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have changed due to the torrent of spam/virus messages. Please prefix your email
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|
| 11/11: | We've kept quiet
too long -- Sony's Digital Rights Mania finally lands them in
court: Slashdot reports that a class action suit against Sony in California alleges that
Sony's copy-protected audio CDs violate several California statutes,
including the "Consumer Legal Remedies Act" and the "Consumer
Protection against Computer Spyware Act," which prohibits -- among
other things -- software that takes control over the user's computer
or misrepresents the user's ability or right to uninstall the program.
Earlier, Mark Russinovich investigated Sony's self-installing CD protection
software and found it to be akin to spyware, intentionally hiding
itself and providing no means of removal. Sony later released an
uninstaller, but Mark has has looked at it and finds "Without exaggeration I
can say I've analyzed virulent forms of spyware/adware that provide
more straightforward means of uninstall".
Attention Sony
Electronics -- would anything bad actually happen if you just
jettisoned Sony Entertainment?
(Discuss...)
|
| 10/26: | Inqoo posts good
photos of the Onkyo FR-N9 bookshelf system. The ¥88,000 ($800) HiMD/std-MD
compatible unit has digital optical I/O (but sadly no USB port). Onkyo's
FR-N9 Japanese page and mech. trans.
|
| 10/22: | Jake Hazelip
points out a site selling refurbished Sony MZ-NE410s (with some cheeky
commentary) for $45 w/shipping. |
| 10/20: | It's Fall, new
gear season: Peter Ravn discovers Sony's 40GB HD based NAS-M7HD "NetJuke" (mech. trans) CD/std-MD/MemoryStick/MP3/AM/FM/USB
bookshelf HiFi system. The unit can record to HD from a variety of
sources, including CD (8x) and MD (realtime, analog).
//
Christopher Clark points out further NetJuke info at Engadget (in English). The write: ``Sony seems intent on trying our patience recently with gadgets that offer cool
hardware but are hopelessly hamstrung by DRM and own-brand lockins. Latest of
the bunch is the NAS-A1 NetJuke stereo it's launching as part of the Any Music
joint venture ....
|
| 10/13: | Several readers point out
coverage of Sony's MZ-EH70 MZ-EH50 Hi-MD players (mech. trans).
The ¥19,000 and ¥17,000 (resp.) units feature a maximum battery life (AA+NiMH) exceeding 80 hours and incorporate PCM and ATRAC/ATRAC3/ATRAC3plus codecs, but lack support for MP3 playback.
Further coverage at AkihabaraNews
and AVWatch (mech. trans).
(Discuss...)
|
| 10/12: | Sony announces
the pro-use PCM-D1 solid-state recorder at AES. The
handsome unit features built-in microphones, analog (!) meters, 4 hour
battery life on 4AA cells and 96KHz/24bit recording to 4GB internal
memory (with a memory stick slot as well). Available in December for
$2000. (Courtesy Boris Bengin)
//
Also from AES, a respected journalist in the audio field reports: I
was told [by Sony's pro-audio division] that new Hi-MD models are
being developed and that Sony had no intention of killing the
format. ... They kept assuring everyone that Hi-MD in the pro market
will continue.
|
| 9/25: | A CanadaEast News article reports on
Sony's announced restructuring, stating "Sony also fell behind
Apple Computer Inc.'s IPod in what should have been its forte -
portable music players - clinging to CD and minidisc formats and its
own proprietary but unpopular format for digital music files. The IPod
models are a big hit in Japan, where Apple began its ITunes store in
August to rave reviews." |
| 9/23: | Strap points out a
C|NET article laying out the Tough choices ahead for Sony. From the article:
Stephen Baker, an analyst at The NPD Group, suggested Sony should cut
out some of the low-visibility categories, including non-MP3 portable
music players, clock radios and car stereos. "These midtier
categories, ones where Sony has a history and where they may have a
large but not a dominant share, are the logical ones to cut."
//
Todd Snyder contributes detailed plans for adding optical output to an MDS-JE480 MD deck. Todd notes
that the MDS-JE480 is still available from Crutchfield and is the only MD
deck currently available on the US market.
//
Minidisc Access is selling new blue 1GB Hi-MD blanks for $6.50 each until Oct 1.
|
| 9/22: | The Washington
Post reports that Sony will cut 10,000 jobs in a restructuring
operation to "catch up with rivals such as ... Apple Computer and its
popular iPod player in the portable music industry". What's in
store for Minidisc?
|
| 9/18: | Mark Bausch points
out an informative LA Times article covering Sony's attempts to get its
electronics and entertainment divisions pulling in the same
direction. From the article: Through the late 1980s and
1990s, Sony's electronics and entertainment divisions coexisted in an
uneasy peace. [...] The electronics units agreed to hobble new devices
with technologies that limited copying and deterred piracy, but the
entertainment divisions gave lukewarm support at best to the new
formats Sony's engineers developed. The whole was clearly less than
the sum of its parts. Recommended reading for those
trying to fathom why Sony would intentionally cripple its
Minidisc. |
| 9/16: | Minidisco
donating 5% to Hurricane Katrina relief Minidisco will donate 5% of every
order placed between now and Sept. 20th directly to the American Red
Cross to support the Katrina Relief efforts.
|
| 9/11: | Sonic Stage
R.I.P. Sony announces "Connect Player", a drag and drop oriented
audio management tool. (Discuss...)
|
| 8/24: | Dale Greer nicely
covers Hi-MD Minidisc to Macintosh transfers, finding them
quick and easy.
(Discuss...)
//
Daijobu puts together a Standalone Sonic Stage 3.2 installer enabling
installation to be done without a connection to the Internet.
//
Speaking of Macintosh support, Minidisco is now carrying the Sony
MZ-M100 ($400) and
MZ-M10 ($300) portable Hi-MD recorders.
|
| 8/12: | Sony won't play
on iTunes? Strap points out a Business week article mentioning that despite Sony's
non-participation in iTunes Japan, some Sony artists have definately put
their tracks there anyway.
Strap's comments:
The article is talking about how the iTunes launch in Japan is a raging
success and how Sony musicians are trying to get their music onto iTunes
even though Sony hasn't reached an agreement with Apple. It's certainly
food for thought, all of us minidisc junkies have seen how Sony's
recording business has influenced the way that they design their
players/recorders. Now they don't want to feed the iPod monster because
they want a bigger piece of the pie for their own personal audio
solutions but they don't want to hurt their recording business by not
letting their artists sell music on the hottest thing going either. A
house divided against itself cannot stand and Sony, in spite of it's new
management's declared policy of breaking down the barriers between
divisions, is one divided house right now for sure. I hope that they
sort it out. I wouldn't mind seeing them dump their music and movie
studios and get back to doing what they used to do better than anyone,
making the most innovative electronic equipment in the world.
(Discuss...)
//
Kurisu points out several nice reviews from the forums:
A black MZ-DH10P pictorial,
an MZ-RH10 review and MZ-RH10 vs. MZ-NH900 pictorial,
from Christian Klukas (WinNMD creator) review on a silver MZ-DH10P with supplemental pics,
and a
DH710 review + pictorial.
|
| 8/8: | kcSteve kindly
points out a CNet article on the best sounding MP3 players. They
have rated Sony's NW-HD5 hard disk audio player "the cream of the crop". |
| 8/6: | Sony offers free MZ-RH10 titling repair. As anyone who has
hand titled on an MZ-RH10 unit knows, the characters K, L, M, X, Y, Z, k,
l, m, x, y, and z are missing from the input screen. Sony has agreed
to pay for the repair as well as round-trip shipping charges.
(Discuss...)
|
| 8/5: |
Kurisu offers a review roundup! Ishiyoshi has gracefully constructed a
plethora of Minidisc equipment pictorials: Blue Sony
MZ-RH10, Black Sharp
MD-DS70, Blue Sony
MZ-E900, Gold Sony
MZ-E10, Silver Sony
MZ-E710, Red Sony
MZ-R900, and finally Blue Sony
MZ-N910. Mikami has made a Sony DS-HMD1
Pictorial/Review. Check out the many other topics in our Product
Reviews/Pictorials section that were not mentioned here, and you can
add to the growing list - Register
for free to participate in the #1 discussion board for Minidisc! Free
registration includes access to our growing gallery, downloads, and
user-submitted live recording archive!
|
| 8/1: | Armando Ortiz
points out a discussion on Engadget about the "Worst gadget flops of
all time". Several posts mentioned Minidisc in passing, but many more
came to the format's defense. |
| 7/28: | Sony (finally!)
comes to their senses, allowing unlimited uploads of your own
recordings from Minidisc to PC in Sonic Stage 3.2. Remember NetMD
with its silly 3-download limit? How far they have come!
(Discuss...)
|
| 7/14: | Sony adds
Macintosh Hi-MD uploading support! Kurisu finds Sony Business
Products pages for the MZ-M100 (MZ-RH10 clone) and MZ-M10 (MZ-RH910 clone) portable Hi-MD
recorders. They appear identical in every way to their RH brethren
but also support upload of PCM linear recordings (only)
to a Mac using Sony's Hi-MD WAV Importer software.
(Discuss...)
|
| 6/16: | Christian Klukas
has re-released WinNMD,
a Windows software package for realtime, unattended uploading of MD
recordings to a PC using any NetMD capable Minidisc device. The
€14 utility will record each MD track to its own, titled, MP3
file on the PC and can directly burn audio CDs from audio uploaded
from MDs. |
| 6/14: | Tired of waiting
for Sony to introduce Neige Hi-MD blanks? Mr. Dirtweed has decided to
make his
own from some std-MD blanks and a bit of scotch tape. Next
project? Hello Kitty meets Hi-MD. |
| 6/2: | Amid Choueiri
points out a thoughtful article on Sony's Hi-MD technology at DigitalMediaThoughts.
//
Minidisco.com has the Sony MZ-DH10P in stock but they note some incorrect details on Sony's site:
Unit has
no Mic input,
no Line input,
no AC input on the unit - AC adapter plugs into the charging cradle only,
no external AA battery case - can be used only with the removable LiIon
rechargeable battery,
the AC adapter is 6V not 3V.
|
| 6/1: | MinidiscAccess extends
their Memorial Day special until June 10th: $5 off on the Zen-48 MD organizer. |
| 5/7: |
Minidisco has secured Sony's remaining new stock of its MZ-NHF800. This is Sony's only Hi-MD with a built in tuner.
|
| 4/30: | Cracking the
euro-MZ-RH10 restrictions: After some experimentation, forum
members crack the european model MZ-RH10 restriction codes,
allowing it to run at full headphone power (5mw+5mw) and restoring the
custom equalizer settings.
//
MiniDisc Canada is offering 3 free std-MD blanks with orders that
include a donation to the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
|
| 4/23: | Planet Minidisc is
offering the Sony MZ-RH10 Hi-MD recorder for US$260
plus shipping. |
| 4/21: | Chris MacManus brings
this month's Forum Focus:
The big news for registered Forums users is the addition of an active
Gallery for sharing equipment photos and live
recording samples with the world, as well as a fully functional Downloads area for
all of your Hi-MD and NetMD needs. As for keen threads, check out the
nice selection
of Sony 2nd Generation Hi-MD reviews and pictorials composed by
our forum members and others. On the news front, one surprise is that Hi-MD
isn't doing too well in Australia - Sony 2nd generation units may
not arrive there till 2006. And finally, check out our newly created
Trading
Forum; hook up with others in the community and trade discs!
There's plenty of other interesting threads as well, so please drop
by! [click here
to register -- it's free and takes under a minute]
|
| 4/20: | Peter Ravn spots a
Japanese press release for the Sony CMT-AH10 Hi-MD bookshelf system (mech. trans). Due the end of
May, the ¥53,000 unit offers high speed CD->MD dubbing (Hi-LP=8X,
Hi-SP=6X, PCM=4X, std-MD=2X), USB uploading, and can be used as a PC
data drive as well. Akin to last year's Hi-MD portables, the unit
records in Hi-MD and std-MD modes (SP, LP2, LP4) but does not
support MP3 directly. Further coverage at AV-Watch (Japan) including a larger photo. |
| 4/15: | Emma Stratton's
Minidisc essay in The Morning News captures the
aura and optimism of Minidisc's early days. (Courtesy Joel Dueck)
(Discuss...)
|
| 4/14: | Sony announces
a Hi-MD based data drive. The USB-powered DS-HDM1 (mech. trans.) offers peak write speeds of 9.8 Mbps (1GB
media) and 4.4Mbps (reformatted 305MB std-MD media), that's 7X and 3X (respectively)
the CD data rate. AV-Watch has further photos and coverage.
(Discuss...)
//
Ed Barlow points out a ZDNet (UK) article on avoiding obsolete storage hell. The author recommends staying away
from many companies and their proprietary media, including "the Minidisc music
format that seems designed by lawyers"
|
| 4/13: | Hi-MD Macintosh
support? Several readers point out Japanese news of the Buffalo MD-HUSB portable downloader
(further coverage at Gizmodo and AV-Watch (mech. trans.)). The unit is a near clone of the Sony MZ-NH600D
except that it supports native MP3 playback (as do the 2005 Sony Hi-MD
units) and uses the BeatJam software package for audio transfer --
a package that would appear to have a Macintosh incarnation.
Buffalo Buffalo, Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo?
(Discuss...)
|
| 4/12: | MP3 storage
format reverse-engineered on Sony NW-S23 Network Walkman: Waider
has figured out the MP3 file obfuscation algorithm on Sony's NW-S23
Network Walkman sufficiently that he can read and write files from the
device. Is there similar hope for MP3 files on Hi-MD media?
(Discuss...)
|
| 4/7: | Sony 2005 Hi-MD
portables in stock! Minidisco has the MZ-RH10
and MZ-RH910 in stock. The MZ-DH10P is due late May, the
MZ-DH710 late April. |
| 4/6: | Ishii has made a
nice translation of the interview with Sony's MZ-DH10P developers.
Did you know the camera was originally slated to be 3 megapixels, but was scaled back
to reduce the unit's overall size?
(Discuss...)
//
Minidisco is accepting 2005
Hi-MD pre-orders, for delivery in mid to late April. They've also
updated their Minidisc comparison chart.
|
| 4/1: | This year's
April Fools Joke is that there isn't one. But since today's Hi-MD
Minidisc portables with USB storage functions and native MP3 recording
follow logically from MP3 ideas of past spoofs, perhaps Sony's 2005 Hi-MD
units that have all the ingredients to be great MP3 players yet are
still encumbered by a silly DRM scheme will qualify.
//
Ed Barlow points out signs of a possible truce between the Blu-Ray and HD DVD camps. The
article discusses the impetus for settling this war before
sales commence and mentions Minidisc as one of Sony's
"technically-superior products that failed in the marketplace."
//
MDcenter.nl posts the first picture of the Sony MZ-RH10 with its Euro/NA remote (scroll to
bottom of page). Small and pretty, but no LCD.
//
MiniDiscAccess has empty MD flip cases back in stock for US$10 a
20-pack. They've also got some cool leather pouches, armbands and cases.
|
| 3/28: | Marck of MDcenter.nl points out
a Japanese Sony MZ-DH10P review (mech. trans.). The review is quite detailed and
includes photos taken with the unit. Their opinions: Pro: It's cool,
it sounds great. Con: Short battery life in photo mode, low image
resolution, long cycle time between shots (6 seconds).
//
Minidisco is having a week long Hi-MD
blank sale, offering them for $4.95 each in any quanitity.
|
| 3/24: | Minidisc Canada is
taking orders for the Sony MZ-RH10 (CAN$350, US$276) and will begin shipping
them on April 14th. |
| 3/17: | Kurisu spots c|net
video (Flash) coverage of the Sony MZ-RH910 and MZ-DH10P portable MD units. They're touting the
native MP3 capabilities and it is nice to see the units in action.
(Discuss...)
|
| 3/14: | Bryce Ly points
out a New York Times article stating Samsung is now what Sony once was. Relevant quote:
When Sony was caught flat-footed with a late introduction of an
Internet version of its 25-year-old Walkman, its profits from world
audio sales fell a cataclysmic 48 percent in the final quarter of last
year. Once again, Sony had coasted on an old technology, while
competitors invested in new ones. |
| 3/12: | AV Land (UK) has
high-res photos of Sony's MZ-DH10P MD
downloader/camera. Shades of Blade Runner: The shiny buttons in the 5.6megapixel photo reveal the photographer's apparatus.
//
Minidisc Canada has plenty of 2004 Hi-MD gear still in stock,
including the Sony MZ-NH700 for US$209 w/shipping. The MZ-NH700 is
a Hi-MD recorder available in Canada and Europe that is essentially an
MZ-NHF800 without
the AM/FM/TV radio.
//
Minidisc Access
is offering the industry's first 48-Minidisc organizer binder for US$29 plus shipping. |
| 3/6: | Big Shakeup at
Sony: Various news sources report that CEO Nobuyuki Idei will likely be replaced by Howard Stringer. A
Wall Street Journal piece adds this Minidisc related commentary:
The Walkman group has
suffered from a split between those who believe Sony should make its
gadgets compatible with a wide range of popular services and technologies
-- like the MP3 music-encoding system -- and those who push Sony's
proprietary technology -- such as Minidiscs and the Atrac music-encoding
system.
