MiniDisc lives! Hi-MD MZ-RH1 said to be coming soon

Like a zombie that keeps coming back from the dead no matter what you do (even "kill the brain and you kill the ghoul" doesn't work), Sony's MiniDisc format seems destined to survive all attempts to relegate it to the disc shredder of history. And despite expectations that Sir Howard would do his best to finally kill the format, it looks like it's going to make at least one more appearance, with the rumored third-gen HiMD recorder that may be just around the corner. According to various postings on the internets, the MZ-RH1 will be targeted at live-music enthusiasts, and may include such computer-friendly features as USB 2.0 and Mac compatibility. The recorder will, of course, use Sony's SonicStage software and ATRAC3plus data format, and will reportedly sell for about $300. And, now, Sir Howard, can we recommend the shovel to the head?

[Thanks, Indeego]

[koppite1 @ Mar 9th 2006 4:59PM]

Woohoo! Shame about the price tag. Proprietory is bad enough...

So Sony advocate recording concerts? lol

[Spectral Flagellum @ Mar 9th 2006 5:00PM]

Don't let Japan hear what you're saying.

They really like their MiniDisk format.

[SushiBOI @ Mar 9th 2006 5:00PM]

ATRAC3 ONLY!!

stupid sony!!! gone are the days of atrac3.. nobody wants to wait for a song to be converted to ATRAC3... Minidiscs arent cheap.. which is why i'd definitly go for a iPod.. you dont have to convert the songs and it stores alot more AND it plays videos!!

also... mac compatibility? cool today is the day sony finally starts to support apple! imagin that.. sonicstage for mac.. HA

[koppite1 @ Mar 9th 2006 5:01PM]

I want one...yet I hate Sony

[Jt @ Mar 9th 2006 5:10PM]

In all honesty, I would have kept using MiniDisc if it had better computer support earlier on. The fact that most solutions were a usb dongle with an optical port to the MiniDisc recorder was absolutely bogus... This unit though, looks pretty sharp. Make it $150 cheaper, and you have a nano killer.


-I swore I would never trade my MZ-R90 for an iPod, two years later I got a 10gb 2nd gen, followed by a 30gb Photo, and a 20gb Photo... Part of me still wishes that the MiniDisc would succeed...

[bwapod @ Mar 9th 2006 5:13PM]

those of you clowning on this know absolutely nothing about the recording audience. this is really good stuff, if indeed true.

[BklynKid @ Mar 9th 2006 5:15PM]

Here's my problem with MD players. I've owned two (Sony brand) and both broke after a few months of regular wear.

Poor quality product, not expecting anything different here.

[invaderluj @ Mar 9th 2006 5:21PM]

wow...this will sell great outside of Japan (sarcasm)

[TIMMAH! @ Mar 9th 2006 5:23PM]

Wow is Sony out of touch or what? Who the heck wants to be recording to a moving media anymore?

[Modderbox @ Mar 9th 2006 5:30PM]

whats sonys deal with making formats that....that just suck

[BobbyW @ Mar 9th 2006 5:39PM]

maybe it's dead, but it looks cooler than their other crap.

[chris @ Mar 9th 2006 5:42PM]

6. Here's my problem with MD players. I've owned two (Sony brand) and both broke after a few months of regular wear.

Poor quality product, not expecting anything different here.

Posted at 5:15PM on Mar 9th 2006 by BklynKid



.. so I wasn't the only one eh? Spent $120 to fix it at Sony yet got same problem after 3 months..
Samething with $500 Sony DVD player with all the sound decoding functionalities.. lasted only couple months.

And did I mention broken analog stick on my PSP?? (which Sony refused to fix it because it was my negligence??)

Well, I'm still satisfied with PS, PS2, and 20" TV but Sony lost my trust after having expensive but poor quality of MD and DVD player.

[Reynor Padilla @ Mar 9th 2006 5:43PM]

I love minidiscs for recording live music. I don't think even an iPod with a mic adapter could record at the same quality level as a MiniDisc. I don't like proprietary Sony formats, so screw this. I just want something that will record music as an MP3 and can be transferred for editing to my Mac drag and drop style. So my iPod may get the job even though I'm sure a minidisc would sound better.

