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> <<Sony likes PCM for quality recordings>>
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> Sony likes PCM at this moment because they're starting to market it again.
> They didn't like PCM when they were only marketing ATRAC.
>
> Don't make any judgments based on what their PR copy says. Wait for the
> gear to be shipped, then test it yourself or listen to others who give it a
> critical ear.
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> The ability to get to uncrippled .WAV files will be critical to the success
> or failure of this generation of the format.
Sony was blindsided by mp3 when it took off. Up to then they thought
that everybody wanted better sound quality and they worked toward that
goal. But here were folks that cared less about sound quality, they only
cared how many songs you could stuff into whatever medium it was.
It says something about the abilities of Sony that they could quickly
make a turn about and introduce the LP modes in minidisc as a temporary
measure. This new format is actually a continuation of the trend to more
songs on the medium with little consideration for sound quality. I'm
sure when they started development that was the goal. By what's being
reported they even started to fudge the quality of SP mode to make it
store more.
However, the mp3 craze has begun to run out of steam. Or been murdered
in it's bed by the recording industry. Folks are once again starting to
notice sound quality and ask for it. Sony noticed this change, and
clearly late in the development process of HiMD added in the
uncompressed (and apparently dropped SP mode, probably for economic
reasons, each mode adds cost). Since it was added late it was not really
thought through. And we see a mode that's poorly supported. That they
put it in means they are aware of the quality sound desire, and will
eventually make it workable. Sony is a very capable company they will do
what sells product.
When I first bought minidisc 8 years ago I was very grumpy it did not
have a uncompressed mode, expecting that while compressed would be good
enough for my uses it would not be uncompressed quality. 8 years of use
of the compressed mode have done a lot to show me it's not critical at
all, the sound quality difference is nearly nonexistent. But, I'd still
like to see uncompressed, now for a different reason. It will remove a
stumbling block that a lot of folks have over using one of the finest
field recording mediums, a small, reliable optical disk. And the more
that use it the more likely it is to stay around. You see what I'm
really a fanatic about is that small optical disk. Not a particular
format recorded on it.
I, of course, view the current offerings coming out as just consumer
walkman designs. With all the sound quality problems of previous
designs. They represent future potential, not real potential. Hopefully
that will come. I would not actually shift to HiMD until a Portadisc
quality replacement was available, and then only if I manage to wear out
my current Portadisc. So, I don't watch sony, I watch HHb. And I would
not replace just for sound quality reasons. Current SP mode ATRAC is
good enough that replacement for sound quality cannot be justified.
There has to be justification elsewhere.
Walt
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