tracks on all MD gear is simply a directory operation that has no effect on the audio stream. If you cannot seamlessly add or remove a track mark then something is wrong with your machine. With recording, editing the recording and labeling the recording the whole process is just too time consuming. I'm thinking of going and getting a MP3 jukebox, but really want to give the MD a chance. Is there any device that would give me hope? There are also some homebrew alternatives for titling (see http://www.minidisc.org/part_hacking.html#Titling_Filing) but my guess is that the Mironics unit is probably your quickest and surest fix. Do let us know how it works if you get it! Best of luck, Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Future MDLP with variable compression?
Hi Le! Le MD Freak [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I'm an old MD lover and I've seen the introduction of the MDLP format with great interest. Now, I don't know much about how the LP is working, but do you - better knowing persons - know if it might be possible to introduce a LP with a VARIABLE compression? It would be very interesting! If you can't get all of your recording into a SP recording you just turn the knob and adjust the recording time from e.g. 74 min to 90 min - from a SP to aprox. a LP1.2 recording so to say. It will be more compressed than the SP be not as much as a LP2 recording. You will use all the space you need for your recording, and it will be the least compressed possible. But maybe it's all a dream. Maybe the algoritms in the ATRAC won't permit something like this. Or what do you say? It's a good dream, it might even be possible. (I assume by the way that you are not talking about dynamically variable bit rates, as with MP3 VBR encoding, rather a fixed (but user selectable) bitrate for an entire track.) The principle problem is that currently the MD's ATRAC/ATRAC3 encoding sizes are set to fit neatly into a soundgroup (212 bytes). If the MD designers are willing to be flexible about that relationship (and it would be a serious programming headache for the MD micro-controller programmers, to be sure), then it should be possible. I think this would also complicate the user interface for DIVIDE, since you would have virtual (i.e. encoded) soundgroups that spanned sectors. You might have some weird restrictions on edit points (i.e. ending up with irregular edit intervals). Which brings up a question: What's the edit point accuracy of an MDLP machine in LP4 mode? Is it 11.6*4 == 46.4ms, or 11.6*2 == 23.2ms? I would guess the latter since the smallest addressable unit of the MD TOC's 3 byte Cluster/Sector/Group disc address is one SP mode soundgroup (see http://www.minidisc.org/md_toc.html#sec0) which is 212 bytes, and two stereo LP4 frames fit in there. And the SP mono editing interval is 11.6 ms also, right? Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Fast approaching 10 years for MD and MD-L.
Churchill, Guy writes: Eric Woudenberg, Minidisc.org Editor writes: Len Moskowitz and Eric Woudenberg (on his old @hip.atr.co.jp address) also posted in the first year, any other long term, notable members from 1993 still on list ? Could you show me that post? I don't think I knew anything about MD until 1995. http://md-l.amulation.com/archive/199310/frm0.html I thought this was you ... apologies if I am mistaken. (or it might be an archive error). Yes, thanks! Very surprised to find myself asking about MD back then, I'd forgotten that I had been curious quite some time before actually taking the plunge. Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: Sharp MD-MT15 manual added (was: Simple questions from newbies?)
Steve Corey [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: [...] There should be more details in the manual for your recorder. If you don't have the manual, it can probably be downloaded from http://www.minidisc.org I've just added it in. It's http://www.minidisc.org/manuals/sharp_mdmt15_manual.pdf Off topic: I was surprised by the image degradation the pages suffered under Adobe Acrobat 5.0. My method: scan in grayscale at 150dpi. In Photoshop set auto contrast, resample to 100dpi (because I realized too late it was a bit too big), write out as .tif. These .tif files print well in Photoshop. I then use Adobe Acrobat 5.0, the Acrobat SDK, a small C program, and a Python script to convert all the .tif files into a .pdf. This .pdf should have the same resolution as the .tif files, right? However, it does not print as well. Maybe I should stick with the old html wrapped .gif files for scanned manuals. It's just that the PDF manuals print so nice. Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Rating Minidiscs
[EMAIL PROTECTED] (Jinx) writes: Lets take a poll on favorite minidiscs. Can you all rate the following discs in order of quality? TDK I've always said buy the cheapest!, but I must admit to having a soft spot for the (old?) TDK blanks with the green rubber write-protect tabs. Does TDK still make them that way? They seemed to be the only company that realized it would be nice not to require herculean force to change the read-only status of a disc. Those TDKs were also screwed together, which I thought was useful since a cartridge could then be replaced if it ever became cracked. Rick (can't believe I've entered a blanks discussion) Woudenberg - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: I'm a total newbie
Hi Thea, I'm replying also to the MD mailing list. Thea Tyvold writes: Listen, I just dont get this minidisc thing. Could you please sort it all out for me in a clear and simple way? In terms of function, think of Minidisc as a cross between CD and cassette. Like cassette you can record from any audio source and playback through headphones or a home HiFi. Like CD the audio is stored digitally, the sound quality is excellent, and you can easily skip to your favorite track. Unlike either CD or cassette you can edit the recorded audio to your heart's content, dividing it into tracks, naming tracks and moving them around, and deleting what you no longer need. But until Sony's NetMD capable equipment starts showing up (see http://www.sony.co.jp/en/SonyInfo/News/Press/200106/01-037E/), the only route onto or off of a Minidisc is through realtime recording and playback (except for the high-speed CD/MD decks, see http://www.minidisc.org/cdmd_deck_table.html). You can't get at the compressed audio directly from a computer. This is the biggest functional difference between MD and computer connected MP3 players and CD-R burners. I need to know if I should get a minidisc-player, This you can only sort out for yourself, see question 2 of the newbie FAQ (http://www.minidisc.org/very_faq.html#buywhat) is minidisc on its way in or out, Minidisc seems to have hit the world more like an incoming tide than a tidal wave. Minidisc equipment sales continue to rise year after year, and MD gear is quite popular in Japan and Europe. The US has taken to MD more slowly, but sales still do increase every year, and you can find MD gear in some very common places (Target, Sears, etc.). And finally, MD equipment has reached a staggering level of maturity. The latest portable MD recorders from Sony (MZ-R909) and Sharp (MD-MT770) will knock your socks off in terms of form, function and battery life. how can I record music to minidisc, where can I buy minidiscs for recording.and so on... Please see newbie FAQ (http://www.minidisc.org/very_faq.html) and the purchasing page (http://www.minidisc.org/purchasing.html). Best of luck, Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: How can we find more info on Net MD? /Handling ATRAC like CD audio
Hi Larry, las [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: This e mail is directed to Eric Woudenberg and anyone else with any kind of inside track to Sony. Is there any way to find out what the story is with Net MD? Is it real and when will it be released? I don't think there is a way to find out, we just have to wait. And as far as having an inside track, I only know what everyone else knows about NetMD, which is the contents of the announcement. (But you can be sure I'm as curious as everyone else about the nature of NetMD equipment and what capabilities it will have). Sony's release of the the 909 has me a little concerned. If you plan to be releasing Net MD, why come out with a modest upgrade to the 900 first? I would guess it's simply because they haven't finished development on the portable version. Surely they will produce such a product, it's obvious. Anyone care to guess what the first NetMD gear will be? Since this year's portable is already out (and it doesn't have NetMD), my guess would be some hot new NetMD capable bookshelf system. (Hitting the young geeks market :-). You don't have to worry about power and circuit size in a home unit. One other question on an other topic. Does anyone know if it is possible to have a software solution for the PC that would convert Wav or CD audio files to ATRAC? Possible, yes. Allowable within NetMD? That's what I'm curious to find out. There would have to be a PC link that would allow you to handle ATRAC files from an MD player kind of the way CD ROM drives are capable of digital audio extraction. Of course this might be what Net MD is all about, if Sony wasn't so vague in it's press release. Again, right now it's all speculation. The first NetMD product will say a great deal about how open Sony intends to be with ATRAC files on a PC. Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: Why should I buy an MD instead of CD portable (was: newbie question)
Hi Ian, Hope you don't mind if I cc the MD mailing list. Ian Cruickshanks writes: What could you tell me to get me to buy a MD recorder, over a standard portable cd-player, especially with the new cdr drives for peoples computers? Well, if you never do field recording, and don't mind looking positively dorky walking around with a CD player in your hand, and are happy to fire up your PC everytime you want to take some new tunes with you, and never want to delete or change tracks on a disc after you grow tired of a few, then I'd say go for the CD player, definitely! Seriously: you have to weigh it for yourself. There are tons of happy MD *and CD* campers out there, just consider the usage patterns that are likely to be convenient for you and whether MD or CD fits them better. I regularly bring a small CD to MD digital recording package* with me on visits to friends. It's a nice way of picking up a few new tracks during the coziness of an evening get-together without taking time out for a visit to the nerd-land of PC ripping and burning. (Not to disparage those whose cozy evenings are spent around the PC! :-) *The CD to MD portable package: Panasonic CD player with digital output, Sony MD recorder with digital input, optical cable, AC power supply for CD player (necessary for running the optical output). Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: Mini-disc recording
Hi Lee, I'm cc'ing to the MD mailing list too. Lee Sanderson writes: What is the sound quality when recording at a high speed dubbing rate with a home MD recorder? Is the high speed dubbing also done in the MDLP mode(s) and how good is that sound quality? I assume you're talking about a CD/MD deck that will dub at up to 4X realtime. In all cases the resulting quality is determined by the MD recording mode: SP, LP2 or LP4. High speed dubbing only affects sound quality in the following respect: On the MXD-D5C and MXD-D40 the SP mode is ATRAC 4.5 when in high speed mode and Type-R ATRAC for realtime dubbing. The difference between these two is likely to be nearly, if not entirely, inaudible. (See http://www.minidisc.org/part_Sony_MXD-D5C.html and http://www.minidisc.org/part_Sony_MXD-D40.html) Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: No Subject
=== = NB: Over 50% of this message is QUOTED, please = = be more selective when quoting text = === Thanks for the tip Bernard, I'm forwarding it to the MD mailing list. We do have the Sony outlet stores listed, see http://www.minidisc.org/sony_outlets.html . It's a pity you can't call them and ask what they've got though! -Rick [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Hi! I just wanted to drop a line to tell you how much I love your site minidiscs in general. In case you dont know it yet,the Sony outlet store on RT.30 near Lancaster,PA has reconditioned minidisc player-recorders for $69.95 US. I dont remember the model number,but its the same one that JR MUSIC WORLD in New York been selling for $99.99. Its not an MDLP model or anything,but they offer a decent warranty.They also have portable players for$50.00 US and loads of headphones,travel speakersblanks. If your budget is low,this is a great way to get in on the minidisc revolution.Check the Sony web site for the outlet location nearest you.(I dont think there is very many of them) By the way,the sales help at the Lancaster one is pretty surly they limit quanities you can buy.Bernard Carville Vagrant94@AOL. - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Mini Disc News
=== = NB: Over 50% of this message is QUOTED, please = = be more selective when quoting text = === Thanks for the note Bruce, it is indeed good to see Sears and Target carrying blanks. I'm forwarding your note to the MD mailing list. -Rick I was very pleased today to see blank Mini Disc for sale in our local = Oklahoma City, OK Target and Sears stores for as low as $2 each in a = package of 5. This is encuraging to me, says MD is finally getting = popular enough for them to carry them. I'm still waiting for our = Wal-Marts to start carrying them, when that happens, I'll know they have = arrived! Both had the Memorex 5 packs for $9.99. Sears had a Sony 8 pack in a box = for $15.99. Both had some other higher priced in a two pack. Sears had them over a year ago when they sold MD recorders. Both = machines and discs were very high priced and the employees said they = couldn't remember EVER selling any of them. Then they didn't have the = for about a year, and now they are back again. Up until today, ONLY Best Buy and Circut City in the OKC market had MD. A MD fan Bruce Yarbor [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Re: too much of a good thing: a drawback of MDLP
Hi Howard, Howard Chu [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: In fact, the MD format reserved 8 sectors for UTOC data, and only 3 are used by the current track, title, datestamp maps. I think the Japanese Kanji titles live in one or more of the remaining UTOC sectors. Perhaps the Group function uses another sector, and perhaps they could define an extended titlemap sector to double the titling capacity or somesuch. The point is that the disc format itself still has room to accomodate growth, they just have to make up their minds to use it. Well ... and remain reasonably backward compatible with existing gear. Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Re: Hearing Compression Artifacts (was: MD inferior to MP3: it's not computer-literate)
Christopher Hicks [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: happens, also during sibilants, but this time in singing not speech. There are good signal processing reasons why sibilants of relatively long duration are difficult for ATRAC or MP3). Thanks Christopher. Could you say a little about what makes long duration sibilants difficult? Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Making MP3/CD equivalent to Minidisc
David W. Tamkin [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Rick wrote, | So the MP3/CD players | would have to start handling UDF filesystems, or some other filesystem | that supported random read/write access to the media. At least one of the players to which Michael has posted a link already supports UDF, and several can read CDRWs. | Does anyone know what the minimum | write/overwrite size is [for UDF]? On Minidisc it's one cluster | (36 sectors == 2 seconds of SP mode stereo audio [1 sector == 2332 | bytes]). This would define how much waste there is during editing and | re-recording. Another factor is how small a contiguous space UDF will use. MD will not write into an open space smaller than six clusters. But that is just a convention that was established to accomodate the (longish) seek times of MD gear, only the one cluster minimum write size is an actual requirement of the MD media's physical interface (see http://www.minidisc.org/minidisc_faq.html#fragmentation). Actually I looked at the UDF 2.0 spec and answered my own question: Apparently the minimum physical write size is large (it depends upon the packet size set at format time), since there is 14KB wasted for every packet. But the spec (see http://www.osta.org/specs/pdf/udf201.pdf, pp. 136-137) says: o The packet length shall be set when the disc is formatted. The packet length shall be 32 sectors (64 KB). o The host shall perform read/modify/write to enable the apparent writing of single 2K sectors. and 6.10.2.5 Read Modify Write Operation CD-RW media requires large writable units, as each unit incurs a 14KB overhead. The file system requires a 2KB writable unit. The difference in write sizes is handled by a read-modify-write operation by the host. An entire packet is read, the appropriate portions are modified, and the entire packet written to the CD. Note that packets may not be aligned to 32 sector boundaries. So, CD-RW using UDF has an effective 2KB overwrite unit. This is fine and allows for an even greater granularity of write access than MD. I don't know how robust read modify write will be in the face of field conditions (vibration, low battery power), but it should be possible to accomplish it none-the-less. Michael Hoffman writes: Just as the cassette didn't make sense in the digital age, the merely Mini CD doesn't make sense in today's micro-sized world. With DataPlAy you talk of a core engine, the minimal physical housing into which the disk is inserted -- it's so small that you can flexibly shape the product user interface packaging in any shape around the engine, while keeping a small case. So Michael, it seems you've now moved on to DataPlay and DVD density discs as the thing to rest your heart upon. After you find out how little access the recording industry will be giving you to your data when stored in these formats, come on back and we can pick up this discussion again. :-) Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: Seeking volunteer that can make a Group Mode disc
Hi, I'm looking for someone who has a Minidisc recorder with Group Mode functions (e.g. Sony MZ-R909, MDS-JE470, MDS-JE770, etc.) that can create a disc with tracks arranged with the Group Mode function and send it to me. I'm interested in looking at the way Group Mode is implemented in the Minidisc's User Table of Contents so that I can update the information about Minidisc UTOC Data Structures (see http://www.minidisc.org/md_toc.html. If you have such a machine and would be willing to make me a disc, please let me know. Thanks! Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
RE: MD: MD inferior to MP3: it's not computer-literate
macdef [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: True, but that doesn't make it so. My headphone amp has two inputs. I have CD hooked into one, and MD into the other. I've done blind tests where I played a CD and an MD of that CD at the same time with identical output levels, and had someone else switch between the inputs. In a couple seconds I could pick out which was CD and which was MD. The MD simply didn't have as good sound as the original CD, no matter what album/music I compared. The only genre where the difference was slight was standard mass-market pop/rock stuff, and that's because of the bad recording/production that's normally used. You really need to use the same DAC and line amplifier to compare these two sources. Is it possible to try this experiment again with the CD signal being routed through the MD recorder while the MD unit is in REC-PAUSE (i.e. monitor) mode? Ideally you'd take a digital signal from the CD. This way you can really compare the difference in the two sources. Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: MD inferior to MP3: it's not computer-literate
Michael Hoffman's email seems to have hit the list like a Rorschach test, causing folks to take issue (at length!) with whatever part of the MD/MP3/PC-audio equation raises their hackles. So, please allow me my reading :-) Michael Hoffman [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Well then forget MD and stay with MP3. We must engineer our own MD-burner technology that can do it the right way -- to make MD and possibly ATRAC a lossless bit-for-bit general file transfer and storage medium, *fully* computer-centric just like MP3. Right! While I appreciate your bravery Michael, the sad fact is that we (the users) are not permitted to decide which features and conveniences modern audio gear will have. Not even the manufacturers can. In this day and age the decision has been given over to the RIAA and their friends in Congress. The only reason people can have so much fun with MP3s and CDs (8cm or otherwise) is that PC connectable CDs existed before the Home Recording Rights Act. Were it otherwise, CD would certainly be hobbled with SCMS (or worse), just as MD is, and DataPlay will be. Wouldn't you guess it is glaringly obvious to Sony what wonderful playtoys fully PC integrated Minidisc recorders would be, and the huge market potential they would have? But I take my reading of Sony's thinking from the NetMD announcement; the promiment aspect of it is not that MD can now be part of the PC audio scene, but rather that it will be able to satisfy the digital rights management requirements that simply everyone in the PC/Internet audio field is concerning themselves with. I think it is best to consider CD/MP3 as a wonderful grandfatherered anamoly that has (so far) managed to escape being corralled by the recording industry. As for whom to plead with for the features on your audio dream machine of the future, I suggest writing congress. Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: G$ Audio input
Hi David, David Bock [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I recently bought a Sony MZ-R37 and a Powerbook G4 tower. Using them together, I imagined I would tape interviews, field audio, etc. with the MD recorder, then input the audio to the G4 to edit it. Well it turns out the G4 has no minijack input. I was told to use a USB port to bring audio in, but am having trouble finding the right adapter. I'd like to keep the audio digital, but from what I've read I will have to go from an analog out. With just an MZ-R37 to use for audio transfer to the Mac, your only choice is by way of an analog step. The Griffin iMic adapter (see http://www.griffintechnology.com/audio/imic_main.html) would seem to be ideal. It's engineered for the Macintosh, accepts mic and line level inputs, and costs (MSRP) $35. By the way, if you do get one, we'd love to have even a brief review for the MDCP. Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: MZ-R500 DC IN jack, battery charging question
Hi, Does anyne know whether the MZ-R500 has an external DC IN jack, and if so, whether it is able to charge a rechargeable battery internally? I'd like to update the equipment tables with this information. Thanks in advance, Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Sharp MD-MS702 AC adapter
Hi Shawn, Shawn Lin [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Anyone know where to get an inexpensive AC adapter for a Sharp MD-MS702? Depends upon what you mean by inexpensive. Radio Shack sells a 5 volt adapter for about $20. The sell all varieties of the actual DC connector individually, so you're sure to be able to connect it to the Sharp. Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: Sony Unilink adapter (was: Listening to MD in car)
Matt Lum [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I have a sony receiver that plays CDs. However, it has the capability to have a CD/MD changer hooked up to it. i tried running a cable from the line out of my portable MD to the line in on the deck but it seems like I'm not able to select the line in unless my deck detects that tehre actually is a CD/MD changer hooked up via the other cable that CD/MD changers use. Does anyone know if there is a way to manually switch to the line either in some override mode or using a jumper/simple circuit hooked up to the the cable where the Changers usually hook up? I just want to change the source to the line in but the deck has to detect the stupid changer. I appreciate any help. Thanks. Hi Matt, You'll need the Sony XA107 AUX UNILINK INPUT ACTIVATION available from http://servicesales.sel.sony.com/service/homepage.htm or http://www.tritronicsinc.com/ for $100. I think it is absurd that Sony charges $100 for this part. At that price, a person has to seriously consider whether it wouldn't make more sense to simply buy a CD or MD changer instead -- probably just what Sony has in mind! The adapter cannot be much more than a connector with few resistors and wires. I would love it if someone who purchases this connector could poke around on it with a voltmeter and reverse engineer it. I would be delighted to publish the hobbiest/hacker version of this part on the MDCP. Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Awia AM-F90 Minidisc Mic?
Hi Evan, Evan [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Hi, Do you know anything about the quality of the mic that comes with the Awia AM-F90 ? I'm sorry, I don't. I'm forwarding your note to the MD mailing list, perhaps someone there can provide an answer you. Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Eric Whitney
Hi Larry, las [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: BTW Rick, what ever happened to Eric Whitney? I worked with him at MDN and really liked him. Eric's alive and well, working as co-editor of the MDCP. He's in Europe right now on summer vacation. Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: Sony's Net MD - high speed ATRAC download via USB
Hi Folks, Sony has announced Net MD which will allow you to encode ATRAC or ATRAC3 files on PC and download them at high speed via USB to MD. Announcement (Japanese): http://www.sony.co.jp/SonyInfo/News/Press/200106/01-037/ Machine translation: http://www.minidisc.org/Net%20MD%20press%20release.htm No products were announced yet, but it's still pretty exciting I'd say! Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: Net MD - English Press Release
Hi, Here's the English press release http://www.sony.co.jp/en/SonyInfo/News/Press/200106/01-037E/ Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: MP3 downloading via NetMD
Hi Nick, I'm responding to MD-L as well, I think this will be a hot topic of discussion. Nick Riley [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Well considering Sony is finally making the move to make a REAL pc-md solution should we start a wish list and partition it? Lets face it if sony delivered an MD unit that could copy MP3's to it at 4x speed (I guess it would have to convert the MP3 to Atrac on the fly) we would nearly kill off costly MP3 players and off a solution where a person could carry more than 74 minutes of sound and not have it cost a fortune. Yes, it makes me wonder how much work will be involved to get an MP3 track downloaded via NetMD. In theory, you should be able to convert a .wav file to secure ATRAC, right? (Or will you have to have your own real CD to make ATRAC files?). So, since you can make .wav files from MP3 files, why not an MP3 to secure ATRAC convertor and downloader, all running in software, with no change to the NetMD based recorder? Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: MD FAQ
Stuart Howlette [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I've got an idea, why doesn't EVERYONE on this list group together, and create the most comprehensive MD FAQ in existence? Then, advertise it as the main FAQ on minidisc.org, and also put it as a link when subscribing to this list? Hi Stuart, In reference to the original question about attaching an MD data drive to computer, I've freshly addressed it here: http://www.minidisc.org/very_faq.html#mddata comments and questions are welcome. Regarding the creation of a new FAQ: this is a substantial undertaking (even Sony ended up using the one on minidisc.org rather than starting over -- see: http://www.minidisc.org/sony_europe_faq.html). And in fact I couldn't do it all myself either, www.minidisc.org/minidisc_faq.html started from an ASCII FAQ authored by unnamed individuals that was dug out of the old MD-L server at nstn.ca. May I gently suggest that we update the existing FAQ to cover areas you don't feel it adequately addresses? Towards that end, I think this forum is an excellent one for posing and debating new questions. Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: MD FAQ
t0ner, inc. [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: No offense, but there certainly needs to be a good MiniDisc FAQ created, as we get this question every two weeks Is there a minidisc drive I can put audio on or How do I record MP3's to MiniDisc. None taken. I agree, a good FAQ would be very helpful since people buying minidisc recorders these days probably have access to computers and might assume this technology is available. There are currently two FAQs: http://www.minidisc.org/minidisc_faq.html and http://www.minidisc.org/very_faq.html (for newbies) Please let me know the question(s) you feel are not answered by these. Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: Hacking Memory Stick (was Sony doesn't seem to have a portable MP3 player)
Jacob Alifrangis [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I wonder how many hacks tehre are for the Open MG Systems to trick it into thinking that it can take unsecured music? It's the other way around that's interesting: Getting non-MG (i.e. non-secure) Memory Sticks store (and play) secure music -- that way you could copy your purchased (==secure) audio tracks from memory stick to hard drive and back, just as if they were yours to do with as you liked! Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Re: Recording speeds