Lose the proprietary format, add drag and drop format, and I'd buy one of these in a heartbeat.

[Torien @ Mar 9th 2006 5:55PM]

As a long time sony design fan and long time MD owner I have to say wow.

I had an MD player (MZ-N1) from the year they came out until last year when I retired it. Not because it stopped working, but because someone gave me an ipod nano for my birthday.

This may convinve me to go back to Sony. It is just that elegence of design that attracted me to the MZ-N1.

Oh and for those of you who have managed to kill your MD players... my question is HOW???

my mz-n1 followed me through europe, and then peru and bolivia where I took it hiking through the mountains. What did you do to those players?

[jnasato @ Mar 9th 2006 6:11PM]

That design is really nice. I've owned MD recorders since 1994 or so, with my first being the Sony MZ-R2. I think they are nice for field recording, etc., but not digital music. I might buy this, just because it's so nice looking!

[Mad Matt the Producer @ Mar 9th 2006 6:12PM]

If you're in radio, MDs are absolutely indispensable..** Outside of that, most people have no use for them, but i couldn't get by for one week without my MZ-N707..

This thing is tits. In a year or so, when it hits the Sony outlet store, i'll be the first in line to get the $100 refurb unit...

**kind of fitting, huh? Radio is dead, MD is dead.. now we have HD Radio, and HD MD.. interesting..

[jmg_bt21 @ Mar 9th 2006 6:13PM]

I have to agree wow. BUT not at that price. I'll probably make a note of this model and pick it up on ebay later or some outlet like overstock.com

I have one... I LOVE IT... sure I wish transfers to my Mac would be easier... but i love the sound quality of the recordings...

[migWeLL @ Mar 9th 2006 6:13PM]

really good news, theres still hope for Mini-Blu-ray!!! cool Sony the next Mini-Disc player/recorders are Blu-ray right!?......right?

[jeremy @ Mar 9th 2006 6:21PM]

Oh darn, I threw out my MDs.




4 years ago.

[chop. @ Mar 9th 2006 6:27PM]

i like the sony minidisc players, but the sonicstage software is so awful that i would not be able to use this player no matter how cool it looks or how well it works.

the sonicstage software is absolutely terrible.
if sony can make a sort of drag-and-drop method of moving/converting my mp3s to atrac3 on my minidisc, id be a lot happier and might actually consider buying this if i had the money.

[yjs @ Mar 9th 2006 6:47PM]

Sigh... More uninformed MD bashing. While HiMD may not be the best format for playback, there's no better alternative out there for digital recording. This thing can record in ATRAC3plus format right up to 352kbps, and can also record in uncompressed WAV. And then there's the 1GB discs. This kind of styling is also something that you'll never see in DAPs, with industrial design officially dead with the onslaught of metrosexual crap (styling wise) like the iPod.

[James @ Mar 9th 2006 7:04PM]

I have a MZ-NH1, and had an MZ-N1 before it. Before Sony released the NW-A3000 and NW-E400 lines (I have both), my MD served as my main portable music machine, and I love it. One thing Sony does well is sound quality. Easily trumps Ipod. The weak link in Sony's armour is the software. Until recently, it has been all but unusable. However, with SonicStage 3.5 (very stable, if a little slow), you now have the ability to upload (digitally) music recorded on your HiMD onto your machine without conversion. Bonza! That's what I mainly use my MD for these, live recording, and is where its real strengths lie. I hope the format lives on.

[TIMMAH! @ Mar 9th 2006 7:07PM]

"I love minidiscs for recording live music. I don't think even an iPod with a mic adapter could record at the same quality level as a MiniDisc. I don't like proprietary Sony formats, so screw this. I just want something that will record music as an MP3 and can be transferred for editing to my Mac drag and drop style. So my iPod may get the job even though I'm sure a minidisc would sound better."