(Discuss...)
//
The Sound Professionals is offering their standard binaural microphones for $30, 67% off their normal price.
|
| 3/2: | Forums administrator
Kurisu finds a plethora of Sony Hi-MD equipment pictures and specifications,
including Sony's Hi-MD Photo page,
MZ-DH10 and MZ-RH10 battery life specs, and photos of the MZ-EH930 Hi-MD player. |
| 3/1: |
Thank You (Again)Sony
Sony
Minidisc Finally Plays MP3s! After years of
wishing and waiting, Sony's 2005
MZ-DH10,
MZ-RH10,
MZ-RH910 and
MZ-RH710 Hi-MD
portables will finally play back MP3s directly. The MZ-DH10 is
unique -- it includes a 1.3MP camera and color LCD built into the unit.
(Discuss...)
|
| 2/27: | Daryl Kobayashi
points out MD gear on clearance at Crutchfield, including an
MZ-NH1 for $300. |
| 2/20: | Minidisc.org has
moved to a new server. We think you'll find the site a bit faster
now. |
| 2/16: | Sony headed for
AAC support on Connect? Ed Barlow points out an interesting Register article (UK) indicating that an upcoming
Sony Ericsson mobile handset will be able to carry 6 to 10 CDs worth
of MP3 or AAC format audio, and that tracks can be purchased for it
from Sony's Connect music store. |
| 2/15: | Christopher McManus presents this month's Forum Focus:
The second edition of Minidisc Community Forum Focus shall begin with a
zinger for you European Sony Hi-MD folk; a user by the name of himdman
has figured how
to lift the volume limitation enforced by French litigation - which
allows all models [except NH1, which isn't 'capped] to enjoy a full 5mW
output! Further analysis of this experiment is also found within a very
informative thread by moderator dex Otaku. Changing subject, please
feel free to visit our newly created Software
Support/FAQ's forum for all of your Sonicstage woes, and also check out the
latest version of Simple Burner 2 with PCM support. Live recording
enthusiasts, we need you! Delve into our live recording
forum to find out the current tricks of the trade. And
lastly, read an
interesting interview with the developers of ATRAC3plus. With 6,000
registered users and 100 users on at mostly any time, be sure to join us
for insightful MD discussion.
|
| 2/8: | MDcenter.nl posts good
photos of Hi-MD blanks. Their jacket seems a bit like
a small pre-recorded case. |
| 2/5: | Capturing
Toddler's Speech on Minidisc: John Guest points out a
method for recording children's speech
on
TalkBank.org that uses a Sony MZ-N10
recorder, lapel microphone, and a toddler harness. |
| 1/30: | Sony Online
Music Store, Take II? A reader spots a brief BrandRepublic article (London) indicating that Sony
will start a music download service targeted towards the PlayStation Portable. |
| 1/28: | Hi-MD spreads
beyond Sony's bounds: Marck points out Onkyo's announcement (mech. trans.) of their MD-133 Hi-MD
deck. AV-Watch has further coverage (mech. trans.) Oddly,
the unit appears to be lacking both USB and digital output
connections. (Discuss...)
//
Christopher MacManus finds a Sharp technical paper (in Japanese with English
abstract) describing their work to produce an integrated optical
pickup that handles both Hi-MD and Std-MD media (full paper)
|
| 1/21: | A foolish
consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds: Mark Bausch points
out stories in the Chicago Tribune (cached) and Forbes in
which Sony finally admits that its near-religious adherence to ATRAC
and an overly proprietary atitiude about music and entertainment content
has been a mistake that has cost them sales. They do vow to finally "grow up" however.
And MacWorld has
the same story from a slightly different perspective.
//
For Dutch readers, MDcenter.nl is having a contest
offering Sony MCMD-R1 Hi-MD cardreaders. The first contest ends shortly, the second begins
on January 24.
|
| 1/12: | Kohn Liu of Minidisc T-Station gets
honorable mention in a New York Times article covering his shop AudioCubes (Courtesy Ed Barlow). |
| 1/9: | Paul Riismandel
posts an in-depth Sony MZ-NH1 review at Epinions.com that
nicely situates Hi-MD in its historical context. |
| 1/6: | ForumMaster Kurisu
transitions the MDCP Forums to an Invision Power Board. |
| 1/5: | Hi-MD blanks
finally rolling out: Minidisco reports they are stocking 3000
Hi-MD blanks in prices ranging from $6 to $7. |
| 1/3: | Sony's
Connect/SonicStage disaster finally gets upper management
attention: Mazli points out an IDG article reporting Sony's decision to create
a "Virtual Company" within itself to focus on the digital media
market. Improving SonicStage will be a priority, and to that end it
will get assistance from a San Jose based software group.
|
| 1/1: | Happy New Year! |
| 12/18: | Minidisc
Community Forums administrator Christopher MacManus introduces the
first edition of Forum Focus: This column
intends to highlight active and interesting topics and bring
Minidisc.org's readership into closer contact with the forums. For
openers, are you interested in something with more sparkle than the stock backgrounds in Sonicstage
2.x?
We've made some new ones
and have links to instructions for making your own. In
our increasingly popular
Live Recording
forum
there is an insightful discussion about an
MZ-NH900
concert recording with a fantastic result that could help
many with their first recording experiences.
The
Hi-MD forum
has an informative discussion
contemplating
the usefulness of a 128kbps ATRAC3plus bitrate for Hi-MD
.
And lastly,
if it's been a while since you've employed
Marcnet's
Hi-MD Renderer program
[allowing you convert those recordings made
by Hi-MD to *.wav], he's up to version 0.31 and it includes some fantastic
updates. By the way, Sonicstage 1.5, 2.1, and 2.2 users can
upgrade to Sonicstage 2.3
. Do join us for daily
discussion of all and sundry Minidisc topics,
registration
is quick and easy!
|
| 12/16: | Minidisc gear
for Christmas? Barlow and MDcenter.nl point out a Lawrence
Journal-World article (Kansas) on Christmas shopping for audio equipment that covers
Minidisc gear (and mentions us). |
| 12/10: | Marck finds a positive MZ-NH1 piece in Australian IT,
stating that in terms of sound quality at least, Sony's Hi-MD
portables are indeed iPod-killers.
//
And an AudioGoGo article asks does
the iPod have a future? They write however "I have to smile when I see Sony mentioned as a possible usurper of the
iPod. This is the company that has limited the power of the MiniDisc
format to protect its music businesses. Sony designers serve too many
masters to come up with a product so much greater than the iPod to
change the cultural currents. And lets face it the "Walkman" brand is years
stale, compared to the iPod."
|
| 12/9: | Barlow finds an
interesting Forbes piece on Sony's NW-HD1 "the digital audio player we all
love to hate". |
| 12/2: | Ipod Studio
reports that Meier Audio has given them a limited number of Porta Coard MkII headphone amplifiers to sell at
~half-price (90€/US$120). |
| 12/1: | IDG News and
The Register cover Sony's MP3 conversion -- apparently Sony will allow
NW-HD1/2 owners to upgrade their firmware to play MP3s directly.
|
| 11/30: | Sony's
conversion to the MP3 religion: Peter Ravn points out Sony's
Japanese page for their NW-HD3 and NW-E99 fully ATRAC3plus/MP3 compatible 20GB HD and
1GB Flash walkmans (mech. trans). A new version of Sonic Stage (v2.3) ships
with the units. Could an MP3 blessed Hi-MD unit be in the
works?
//
The NW-HD3 (above) comes none too soon. As TrustedReviews NW-HD1 review points out, the earlier unit's
inability to play MP3 files, coupled with Sonic Stage (download
manager) buggyness conspire to create an unfriendly (and unSony-like)
user experience.
|
| 11/13: | Barlow finds articles in The Miami New Times and The Harvard Crimson about the band Animal
Collective that mention their use of Minidisc for collecting
field recordings. |
| 11/2: | Sony (finally!)
garners their Hi-MD customers' votes: Clay reports that Sony has released their
Wav Conversion Tool that converts
uploaded Hi-MD recordings into Windows ".wav" format audio files. From
there they may be easily converted to MP3 or burned to CD.
(Discuss...)
|
| 10/26: | Ganesh and de
Pablos point out the new Panasonic SJ-MR50 MDLP recorder, a sleek unit with
a built-in microphone and speaker as well as a wealth of good old
front-panel buttons. (Additional coverage at Gizmodo). |
| 10/25: | Peter le Roux
points out a News.com story reporting that Sony has launched two native MP3-playing Network Walkmans in Europe. A US version is due in November.
