Re: MD software

["jpbeale" jpbeale]

--- { brad brace } <bbrace@> wrote:
> Why is there no software available to directly play MD
> recordings? or is there? or am I very confused?  /:b

For what it's worth, there's another factor: apparently, a Dolby
patent (US05394473) covers at least some of the original ATRAC format,
which Sony did not initially realize (so the story goes...
http://www.minidisc.org/minidisc_faq.html )

After having been required to pay licensing fees to Dolby, Sony
developed different versions of ATRAC used in the newer HiMD units
that avoid this patent (so I've heard). This may be one reason why the
SonicStage program converts all original 292 kbps ATRAC data into the
newer ATRAC3+ format when importing via USB.