Well take a look at what Fostex and Tascam are doing these days. Digital recording to compact flash in both uncompressed and compressed standard formats like MP3.

[Bryan @ Mar 9th 2006 7:31PM]

Everyone seems to enjoy bashing these things. I really enjoy my minidisc player. I can only fit 3 or so albums per disc in good quality on mine (old model, the one the article is about will hold 40-50), but I can take that disc and run it over with my car. They are indestructible. I don�t know anyone who hasn�t had their Ipod replaced at least once, if not 4 or 5 times. The software is the only thing that held minidisc back, and the latest SonicStage is actually quite nice. On the newer players, they do play in MP3, and you can transfer all recordings back to the PC with no DRM hassles. Both of the biggest complaints are null now. This new model is really nice looking, and its HiMD!! I would buy this if it were cheaper.

[Torontoguy @ Mar 9th 2006 7:39PM]

Recording is the strength of Minidisc. Those people who think that memorycards are the way to go have no idea of the cost per megabyte compared to MD. I can get a Gigabyte MD for $7.00...(about 68 cents/Mb) A 1Gb CF card runs about $55 each (About $5.38/Mb)...You could even consider keeping your recordings on MD while it would not be practical on memorycards.

I care NOTHING about music downloading....sorry...'freeloading' (so named because it is usually performed by music freeloaders). They care nothing about music they just want to be 'entertained'. Parasites.

[Damage @ Mar 9th 2006 7:42PM]

Well take a look at what Fostex and Tascam are doing these days. Digital recording to compact flash in both uncompressed and compressed standard formats like MP3.

Until you realize two things:

1. Memory isn't replaceable like Minidiscs are (that is, once you're full, you're full, no more recording until you off load that content to a PC). Remember, you still have to furnish your own mic (for both units, I reckon).
2. Those things aren't exactly cheap either, last I checked, are about $500 and you still have to furnish your media. 1GB of CF is about $75-$100 where as a 1GB of HiMD is $5-7.

So, if you have about $750-800 to blow, by all means, go ahead. But with HiMDs, you get a good recording unit for $400ish (including media and mic) vs. $800ish.

And to let you know, you can now freely transfer ATRAC3plus tracks sans DRM these days, so whatever you record, you can upload until you and your friends get sick of uploading.

But don't let StevieJ's buttcheeks cloud your senses.

[Damage @ Mar 9th 2006 7:49PM]

AH, one more thing. The battery life on the Fostex or Tascam are piss-poor at best. At least one Fostex unit I froogled up states 4 hours with 4AA battery.

Good luck with that.

[rotten_fruit_fan @ Mar 9th 2006 7:52PM]

MDs must be like those Return of the Living Dead zombies. Yo can't really kill them, just turn them into zombie gas.

I wonder if some of that zombie gas created UMD movies.

[Echo_ @ Mar 9th 2006 8:07PM]

minidisc rock!!!

i have mine from 2002 and its gone through hell and it only has 1 scratch on it

i dont understand how people say minidisc are piss poor durability when you have ipods which scratch when you look at them.

1gb for 5-7 bucks is damn nice

if only cds came out as minidisc the world would be a nicer place. no more scratches on cds. damn you!!1

[soundboy64 @ Mar 9th 2006 8:13PM]

I was an avid MD user until MP3/AAC really came into light when I got my iPod. It was a great format for a lot of reasons, I prefered it to CD and cassette at the time, especially when recording bands on a computer was so expensive. But that was back in like 90's into 2000-2001.......into 2002....

[leo @ Mar 9th 2006 8:19PM]

they killed the AIBO for this?

[Charles @ Mar 9th 2006 9:00PM]

Love Minidiscs. HATE the software behind them.

LOVE
- unlimited music storage for very little money ($6/gig)
- unlimited battery life for very little money (ONE AA battery lasts, like 30 hours)
- great sound quality (better than ipod, IMO - and I've got both)
- solid, lasts forever, never skips

HATE
-SonicStage!!! Oh Sony, why do you build software that crashes every time you use it!!!
-ATRAC!!! Don't really hate ATRAC, but hate that I have to convert everything to ATRAC from MP3... slows down transfers and degrades music quality. Oh Sony, why can't you just agree to everyone else's norms!


