What to get
To start enjoying MD, you need a few things: MiniDisc recorder Power source Discs Cable for recording Audio output See our Buyer's Guide for much more detailed equipment advice. MiniDisc recorder The biggest divide in MD
Reference library
MiniDisc Wiki collection
3,426 published source and document records. Incomplete and historical records remain available here.
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About the wiki
When did the wiki start? The wiki was launched in early 2020, initially at MiniDisc.xyz before moving to MiniDisc.wiki a few months later. Why did you launch the wiki? In short: MiniDisc still has significant interest, a
ATRAC: Adaptive Transform Acoustic Coding for MiniDisc
Kyoya Tsutsui, Hiroshi Suzuki, Osamu Shimoyoshi, Mito Sonohara, Kenzo Akagiri, Robert M. Heddle Sony Corporate Research Laboratories 6-7-35 Kitashinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 141 Japan Reprinted from the 93rd Audio Engin
FAQs
MiniDisc FAQs Why MiniDisc Using MiniDisc NetMD and USB Community FAQs About the Wiki Archived FAQs Sony Europe FAQ (1997)
Hi-MD FAQ
Archived from minidisc.org, January 2004
NetMD & USB connectivity
What is NetMD? NetMD is the USB interface that was used for tranferring audio to a MiniDisc via a computer. How did it work? Most NetMD recorders used USB Mini-B to connect to a PC. Some used full size USB Type-B, and ot
pickup
1998/9/29 Panasonic Press release of new 1 beam pickup design 1998/9/29 Panasonic Press release of new 1 beam pickup design (MiniDisc Wiki mirror) Page 2 (details) Page 2 (details) (MiniDisc Wiki mirror) [Patent] Domesti
prototype
Below is a list of unreleased prototype MD units and info on where they were mentioned: Stereo Review Stereo Buyers Guide 1993 pg.6 There were 1-2 other MD prototype units from the early days. MZ DR10 prototype which see
Serial Copy Management System (SCMS)
Due to music industry (and political) pressure, Sony added a copy protection system, SCMS, to the MiniDisc format. This system sent a signal via SPDIF (digital optical and coaxial audio) to ask the receiving equipment no
SONY ATRAC
Based on the machine translation of this Japanese page (last updated November 21, 2000) https://web.archive.org/web/19991113205042/http://www.sanyo.co.jp/koho/hypertext4/9711news-j/1112lc8.html All ATRAC1 will playback o
Sony Europe FAQ
Archived and adapted from minidisc.org, dated 1997. This FAQ appeared to be an official Sony document. What are the dimensions of a MiniDisc? The full size of an MD is 7 cm (width) x 6.75 cm (height) x 0.5 cm (depth). Th
Sony Walkman firmware mods
How to modify the Sony MZ-R700/R500/G750/N707/N505/N510/N520/NF620/N710's EEPROM settings to add advanced features Originally posted on MiniDisc.org by Peter Maksymiuk & Eric Woudenberg Additional information about the N
Sony Walkman LCD Remote Protocol =
This page is still a work-in-progress Introduction The remote plug appears thus: The LCD wire lets the Walkman control the remote's LCD, and the Button wire lets the remote control the Walkman. The protocol is described
Technology
MiniDisc uses an audio compression codec called ATRAC (Adaptive TRansform Acoustic Coding) to fit more audio in less data space. Pressed MiniDiscs use traditional CD technology, but in a smaller size. Blank media uses Ma
The Rewritable MiniDisc System
Tadao Yoshida Advanced Development Laboratories Sony Corporation, Tokyo, Japan Reprinted from the Proceedings of the IEEE,USA vol. 82 no. 10 pp. 1492-1500, OCT 1994. Invited Paper The MiniDisc system was designed with th
Using MiniDisc
I want to collect MiniDiscs - how do I get started? Read our Getting Started guide and continue reading these FAQs. The MiniDisc community aims to be as welcoming and helpful as possible. This includes making resources l
Why MiniDisc?
