See Products   Home Recorders   Portables   Home/Portable Packages   In-Dash MiniDisc Receivers Find Out More   The Most Versatile Music Format   Frequently Asked Questions MiniDisc Key Features Glossary Analog Input Lets you connect an analog source, such as a tuner, cassette, or phono. This connection is most commonly made through your receiver's "record out" jack. Analog Output Lets you connect your MD player to any component with an analog input, such as a receiver or cassette deck. Analog-to-Digital (A/D) & Digital-to-Analog (D/A) converters In A/D conversion, analog audio signals (from cassette, LP, radio, microphone, a CD player without digital output, etc.) are converted into digital data by high-speed sampling. The A/D converter takes samples, or "snapshots" of the analog signal's amplitude at regular intervals; MiniDisc recorders have a 44.1kHz sampling frequency, which means the audio signal's amplitude is sampled at an incredibly rapid 44.1 thousand times per second! These amplitudes are then represented and recorded in binary digital code as "1" and "0" pulses. This binary digital data is an accurate, noise-free reproduction of the recorded signal, however in digital form it doesn't sound like music to your ears. Your MiniDisc player uses a D/A converter to convert the digital 1s and 0s back into analog audio signals. ATRAC Short for Adaptive TRansform Acoustic Coding, the ATRAC system is the digital data compression technology that makes it possible to fit 74 minutes of high-fidelity stereo digital audio onto a tiny 2-1/2" disc. Ultra-compact MiniDiscs can hold only about 1/5th of the data of a CD, but thanks to ATRAC, MiniDisc offers CD-like specs for dynamic range, frequency response, and low distortion. CD Synchro Lets you start a CD playing and start a MiniDisc recording by pushing one button. This feature requires a compatible CD player. Digital Input Lets you directly connect digital sources such as a DVD, CD, or other MD, giving you the cleanest possible signal. Can be either coaxial or optical, or both. Digital output Digital audio transfer is flawless; direct digital recording yields a crystal-clear copy of the original. Also, digital recording is easy since you don't have to set record levels. You'll need a special type of cable to connect to the digital inputs/outputs of your MiniDisc recorder, CD player, DAT deck, or external D/A converter. MiniDisc recorders may include optical (Toslink) and/or coaxial digital connections. For more information on the advantages of using digital connections, refer to our section on CD-to-MiniDisc recording. Direct track access Just push a button for instant access to any song on a disc. For example, to hear or program track 7, just push "7." Editing The MiniDisc format offers a number of powerful but easy-to-use editing features: Recordable MDs have a user table-of-contents (UTOC) area where the start and finish addresses of every track are stored. These numbered "track markers," which identify and let you instantly access the beginnings of individual tracks, can be renumbered in any order in a matter of seconds. You can easily change the playback order of songs without having to re-record them; and you can add or erase track markers during playback, which lets you divide and combine songs and sections of songs at will. "One Erase" and "All Erase" functions let you instantly erase a selected track or the entire disc (only on recordable discs). Disc and track titling with easy character input lets you label your homemade MiniDisc and every individual track on it. Your titles then appear on your player's display panel. Frequency response Like CD, the MiniDisc format accurately reproduces the full range of frequencies audible to the human ear. Level Control The MD recorder will set the record level (automatic) or you can set it (Manual). A proper recording level ensures that your recording will be as free of distortion as possible. Program Play Select and store in temporary memory the order tracks on a disc will be played. This lets you hear your favorite songs in your desired order. Sampling rate When an analog-to-digital converter digitizes an analog audio signal, it rapidly samples (or takes "snapshots" of) the analog signal's amplitude at regular intervals. These amplitude measurements are then converted to binary digital data -- 1s and 0s -- for storage on a CD, MD, or other digital audio medium. The sampling rate, or "sampling frequency," is the number of samples taken in one second. The MiniDisc format uses the CD-standard sampling rate of 44.1kHz (that's 44.1 thousand snapshots per second!), so it's a perfect match for recording from CDs. Sampling rate converter Converts incoming digital source signals at other sampling rates to the MiniDisc-standard 44.1kHz. MiniDisc recorders with this feature give you more options when recording from digital sources. You're not limited to signals that use the CD-standard 44.1kHz sampling rate -- you can record DAT material at 32kHz or 48kHz, or DIRECTV digital satellite audio at 48kHz. This portable MD player has a 10-second shock-resistant memory for virtually skip-free playback. Shock-resistant memory An important feature for car and portable MiniDisc players, shock-resistant memory helps eliminate skipping due to shock or vibration while you're in your car or on the move. The laser scans ahead on the disc and stores music in a memory buffer. If the player is bumped or jarred, the music from the memory buffer continues playing while the laser tracking mechanism quickly returns to the proper place on the disc. Normal playback resumes, skip-free. Shuffle play Also called random play, this popular feature lets your MiniDisc player select the order in which songs play. S/N Ratio The measure of the musical signal relative to background noise. The higher the rating, the cleaner the sound. The range among current models is 92 - 119 dB.