//
David Robinson finds Hi-MD blanks in stock at DiscountDiscs.co.uk for £9 each.
//
Jonathan Saltzman points out the ADS
Tech "Instant Music", a US$60 USB soundcard with analog and digital I/Os.
//
Minidisc plays a role in an ethical breach at Asahi.com (search "minidisc").
|
| 10/23: |
The Dutch MD Center has a competition for a Sony
MZ-NH700. Simply verify 13 statements about Hi-MD before 3 Nov to be
in with a chance.
//
MDCenter.nl also has some pictures
of the MCMD-R1 card reader for Hi-MD recorders.
|
| 10/22: | Kent, Daryl,
Robert & Jonathan all spot Sony's Japanese announcement for their
MCMD-R1 Hi-MD memory card reader. Don't get too excited -
this US$100 device attaches to your exisiting Hi-MD portable recorded
and simply allows image files on a solid-state memory card to be
transfered to the Hi-MD disc in the recorder. A low-cost dump for
image files from your camera. See also US
SonyStyle page, Gizmodo's
page and Mobile2Day's
German announcement.
//
Ed Barlow, via News
Target spots a PC World
Staff Writer's Blog discussing Sony's rumoured move to native MP3
support. (Discuss...)
|
| 10/19: |
Warning to SonicStage users: A Windows 2000 Hotfix (KB840987) conflicts
with Omgjbox.exe - if you are experiencing problems and do not need the
functionality of the Hotfix, rollback the fix.
|
| 10/15: |
Minidisco have just received large
stock of MZ-NH1 and MZ-NH900 HiMD machines.
//
Last week the International Bluegrass Music Association's Instrumental
Album of The Year Award was given to Tom Adams & Mike Cleveland for a
live banjo recording captured entirely on a Sharp MiniDisc recorder. "Live at
the Ragged Edge" is published by Rounder Records.
|
| 10/3: |
UK consumer group Which? surveyed
online vs. high-street prices for its Best Buys and found the largest
savings to be made with Minidisc players - typical prices being 33%
lower on the web.
//
Marck at the Dutch MD Center
points out that TMPGEnc (see 10/3), in common with all DirectShow based
importers/converters, is limited to 1 minute of audio output (the rest is
silence). The Hi-MD Renderer (see 10/2) circumvents this limitation.
|
| 10/3: | Assistant Editor Nick Perry
takes the reins for 3 weeks.
//Further Hi-MD WAV exporting John Gordon points out TmpGenc (free 30 day
trial), an audio/video conversion program that will convert OMA files
that are shorter than 60 seconds, to .WAV. (Instructions: open program, browse to OMA file, select
"linear PCM" output, click "ok").
//
Luis Villanueva-Rivera has made a Digital
Froglogger from a microcontroller and Minidisc recorder that he uses for capturing frog
choruses.
|
| 10/2: | Homemade Hi-MD
wave convertor beats Sony to the punch: Hi-MD users tired of
waiting for Sony's "wave-convertor" to export their Hi-MD recordings
to WAV can try Marcnet's Hi-MD Renderer (local himdrenderer007.zip). Although still in beta, and
requiring SonicStage 2.2, users are reporting success with it.
|
| 10/1: | Ultimate
Uploader? Boris and Qukza point out the lovely Edirol R-1, a handheld solid-state recorder. The US$440 unit
(street price) includes two electret mics, a 64MB Compact Flash card,
an optical-output jack, and 9 recording modes from 64kbps MP3 to
24-bit linear WAV. Harmony Central finds it can transfer a
max-resolution 60 minute recording (908MB) to a PC over USB 2 in 3
minutes. (Available in late November, US$550 list).
(Discuss...)
|
| 9/22: | Sony moving
to support MP3!? Lee, Ferreira, and Patel point out a CNET article
stating that Sony is contemplating native MP3 support for their
portable music players.
Engadget has further coverage.
Please include Minidisc in your enlightenment Sony!
(Discuss...)
|
| 9/17: | Kenwood's
conversion to domestic MD production bouys profits: An Asahi Shimbun article relates that Kenwood's
18-month old experiment in moving Minidisc equipment production from
Malaysia to Yamagata Japan has indeed been profitable. Courtesy Ed
Barlow.
//
Bryan Adams tripped up by old Sony End-Search botch? The Age reports
that Bryan Adams had once lost two years of work on Minidisc by hitting the
wrong buttons. (Search for "minidisc")
|
| 9/14: | Oliver Richter has
made one of the most impressive MD blank galleries on the web. |
| 9/11: | Sound
Professionals offers the SP-ECM-MS907 self-powered Stereo Microphone, a $100 alternative to
the (you guessed it) Sony ECM-MS907.
//
Hi-MD Rebates in Canada:
David Ing points out Sony rebates from $20 to $50 (until Sep. 30) for Hi-MD purchases from Sony Canada authorized retailers.
|
| 9/8: | New std-MD
gear: Sharp's battery powered SD-FX20 MD Boombox (mech. trans.) features 4X CD->MD copying,
1-bit digital amp, and a world-band FM tuner. Sony's MZ-E630 and MZ-E730 portable MD players (mech. trans.) sport
(E630): digital-amp, white stick-controller remote (E730): HD
digital-amp, VPT acoustic engine and (both): 6-band equalizer,
digital pitch control.
(Discuss...)
(Courtesy Ravn and de Pablos) |
| 9/4: | iTunes for
Minidisc? Ed Barlow points out an ITWorld article inidicating that Steve Jobs offered
Sony chairman Idei the opportunity to have Sony gear interoperate with iTunes.
(Discuss...) |
| 9/3: | Peter Ravn updates our FAQ: Inserting
a Hi-MD formatted blank in a std-MD machine causes it to display "Hi-MD Disc" (but it's unplayable
of course). |
| 8/28: | Weekend special at
Sound Professionals: the
Sony MZ-NHF800 and
MZ-NH700 for $20 off including
a free stereo microphone.
|
| 8/27: | Canadians can
join a Sony/MuchMusic contest to win an
MZ-NH1 Hi-MD recorder, a Sony VAIO PCGK23, or 500 Connect downloads. (Courtesy David West) |
| 8/24: | Peter Ravn makes a
photo
review of the Sony MZ-NHF800 Hi-MD recorder. |
| 8/23: | Christopher
MacManus points out the Sony MZ-NH900 and MZ-NH700 Japanese Export editions, equipped with the MZ-NH1's 3-line remote.
(Discuss...).
//
Forget the endless iPod vs. MD arguments, a friend points out a comparison of iPod vs. Cassette.
//
Chris finds another interesting item: an FCC Public Notice indicating that Sony intends to
use Hi-MD for Video recording.
|
| 8/14: | Sound
Professionals has the Sony MZ-NH700 and MZ-NHF800 available.
//
Minidisco is giving away a gold Sony MZ-NH1 on Sept. 3rd (all you have to do is
join their mailing list).
//
Peter Ravn's Hi-MD space calculator has
been updated for all remaining bitrates (132,105,66 and 48kbps).
|
| 8/12: | More USA Hi-MD
units appear: Minidisco has the AM/FM/Hi-MD MZ-NHF800 with line and mic inputs and
SonyStyle.com has the MZ-NH900 in stock (a reader called them to verify
it). |
| 8/10: | First dedicated
Hi-MD walkman peripheral: Spanish MD page Quesabesde points out the Sony MCMD-R1 (mech. trans.), a Hi-MD recorder peripheral for
transferring digital camera memory contents to Hi-MD media. The unit
accepts Memory Stick (normal, PRO, duo, PRO duo), XD, Compact Flash,
Smart Media, SD, mini SD and Multimedia memories and connects via USB
to any recording Hi-MD walkman. Running on 4 AAA cells it will power (but not
charge) the Hi-MD unit to which it is attached. (Price appears to be under €100) |
| 8/9: | Sony MZ-NH900
available in UK: AVLand posts zoomable MZ-NH900 snapshots but states "It isn't as
solidly built as Sony's previous 9xx series machines. Its bottom half
is plastic and the bulkiness makes it rather more like the 7xx
series."
|
| 8/3: | Hi-MD Blanks in
stock at Crutchfield: Brian Rost told us (and we called and
checked), Crutchfield has 13 Hi-MD blanks in stock for $7/each with a lifetime
warranty. Minidiscs again rare and expensive -- just like the old days!