MiniDisc is a unique and fascinating physical media format that is often misunderstood. This FAQ aims to address most questions about why people did, and still do, enjoy using MD. Why not just stream music? Streaming mus
ATRAC ICs
ICs beginning in CXD are Sony ATRAC chips, anything else will have their respective brand in parentheses. ICs: cxd2527 cxd2531br cxd2531r cxd2535 cxd2536 cxd2537 cxd2650 cxd2656 cxd2656r cxd2657r cxd2664r cxd2667r cxd267
cx-bm1060f
Panasonic CX-BM1060F. Stub Service Manual. Found in Mazda "MASIC" stereo systems. CX-BM3060F / CX-BM5060F / CX-BM6060F / CX-BM7060F Are listed in alongside the BM1060F. They seem to use different dot matrix displays prob
cx-bm4290f
cx-bm4290f Made by Matsushita (Panasonic). Mazda Part# GJ6E-79-APX. The CA-DM4290F is the faceplate / eject button. MD Player Total Harmonic Distortion Less than 0.2% Signal to Noise Ratio More than 65dB (IHF-A) Channel
cx-bm8190f
Matsushita (Panasonic) CX-BM8190F. This seems to be a replacement or offshoot of the CX-BM3090A, which itself seems to be a supersession from the CX-BM1060F Used in the Mazda MPV (non EU). Mazda part# L134-79-AP0. Produc
CXD1873R "Unicorn" (USB/Audio Interface)
This is a security chip used on Sony NetMD machines, the predecessor of the cxd1875. Shares it's encryption core with the cxd2677 SoC. Datasheet/Pinout
CXD1875T (NetMD Security)
This is a Sony NetMD Security Chip, found in the mds-se9. The successor to the cxd1873r. Shares it's encryption core with the cxd2678 and cxd2680 SoCs. Datasheet/Pinout
CXD2525Q (EFM)
An EFM Encoder/Decoder chip, seen in the md4. Datasheet
CXD2525R
A first generation Sony ATRAC IC. Found in the mz-2p. Details 80 pin LQFP EFM/ACRIC Encoder/Decoder
CXD2527R
An ATRAC version 1.0 IC used by the mds-101. Details: 100 pin LQFP ATRAC (one per channel)
CXD2531BR
ATRAC version 2.0 IC used on the mds-102 and mds-501. Datasheet
CXD2531R
A Sony ATRAC version 2.0 IC. Details: 80 pin LQFP Shock proof Memory Controller ATRAC Encoder/Decoder
CXD2535
An ATRAC version 3.0 IC, used in the mds-s1 and mds-302.
CXD2536AR
An ATRAC version 3.5 IC, used on the mds-ja3es and mds-503.
CXD2537R / CXD2654
An ATRAC version 4.5 IC used in the mds-s39 and mds-pc2.
CXD2650R / CXD2652/R/AR
An ATRAC version 4.0 IC, used in the mds-je500 and mds-pc1. Details: 100 pin LQFP Digital Signal Processor Digital Servo Signal Processor EFM/ACIRC Encoder/Decoder Shock-proof Memory Controller ATRAC Encoder/Decoder 2MB
CXD2656
An ATRAC Type-R (NON-MDLP) IC used in the mds-ja22es and mds-dl1.
CXD2656R / CXD2662R
An ATRAC Type-R (MDLP COMPATIBLE) IC, found in the mds-ja20es and lam-z1. Datasheet/Diagram
CXD2657R
A Sony ATRAC decoder IC, intended for playback only use cases. This was an LSI-style chip, combining MD and CD processing with a DAC, Shock-Resistant Memory Controller, and LPF all into one package. Presumably meant for
CXD2664R
A Sony ATRAC Type-S IC, found in the md-105tx and mds-s500. Datasheet/Diagram
CXD2667R
A Sony ATRAC MDLP-compatible IC, found in the meh-p555. Datasheet/Diagram
CXD2671
A Sony ATRAC Type-R, NON-NETMD IC, found in the mz-r501, mz-r700, and mz-r900. Advanced Info 0x60000 (384k) Flash Size 0x4000 (16k) SRAM Size ARM7TDMI CPU Core Firmware Dumps Thanks Sir68k and Asivery for providing these
CXD2674
A Sony ATRAC Type-R, NON-NETMD IC, found in the mz-g755 and mz-r701.
CXD2677
A Sony ATRAC Type-R IC with NetMD compatibility, seen in the mz-n1, mz-s1, mz-n707, and mz-n505. Advanced Info 0x70000 (448k) Flash Size 0x4800 (18k) SRAM Size 2MiB DRAM ARM7TDMI CPU core Firmware Dumps Thanks Sir68k and