Re: [ARSCLIST] Sony MDS-B4P MiniDisc player compatiblity questions

[Gary Sprung <gary@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

andy kolovos wrote:
> Folks,
>
> I'm trying to figure out if the Sony MDS-B4P (or the MDS-B46 for that 
> matter) can handle 80 minute MDs and later versions of ATRAC for playback.
>
> Knowing Sony's track record I'm a little skeptical.
>
> I’m hoping you folks can help, and any insight to this would be greatly 
> appreciated as there is very little info on this unit that I can find on 
> the Web.
>
> At work we have an MDS-E10 we use for MD transfer, but this unit would 
> be for home and as a work back up.  My fiance' (a linguistic 
> anthropologist) and I (folklorist/archivist) have many MDs of our own 
> research recordings that we want to reformat.
>
> While I'm on the subject, has anybody noticed that Sony MDS-E10 units 
> are selling used for *more* than their original list?  Boggles the mind.
>
> Thanks,
>
> andy

Based on the FAQ at www.minidisc.org 
(http://www.minidisc.org/faq_sec_3.html#_q5),
the MDS-B4P should be able to play an 80 minute MD
recorded in "SP" (Standard) mode. The 74 min. and 80 min.
MDs have the same linear velocity, and, while the 80 min.
MD has a smaller track pitch (1.5 vs. 1.6 micro-meters),
it is still within the MD specification, so the optical
tracking system should have no trouble with it. The later
MDLP mode uses the same tracking system, but introduces
new encoding/decoding, requiring upgraded ATRAC versions
that neither the B3/B4P nor B5/B6P has.

I don't have any of the above mentioned machines, but my
pre-MDLP MDS-JB930s have no trouble with 80 minute MDs,
and neither does my pre-MDLP Denon DN-045R MD duplicator.
In fact, the duplicator works fine with MDLP mode MDs,
since for direct digital-to-digital copying, the only
issue is tracking, not encoding/decoding.  For MDLP
encoding/decoding, I use MDS-E12s, which are essentially
E10s with balanced I/O and time-stamping (but coax SPDIF
only), and I have noticed their resale value increasing!
I'm keeping mine, though, for the Sony Museum of
Technological Successes/Marketing Failures (or should it
be the Sony Museum of Digital Rights vs. Digital Wrongs)?
;-)

Gary Sprung
CArmel, CA