Sony makes Hi-MD Walkmans

 

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By Alun Williams

Posted on 23 Mar 2006 at 15:48

Sony returns to the Walkman range once more and offers - under the memorable moniker MZ-RH1 - a Hi-MD offering. In other words, instead of a Flash or hard-drive-based player, the device uses revamped Minidisc technology introduced by Sony early in 2004.

CD-quality sound is the boast for Sony as it looks for new angles to chip away at Apple's dominance of the portable music player market with the iPod.

The device will play files downloaded in LinearPCM, ATRAC (ATRAC, ATRAC3, ATRAC3plus) or MP3 format, and there are different listening modes (including listening modes to complement genres, such as 'Club', 'Jazz' and 'Pop').

According to minidisc.org's FAQ, HI-MD is a major revamping of the original Minidisc system, which can support 1GB blank media. Hi-MD equipment, it states, can record audio to Hi-MD media in uncompressed PCM (pulse code modulation) (at 16bits/44.1khz, which is CD format) as well as in Sony's ATRAC3plus encoding at 256kbps ('Hi-SP') and 64kbps ('Hi-LP').

'Hi-MD is light years ahead of alternative formatting technologies such as HDD and Flash [based players], making the MZ-RH1 the clear choice for professionals and music fans alike,' said Yoshiaki Kadokura, VP of Personal Audio Europe, Sony.

The removable media format offers a different approach to storage - one 1GB mini-disc can hold up to 45 hours of music, states Sony. The idea is also that users can revive old Minidisc content by uploading the music to a PC.

The specification for the Walkman MZ-RH1 includes: a rechargeable battery life of 19 hours, a dynamic normalizer that automatically adjusts sound volume, a HD digital amplifier, a high capacity coupling condenser for improved bass reproduction, and a Hi-Speed USB 2.0 connection.

The device will have Mac compatibility by the summer of 2006, states Sony, with the company cheekily declaring that the device brings 'greater choice in digital audio devices' to Mac users. The Mac application is scheduled to be available from the MZ-RH1 page on the Sony support website.

UPDATE: UK pricing is £249.