//
A Wall Street Journal review of the Sony NW-HD1
hard-disk player does not speak well of Sony's challenge to the
iPod. Their verdict:
While the new Sony is smaller than the iPod and has much better
battery life, it is markedly inferior overall. It has a confusing,
complex user interface that makes it hard to use; weak software for
the PC; an oddball music format that makes loading it with songs
tedious; and a companion music download service that offers less than
Apple's. The iPod wins this round, and remains champion.
A long
Sony discussion
thread on Slashdot mentions Minidisc and is similarly negative (sample post:
"I think the MiniDisc format had great potential, but Sony's insistence on idiotic copyright meaures just make it way too inconvenient to gain wide acceptance. I use it mainly because (A) I already invested in it and (B) it's easy to cart around, but the format is so needlessly crippled as to be sad.")
|
| 7/30: | Sony MZ-NHF800 and MZ-NH700
beginning to appear: Ken Welsh points out the J&R MZ-NHF800 page, indicating it "usually ships in 1-2 days", and
AV-Land (UK) has the Sony MZ-NH700 in stock. Finally, Olaf van Ginkel spots the MZ-NH600D and MZ-NH700 at MediaMarkt in Amsterdam. |
| 7/25: | David West finds a
Toronto Star article on the 25th anniversary of the Sony Walkman. |
| 7/24: | Allon Bar points
out a surprisingly detailed Sony
NW-HD1 brochure (pdf) for their "World's smallest, thinnest
lightest" 20GB HD player with 30 hour battery life. The unit has a
unique zero-g detector that retracts the heads during free-fall (will
it play music in space?). If only it handled native MP3
playback.
//
Sergio de Pablos (of Quesabesde) points out two items from JVC: (1)
The RC-G1MD MD/CD boombox (mech. trans) featuring 4X CD->MD recording and a
fancy front panel illumination scheme and
(2) The SP-A200 Pouch Speaker (mech. trans). It's designed to both carry an MD player and be connected
to it as a speaker.
//
Nicolas Roughol has kindly scanned several French magazine Minidisc reviews from the late
90's. They include a review of the Sony MDS-JA20ES (the first ATRAC
Type-R deck) stating that it finally gives to the Minidisc its letters
of nobility.
|
| 7/22: | Skytherx posts a
full featured MZ-NH3D review (an upmarket downloader available in
Japan), with photos. |
| 7/21: | Joe Edwards notes
that Duke University is giving away iPods to their students. |
| 7/20: | One step
forward one step back: Bangraman posts a comprehensive comparison
of the Sony MZ-NH1 vs the iPod Mini. Though the review
points up the pros and cons of both machines, it reveals a
debilitating limitation of Sony's SonicStage based Hi-MD upload
function: audio upload is only possible into DRM-locked files or ATRAC3
CDs!. Fortunately Sony has stated that a standalone Wave
Converter application will be available in autumn that will allow
Hi-MD mic and line input recordings to be uploaded and exported to
open .wav files, as they promised.
(Read further...)
//
Richard Prinsloo finds a good Sony manuals website stocked with a surprising
collection of manuals (and from whence we found, e.g. the Sony MZ-R910 user manual).
//
Did you know Alpine has an iPod compatible car stereo due this fall?
(Courtesy Dale Greer)
|
| 7/11: | More of Sony's 2004 Hi-MD line-up
begins to appear:
Japan-Direct (Osaka) now stocks Sony's
MZ-NH1 recorder
and
MZ-EH1 player. Hi-MD media are reportedly still hard to find though.
//
John Brady finds the
MZ-NH1,
MZ-NH900,
MZ-NHF800, as well as
the
MZ-NH600D are all
available at Sonystyle.com. Update: all except the MZ-NH600 are still "pre-order" only.
Sony contacts report the MZ-NH800 due in two weeks, the MZ-NH900 closer to August and
the MZ-NH1 in August.
|
| 7/5: | The won't-be
iPod killer: Mark Bausch points out Forbes coverage of Sony's NW-HD1, which they find
underwhelming, stating (of its MP3 incompatability): "This is similar
to other Sony players that use Sony-only technologies like the
Minidisc and the Memory Stick. This strategy is, we think, doomed."
Even Sony execs don't seem to know which end is up when it comes to portable audio gear.
See further coverage at
SFGate.com,
Gizmodo,
c|net and
Engadget
-- the user commentary is damning, nearly all agreeing
that lack of MP3 playback is a fatal blunder.
(Discuss...)
//
Hi-MD operation manuals appear:
Duane Galensky and Jeff point out manuals for Sony's
MZ-NH1,
MZ-NH900,
MZ-NHF800,
MZ-NH700 and
MZ-NH600D Hi-MD portables
on Sony's documentation site.
Sony has a special note there concerning recording power consumption when using Hi-MD media.
(Discuss...)
//
Duane makes some observations on battery life
for folks doing Hi-MD field recording.
//
Cassette House owner Art Munson has several dozen pre-recorded MDs on close-out sale for under $10 with shipping.
|
| 7/1: | Ravn and Mcarthy
point out the Sony NW-HD1 20GB hard disk based ATRAC3 player
(English coverage at The Register and EuroraPress). Due for August release in Europe (and
holiday shopping season in the US), the sleek unit incorporates a 1.8"
hard drive and sports a 30 hour max. battery life. (Prices not yet
available) |
| 6/25: | Matthew Lomax
finds an interesting Hi-MD feature page that includes a section entitled
Why go Hi-MD and not HDD?. At Amazon.com, of
all places. What fun to hear them tout Hi-MD's ability to share songs with your friends -- all that
check-in/check-out nonsense conveniently forgotten!
(Discuss...)
|
| 6/24: | First Hi-MD
user manual! David O'Heare kindly sends along the Sony
MZ-NH600D user manual (3.5MB pdf). The documentation also covers
the unit's PC download/upload software and includes this unusual comment:
"We do not ensure trouble-free operation on all computers that
satisfy the system requirements."
(Discuss...)
|
| 6/22: | First Hi-MD
review! Ed Barlow points out a Sony MZ-NH600 review by Australian IT. They
cover the Euro edition that has line and optical inputs -- unlike
the MZ-NH600D
which does not.
//
A Liverpool Daily Post article says that a reporter's MD kit was broken by Jennifer Ellison's
boyfriend. Police are investigating.
|
| 6/17: | A New York Times article (cached)
discusses Minidisc and the upcoming Hi-MD (and quotes us kvetching
about Sony botching it as usual). |
| 6/16: | Gadgets Online HK (old MD comrade) is offering the
Rio Riot 20GB HDD player for $150 w/shipping and the
Rio 600 64MB mp3 player for $44 w/shipping. Though not MD, the prices are compelling.
|
| 6/15: | Outward Sound has
the Sharp MD-DR77 portable recorder in stock for $320.
Is the MD-DR77 the first
portable with a recording-start function on the remote?
(Discuss...)
|
| 6/10: | Reactive Sounds
introduces their Auris series microphones (pdf
brochure) that feature internal shock mounting so that handling
noise is reduced. They're available in mono ($60) and stereo ($120) configurations. |
| 6/8: | Sony didn't
really invent the Walkman? Kurisu finds word that ``Sony is paying several million Euros to Andreas
Pavel, a German inventor who in 1977 patented and prototyped a
wearable stereo called the "Stereobelt."'' |
| 6/7: | Hi-MD
entrée: Sony's MZ-NH600D Hi-MD portable is now available from Minidisco, Minidisc-Canada, Yahoo's shops, and OneCall (among others). This is the North
American model, lacking line, optical, and microphone inputs. |
| 6/6: | Digital
amplifier low-down: Kurisu (MDCP forums admin) has posted
a commentary on digital amplifiers found in Minidisc units.
//
The online music service only a mother could love? Ed Barlow
points out yet another lackluster review of Sony's Connect.
|
| 6/2: | RIAA planning to limit
CD burning: Slashdot points out a C|Net article discussing Recording Industry plans to
restrict the number of times CDs can be copied. Sadly, details are sketchy.
//
New std-MD
bookshelf systems: Spanish MD site Quesabesde
points out the JVC UX-Q1 CD/MD bookshelf system (trans) sporting 5X CD->MD copying, as well as the
Denon D-AZ03 CD/MD bookshelf system (trans), with bright colors. Both feature world-band FM tuners.
|
| 5/29: | It's finally in
the open -- Sony itself says that executive paranoia over music piracy
is hobbling innovation: Clay Schneider points out a revealing Bloomberg
News article on Sony's missteps in the digital age that have cost them
$100 billion in market value. Howard Stringer (head of Sony's US
divisions) is quoted as saying "Executives were so concerned about
music piracy that they couldn't agree with designers on the kind of
player to create. We didn't get there, and by that time, Steve Jobs
was there."
(Discuss...)
//
With a dash of schizophrenia then? PC World has further
coverage of Sony's HMP-A1, the 20GB hard-disk audio player
announced this week that supports native-MP3 audio but neither Sony's
Connect online music store nor the ATRAC3/plus audio
format. This unit is not to be confused with the 20GB Sony VGF-AP1 hard-disk player introduced last week
that does support ATRAC3/plus and Connect, but not
MP3-audio playback.
//
A few pieces we missed: A Tech Japan article on Sony's MZ-NH1 & etc. product page (mech. trans.) points out that the MZ-NH1
and MZ-NH600D cradle is no longer slated to provide USB connectivity, and that the
units will be available in additional colors. (Courtesy MDcenter.nl)
|
| 5/27: | Sony introduces
a hard-disk based MP3 player that does not support
ATRAC3 and ATRAC3plus: Peter Ravn finds Sony Japan's HMP-A1 press release (mech. trans., English coverage at The Register). The 250 gram,
¥63,000 ($560) unit sports a 20GB hard drive and will play MPEG-2
and MPEG-4 video files as well as native MP3 audio (with a battery life
of 4, 6 and 8 hrs respectively). The unit is slated to ship with
MusicMatch Jukebox.
(Discuss...)
|
| 5/26: | Peter Ravn points
out Sony Japan's MZ-NH1/NH3D/EH1 & LAM-Z1 page (mech. trans.). Apparently the units will ship with
SonicStage2.1 and provide better battery life than originally
indicated. Did you know that SonicStage 2.1 is stated to allow
Linear PCM downloads, and that the LAM-Z1 will do CD->MD transfers
at up to 6X realtime? (Discuss...)
//
Due August 11: Erik Pinter finds the MZ-NH1 at PixMania for €291 (£190).
|
| 5/24: |
ATRAC3 slammed
in blind listening tests: Aaron Ximm finds that in subjective listening tests against Vorbis, LAME
MP3, iTunes AAC, etc., ATRAC3/132kbps almost always came in
last. (ATRAC3plus was not tested) |
| 5/23: |
Richard Prinsloo discovers Information Technology courses at Zhongxing
University in Taiwan on physics and optical storage. The latter includes a well
detailed, 41 page technical chapter on
Minidisc (pdf) (cached).
//
Hi-MD for sale
at SonyStyle US: Bob Scott finds the MZ-NH600D for $200. |
| 5/22: |
UK MZ-NH1
slated for August!? Lee Sainsbury finds the Hi-MD page at Amazon UK (search "hi-md") showing its arrival on August 5, 2004. |
| 5/20: | Hi-MD media to
intro at US$3.30: Jason Howlin discovers that his local Wal-Mart
(Endicott, MD) will sell Hi-MD blanks for $10 a 3-pack. We called
and confirmed it. |
| 5/18: | Hi-MD recorders
-- now you can go out and buy one: Kurisu points out good Hi-MD snapshots taken by Ryzer, who bought a Sony MZ-NH600D at
Target.
|
| 5/16: |
Sony Canada's
(so-far scanty) Hi-MD lineup: Neo Anderson spots Sony Canada's MZ-NH600D page showing an arrival date of May
27.
//
Nineteen hundred dollars and not Hi-MD!? Dave finds hi-res images of Sony's Qualia 017. Granted, the remote looks
cool.
|
| 5/14: | Sony's official
SonicStage 2.0 upgrade is available for download from their restyled Digital Network Audio support-page. (Courtesy MDcenter.nl)
//
Reuters reports Sony has inked a deal with Wippit to distribute music online in Europe.
|
| 5/13: | Sony apparently not
connecting with the critics: A USA Today article finds Connect "a shockingly
un-slick maiden voyage into the music downloading business by a
company with the track record and resources to expect better".
//
More factory installed in-dash Minidisc gear: David West discovers
Jaguar offers a Minidisc player as an option in their new XJ sedan (see p. 4).
|
| 5/11: | Sony's Connect still sagging:
A TechNews article finds
the service underwhelming and "an embarrassment to the company that gave the world the Walkman".
//
That $1900 std-MD player: Time magazine briefly mentions the Sony Qualia Minidisc player. Did you know the case
is carved from solid brass?
//
Factory in-dash Minidisc players: You can find them in Honda's F Aero Premium 660cc 4-seater and
the Mazda RX-8.
//
A Christian Science Monitor article discusses A
Break in the Road, a flash site that teaches audio production
basics, giving the author a simulated Minidisc recorder to capture
street sounds with.
|
| 5/10: | Sony
introduces portable hard-disk player in Japan: A MacWorld article covers Sony's Vaio Pocket VGF-AP1 (mech. trans.). Scheduled for release in Japan
in June, the USB2.0, 20GB unit plays ATRAC3 and ATRAC3plus encoded
audio for 20 hours on a single charge and uses SonicStage 2.0 for
loading its audio. The unit also comes with "Music Move"
software that apparently converts MP3, Wav and WMA files to ATRAC3 or
ATRAC3plus on the fly during transfer to the device. (Might this be made
available for Minidisc equipment as well?) Courtesy MDcenter.nl
(Discuss...)
|
| 5/8: | High-end Hi-MD gear slated for high-summer:
Sony advises its retailers:
"As you may be aware, we just started shipping our first HiMD model,
the MZNH600D. We were planning on shipping initial quantities of the
MZNH800 very shortly, and unfortunately have been advised by the
factory that these units have been delayed until mid to late July. In
addition, the MZNH900 and MZNH1, which we intended to have available
in June, are now also going to be delayed until the end of July."
(Discuss...)
//
Hi-MD media to be in short supply? A Sony bulletin
concerning Hi-MD media sales states "A limited supply of single Hi-MD
discs will be available during the launch of Hi-MD to support an on-line sales
strategy through key retailer web sites and sonystyle.com." (However a
Hi-MD blank will be included with every Hi-MD portable)
//
Finally, someone singing Connect's praises: Rebecca Reich
points out an informative (and favorable) C|NET review of Sony's Connect and the coming Hi-MD
equipment.
//
Continuing the Connect Critique: A Tech News World article discusses Sony's entry into
the crowded field of pay-per-tune services and mentions the "messy
state" of today's multiple DRM formats, quoting Rio marketing manager
Bullwinkle to say "People are stealing music because that's the easy
way. If I get something from Morpheus or Kazaa or one of those places,
it will work anywhere. And that's what consumers expect."
//
What's Russian for Connect? The Sydney Morning Herald, The Register, and Museekster cover AllOfMp3.com, a unique Russian online music retailer
offering a wide selection of mainstream music at a penny a megabyte (in
user selectable encodings and bitrates). It's allegedly legal, through
a loophole in Russian copyright law.
(Slashdot discussion)
|
| 5/6: | Sony's
Connect: An interesting c|net article reports on Connect and the
coming clash of Sony and Apple in the portable audio realm.
//
A New York Times article (free reg. req.) does not
report very favorably on Connect: "Unless you have a Sony player,
ATRAC may as well be 8-track".
//
A PC World article covering Connect quotes a
doubtful industry analyst: "I give this store very little chance of
being successful, given Sony's poor history in this space, the
proprietary nature of store's technology and the entrenched
competition it will face."
//
Our take on all this? How long before Sony comes to grips with the
fact that portable MD gear will need to support MP3 playback just like
every other portable audio player on the market?
(Discuss...)
|
| 5/4: | From Slashdot: Sony
launches Connect, a music download service intended for
Sony's ATRAC based music players. Sadly, it's currently Windows-only,
and a USA Today article isn't particularly bullish on its
prospects given the already crowded field. There are more details at
The Register and The Age.
(Discuss...)
|
| 5/2: |
The ipod studio (don't let the name
fool you) is a new site dedicated to the seemingly impossible -
achieving audiophile quality from portable equipment - including MD.
//
Sony's SonicStage v2.0 is
available to coincide with the launch of Hi-MD.
|
| 4/28: |
MiniDisc:UK are discontinuing their MiniDisc
Titler PC-based hardware/software combo. They have a few copies of
v2.0 for sale while stocks last (GB£21.50/US$45.00)
//
Geek.com reports
the average consumer requirement for a portable music device is 1000
songs. (Courtesy Ed Barlow)
//
ctnow.com reviews
'The Girl in the Other Room' by Diana Krall. The music on this CD was
composed on the road and recorded to MiniDisc.
(registration required)...
//
... also the same story as told by Ice magazine
(courtesy David West)
|
| 4/26: |
The Quad-Cities Times reviews
a stand-up act, who used a home-built minidisc system for on-demand
sound-effects and noises. (Courtesy Ed Barlow).
|
| 4/22: |
The new Sony Qualia brand is fleshed-out via
global
and
US websites. Qualia is Sony's
'premium' brand and includes a range of existing electronic products
re-dsigned for the top-end of the consumer market.