I should add here that refusal to save/code MP3's is consistent with Sony's stubbornness re: standardized formats... Remember, Sony was the LEADER for Betamax, that other digital audio tape media, still makes camcorders that only write to DVD-R (and not DVD+R), BluRay, Memory Stick, etc. etc. etc.

[Matt @ Mar 9th 2006 10:03PM]

Uh... MD has supported MP3 for over a year, so you don't have to convert to ATRAC. As far as battery life - I have a Nano, and I get about 6 hours with real-life use. My MD unit got about 40 hours on a AA. Plus - MD is really about live recording now, so you really can't compare it to an iPod anyway (even though I just did). I use my MD to record live music in lossless PCM format, then upload to the PC. Once there, I can do anything w/ the file. No DRM. Learn about something before you engage in bashing.

[Jeff @ Mar 9th 2006 10:06PM]

I gotta ask...

So is Howard Stringer doing, like, anything? We heard about all this restructuring, all these products he was gonna kill to streamline the company, all these various projects he was gonna get back on track, and that he was gonna refocus on stuff the company does best, like TV's...

So now we have a new MD player using SonicStage and ATRAC3, we've got the PS3 delayed in Japan due to DRM issues, we've got Sony Music still not on iTunes in Japan, we've got no 1080p HDTV's in the United States, etc. etc.

Is he just sitting up there in his cushy office putting golf balls into paper cups or what?

[Daniel @ Mar 9th 2006 10:32PM]

I really like MD. I wish so much that CD would have died instead. I know hardly anyone has actually used one. But once you have, you would wonder why anyone would want to use CD. MD is soooo much more convenient, portable, comfortable to hold, not delicate, and they have been recordable for eons. Plus there has been something built into the decoding algorithm in Sony MD players for years that greatly enhances the sound quality over just CD. Gives it a depth that CD's don't have....even compressed!

And you can record on them the same way you could with good old cassette tapes, randomly. You didn't have to use special software that wrote links back to the previous session on the disc to bring all of it forward to the new session everytime you wanted to add a song to an existing disc. Or even worse..."close out" the disc like you do with most normal CD-players that aren't brand new. MD was just the bomb. In fact, the only reason I switched to a Zen Micro was because I accidentally dropped my MD in a bunch of soapy water (bummer). Otherwise, that thing was indestructable. And limitless storage for super cheap.

So now I have a Zen and love it, but still reminisce about the MD. I guess people just tend to go with whatever the crowd says is best (which could cause me to segue into the iTunes vs. PlaysForSure argument...but not today!!)

-Daniel

[doug @ Mar 9th 2006 10:35PM]

20 & 31 - total agreement. I had a minidisk player & the battery life was great and the sound quality was excellent, but sonicstage just sucked out lould. another missed opportunity for Sony.

[Abhinav @ Mar 9th 2006 10:37PM]

Soory to hear that this will be the Last MD player..

Nevermind I will buy this Sleek looking MD player ..

[Abhinav @ Mar 9th 2006 10:41PM]

SonicStage is a good software (I`m talking about SonicStage ver3.3 & up)

[Evan @ Mar 9th 2006 11:25PM]

9. Wow is Sony out of touch or what? Who the heck wants to be recording to a moving media anymore?

Posted at 5:23PM on Mar 9th 2006 by TIMMAH! 0 stars

You mean as opposed to a spinning hard drive that moves?


10. whats sonys deal with making formats that....that just suck

Minidiscs are a buck a piece and hold 5 hours of music. They are rewritable and half the size of an ipod and if Americans were even remotely out of the stone age when it comes to technology, they would have realized back in the early 90's the same the thing the Japanese realized, and that is a minidisc is smaller, cheaper, holds more content, and is rewritable, and doesn't skip unlike the massive 4-battery eating discmen americans were lugging around while trying to keep straight so their cd's wouldn't skip.

Face it, minidiscs are better then cd's and you were too stupid to realize it. Even now, they are cheaper per song then any ipod out there.

[Pablo @ Mar 10th 2006 12:47AM]

I am sorry, but the MD party is over. Yeah, they were it and for recording they have have an edge, but for music, discs are dated and costly.

For recording with a DAP, the iRiver ihp120 or 140 is pretty much the best...records up to 320kps and if you use an external mic, the quality is hard to beat.

Evan, you arguement would have worked years ago, but you just seem bitter now. Your arguement about Americans lugging discmen could now be tossed back at those gripping their dozens of MDs just to keep up with those who have 1000's of songs in their DAP.

[Jason @ Mar 10th 2006 1:32AM]

Now why can't Sony make their damn mp3 players as attractive as their minidisk players?

[tekdroid @ Mar 10th 2006 3:06AM]

Posted at 12:47AM on Mar 10th 2006 by Pablo:
For recording with a DAP, the iRiver ihp120 or 140 is pretty much the best...records up to 320kps and if you use an external mic, the quality is hard to beat.
------
Hi-MD can record in (uncompressed, lossless) linear PCM, just like CD. Nothing beats MiniDisc for recording - for the price. That's what most people here don't get. When we can buy something this small for x amount of dollars with great battery life and editability, then we can talk about superior alternatives. For the money, nothing beats Hi-MD.

To this day.

I repeat:
For the money, nothing beats Hi-MD for recording. That's why it's still here, and blab all you like, but nobody has made a better recorder FOR THE MONEY yet.

So, the scoreboard (for recording at the best uncompressed linear PCM quality on the cheap with highest-quality hardware for the price):

Sony: 1
Competitors: 0

Reason enough for the existence of the format. This is without going into its more than adequate reasons to exist as a player, its removable batteries, its battery life, its... etc etc

[Chris Taylor @ Mar 10th 2006 3:15AM]

There is only ONE reason we have Flash Based mp3 players. if not for this one problem every one of you would have a MINIDISC player right now instead of an IPOD.

NO way to put music on the MD in faster than real time digital format. (until MDLP came out) but by then it was too late flash took hold.

MD it smaller more durable better on battery life and cheaper in every which way. for music MD really is the perfect format.

NO I dont want MD replacing CD's I use CD's to FEED my MD unit the CD are the negatives the originals. if all was MD it would SUCK because you can't easily RIP an MD.

If sony came out with MDLP sooner AND got rid of ALL DRM hinderences (Drive Letter drop your mp3's on it) and did NOT start raping there customers with HiMD by removing the Recording jacks from the affordable units they would have RULED the digital music market.

we would be having SONY Press Releases for new MD units Not ipods.

but sony took too long to advance the MD players and recorders AND took the dark path to criminalize and restricting there users.

ALL formats are proprietary until they become ubiquitous. Apple is about as proprietary as it gets.

If sony had opened up the format instead of locking it down and released MDLP just a tiny bit sooner (2-3 years sooner) Things would be very different today.

I love my 50 hours of playback on a single AA cell.

There is STILL not a common mp3 player that can match this (there is a 70hour mp3 player released by guess who ? sony !) but besides MD I dont like sony and tend to shy away from there stuff.

I also wish they would allow a MONO PCM recording mode so I could get 3 hours on a HI MD in uncompressed wav since almost all concerts are over 90 minutes long.

I can always double the track later and make it stereo sounding. (you really get nothing out of recording live in stereo unless you have nice seperation between the mics)

Chris Taylor
http://www.nerys.com/

[WC @ Mar 10th 2006 3:32AM]

Quote "still makes camcorders that only write to DVD-R (and not DVD+R), BluRay, Memory Stick, etc. etc. etc."

Actually, the newer model of the dvd camcorder records on DVD-R/RW and DVD+R.

[rjj130 @ Mar 10th 2006 8:14AM]

All I have to say is, hooray! Well not all...I have more.

Anyways, I've always loved MiniDisc...ever since I purchased my bundle set, the JE510 home recorder with the MZE40 portable player.

While my JE510 suffered the 'phantom bug' I just leave a disc in it and all is well. There are many fix tutorials around on the net but I never felt the need to fix it.

Everything is still in mint condition and works flawlessly. I also purchased a few years down the road a portable recorder, MZR37.

I can't tell you how many concerts I've recorded with that thing. It's a great little piece of hardware and the fact that you can adjust recording levels on the fly put it in a league of it's own when comparing it to many other consumer priced products.

While the MD has been more of a niche product, much like Macs, I for one hope they never put the kibash on the project.

And for the person who said that MD's are expensive, you can get 15 for $25 which is an awesome deal compared to what you had to pay, usually that much for 5 discs that were only 74 minutes.

Long live MiniDisc!

PS - I do hate the proprietary ATRAC encoding, though I rarely ever encode anything to my MD's. I do have a USB->Optical out for the TOS link on my R37 and JE510 that records like a charm.

[InSaNeBoY @ Mar 10th 2006 9:55AM]

Might have to save a few pennies to get one. I would have bought one earlyer but there was no mac support back than...

"15. That design is really nice. I've owned MD recorders since 1994 or so, with my first being the Sony MZ-R2. I think they are nice for field recording, etc., but not digital music. I might buy this, just because it's so nice looking!"

I got an MZ-R2 in 1995 still have it, it still works for the most part, but it's become very very sensitive to getting bumped. But it does still work, even the rechargable battery is still good :)

[Si @ Mar 10th 2006 10:21AM]

No, not again!
I still regret 300 pounds spent on my first MD walkman!

[batfastad @ Mar 10th 2006 10:45AM]

This is encouraging.

I'm a big fan of minidisc, particularly HiMD. Cheap media. Very high quality recording. Great portability.
Hi-MD is simply the best digital recording format I've found, without spending stupid money.
Linear PCM recording mode is awesome, and SonicStage is pretty good these days - letting you export to a wav file.

If Sony have the lights on, they'll definitely start marketing Hi-MD as a pro audio format.
Now all we need is a HiMD deck and a car head unit and we're there!

[Bolt @ Mar 10th 2006 11:00AM]

> 27. MDs must be like those Return of the
> Living Dead zombies. Yo can't really kill
> them, just turn them into zombie gas.

And why Sony would kill MD if it still makes money? As long as one small business unit inside Sony that designs and produces MD hardware is still financially sustainable why anyone would kill it? What kind of idiotic business reasoning is behind posts that suggest that Sony should kill it?

Furthermore, its not even in Sony power to kill MDs. In Japan there are several companies producing MDs such as Panasonic and Kenwood that are both making sleek MD players. So, all Sony can do is just to withdraw from this market and hence surrender it to competitors who would be only happy to make more money there.

Finally, who gives a sh$t about the US anyway? Typical American arrogance and ignorance. This is a news flash for you folks: nobody is making MDs for the US market. MDs are super popular in Asia where few billions people do not want to spend $50 on flash memory, but $1 on MD is not a problem. The entire Vietnam is living on MDs.

A small lesson in business for some of the clowns who post here: any technology is good as long as it makes money. And that why Aibo is dead and MD will stay around for a while. Giants like Sony and Panasonic are still making tape players in their factories in Malaysia. I know it�s a difficult concept to grasp for American, but just try to understand that there are more consumers _outside_ of the US then inside of the US. And those people might have their own preferences on how they want to listen to music.

[bigmouthstrikesagain @ Mar 10th 2006 12:32PM]

what I wanna know is that can you change recording levels while recording? this is what made Sharp MD's the best for live recording. I've had two Sharps, 1 panasonic and one Sony - the Sony was the worst and the Sharps by far the best. (well, one died. :( ) But Sharp seems to have gotten out of the MD market, just by looking at places like Audiocubes and Minidisco. it seems only Sony does Hi-MD too.

Still use my Sharp.