View Full Version : New sony minidisc MZ-NH1 HI-MD
Wow, sony has finaly made a minidisc recorder that uploads through the USB port to the computer for sound editing and CD burning!! I love the idea, but I want some feedback about it before I take the 400 buck plunge. Anyone try this new product yet? Is it on the market yet?
Thanks,
Rich
peterbc
Jul-02-2004, 5:30pm
I havn't but that does sound great. I have an older model minidisc that I like but it seems dumb that I can easily copy songs from my computer to the minidisc but have to play it and record it to get it onto my computer... Is that one of the high density minidiscs that holds something obscene like 40 hours of music?
Peter
Bob DeVellis
Jul-02-2004, 8:21pm
If I understand correctly, it isn't due out until the end of the month. Since it was originally to be released in April, I'd consider any proposed availability date a moving target. I also have an older MD that I like alot but would consider moving up for the ability to transfer to computer. Also, my old player has a dead Li-Ion battery and it's my understanding that replacements are pretty much non-existant. So, if the new model gets a warm reception, I may find myself considering one as Fall approaches.
I just checked and it's still not available yet. I guess this topic is a little early. I'll start it again a few weeks after the product release so we can all get some answers! It sounds like a great new product for fly recording.
Rich
Will Little
Jul-05-2004, 5:46pm
I've heard that due to sony's copyright system in the actual unit that the uploading is not going to be all that it's cracked up to be.
I was very interested in the new HI-md because of the ability to record lossless PCM formats, however after hearing that they will only be useable in the sonic stage software, and not editable in other software is a big turnoff.
PCM is bad news! I hope this isn't true. I'll need to conver to wav. files for sure, or it won't be any better than the mini-disc I've got. Anyone know any more about the uploading features?
Will Little
Jul-13-2004, 9:21am
Found this on a MD messageboard:
UPLOADING
One of the biggest questions about Hi-MD is the upload capability. Let me outline what it is:
- Uploads are simply carried out through the same transfer window in Sonicstage that you use to transfer music to Hi-MD.
- All uploaded files, be they Hi-LP, Hi-SP or PCM are encrypted with the OpenMG digital rights management.
- You cannot burn uploaded files to Audio CD. You can burn them to ATRAC-encoded CD's for playback in ATRAC Discmen.
- No third-party programs to edit OpenMG encrypted files are available at this time.
- You cannot email the resulting .OMG file to other people as they do not have the rights to play the file back.
- You CAN create copies of your own recorded material to other Hi-MD/MD discs, and of course you can listen to the files on your PC.
The end result is that the upload facility is of diminished usefulness in a practical context, and will be of a particular disappointment to one of the major niche users of Minidisc... amateur musicians. The only way you'll get recordings into Cubase et al will be to play the sound in via analog in the old way, or to grab the WAV stream internally on the PC as you play the sound back in real time. This MAY change in future versions of Sonicstage, but it's not guaranteed.
Way to blow it Sony.
peterbc
Jul-13-2004, 10:16am
I'd guess that at some point there would be some sort of program to convert them to wav (without recording analog...). It is really annoying that they're doing that... I wanted one because I have an old minidisc where the only way to get it to the computer is to record it, but if I can't do anything with it when I do get it over it won't do me any good.
Anyone tried any of the hard-drive MP3 players for recoding and uploading? I read something about the new IRiver units have this capability.
Saw a review here -- http://reviews.cnet.com/iRiver_....tl-list (http://reviews.cnet.com/iRiver_iHP_140__40GB_/4505-6490_7-30815409.html?tag=pdtl-list)
Any have any report on quality / features / restrictions?
-Ken
PS
A digital recorder that doesn't output digital with no restrictions will never be bought by me. I can't imagine Sony can even sell those things to anyone.
djweiss
Jul-13-2004, 1:17pm
I bought the IRiver IHP140...So far so good...I've recorded a concert and some band practices with success. My biggest complaint is that it stops recording after the file size has reached a certain limit, so you need to keep an eye on it if that happens. When it does, you simply start recording to a new file. I don't quite understand why they did that, but hopefully with future firmware upgrades that can be fixed...I may try talking to IRiver and see if there is a way around that.
The other nice thing is that it's a portable 40 gig hardrive...I've used it to bring work home as well. Also, the intended use as an mp3 player is handy http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif
Jeff A
Jul-13-2004, 3:01pm
I have had a Iriver HP120 for about a month. #It is the same as the hp140 but with a a 20 gig hardrive. About the size of a pack of cards. I bought it for the Mandolin Symposium but have used it for practice and have been very happy. When connected to the computer by usb cable it reads as a hardrive. File transfer is effortless by dragging and dropping. It has a few quirks(no recording level display and a 74 minute limit on each file) but you should look at the mystic river site #at www.mysticriver.net/. for the best info. The price on these should be going down as the next generation is close at hand.
With 20 or 40 gigs, to me its basically unlimited recording time with superquick upload to the computer with the bonus that it is also a great mp3 player.
Thanx for the reports. Maybe I'll ask Santa for an iRiver 140 for Xmas. Ask for a shiny new F and Santa would probably bring coal but if I don't get greedy and ask for player/recorder, it might show up.
-Ken
StoneSt
Jul-14-2004, 11:04am
One word of caution about the ihps. I have an ihp-120 and agree that transfering the files to pc is a snap. The recording function is flawed however and cannot be used for any type of serious recording. The machine skips a few frames of recording every time it writes to the hard drive during recording and this results in an audible glitch about every 50 sec. Better recording settings (higher bitrate, etc.) result in more glitches because it has to write to the hard drive more often. Recording to mp3 at 128 they aren't very noticeable but they are there. They are way more noticeable when recording to wav.
Iriver has not addressed the issue in any way and will not say whether is is a hard or software problem. They are very poor re: communication to their customers.
The general sentiment from musicians and tapers seems to be huge frustration because the ihps are soooo close to fulfilling the needs of a sorely overlooked market.
Anyway, I still like mine and use it regularly during rehersals so I have something to practice with during the week but no chance of getting something useful for a demo or CD. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif