Digital recorder - HiMD Minidisc from SONY

[mmilovan]

Long time avaited device was under my Christmas tree: it is SONY digital recorder and player MZNH700.

The main reason I've got this baby is field recording, and all I can say Sony did fine job. Unit looks nice, and recording function is pretty nice.

It can record straight stereo wav 16Bit/44KHz, and transfer to your computer is digital, so no coloration and additional noise.

Frequency response is linear, distorsions are unnoticable.

Everything sounds great except HiMD format that no one other use.

Also, Sony software is real crap, and copywrite DRM is hardly involved, so, unfortunatelly you can not transfer your recordings fast, only realtime.

As player, it can only play Sony - encoded ATRAC files, and as such, well I don't think it is fascinating gear.

Edited January 10, 2005 by mmilovan

[Clunky]

this site seem quite helpful re problems with HiMD

Minidisc org forum

[mmilovan]

Yeah, right, there are a few problems but they can be solved.

To my eyes, Sony has not so recognizable system of protecting everything and using formats other people never will use. I know that perspectives with this model are a bit narrowed, but as far as it works for me, its good.

Unfortunatelly, noone ever tried to construct field recorders dream: machine that can easily record uncompressed audio content onto standard mini CDR (or nowadays DVD) media.

[Claude]

Wouldn't it be easier to record onto a hard drive? Almost unlimited space, no CD/DVD-writing problems. The only advantage of recording onto a removable disc is that it is possible to circulate the recording immediately, without needing to transfer the data to a PC.

My MP3 player iRiver H120 (20GB) can also record to MP3 or wav, via Line, microphone and digital inputs. The H140 has a 40GB drive. I don't know if the sound quality is of professional level (I doubt it), but it wouldn't be to difficult to make a portable machine that is capable of high quality hard disc recording. The only technical limitation I've noticed so far is the 2GB file limit, due to the FAT32 data format used for the drive. It means that continous recording in uncompressed sound is limited to approximatly 3.5 hours. After that time, recording has to be stopped and started to continue recording in a new file.

Edited January 10, 2005 by Claude

[Clunky]

I used to record broadcasts on FM to hard drive but recently have had a number of problems with the PC crashing or the data containing audible glitches.

It doesn't happen every time but its annoying and unreliable. Haven't installed new software , there's plenty of spce on the HD and no other programmes are running.

I now make MDs of the broadcast as back up.

[mmilovan]

Wouldn't it be easier to record onto a hard drive? Almost unlimited space, no CD/DVD-writing problems. The only advantage of recording onto a removable disc is that it is possible to circulate the recording immediately, without needing to transfer the data to a PC.

Claude,

of course they did it (see Neuros thread), but such recorders are not "polished" to robust use, they had theirs own unwanted side effects (battery problems, HD failure), and, unfortunatelly, often theirs design is for playing and not recording use.

Edited January 14, 2005 by mmilovan