Stainless Steel Rat [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: * Stuart Howlette [EMAIL PROTECTED] on Fri, 15 Jun 2001 | Not a mention of high speed, Ahem. The context of this discussion is, paraphrased, moving music from computers to MD equipment faster than S/PDIF. S/PDIF doesn't do that (obviously :). AES/EBU doesn't do that. TTL doesn't do that (maybe it could, but that would be very ugly). IR controllers don't do that. PCx controllers don't do that. Line out doesn't do that. The -- singular -- standard for this is IEEE 1394. I'm missing something, why can't USB do that? In the realm of PC to Solid State MP3 player connectivity at least, USB is certainly the standard. Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Re: Recording speeds
Marc Britten [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: it probably can, but Firewire has all of the stuff in place. but then again so do USB CD-R's its probably a bit different going to solid state MP3 players since all your doing is dumping a file, here you would need to turn the mp3 audio into a viable digital source(like the PCLink or Xitel stuff does through sound card type api's) then the digital source goes into the MD player which converts it to ATRAC and writes it to disc. Sorry, I was assuming (as with the Sony MDS-LSA1), that it was to be ATRAC data flowing over the link. In this case, existing USB drivers and components that transport 44.1khz 16bit PCM data would do equally well transporting ATRAC1 at up to 4.8x realtime and ATRAC3 at up to ~20x realtime -- probably limited by MD drive write speed in any case. (This means that a 5 minute LP4 song download could be done in some 15 seconds!). So -- I like firewire too, but how does it do as a keyboard and mouse interface? Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Rebadged MD gear (was: Dolby and Minidisc Patents)
Stainless Steel Rat [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: * Shawn Lin [EMAIL PROTECTED] on Fri, 15 Jun 2001 | Even test mode is different! I found an Auto Adjust feature on my | Aiwa XR-H66MD and I've NEVER found any kind of automatic adjustment on | any 1996-vintage Sony MD player/recorder. You make it sound like it is impossible for Sony to disable things like that. Conjecture upon conjecture! Mr. Rat, please stop! You lost this pointless argument when I indicated that Panasonic makes their own MD components (they've been making their own ATRAC chips for 5 years [see http://www.minidisc.org/atrac_4.html], and 2 years back they were touting their newly developed super-thin, single-beam, Minidisc optical head [see http://www.minidisc.org/part_Panasonic_SJ-MR100.html]). I say pointless because this is, by extension, an argument over a previous (and equally baseless) conjecture of yours, to wit: Then sometime after ATRAC v4.5 they collaborated with Dolby Laboratories to make improvements for mutual benefit. The results are Dolby Digital has some of ATRAC in it and current versions of Sony ATRAC have some AC3 in them. which itself should have ended with a simple Got a reference for that? and you saying either No, I made it up, or Yes, please see: http://...; I find myself arguing with you [mostly] because your style irritates me, but also [naively] because I hope that in proving you wrong, you will come to your senses and stop posting your personal beliefs as writ-in-stone fact to MD-L. Likewise, perhaps you feel that unless you win these arguments, the validity of your beliefs will be called into question (could be painful, admittedly). This is the issue at hand, not how many MD manufacturers there are, or whether Dolby and Sony collaborated on ATRAC and AC3. The funny thing is, many of your postings really *are* informed and helpful, and I hope you keep posting contributions in areas where people are confused and you *Really Do Know The Straight Scoop*. But may I gently suggest that if you aren't completely sure of what you're saying, you use AFAIK, or IIRC, or My understanding is Or simply pose your statement as a question (e.g. Isn't it the case that all MD gear ultimately comes from Sony or Sharp factories?). Likewise, if someone shows you to be wrong, graciously and politely say Oops, Sorry! It's simple, it's friendly, and you will not be a lesser person for doing this, honest! Peace. Rick (who has finally dusted off his own ego) - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: Rebadged MD gear (was: Dolby and Minidisc Patents)
Stainless Steel Rat [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: ... All MD units sold today are Sharp, Sony, or rebadged Sharp or Sony. Sony does it all the time. Please stop portraying your ignorance as fact. Matsushita (Panasonic) makes their own MD gear, ATRAC chips and all. JVC (and previously Kenwood) also produce MD portables that are uniquely their own. Up until the AM-F90, Aiwa produced their own MD recorders as well. With the AM-F90 they rebadged the MZ-R900 from Sony, their parent company. AFAIK Sony has never offered their portables through a VAR. There are other manufactures that purchase MD drives or chipsets from Sony or Sharp but add quite a bit of their own MiniDisc related technology, the Tascam and Yamaha multitrack recorders are good examples of this. Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Anti shock
Stainless Steel Rat [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: No, you have an MZ-R700 with G-Protection. G-Protection is a new implementation of anti-skip buffering that is apparantly much beter than the previous G-Shock scheme. No it's not. According to Sony's documentation (reprinted at Video-Direct.com, see: http://www.video-direct.com/sony/portmd/portmd.html#f1) they've improved the readout mechanics (faster focal point adjustment, track recovery, and disc rotation). It has nothing to do with the buffering. | Anyway, while playing, the unit stops spinning the disc, presumably to save | power, and spins up again. My question is, when it stops spinning the disc, | is it reading off the buffer memory? If so, wouldn't that drop the 40 second | rate? No, that is the 40 second buffer. The mechanism reads 40 seconds worth of data and plays from that. Yes, playback does deplete the number of seconds of data stored in the anti-shock buffer memory. Forty seconds is the maximum it can hold, as audio is played from it it contains less and less and eventually hits a low water mark causing the disc to be read. The low water mark can be adjusted on some Sharp units. Power Save mode sets it rather low (causing less frequent disc reading), non-Power Save mode sets it higher (keeping the buffer relatively full, but using more energy to do so). Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: RE: Future of MD
Hi Gerard, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Dataplay is yet another nail in the coffin for MD. Although the atrac compression has a foreseeable future, the actual media, MD, is dying. For audio, 74 mins on a MD sized disc is ok, when compared to Cd. Keep in mind then that it is compressed. Now, imagine atrac 3 compression on a 500 MB disc. That is going to give you lots of music for a small dataplay type disc. Even further, imagine LP2 mode on a 500 MB disc. What really makes dataplay stupid of course, is the fact that it is a write once type media. But, if they can make write once media that size, then re-writeable discs are just around the corner. Well, maybe. But I doubt that non-re-writeable disc based devices could read them (unless they're planning for it, but then, don't you reckon they'd be touting re-writeability as an upcoming feature?) Heck, personally I like the idea of being able to put a lot of data onto a tiny disc. Remember it does anything digital, not just music. You will be able to fit a lot of modern games onto ONE of these discs. I dunno what the bitrate of md is but, if 160 MB = 80 mins of music, then (very roughly): 500/160 = 3.125 (3.125 MD discs, per dataplay disc) 3.125 * 80 = 250 mins (500 mins in lp2 mode, i think?) Right, Dataplay is cute, but three things make it less than exciting: 1) Write once. 2) You have to *flip it over* for 500MB. It's really just 1.5x an MD, per side. 3) SDMI! This is what really makes it fizzle for me. It's got the same blasted Audio/Data firewall that hobbles MD so badly. Much more interesting media for me are the two 50mm MO discs announced for still camera use. A 1GB version from Sony/Sharp (see http://www.sony.co.jp/en/SonyInfo/News/Press/23/00-0323/) and a 730MB one that Sanyo/Olympus/Hitatchi/Maxell (see http://photo.askey.net/news/9907/99072801newstorage.asp) have announced. Without a firewall, they would make an *awesome* portable music format! With a firewall? Well (yawn), we already have MD. Does anyone know if there are any real (read: available) Dataplay based devices yet? Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: CD-Text titles over S/PDIF (was: USB-cable in the Sony MZ-Rx00PC's)
Timothy Stockman [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: As I understand the naming of the tracks on the MD will be easier No, it won't, since none of that information is carried on the PCM signal. In fact, that information *is* on the the S/PDIF digital audio signal coming from the digital output of a CD player (assuming the disc is encoded with CD text). All of the subchannel bits except P are sent via the usr bits of the S/PDIF stream. I don't know of any computer hardware that uses the user bits, though. Actually the Townshend DATLink (TOSlink-SCSI adapter) will let you get or set all 32 bits of every S/PDIF sample. Not likely that many folks have such an expensive device however (see: http://www.tc.com/). Rat [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Specifically, the R through W subcode channels, which had been previously reserved for future use. All subcode channel bits can be sent. Hypothetically. In practice this is not the case. If it were then Sony's joint text players and recorders would not need a special cable to carry the information. Yes, but Sony could have chosen their double-cable Joint-Text approach (read: hack) for other reasons (they would have to be good ones, I'll grant you). It would really be great if you two [always meticulous contributors] could figure out whether the title bits are sent via S/PDIF by any consumer CD player and provide a reference for it. I somehow don't think any such equipment does that, but I'd love to be proved wrong. Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Minidiscs
Mike Lastucka [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I recently picked up a Sony MZ-R900 (which incidentally, is an amazing unit), and I was curious about the discs themselves. What kind of differences can I expect from minidisc manufacturers and models of discs? This is addressed in the Minidisc FAQ (see: http://www.minidisc.org/minidisc_faq.html) as well as in the interview with BPS systems (makers of MD making equipment, see: http://www.minidisc.org/balzers_interview.html). The short answer: unless you're buying MD for its looks, save your money and get the cheap ones. Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Portable MD recorder for pro-ish use
Hi Christopher, As a variant on: 1. buy a consumer portable recorder, and a reasonable home deck. I can then take the portable plus my existing mic amps to the location to record. The home deck then has the digital in and out for interfacing with the editor. I'd have to be careful that my choice of portable has a digital in, and adequate facilities for disabling any AGC, setting the record level and so on. you might consider a consumer portable with a professional housing, check out: http://www.minidisc.org/part_Professional_Housings.html These provide a rugged carrier, additional battery power, XLR inputs, and phantom power. Plus, they look cool. Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: Digital matching a wave (was: If MDs had come out before CDs)
Hi Danny, Danny-K [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Let us not forget that digital is in essence trying to achieve a wave that it never can. With due respect (and perhaps I'm misinterpreting what you say), this statement is completely false. Digital achieves a wave perfectly, provided you sample the wave at twice the highest frequency you're trying to capture. Flaws can be introduced in the conversion (A/D and D/A) steps, but these are quantifiable (and appear simply as correlated noise), there's no missing, magic, element of wave-ness that a digital representation lacks. Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: High price of solid state memory (was: If MDs had come out before CDs)
las [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: And compared to the DCC the Md is a huge success. Although it is possible that there is a DCC-list like the MD-list on the net, I kind of doubt it. I'm on the DCC list. We're averaging about 2 messages a year these days. At least we can still buy blanks and there is still the occasional new unit and advance taking place in MDs. Larry, the occasional new unit!? The MD market is practically on fire right now, everywhere but in the US. Here, every year, we get just the top sellers from Japan. But Americans seem to love solid state. I can find no other reason for the success of crap like the Rio. No, the Rio et al. is being fed by the the free MP3/Internet boom, and the astounding price of solid state memory keeps it at bay. If quick and easy high speed downloading to MD were available, it would put a dent in solid state's stride. (Maybe just a dent -- eventually solid state will be cheap enough to be compelling for audio, but not yet). You can buy a VHS tape for less than a dollar! They seem to be a lot more complex and the cost of the raw materials has to cost more than a memory chip. VHS is much less complex to manufacture. Consider that flash memory is made in billion dollar IC fabrication facilities. Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Sony MZ-R900DPC in stock at etronics.com
=== = NB: Over 50% of this message is QUOTED, please = = be more selective when quoting text = === Thanks Greg, I'm forwarding your note to the MD mailing list. -Rick Greg and Kelly Schwabacher writes: Hi there- I got an e-mail from etronics.com today saying that they now have the Sony MZ-R900DPC in stock for $329.99...a slightly better deal that what I got mine for from Planetminidisc.com. Here's the link: http://www.etronics.com/product.asp?stk_code=sonmzr900dpcr Take care, Greg Schwabacher [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: MZ-R500PC Minidisc at Best Buy for $180
Jon Martin writes: didn't have a chance to check the model since I was chasing around my four year old, but there was a sony MDLP model, USB adapter, headphones in a plastic package for $180 Thanks Jon, it must have been the MZ-R500. I'm forwarding your note to the MD mailing list. -Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: Help with MD-Discam video transfer to PC
=== = NB: Over 50% of this message is QUOTED, please = = be more selective when quoting text = === Hi Bo, I'm sorry, I really know very little about the MD Discam. I'm forwarding your note to the MD mailing list with the hope that someone there can help. Frankly, this is really a question for video users, not the usual MD crowd. Rick Gyi,Bo X writes: MAY 27, 2001 I bought Sony MD Discam which uses Sony mini disc data2 discs. I take video recordings of my kids. I understand the movies are recorded in MPEG2 files. I want to be able to copy the MPEG2 files from the mini disc data2 disc to my computer hard disc so that I can play the movies on my computer monitor. This will also allow me to back up my video recordings on cheaper CD Rom disc. What I have done now is to connect MD Discam with my computer through video cable and RCA jack and record on my hard disc using ATI Vivo (video capture card) and save the movies as MPEG2 files. I do not know for sure but I believe that I lose signal this way because the MD Discam does digital to analog conversion and then the ATI video card does analogue to digital conversion. It is also double work. I would like to DIRECTLY copy MPEG2 files from MD data2 discs to my computer hard disc. Does anybody know how to do it? Are there software or hardware (disc reader) available? Can you copy with networking and category 5 cables? I would appreciate it very much if anyone knows how to do it and help me out. Thanks. Bo email : [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: USB optical?
Hi Dan, Dan Irwin [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Minidisco has the DG2 for $60. Here's a link: http://www.minidisco.com/minispecs/xitelmdportdg2.htmlI have the DG1 and bought it several months ago for $90. My question is, what is the difference between the DG1 and the DG2? I there something electronically different, or is it just software. I'm not really interested in spending another $60 just to make this thing work with Sharp MD machines. I guess I'm looking for a DIY approach to modify my DG1 to work with a Sharp portable. I don't know if a DIY approach would work. AFAIK the DG1 left the digital output (LED) off when it wasn't putting out audio. This was a problem for MD gear (all but the latest Sony's) that could not lock on sync right away and it caused the beginning of a song to be clipped. The DG2 fixes this by leaving the digital output on, I think, though I don't know if it leaves it on all the time. (If anyone has the unit and can say something about this I'd love to hear learn more). Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: SONY MXD-D5C @ cheap price
=== = NB: Over 50% of this message is QUOTED, please = = be more selective when quoting text = === Thanks Matt. I'm forwarding it to the MD mailing list. You've found a good price, but it's not quite low enough for my news rating. Thanks kindly for the tip though! -Rick Matthew Imberman writes: Hi, Just thought I'd pass along that I just found the SONY MXD-D5C five cd/mdlp player/recorder (w/ps2 keyboard input for titling, 4X record, and CD text transfer) for 400$ at www.jandr.com (J R is a big audio store in NYC). It's listed on the website as $500 but it says to call in for the latest price which is only 400 dollars and they ship anywhere in the 50 states. I actually got it for 380 because they messed up the shipping and it is going to arrive a day late (i ordered next day shipping). You can also purchase a 3 year warranty from them for 19.95 which i would definately recommend because they are great about repairs. cheers, matt imberman - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
RE: MD: no more MD at best buy
Daryl O. [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: ignoring me. It is completely irresponsible to forward such ignorant emails to this list, and I would implore Rick not to do this again. Let's stick to posting *actual* news, okay? If and when Best Buy *really* eliminates minidisc from their product selection, I will tell you guys Sorry Daryl, I'm ignorant too! I don't go into Best Buy, don't know what they have or don't have, and am at the mercy of helpful field reporters for information such as this. I *do* appreciate that you follow up incorrect iformation with the facts; and anyway, isn't that what mailing lists are about? You know, uninformed conjecture, polite, informed response? Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Sharp MDSR60?
J. Coon [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Anyone familiar with Sharp MDSR60? I can't seem to find it on the minidisc site, but they got one at $119 right not at this auction. A guy that I know bought one earlier from the site for $129 Sorry Jim, we had that listed as the MD-MT50 (they're variant's of each other). Have a look at http://www.minidisc.org/part_Sharp_MD-MT50+SR60.html And yes, it seems like a reasonable deal. (I think the MZ-R37 for $100 is probably a better one though). Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: again me !
