Sony MZNH600D Hi-MD MiniDisc Walkman Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This Player is very nice and capacity is OK for a removable media, however the whole Hi-MD---OpenMG----SonicStage---ATRAC is very inconvenient to use.

I will summarize:

PROS:

-ATRACplus algorithm sound decent at 64kbps, comparable to MP3 at 128kbps in my opinion. There is also a 256kbps option which sounds very good, but files are pretty big for the Hi-MD capacity, makes it inconvenient.
-The advertised price for the Hi-MD blank disks is ok, around $7.
-Price compares to that of the MiniIpod or some Flash MP3 players, however this is "supposed" (read below) to be upgradeable by buying more blank Hi-MDs
-Runs on AA battery.
-You can run with it andget no skips.

CONS:

-You MUST use SonicStage software to transfer files to / from the MD.
-No MP3 support on the unit, only plays ATRAC.MP3s are transcoded by the PC software.
-SonicStage is a little bit unreliable.
-You CAN NOT upload songs from MD to your PC.So you can't use the MDs as a backup of your PC music collection, because if your PC fails, you can't upload the songs again.
-Even if you encode songs in ATRACplus with SonicStage, you can't move the files to another PC.And I'm not talking about illegal moving, you might have more than one PC.
-You can only play (so far) ATRACplus files with Sony's software (in your PC, I mean).
-Hi-MD blank discs are scarce, not even sony online store has them in stock at the moment of this review.

I think this unit is a good alternative to a Flash based MP3 player of medium capacity (256-512MB) if you can find it for less than $200.

For a little more than this you can get a 4/5 GB HD player like the MiniIpod and save the hassle of the propietary format, algorithm, rights protection format (OpenMG) and having only one choice of software.

I think Sony could have made a good product but it's taking the wrong path towards protection of copyrights.They shouln't do soat the expense of reducing the product functionality and reliability.

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Product Description:
G-Protection * up to 30 hours playback time * direct USB interface and software for high-speed recording from PC * stores music or data to high-capacity Hi-MD media * compatible with standard MiniDisc media

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Sony MZ-N707 Net MD Walkman Player/Recorder (Blue) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I'll start with the good points:
1. Lightweight and totally portable
2. I personally think the LP4 mode sounds fine.I constantly use it while on the subway going places.5 hours per disc kicks any portable mp3 player in the pants.
3. Battery life is great!Even the rechargable is impressive.
4. BEST PART.I use the mic in with the sony MS-907 microphone and the results are superb.I have simple recordings of myself playing guitar and the recordings sound like I am in the room.I haven't tried dumping any recordings back onto the computer yet, but supposedly I have to do that through the analog jack.
Bad points
1.The headphones that come with it [are bad], but this is no news to anyone.
2.The remote takes some getting used to and it could be a little better designed.
3.32X is a crock.I'd say realistically I transfer tunes about 10x speed and I have a 800mh PIII.Still not bad.You can go from there.
4.The Software.Let me repeat. The software is hands down the worst part of this package.As you have probably read, tracks must be 'checked in' or 'out' using the Open MG Jukebox software.You can only check out 3 at a time.Honestly, this is NO BIG DEAL because you can always re-import the file to the playlist and you get 3 fresh 'credits'.So don't let that bother you.I do have errors frequently not letting me check in a file that I checked out.I just delete it off the player and re-import the file if I need more credits.That's the way around Sony's attempt to police what I do with MY music.
The problem for me is that when you import a file the ID2 & ID3 tags must be in place.It doesn't just list each mp3 as whatever it is named.Let me explain.Open any song on your Winamp.Right click on the song and check out File Info.If these aren't filled in (which most of the time they aren't) then the artist is recognized as UNKNOWN on the MD Jukebox.I have about 5,000 mp3s on my computer, so I literally spent hours upon hours editing these tags JUST so I could find mp3s in the Jukebox that I was looking for.Once I did that, everything was smooth and was alphabetical.If you only have a couple of hundreds mp3s, then it probably won't bother you until you have thousands.
All in all, the player is excellent quality, so far.Recording with a mic is most impressive and I look forward to using it at my gigs, rehearsals, etc.The only hinderance is the software, but there are ways around some of the 'rules'.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Sony MZ-N707 Net MD Walkman Player/Recorder (Blue)

Product Description:
Sony's portable Net MDM-^Y player/recorder features an L4 mode that allows you to record MP3s or CDs up to 32x faster than can be done with standard recording. The unit includes a remote control equipped with editing functions, which provides direct access to the player's functions. The MDLPM-^Y feature allows you to record 4 times as much music on one disc than on the standard MD. You can record from multiple sources, and with the supplied car kit you can take it wherever the road takes you.

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GPX 2 GB Digital Audio Player (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I purchased this MP3 player for my 75 year old mother after I received one for Christmas.I deceided to get one for my mom because it is very easy to use, and unlike the IPOD shuffle, she can see the title of the song as it is playing.I would recommend this to anyone that is somewhat technologically challenged.

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Product Description:
MP3 WMA playbackBacklit LCD display shows artist and track information6 preset equalizer settingsUSB 2.0 for fast song transfersBuilt-in rechargeable LI-Poly batteryFirmWare upgradeable for future formats and additional featuresIncludes earbuds and USB cable

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