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71 of 72 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect MD reinvention, August 24, 2004
This review is from: Sony MZ-NHF800 Hi-MD Minidisc Walkman Portable Music Player (Electronics)
Take a MiniDisc 80 min and put it into a new Hi-MD unit. The media is turned into an "Hi-MD disc" and its capacity is suddenly doubled, which means you can fill it with 2 hrs and 20 minutes of high quality ATRAC3plus music.
This is one of the most interesting characteristics of the new format. In principle, one could halven his current MD collection, freeing up MiniDiscs for new recordings!!
An of course... any MD reformatted to Hi-MD, can be switched back to standard MD mode, for use with old MD equipment!
In addition to the above, a new Hi-MD blank with 1 GB capacity will carry more than 7 hours of high quality recordings: it's a small, convenient and rewritable media priced almost nothing when compared to 1 GB Flash Memory cards or miniDVDs (1.4 GBs)!
The Walkman records directly through digital optical input, analog mic or line inputs in 7 different modes.
There are 4 standard MD modes: SP (conventional ATRAC 292 kbps) compatible with all players/recorders, MD-LP2 and 4 (ATRAC3 132 and 66 kbps) compatible with MD-LP players/recorders and Mono (compatible with most players/recorders).
3 Additional modes are available with Hi-MD media or MD discs reformatted as Hi-MD: Hi-SP (high quality ATRAC3plus 256 kbps), Hi-LP (low quality ATRAC3plus 64 kbps) and Linear PCM for bit-perfect copies with no compression at all!
When recording with the unit it is possible to mix all three modes into an Hi-MD disc, and all 4 modes into a standard MD disc, but it is not possible to record standard MD modes (SP or MD-LP) onto Hi-MD discs.
When working through the computer, using SonicStage and the USB connection, it is possible to download ATRAC3 and ATRAC3plus files at high speed to the Walkman.
In this case, one can also mix all 4 ATRAC3 recording modes (Hi-SP, Hi-LP, MD-LP2 and MD-LP4) and PCM tracks into a single Hi-MD disc.
MD-LP2 offers a valid alternative to Hi-SP and is by far recommended instead of Hi-LP and LP4 modes. When listening to MD-LP2 tracks, the perceived audio quality for most users will be nearly identical to Hi-SP mode(when listened through conventional earphones) but the capacity of the disc is doubled (4 hrs/50 min onto an MD 80 and 16.5 hrs onto a 1 GB disc).
An additional very low quality/high compression mode is available when converting files with the PC. That is ATRAC3plus at 48 kbps: crappy sound, good for voice or very low fidelity recordings, but capable of squeezing up to 45 hours of music onto a single Hi-MD 1GB (the walkman can playback these files but cannot directly record them).
For hi-fidelity enthusiasts, Hi-SP will always be the preferred mode as an alternative to linear PCM. ATRAC3plus audio quality in Hi-SP mode (256 kbps) is indeed excellent. As for the standard ATRAC Type-R encoder, available on MiniDisc recorders since 5 years or so, it is nearly impossible to distinguish an original CD track from the compressed version.
The new Hi-LP mode (64 kbps) is superior to the previous MD-LP4 , but it cannot be considered hi-fi. High frequency cut off is audible as well as harsher middle frequencies and lack of clarity.
PCM linear recording is the perfect choice for digitalising old records (e.g. from vinyl), recording important live events with the maximum fidelity, with the aim of creating backup CDs for archiving purposes.
The Hi-MD indeed allows for music upload from the Walkman to the PC (a function that was not available with NetMD devices). Though this is possible only for Hi-MD recordings (Hi-SP, Hi-LP, PCM).
The limitation is that, as of today, all tracks uploaded to the PC, will be available for playback and management only through SonicStage software. This is because they are stored as protected OMG files that cannot be exported to WAV, e.g. to burn a CD. Sony promises that a Wave converter will be available by next fall, through which recordings made through the Analog inputs of a Hi-MD Walkman and uploaded to the PC, can be converted to the open WAV format.
Recordings from the digital input (with SCMS bit set to 1) will not be converted.
Soon it will then be possible to use the Hi-MD walkman to capture sound, upload it to the PC and burn it into standard CDs, for archiving at the maximum quality.
This beats any MP3 Player, iPOD or similar devices in the market!
Audio quality of the Hi-MD Walkman is excellent (with the above characteristics) when it comes to digital recording. Analog recording is also very good thanks to well performing AD converters.
Audio Playback is instead somewhat disappointing, due to an average quality amplifier. The unit does not have a line output either.
Anyway, when compared to common MP3 flash/pen players, audio quality is still good. The 6 band equalizer helps in obtaining an even more pleasing experience, but its activation causes an audible compression of the dynamic range.