Hi Joep, Berkel, J.J.B.N.v. [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: The manual says that is does have an optical output. The manual's a good indicator. I also look for a white output jack, that's how I quickly check to see whether a CD player has optical out. A lot of folks have given good advice. If you don't see red out of an optical cable plugged into that white jack when the unit is playing a CD and running off AC mains, then I'd say your optical output is broken. Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: JVC KD-MX3000 manual
Hi Shawn, Shawn Lin [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Anyone know where I can find the manual for a KD-MX3000 online? If not, anyone had to buy one from JVC and can give me an idea on the price? That made the news last week (and sorry for the slow news sorting), see: www.minidisc.org/jvc_kdmx3000_manual.pdf Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: MZ-R700DPC is coming to Target, No Lie
=== = NB: Over 50% of this message is QUOTED, please = = be more selective when quoting text = === Thanks for the confirmation Jeremy! I'm passing it along to the MD mailing list. -Rick I was very suspicious about the rumor that Target would carry the Sony MZ-R700DPC for the low price of $199.99. SO instead of coughing up my dough to Best Buy I checked it out. It is 100% true. I spent almost 2 hours talking to the sales associate because he didn't know anything about MD. The shipments should arrive nationwide in the next two weeks. The warehouses will have more than what they need based on the lack of enthusiasm here in the states. If you break it down every store could receive as many as 75 units. The cost is definitely $199.99, it is listed in their product catalog as that. I even got the item number that Target identifies the unit under. 057-04-0154. Needless to say I can't wait. Jeremy Kowalski - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: MD mention in Wired
=== = NB: Over 50% of this message is QUOTED, please = = be more selective when quoting text = === Thanks Reynaldo! I'm forwarding your note to the MD mailing list. -Rick Reynaldo Cruz writes: In June's Wired on page 67, there's a little item with a nice picture of Sharp's MT877. It's nice to see MD in mainstream magazines but I wish they'd list street price rather than MSRP. I think potential buyers will be turned off by the $499.95 price they list. Great site, BTW. I check it every day. Rey Cruz - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: no more MD at Best Buy
Thanks for letting me know. I'm forwarding your note to the MD mailing list. -Rick JohnnyElectron writes: Uggh - Best Buy just eliminated their MiniDisc recorders players! They seem to have a ton of blank discs though. This bites. - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: MZ-R700 for $230 at BH Photo
Eric Woudenberg, Minidisc.org Editor writes: Thanks Mitch, I'm forwarding your note to the MD mailing list. The MZ-R900DPC is also supposed to be available at Radarcity.com for $219 in late May (see http://www.radarcity.com/sonymdport.html). -Rick Oops! My apologies, I meant the MZ-R700DPC. -Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Minidisc units that mount in the pc?
Ivica Petrovic [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Sadly, a directly computer accessible MD audio drive does not exist hmm, what about the Sony Waio Desktop PC with a built in MD audio drive plus DVD drive? OK, you can't buy it separately, but it does exist... IP The MD drive in the Vaio has still only got a realtime (1X) audio interface for I/O, and you can't access the compressed audio data on the MD directly (which is what I was trying to say). Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: Minidisc units that mount in the pc?
Hi William, william schwarz writes: what i would like to know are there any md recorders that i could directly mount in the pc like a regular drive and use it like a burner for audio applications? i have a creative sound blaster live platnum 5.1 dolby card with a live drive unit . i feel that if there were such a thing as an MD drive so to speak that i could get full potential from the system as a whole. please advise of any pooabilities of this type of unit in exsistance as i would be the first in line to buy one. Sadly, a directly computer accessible MD audio drive does not exist. Most MD affectionados would love such a unit, but Sony has so far decided that MD is audio only -- if you want to get something onto or off of an MD unit, it will be through an audio interface (albeit digital audio) at realtime (i.e. 1X) transfer rates. The closest you can get is the MDS-PC3 (see http://www.minidisc.orgp/part_Sony_MDS-PC3.html) which interfaces pretty well with a PC and looks somewhat like a PC peripheral. It's still an audio I/O only device, but it does give you titling and editing options via PC control. (And with separately available shareware [see http://www.qbits.de/programme/mp2md/mp2md.html], drag and drop MP3 copying and titling). AFAIK, the MDS-PC3 is functionally equivalent to the Sony MDS-JB640. Rick cc: md-l - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: MD interface with Mobile Sony XR-CA300
=== = NB: Over 50% of this message is QUOTED, please = = be more selective when quoting text = === Hi Sean, Sony makes a special adapter precisely for what you're trying to do. It's called the XA-107 Unilink adapter (we list it under http://www.minidisc.org/part_Cable_Adapters.html ). Unfortunately it's about $100. You can order it from www.tritronicsinc.com - shopping - consumer login - part number (enter XA107, no hyphens). The description reads AUX UNILINK INPUT ACTIVAT. Rick Sean Snyders [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Hi, This is a sort-of middle topic, but someone out there must have experience with this type of problem. I just bought a Mobile Sony radio/cassete deck with CD/MD changer control capabilities and tried the following: The Mobile head unit's got RCA inputs at the back and I connected a RCA cable to it to connect to my portable Sony MD, so that I don't have to give the MD input via the tape unit with that special 'CD courier' (I think that's what it's called) connector device that is a RCA cable connected to a special tape. BUT, the mobile head unit doesn't want to change the source to the MD, thus I can't give the input to the mobile head unit. There is a MD/CD changer control plug at the back as well, and I suspect that you need the special plug of the MD/CD changer that comes with those appliances, and ONLY then will the head unit register that there is more input to select from. But I want to give input from the portable unit, so how and what now. I'll appreciate any input on this whole scenario. Thanx, Sean. - -: Sean Snyders - -: [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.cs.sun.ac.za/~snyders - -:Computer Science Department secretary: +27-21-808-4232 - -: University of Stellenboschvoice: +27-21-808-4393 - -: South Africa fax: +27-21-808-4416 - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: sony mz-r700 battery / USB vs digital soundcard
Hi Lalita, Lalita [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I'm probably going to buy the sony mz-r700.. I've been looking on a bunch of webpages but I can't seem to find what the battery life is.. does anyone know? any other warnings that I should know about before buying this? I know generally it's similiar to the mz-r900.. I've updated the MZ-R700 table entry to include battery life info. Also check out http://www.minidisc.org/sony_mzr97500_comparison.html for a comparison of the MZ-R900 class machines. Also, see the recent review at http://www.minidisc.org/sony_mzr700_review.html from minidisco.org Differences from MZ-R900: Non-LCD remote, battery is AA formfactor (i.e. round), does not have 1) double jog lever 2) Joint-text recording (transferring titles from special CD-TEXT CDs when recording with special Sony cable from special Sony CD players) 3) date-time stamp recording 4) Personal disc memory. I think my only concern is battery life.. I am a little confused.. what does batter is AA formfactor (i.e. round) mean? it just uses a regular AA battery? rechargable? I've updated the entry there too. It means it will take a normal AA cell or a rechargeable that's shaped like an AA cell. video-direct.com and RadarCity.com both have it for $217 in case anyone else was interested. I also hear that Target stores in the US will be carrying them for $200. also say you were recording something from the net.. is there a difference if you use a USB pc link.. or just a digital sound card that has optical out? If it's a digital USB PC link there should be no difference between it and a sound card with digital output (save for any sync issues, note that the current Xitel/Sony digital USB PC link does not work properly with Sharp units). Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Re: sony mz-r700 battery / USB vs digital soundcard
Marc Britten [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: USB link only works with the special sony software that comes with it, if you have an optical out, some cards might(i've heard of problems but never tried myself so i don't know) have trouble outputing the correct format because of different sample rates. If you're talking about the USB PC to MD links that come with the Sony MZ-RxxDPC and SonyMZ-RxxPC kits, then (in my experience) they will work properly without any special software (at least on modern W2K/WMe(/W98?) OSs). They're pretty much hassle free. See http://www.minidisc.org/part_PC_Link_Kits.html Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Connecting non-sony gear to my Sony MD car head
Tom P.D. Daniels [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I also have a question. I've been trying to connect various equipment to my sony car head (MDX-C7890R) but to no avail. On researching it I found out that I needed to also connect the changer control. But since I'm not using a sony changer I don't have that. A solution offered by Sony is a small box that sits between the source and the car head. the downside to this that, like almost every accesoire sold by Sony, it's very expensive. About 150$ in the Netherlands (where I life...) which is IMO pretty steep. So my question is; is there any CHEAP way to get my car head to accept an aux source ? I mentioned the Unilink adapter from Sony (which you are apparently aware of) in my previous mail. I just wanted to add that if someone were to buy the Sony adapter and reverse engineer it, we'd be happy to post plans on the MDCP. Paying $100 or more for a few resistors and a connector is something MD hobbyists should be able to avoid. Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: Any MD Data besides MDH-10 (was: Sony Laptops)
Matt Wall [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: anyway on to md, anyone know if the mdh-10 was the only md data drive released for pc? There was also the MDM-111, an internal MD Data drive for the IBM Thinkpad. AFAIK it was a different animal entirely from the MDH-10: different MPU, firmware, etc. Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Digital Camera using MO disc
=== = NB: Over 50% of this message is QUOTED, please = = be more selective when quoting text = === Kenneth Lee [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Hi. Just came across this camera from Sanyo. It uses a 5cm MO disc, and hold 730MB... which is about 12,000 pictures, and 2 hours of video!! Now comparing to the Sony MD Discam which is selling for over $2200, this camera is only going for $750!! It's been out for sometime now, does anybody have any experience with this camera? or know some websites with reviews on this? I am really interested to get one. Here is the link: http://www.idshot.com/en/index.html US$750!? Where? Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: MD in Oklahoma Schools
=== = NB: Over 50% of this message is QUOTED, please = = be more selective when quoting text = === Thanks Bruce, pretty neat! I'm forwarding your mail to the MD mailing list. -Rick Bruce Yarbor writes: My son's grade school, SKYVIEW ELEMENTRY in Yukon, OK (home of Garth Brooks) has a Sony Deck (I can't remember which one, but one of the early cheaper ones) in it's music room. I was so amazed and talked to the music teacher about it. I send her some music for the kids and a second disc around Christmas with rockin' Christmas music on it. Bruce Yarbor MD fan since 1998 - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Re: Emphasis
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: On MD, bit 0 of the TOC entry of a segment is set to 1 if the segment is preemphasized. Preemphasis isn't needed these days, so it's highly unlikely ever to see that bit turned on. It's also possible that in modern MD gear the de-emphasis step is done prior to, or during, the ATRAC encoding stage. In this case the MD unit would not display PREEMPHASIS in the indicator even if the CD was encoded with it. Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: Looking for a JVC XM-D1
Hi Shaun, I'm forwarding your note to the Minidisc mailing list (MD-L). I do remember an MD-L old timer who had a JVC XM-D1. If I recall correctly, he thought that machine was the cat's pajamas too. Hopefully someone out there still has one they can sell you. The machine is: http://www.minidisc.org/part_JVC_XM-D1.html Regards, Rick Kennedy, Shaun writes: To Whom It May Concern, The JVC XM-D1 was the very first mini disc player/recorded that I had ever purchased back in 1995. On a trip to Hawaii in 1997, we were late to catch the plane and one of my friends left my backpack behind and I never saw it again. I've purchased 3 different recorders since (MZR-55,MZ-F40, MZ-35) but to me none have been able to compare that old JVC. I don't know if it is sentimental value but I was wondering if there was any way you could help find one that I could purchase. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Shaun Kennedy - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: MD to PC transfer keeping track marks?
