NetMD

[coalescent]

So I was playing with my new MD player last night. I've not had a 'NetMD' player before; basically, the idea is that as an alternative to standard recording you can download tracks from your computer to a minidisc via a USB cable. The software is finnicky, and something of a struggle to install, but once you get there it's pretty nifty. I transferred 100 minutes of music in just under 5 minutes. You can imagine how this might work; choose the songs you want to listen to that day over breakfast, stick them on an MD and go.

However, there is (of course) a problem. The NetMD software takes it upon itself to impose a limit on the number of times you can transfer a track: Three times, in fact. It imposes this on all tracks you might wish to transfer. Copy a CD to your hard drive and you will be able to move each track off the computer exactly three times, and no more.

By the time I got to this point it was past midnight, so I haven't had a chance to see if there's a runaround that gets by the problem. But as it stands, it's massively annoying, not least because it's so damn pointless. I already have a way of copying CDs to MD as many times as I like; I don't need to use NetMD.

Gah.

Comments

[majuran.livejournal.com]

You'll probably find some helpful info somewhere here

[coalescent.livejournal.com]

Thanks. A quick browse through finds posts saying that you can upload tracks back from a MD that you've downloaded to, thus refreshing your credit. Which is better than nothing.

More stupidly, it seems you can also gain an extra three credits by copying the CD to your hard disk again. Which means the whole system has no point at all.

[tinyjo.livejournal.com]

Arggg! Why cripple what sounds like an otherwise excellent feature? Never mind - there's bound to be a hack out there somewhere for it :)

[coalescent.livejournal.com]

I'm sure there is, but it's going to be a hassle tracking it down and somehow getting it to my machine. Stupid Sony. Stupid Comet for not selling Sharp MD players anymore. :-/

[ajp.livejournal.com]

Copy a CD to your hard drive and you will be able to move each track off the computer exactly three times, and no more.

Yeah, that's pretty much why I didn't go for a NetMD unit.

That and the fact that the NetMD conversion (slightly) drops audio quality from a "conventional" digital recording of your CD.
Oh, and the fact that it's one-way only (you can't upload recordings from the MD player).
Not forgetting the fact that you need to keep the ATRAC converted copies of your CD's on you PC.

Frankly Sony are still living in 1990 when it comes to the MD standards. There are a dozen and one pointless restrictions over what you can and can't do with MD data - all of which are quite daft when you consider you can do pretty much exact same things with a CD-R drive.

They've crippled NetMD - at a time when they are in serious danger of losing the "ultra portable music" marker the "MP3 player".

[mattia.livejournal.com]

That and the fact that the NetMD conversion (slightly) drops audio quality from a "conventional" digital recording of your CD.

Only an issue if you only want SP mode recording. if you're happy with LP2 quality, this should be fine.

Oh, and the fact that it's one-way only (you can't upload recordings from the MD player).

This was one of my main reasons not to get a NetMD model; if I could digitally upload recordings I make, then, well, maybe. But now? Why bother.

Not forgetting the fact that you need to keep the ATRAC converted copies of your CD's on you PC.

Not per se. There are a number of workarounds and alternate software packages, near as I can tell. This is where browsing around minidisc.org and the md newsgroup can be helpful, methinks.

And yes, quite frankly, when this unit dies on me eventually, I strongly suspect I'll make the move to MP3 jukeboxes, which I'm assuming will have matured and dropped significantly in price by then.

[ajp.livejournal.com]

That and the fact that the NetMD conversion (slightly) drops audio quality from a "conventional" digital recording of your CD.

Only an issue if you only want SP mode recording. if you're happy with LP2 quality, this should be fine.

That is true - and LP2 is pretty good (certainly good enough for most "mobile" listening), but it's the principle of the thing that annoys me.

Oh, and the fact that it's one-way only (you can't upload recordings from the MD player).

This was one of my main reasons not to get a NetMD model; if I could digitally upload recordings I make, then, well, maybe. But now? Why bother.

Indeed. I can't see a particularly sensible reason for it.


Not forgetting the fact that you need to keep the ATRAC converted copies of your CD's on you PC.

Not per se. There are a number of workarounds and alternate software packages, near as I can tell. This is where browsing around minidisc.org and the md newsgroup can be helpful, methinks.

Ah, well I must confess I don't read the MD newsgroup any more - so I stand corrected.

And yes, quite frankly, when this unit dies on me eventually, I strongly suspect I'll make the move to MP3 jukeboxes, which I'm assuming will have matured and dropped significantly in price by then.

Ultimately Sony lose this way; it's not a smart way to sell things.

[snowking.livejournal.com]

Sony as a pure tech company = \m/

Sony Entertainment Division and their meddling ways = suck donkey cocks.

Take it back...

[(Anonymous)]

That is unbelievably sucky. Take it back for a refund, on the basis that it isn't fit the purpose sold.

Dom (http://dom.magd.ox.ac.uk/diary.shtml).

Re: Take it back...

[coalescent.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but I didn't pay for it. This is the replacement for my previous player that was too broken to repair. Of the models they stock, this is the best, with or without the NetMD function; and all I could get in exchange is vouchers to spend at another Comet store.

If I'd bought it as a new player (not that I'd have chosen this one, but if for some reason I had), then yes, I'd be thinking about taking it back.

Re: Take it back...

[mattia.livejournal.com]

Um, correct me if I'm wrong here, but you can still just record MDs the old fashioned way, the way you've always done it, as well as having the NetMD as an additional feature, right? I think almost all Sonys are NetMD'd now, as opposed to Sharp's one singular model w/ NetMD functionality.

There is a way around the daft check in/out stuff, apparently. Requiring SimpleBurner, which you (apparently) have. There's some nice NetMD FAQ stuff available.

Re: Take it back...

[coalescent.livejournal.com]

but you can still just record MDs the old fashioned way, the way you've always done it, as well as having the NetMD as an additional feature, right?

Yes. Which is why my complaint is that the feature is pointless, rather than the feature is preventing me from doing what I want.

SimpleBurner, which you (apparently) have.

I do?

Remember, I have no CD burner. I have no CD burning software. I have no internet access. And currently, I have no USB memory stick, although I'm looking into it. I am a digital pauper. :)

Re: Take it back...

[mattia.livejournal.com]

Read the FAQ I linked ya to. Or here, the appropriate bits, quoted:

"Simple Burner (Sony/Windows only): This software is shipped with Sony's US NetMD units (download) and simplifies the downloading of tracks from PC-mounted audio CDs to Minidisc. The SDMI check-in/check-out restriction is absent in this software and downloaded tracks may subsquently be deleted from the Minidisc. Unfortunately, Simple Burner does not support SP mode downloads."

Basically, you make virtual CDs (I'm assuming you have a CD drive, at the very least) and 'mount' them, and then burn 'em. It's all outlined in the FAQ, as are a few freeware proggies people wrote to automate things s'more.

That should help out a little more, I'd think.

Re: Take it back...

[coalescent.livejournal.com]

Yes, I'm aware there are other programs on the net. See again the part where I currently have no easy way of getting them from the net to my machine...

Re: Take it back...

[mattia.livejournal.com]

Uh, parents, home, CD burner, you with CD drive? P'haps? Or is that still a 'no' situation?

Re: Take it back...

[majuran.livejournal.com]

If you drop me your addy I'll do a dump of whatever software I can find to CD and post it over.