//
A US Press
Release explains the brand less obtusely and puts a US$1900 (yes,
that's four digits) price tag on the Qualia 017 MD player mentioned yesterday.
//
Eric Cameron wonders if the new 'Sony digital Walkman' that Sheryl Crow
will launch on 4 May, along with the Sony Connect music download site,
is the anticipated Hi-MD units? See the last para of this
MSN article.
|
| 4/21: |
Herlad Tribune reports
on Sony's forthcoming Connect Online music store, pitching
it as a serious challenge to Apple's iTunes Music Store.
//
PC Magazine reviews the
Sony MZ-NF610 Net-MD and highlights its quirks. (Courtesy Aaron
Ximm)
//
A number of our regular readers spot the new Sony
Qualia 017 - a sleek, slim variant of the MZ-E10.
|
| 4/19: |
NY Times quotes Steve Jobs: "[minidisc] might work in Japan but not
here". The full
article requires registration. (Courtesy of Mark Bausch)
//
Peter Ravn notes an Optical
Data Storage conference in San Carlos today.
|
| 4/17: |
BBC Radio Four broadcast a programme celebrating the humble Walkman, in
this, the 25th year since Sony introduced the first Walkman in 1979: Walking
With Headphones (Real Audio).
//
Our principal sponsor, Minidisco
now has all the forthcoming Hi-MD (and new NetMD) units on its site and is accepting
pre-orders. Stock is expectied mid May (US).
//
One user from our forums points out some detailed pics
of the new MZ-NH1 Hi-MD. The same site contains over 200 pics of new
Sony devices apparently taken yesterday, at a Japanese exibition.
|
| 4/16: |
Reuters reports Sony collaboration on an optical
disk made of paper! (courtesy Ed Barlow.)
|
| 4/15: |
Ed Barlow notes a new release of Wave Corrector, a US$45 application
for "repairing" digitized vinyl and tape recordings.
//
Rodrigo Relleria notices some sensible reorganization of Sony's ATRAC
info plus some, apparently new info at the Sony
Global ATRAC site.
//
Sergi spots another new unit: this time a multiformat (DVD/CD/MD)
bookshelf/mini in the shape of the Panasonic PM900DVD.
(Discuss...)
|
| 4/14: |
A couple of readers who preregistered for Sony Connect SonicStage 2 Beta program have received notification
to say the program has started.
//
Lee Sainsbury's local UK Sony Centre have given him a Jun 04 Hi-MD
release date.
//
Sergi of the Spanish Minidisc
Page spots a new Sharp
MD-DR77 (Japanese site).
(Discuss...)
|
| 4/11: | Edward Barlow points
out PlayFair, an
open-source project which alleges to remove the DRM (Digital Rights
Management) features from Apple's FairPlay audio files, potentially
allowing files from Apple's iTunes Music Store to be downloaded to non
iTunes/iPod devices - in contravention of the licence terms, of course.
Discuss...
|
| 4/6: | Zachary Hemmelgarn
spots Hi-MD portables at J&R.com available for
pre-order. No shipping date in sight though, and they seem a bit
confused about the MZ-NH900, incorrectly stating it includes an AM/FM
remote.
Discuss...
|
| 4/5: | The end of
battery drugery? Ed Barlow points out a Bloomberg News article (search "mini")
stating: "NEC Corp [...] has come up with a rechargeable battery that
can operate a mini disc player for 80 hours after just 30 seconds of
charging." NEC Press Release Discuss...
//
Public participation requested for ATRAC3plus listening tests:
David Pieron is organizing listening tests (in
French) to help acertain the relative standing of ATRAC3plus and
other audio encoders (Discuss).
//
Pascal Charbonneau reports that the US$450 Rode
NT4 condensor mic (Aus) is getting rave reviews and works well with Minidisc.
//
The folks at TeamDigital.net (Singapore) have a few Sharp MD portable specials:
IM-DR80 @US$300,
IM-DR420 @US$215,
MD-MT270 @US$140 plus
a Sony ECM-MS907 mic @US$67. Shipping is about $25 to the US.
//
David Maguire finds the Sony MZ-NF610 at uBid for ~$75, and Joe Gallagher
spots the Sony MZ-NE410 at Sam's Club for under $70.
|
| 4/3: | Minidisc Online
(HK) is now Gadgets Online and they're offering a Sharp MD-ST770 player for US$124, including shipping
to the US or Australia.
//
Ron points out new hi-res Hi-MD photos at mp3-player.de.
//
German Hi-MD brochure: MDfr.com's forum has
1
2 pages of
Sony's Hi-MD brochure from CeBit. (Courtesy Kouby)
|
| 4/2: |
New heights in battery life complexity:
With help from MDcenter.nl, we have a Sony Hi-MD portable spec chart.
|
| 3/30: | Hi-MD battery
life figures emerge: From MDcenter.nl's specs table we update the
MZ-NH1,
MZ-NH900,
MZ-NHF800, and
MZ-NH700 battery life info.
//
French website mdfr.com has posted
the Hi-MD FAQ en Français.
|
| 3/28: | Japanese
Minidisc clones? A reader points out the Muji MD Player, which might be a Sharp MD-ST700 variant. And Peter Ravn finds the
minimalist +/-0 design house offering an MD deck and portable MD player. |
| 3/26: | Sergi de Pablos
points out a Sanyo Hi-MD laser driver chip slated for 500K unit/mo
production in 2004Q3 (PDF mech trans). This IC provides DC or
pulsed solid state laser drive power, the latter a requirement for Hi-MD's DWDD laser strobe magnetic field modulation. |
| 3/24: | Would you like
a song with that? The Chicago Tribune reports on a Sony/McDonalds music pact wherein McDonalds plans to give
customers free songs from Sony's Connect online music service
when they buy certain menu items.
//
MacDailyNews has their own spin on the Sony/McDonalds partnership of
course, and some commentators think chances are slim that Sony's Connect will
make a splash since it offers music only in ATRAC3 format.
|
| 3/23: | First Hi-MD
hands-on: MDcenter.nl visits Sony Netherlands to try out a
pre-release MZ-NH1 and returns with answers to many Hi-MD questions.
Discuss...
//
Outward Sound is offering a Sony
MZ-N10 MD with ECM-DS70P microphone bundle for $300.
|
| 3/22: | Ed Barlow points
out further coverage of Sony's CeBit Hi-MD showings from ZDNet
Australia.
//
Sony's Connect online music service will reportedly offer more
than 300,000 songs. You can view a Flash-demo of the interface on Sony Europe's Connect website.
//
An interesting Alaska.com article discusses the music and portable players
(including Minidisc) favored by dog team mushers.
//
A SonicStage2 build is available for experimenters that is reported to work
properly with existing NetMD devices.
//
A Silicon.com article (UK) puts into perspective their
previous article stating that the UK Office of
National Statistics has dropped Minidisc players during their annual
update of its consumer "shopping basket". (Courtesy Ed Barlow)
|
| 3/17: | Sony-Europe
Hi-MD blitz: Roughol and Evans point out Sony Europe's
Hi-MD site, offering Hi-MD coverage from Norway to Spain.
//
MDcenter.nl posts the Hi-MD snapshots they made during a Sony NL dealer show.
|
| 3/15: | Upscale downloading:
John Rappold finds Sony's MZ-NF520D portable downloader, a $150 std-NetMD unit sporting a backlit AM/FM tuner remote.
//
Peter Ravn spots a Sonic Studio press release announcing their n-code ATRAC3plus encoding tool. This US$2000
production-oriented application runs on Mac OSX and Windows XP
platforms and provides batch encoding (with DRM support) to ATRAC3plus
files for use by online music vending sites. The software's included
hardware dongle prevents use on more than one PC at a time.
//
Peter Ravn updates his Hi-MD space planning calculator to work with a user specified
capacity (either in MB, or time in a particular recording mode). |
| 3/14: |
James Bloom finds Sony UK's entries for the
MZ-NH1,
MZ-NH900,
MZ-NHF800,
MZ-NH700,
and
MZ-NH600 Hi-MD portables.
Only a single figure is being given for battery life(!?) MZ-NH1:
17hr, MZ-NH900: 37hr, MZ-NH800/NH700/NH600: 27hr.