Steve McClure writes: Also, what is the best way to get a digital recording of a MD track on to a computer with the track markers? I don't know Steve, but I'm forwarding it to the MD mailing list in the hope that someone there can help. Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word unsubscribe to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: Need help compiling MZ-R900/G750/R700/R500 differences
Hi, I've put up the beginnings of a feature comparison chart for the Sony MZ-Rxx0 series portables. It's http://www.minidisc.org/sony_mzr97500_comparison.html I'm not trying to list every feature of the machines, only the ways in which they differ. I'd be happy to receive notice of omissions or corrections from folks who really know these machines (or have access to the manuals or other hard documentation). Thanks, Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: AW: What's missing on the MZ-R700 and MZ-R500? (was: Sony MZ-R900)
Thanks Kai! o have digital rec-level control Yes. Only digital, not analog. Are you sure this isn't the opposite? Analog level control only, not digital? Missing from the 900's feature set are also: ... Track program mode Really!? I thought all the new machines (players and recorders) had program play mode. Thanks again, Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: is MDLP worth the wait?
payvand [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: if you had an MDLP home deck. and 2 non-MDLP players. and were in the market for a used portable recorder. would you wait until MDLP portable recorders became more widespread and buy a MDLP recorder, or would you just buy a used non-MDLP recorder now? I do use the MDLP feature on my home deck, but mainly only to record the audio from movies. [...] so would you buy non-MDLP now, or wait a while for a good, used portable MDLP? I would buy, or wait for, an MDLP machine. I recently got an MZ-R900 and have started playing with MDLP recording. The ability to record continuously for 5 1/3 hours without having to check batteries, levels, or media is unique. There is no other portable format that can do this. (Is there?) I used it to record a family get together one Saturday. After a few hours the fact that I was recording seemed to have faded from everyone's mind. It was really an "environment recorder" at that point. In fact, one of my favorite sections is a period of about 45 minutes when no one was around. During that period you can hear some birds on the porch, occasional conversations in another room, a person passing through, etc. With a media cost of around 25 cents an hour you can do things like this. I think LP4 quality is okay, certainly fine for speech (though you can still hear ATRAC3/LP4 artifacts in speech recordings if you know what to listen for). Every non-cognoscenti who gave it a listen though thought it sounded great. Like it or not, MDLP will soon be on every Minidisc unit being made (if not already). If you're an MD fan and want to stay on top of the format, it doesn't really make sense to keep getting incompatible gear. Rick p.s. the "ambient" recordings I made probably aren't worth much more than $0.25/hr today, but they're going straight into my time capsule (read: old shoe box). We'll listen to them next in another 5 or 10 years. - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: What's missing on the MZ-R700 and MZ-R500? (was: Sony MZ-R900)
Leon [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: The R500, R700 and R900 have different features. According to MDCP, the R700 doesn't have (when compared to the R900): - - joint text - - date/time stamp - - LCD on remote - - personal disc memory. On top of that, the R500 doesn't have: - - mic input - - remote control The R700 and the R500 use AA batteries, no gumpacks. They are MDLP capable according to MDCP data entries. If anyone owns an MZ-R700 or MZ-R500 and can give a careful rundown of features they are missing when compared with the MZ-R900 (perhaps by having a look at the respective manuals), I'd be happy to add them to the Equipment Browser. In particular I'd like to know whether the MZ-R700/500: o will display Remaining Recording Time o really don't have date-time stamp o have playback speed control o have sound-1 and sound-2 presets o have digital rec-level control o have playback speed control I'm also still looking for manuals for the MZ-R700 and MZ-R500 units. Thanks, Rick p.s. I found that RadarCity.com is selling the MZ-R500 (a new-for-2001 model) for $130+$10 shipping. This is getting pretty close to the $100 MD recorder. It's taken nearly 10 years from MD's launch (well, the dollar has lost value in that time too!) - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: sharp MD-X5 and MS-702
Hi Eli, ive got the MD-X5 minisystem, and the MS-702 player/recorder. the only problem is whenever i play MDs that i made on the X5 on the 702, i get horrible static, so loud that its unbearable, and not listen-able. i would guess that its an ATRAC incompatibility, but that doesnt make sense - the X5 is older than the 702 (at least, i think so) so it should be backwards compatible, right? basically, what im asking is does anyone have experience with MDs authored by the X5? I have the Sharp MD-X5 system, but even if I didn't, I can tell you that the discs it records are completely compatible with all other MD gear. Either your MD-X5 or MD-MS702 needs to go in for repair (try playing the MD-X5 discs on someone else's player to determine which unit is at fault). What's odd about your case is that you get digital noise when playing your MD-X5 MDs on the 'MS702. Usually when an MD player gets disc errors it mutes the audio, or makes some other attempt at error concealment. Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: MZ-R70 manual scan?
Hi, I had a request for an MZ-R70 manual. Would any kind soul out there care to scan one and mail it in? Prefered format is ~80dpi grayscale .GIF. You can just send the raw scans, I'll wrap them in html. Thanks! Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: (Again) Why Aiwa is Copying Sony!
Thanks Rob. That's right, they're owned 50.6% by Sony. But up until now they still saw fit to design their own MD portables (albeit with heavy technology borrowings from Sony). -Rick "Robert J. Lynn Jr." writes: Because they ARE Sony! http://www.sony.co.jp/en/SonyInfo/CorporateInfo/Subsidiaries -Rob - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: thailand
Ed/Roz White [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I'll be traveling to Thailand in may. does anyone know prices and places to buy car/home/portable Minidiscs? Thanks for any help. When I was there in '97 or so they appeared to be *way* behind Japan and Hong Kong on MD. But please let us know if you see any modern MD gear there. Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Second attempt.
"Richard Braley" [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I havn't recieved any responces so I figured i'd give it a second run, does anyone know the default settings for the MZ-R50 test mode?..Sony wants to charge me 80$ to redo the settings when I can do them myself for free (I just don't have any documented settings) I checked minidisc.org and the webmaster told me to give this a shot, I have searched the net and have found nothing there as well...surely someone out there with a MZ-R50 could help me out..=) my email address is [EMAIL PROTECTED] if you wish to reply off list...thanks again Richard, If you do get a response, we'd be happy to publish the settings on the MDCP. Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: End of the quirky Aiwa's?