In addition to the above, you can store whatever you want onto Hi-MD media: any kind of files, music, texts, executable and so on. You can also store MP3 tracks, but you will not be able to play them back from the Walkman.
As it is for all Sony's portable digital devices, the unit does only playback the proprietary OMG format, with ATRAC or PCM encoded files. SonicStage must be used for downloading music, which cannot be simply "dragged and dropped" from Explorer windows to the unit.
All music files playable by the Walkman are indeed recorded into a single, large HiMD file, closed and protected. The unit will not recognize any WAV, MP3 or ATRAC3 files directly stored in the disc without going through SonicStage.
The process of converting files to OMG (ATRAC3) formats takes quite a long time, depending on your PC speed an memory, but still will be faster than real time recording from a CD.
Of course all MD lovers will find in the HiMD devices new reasons for not abandoning the format. but this is indeed a perfect device for anyone looking for a nice walkman, with fantastic and convenient recording, editing and storage features.
Anyway, the Hi-MD Walkman is less suited for users owning and managing large collections of MP3 files, which should be converted to ATRAC3 for playback through a long, time consuming, quality deteriorating process. It will be difficult for them to depart from MP3 and embrace ATRAC3 then...
This review refers to an MZ-NH700 unit, which is basically the same of an MZ-NH800 but without AM/FM tuner.
Beware that the MZ-NH800 will not record from the integrated AM/FM tuner.
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91 of 94 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
No problems ..........just challenges, October 6, 2004
This review is from: Sony MZ-NHF800 Hi-MD Minidisc Walkman Portable Music Player (Electronics)
Having lost the 707 Mini Disc player which I had for 2 years, I have just replaced it with this model.
I picked this model because it offered everything I needed at a reasonable price. I could not find any reason to buy the 900 for $50 more. The MZ-NH1 has backlit LCD which is good for recording in a darkened venue, and is made from Magnesium which is tougher, and has a rechargeable battery. Worth $110 more? I don't think so. It is also better than the 810ck which the technical data says does not play mp3s.
I use the MD mostly for self recording, voice lessons etc, and occasionally for mp3 playback. Having also got the new 1 gb 45 hour disc mini disc, I am happy because it is now possible to get on one disc what I previously had to spread over 34 standard 80 minute discs. If I want, I can store about 900 songs, or 70 cd's, or save a whole year of voice lessons.
A major problem was managing the discs, and often running out of space to record a voice lesson or a performance. You can imagine how much easier it is this way. Another major problem was transferring self recordings to the computer, because the supplied software does not accept self recordings, apparently Sony even wants to control your self recordings, in addition to mp3 copyrights.
There are so many different ways to get mp3s now, I am not sure why this is even an issue. But it sure it frustrating and time wasting for people using this device legitimately. Ironically tranferring Mp3s is a very straightforward check in/out method.
I can only assume this has to do with potential unauthorized live recordings. There is no way these precautions would deter a determined bootlegger, so what is the point of making it more difficult for everybody?
I use my computer line in to record in real time, which can be a drag, and then using Cool Edit to tidy up, and edit the tracks and convert to mp3s.
I also bought the Sony Stereo microphone ECM-DS70P which gives excellent reproduction.
This MD is a great machine, and I highly recommend it. Hope this review was helpful.
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25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wow!! A versatile little gem., August 17, 2004
This review is from: Sony MZ-NHF800 Hi-MD Minidisc Walkman Portable Music Player (Electronics)
I've been looking at mp3 players for awhile, but ended up waiting for this little gem to become available. Glad I waited!
Let me explain one thing, though - I don't download from file sharing services, so I can't vouch for how it works with those files. The manual says the software won't work with dual-boot systems, but I use PowerQuest's BootMagic and had no problems. I have heard of people having problems if their machine does not have OEM Windows, so be careful.
The ability to transfer from a cd right to the MD is great, and quick. My previously-stored mp3 files went in with no fuss, but took longer. This unit has an optical-out for use with a good stereo system, and a line-in to record from tape players, turntables, or stand-alone cd players.
The minidisc is fully enclosed like a floppy disc, which is great. The hi-md disc will hold up to 45 hours of music on the most compressed settings. The next lowest gives about 30 hours, and sounds terrific. The player is about the size of a deck of cards and very light. This player can also use the traditional minidisc in either the old formats or the new, hi-md (up to 13 hours on the disc, I believe). The player is easy to set up, use, and navigate.
There are 2 reasons I went with this unit rather than a hard-drive type player. 1) No problems with skipping and 2) If the worst happens and the player dies, the music is safe on the disc.
Since this unit will also record with a mic, I think my 13-year-old son, who plays trumpet, will get his own for Christmas. By the way, SonicStage will not allow conversion from a recording on this machine to mp3, but a software update to fix this problem is due out in the fall.
If you want a small, sturdy, versatile mp3 player, this is a great choice.
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