//
CDDB via i-Mode cellphone, 6X CD->MD dubbing: Sergi de Pablos (Spanish MD site
Quesabesde host) points out Panasonic's Japanese pages for
their PM700MD bookshelf 5CD/MD system. This interesting
device copies CDs to LP4 mode Minidiscs at up to 6X realtime; a single
button press will compile 5 one hour CDs into a single MD in under an
hour. A new group is made for each CD, with titling information taken
from the unit's CD title memory. Furthermore, CD titling information
can be downloaded into the unit using an infrared link to a cellphone
with iApli (iMode-based) access to a CDDB-like track name
database. (Java-based iApli program download cost: ¥200)
//
Sergi also spots the
JVC KD-M525 in-dash MDLP receiver.
//
Yves Le Page hears "June 10th" from Sony Belgium for the MZ-NH1 Hi-MD portable.
//
Timothy Stockman
finds refurbed Sony
MZ-NE410 portable MD downloaders at eCost for $60 plus shipping. |
| 3/9: | Made in Japan
(again): Ed Barlow points out a Straits Times article (Singapore) describing
how Kenwood, citing lower costs and higher efficiencies, has moved MD
player production from Malaysia back to Yamagata Japan.
//
A friend sends along 1 2 3 pages of Hi-MD equipment from Sony Europe's dealer
catalog. All their Hi-MD gear is slated for June arrival (and we've
heard rumors to that effect even for the US).
Discuss...
|
| 3/6: | Sony's 4.7GB
Minidiscs: Research teams from Sony and Sony/Canon have demonstrated recording at 15
Gbit/in2 on Minidiscs using DWDD coupled with DVD-like
optical systems (cf DVD at 3.5 Gbit/in2)
Discuss...
//
Martin Mueller finds
a T-Board posting pointing out the Sharp IM-DR580 manual on the
Sharp UK website.
//
Ed Barlow spots a review of the AudioBug FM-Transmitter, useful for playing your
walkman through an FM radio.
|
| 3/5: |
MDcenter.nl has a
special offer for Dutch and Belgian customers through
March 16th: Europe's lowest MD prices plus 5 Sony blanks.
//
Guitar-driven pop rock with polished harmonies:
MiniDisc
Access.com (in partnership with BMG Records) is giving away a Vertical Horizon sampler
CD with every purchase.
|
| 3/3: | Sony showing
Hi-MD by appointment in Germany: Peter Ravn points out a Sony CeBIT application form (German) with which up to
10 visitors an hour will be given personal tours of Sony's CeBIT booth. We'd be happy to receive
photos and first impressions of Hi-MD gear, should you attend. |
| 3/2: | David Ing finds a
page describing Chris Lydon's recording equipment and his
use of Minidisc gear. |
| 3/1: |
Ed Barlow finds that Sony COO Ando will present the keynote speech at
CeBIT, where Sony's Hi-MD units will be introduced.
//
MP3 format to get DRM-enhancements: Slashdot mentions a c|net article reporting that Thomson/Fraunhofer (MP3
license-holders) are promulgating a DRM standard for MP3 files so they
can be used in secure (read: copy-prohibited) online music retailing.
//
Not Psyc-ed in
Canada? Dyson and MacManus point out Sony Canada's MZ-N420D page, the unit is
styled quite differently than the US edition.
|
| 2/28: | New Hi-MD portable recorder?
MDcenter.nl posts fresh
Sony Hi-MD equipment photos showing that in lieu of the US model MZ-NH600D, Europe apparently
receives the MZ-NH600 -- a proper recorder with a remote and
audio inputs.
Discuss...
|
| 2/27: | Sony's 2004
mystery NetMD downloader appears: Brian Masters finds Sony's Psyc line MZ-N420D announcement and photos. Due in April, the sub-$100
portable's packaging was originally spotted
at CES by Minidisc-Canada.
|
| 2/26: | A look at
Sony's High Capacity Minidisc research: Christopher MacManus
points out a 2001 Sony DWDD-MD research paper (cached) in the Japanese
Journal of Applied Physics (free
registration required) that used MD-DATA2 optics to store 2GB on a
Minidisc. Apparently an experimental
forerunner of the upcoming Hi-MD system
Discuss...
//
Ravn and de Pablos spot Sharp's photos and Japanese info for
their MD-ST500 portable player
(page 2,
mech. trans). Due in March,
the unit sports backlit remote, 155 hr battery life (NiMH+AA) and a new "+/- power supply audio circuit".
//
We open a Research Desk of
collected Minidisc technical papers.
|
| 2/25: | Brian Rost spots
the Sony MDX-F5800 at Crutchfield. This $380, 52Wx4
in-dash MDLP receiver is due at the end of March.
//
Looming Hi-MD arrival causing std-MD blowout?
Crutchfield has
lowered their MD portable prices:
MZ-NE410 $100->$80, MZ-S1 $150->$130, MZ-NF610 $180->$150 and MZ-NF810CK $280->$250.
|
| 2/24: | Ed Barlow points
out a Wired article on a radio show called Walkman
Busting that investigates what the man-in-the-street is listening
to. They get their music-bites by jacking an MD recorder into the
headphone output of citizens' personal audio players. |
| 2/22: |
Christopher Hoult
has written a technical paper comparing Minidisc's ATRAC (SP) and MPEG-1 Layer
3. Minidisc fares well in the comparison.
//
Knight
International has an article about Radio Training in South
Africa (pdf) that mentions the introduction of Minidisc as
a reporting tool.
//
Bryan Mo points out a Best Buy Canada sale page that shows a sandwich (the kind with lettuce) made from a Sony NetMD player.
//
Speaking of Best Buy, Gilberto Zambrano reports that the one in Toronto (and perhaps all in Canada) are selling the
Sony CMT-M333NT bookshelf NetMD system for CAN$350.
|
| 2/19: |
Ed Barlow points out a News.com interview with Hideki Komiyama (head of US-based
Sony Electronics) discussing the challenges Sony faces in the consumer
electronics market. He mentions the good prospects for Hi-MD and
portable hard disk based audio players.
//
We welcome Christopher MacManus, joining us as the MDCP Forum-Master.
//
My-minidisc.com posts news of the upcoming [std-MD] Sony MDX-F5800 in-dash MDLP player. Unfortunately
Sony's crack styling team has lost the volume control knob.
|
| 2/16: |
Quesabesde has coverage of the Hi-MD
format and
equipment in Spanish.
//
James Nolan
discovers that the US$70 Mironics PC titling system for Sony portable
recorders now supports recording of Winamp 5 playlists and silence
detection based track marking for PC uploading.
|
| 2/14: | The
Plano 3730 storage box is available again the UK.
This fishing tackle box is perfect storage for 150+ bare
Minidiscs, or about 75 in cases. They're the best way to store and
carry Minidiscs while travelling, DJing, etc. About 8 quid, with
delivery. -Sam Gibbard
|
| 2/13: | Peter Ravn points
out an interesting Stereophile article on the DarkNoise/ SunnComm Q-Spoiler system, a copy
protection technique that purports to plug the Analog Hole. They
reportedly add an inaudible signal that becomes audible once the file
is compressed.
//
Matthew Fremont finds Xitel's MD-Port tips page that references
several useful free software packages:
MP3Trim, a simple MP3 editor
that prevents quality loss by editing directly in the MP3 domain;
Mp32Minidisc,
a conversion tool that adds silence to tracks, allows you to remove pauses, and includes a
timing calculator for staying within an LP2 or LP4 disc's capacity; and
MP3 TrackMaker, for splitting MP3s into
multiple tracks, or combining many tracks into a single one.
//
Speaking of timing calculators, Peter Ravn updates
his Hi-MD
space planning calculator with all the available Hi-MD bitrates. Now all
we need are Hi-MD discs to do some planning with. |
| 2/11: | Hit me with
music! A reader sends along word of an MP3 player built into an AK-47 ammo clip. The AK-MP3 Jukebox website (PG13 advisory) has further info
on the 20GB, US$350 player.
//
Did you know that Sony as a NetMD bundle in Australia that includes a
NetMD Backpack?
(Courtesy Scott Hoffman).
|
| 2/9: | Peter Ravn finds Sony's Hi-MD site in English. |
| 2/8: | Sony's CES booth
one item short? A Hi-MD blank appeared on ebay for a Buy It Now price
of US$400. Seems an absurd price for an item that
will become commonplace in a few months and is otherwise useless
until then!
//
Christopher has
made photo galleries of the Sony MZ-E7W (ca. 2000 MD player with wireless
remote), Sharp MD-DS8 (modern MD player) and TDK bit club blanks (which we must admit do look cool).
//
MinidiscAccess has put together a $300 recording bundle based upon the Sharp
MD-DR480.
//
Pre-recordeds: not quite dead! Gary Cantwell points out UK
supplier 101cd.com's pre-recorded Minidiscs. < |