Norbert (indirectly) forwarded this link for Aiwa's English AM-F90 page to me: URL:http://www.aiwa.co.jp/english/exhibi/new_p2001/am-f90e.htm Actually I'm a bit sad to see it, Aiwa's were always somewhat unusual in their feature set (e.g. AGC *AND* on the fly recording level control, program play mode, backlit main body display, etc.) and I thought of them as the real "hacker" (or "MD nerd") machines. So, does this spell the end of Aiwa-unique units? Judging by the initial monthly production numbers (Aiwa AM-F90: 3000 units, Sony MZ-R900: 50,000 units) they must not have very high expectations for it -- or maybe Aiwa's will now be unique by being rare! Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: RE: USB Cables???
NChrist [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: If the only thing you'd need the new soundcard w/ optical out for is the optical out then I'd recommend the Xitel DG-1 (the digital usb transfer thingy). I have one, it's pretty nice, really eazy to set up and all that jazz and quite simple to use. I don't use it all that much (I have cd players w/ digital out and a cd-r, and on my current 26.4kbps connection I don't download tons of mp3s) but for what it's used for it works very well, and surely not "shady" in the least bit. Most sound cards w/ digital out (as far as I've heard) will not automatically record track marks unless you set it up for the 2 or 3 seconds of silence between tracks, so beware buying a cheap soundcard just because it has digital out. I noticed on Minidisco's site that they say the DG-1 is *not* compatible with MD Decks. Any idea what's going on? Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: USB Cables???
"Chris Moore" [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Late last year I bought a Sony R37SP on sale for a good price, and it only came with earphones and nothing else. I was at Target the other day and saw that exact same MD recorder on sale for a much higher price, with one exception. The sign said that it came with a USB cable that allowed you to digitally record MP3 files to MD. My question is what in the world are they referring to, and where can I just get the cable sinc eI already have that recorder? "Chad Gombosi" [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Even so I wish I know how to get that exact unit they sell with that package. It must be cheaper than the ones other companies make, and it would *have* to have better sound quality than my terrible soundcard on my PC. "Kenneth Lee" [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I know sony also make another digital usb to optical converter... just like the one come with the R70PC, only digital. The analog one is selling for $30. no idea how much is the digital one though. OK, so where do you actually buy it? I can't find it on the Sony, or Sony Style web sites anywhere. Right, both the analog and digital USB to MD link that Sony sells with their machines is made by Xitel (see www.xitel.com). The analog one is called the MD-Port AN1, and the digital one is the MD-Port DG1. Both are available from Minidisco (even if you go to Xitel's site and try to buy it, Minidisco handles the sales for them). However, the DG1 has compatibility problems; as far as I can tell Xitel goofed on the design of the DG1 and so it *only* really works with the MZ-R90 and later Sony machines. I notice that Japan-Direct is selling the "CatchSound PC Link" (see URL:http://www.japan-direct.com/shopping.asp?prodid=256) a USB to digital audio out device. I've asked Randy (owner of Japan-Direct) but no word yet on whether it works better than the Xitel device (but it would be hard for it to do worse!). It's the same price as the Xitel part (modulo shipping fees from Japan). By the way, I've used the Xitel MD-Port AN1 (analog version) and it works quite well. It's really quiet and I wouldn't have any qualms whatsoever about using it for high quality MP3-MD recordings. Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: MiniDisc digital *out* for less than $700? Recommendations?
JX [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: What good options are there for under $700 currently available? I searched for "minidisc deck" on ebay in the "completed items" and found plenty of Sony MDS-JE520s and JE530s going out at less than $200. Stay away from the US model MDS-JE510 though. Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: A (theoretical) good thing about End Search
I've got my April 1st entry: "Flame war over END SEARCH continues, despite the issue having disappeared!" :-) Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: April 1st approaching
Hi Folks, Just a reminder that April 1st (April Fools Day) is fast approaching. I'm happy to consider any and all entries for our traditional MiniDisc Community Page April 1st News Posting. To see one stellar past example, have a look at this: http://www.minidisc.org/mz-r110pda.htm Thanks! Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: chopping off headphone jack
Hi David, "David W. Tamkin" [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: First, I'm pretty sure *no* Sony portable playback-only MD unit has ever had a separate line-out. Of course the MZ-2P, that wonderful exception to every rule, had it. Headphone, line, *and* optical, all in one little breadbox. :-) Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: More on CD vs. MD Sound Quality
=== = NB: Over 50% of this message is QUOTED, please = = be more selective when quoting text = === James Jarvie [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I don't know how many people on the list listen to classical music. I have made a number of recordings, Holst's Song of the Night, a piece for violin and orchestra by Respighi and a piece by Massenet for piano and either oboe or bassoon - can't remember are three examples, in which there were moments when the ATRAC just could not encode the music properly. On the first two examples, the problem occurred during an swell in the orchestra. In the third, it was low chord on the piano. Each time, the music came across for a second or two as a noise, sort of as if someone were blowing across a microphone. In none of these cases was I looking for, or expecting to hear, a difference. I heard them while listening casually, and then went back to double check. No need to do an A-B (no facility either), this was plainly not a musical sound. James, Could you document this (precise CD, track and time point, plus a description of the artifact) for our "ATRAC Trouble" page? Thanks, Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: used MZ-R37 to make a film
=== = NB: Over 50% of this message is QUOTED, please = = be more selective when quoting text = === Thanks for the note Brad, I'm forwarding it to the MD mailing list. I agree, MD is just the ticket for field work. -Rick Hi, I purchased a Sony MZ-R37 and used it to record audio for a documentary = film that I did. It's size, ease of use, and fidelity was vital to the = production. I used the MD recorder to conduct interviews, record = location sound, and add my own thoughts whenever I felt the need. A fantastic device! =3D) - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: Sony md repair cost, 20 mds for $26
=== = NB: Over 50% of this message is QUOTED, please = = be more selective when quoting text = === Thanks for the note Mike, I'm forwarding it to the MD mailing list. Please let me know how your repair works out, and whether you'd recommend the place. Also, could you give me their mailing address and any further contact info you have? -Thanks, Rick "m!ke mcgranahan" writes: thought you might be interested--i don't know if anyone's brought these points up yet: 1) my mzr-50 stopped recording recently, and today (sept 6, 2000) i took it into a sony repair center (the one in burbank, ca). they charge a flat rate for any type of md repair: US$102. they apparently take the whole thing apart and inspect all of it. it takes about 10 working days for the repair. 2) at www.netmarker.com , an online discount club retailer, they have a special where you can become a 45 day trial member, for a fee of one dollar. they then give you a $10 credit. if this is applied to their memorex minidisc 20 pack for $28.49, plus $8 for tax, shipping and handling, you can get 20 minidiscs for about $26.50. here's my receipt: Date of Order: 08/07/2000 Item(s) Purchased: MEMX MD7420PK (20) 74 Minute Mini-Discs Qty:1.0 Unit Cost: $28.49 Shipping: $5.95 Tax:$2.14 Total: $36.58 Total Amount of Order: $36.58 Payment Type Card / Check # Expiration Amount -- -- -- CPN NT AWD$10.00 MC $26.58 - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Sharp MD-MS722 review in Keyboard magazine
Thanks John, I'm forwarding your note to the MD mailing list. -Rick John Link writes: Just got the new issue (Sept. 2000) of Keyboard magazine which has a favorable review of the Sharp MD-MS722. Greg Rule says "In my experience, the quality of my recordings has generally met or exceeded my expectations." He complains about the lack of a digital out but concludes "I love this recorder... and I highly recommend it." He also gives minidisco.com a nice plug. - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
MD: Future of minidiscs
Hi Michael, I'm responding to MD-L, in case there's general interest. "Coon, Michael" writes: Dear sir, i do like the minidisc for its size and quailtiy however, portable mp3 cd players have been introduced. I like the fact that i can now burn up to 8 hrs of cd quality music to one CD as compared to 74 min for a minidisc. my question is, does the minidisc industry plan on going to the blue laser allowing the minidisc to hold five times more music. Or does the industry plan on using the 650 mb minidiscs that are being used for cameras? I haven't heard anything to that effect. Finally, do you think the current 74 min minidisc will be able to compete with an 8 hr mp3 cd in the long run? Sony and others have just announced MDLP products (see the MDCP news), these can provide 5h20m of stereo playback at "reasonable" fidelity (not much has been reported about MP3 vs. ATRAC3 quality at 66kbps yet). MDLP can be seen as the MiniDisc's [current] answer to MP3. Should the walls of RIAA and SDMI someday come tumbling down, I am sure there might be other, more interesting MD/MP3 (or at least open ATRAC) synergies. Rick - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
