Sony DS-HMD1 Operating Instructions Manual

2-633-085-11(1)

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_

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Portable Hi-MD Drive

Operating Instructions_________________________

Mode d’emploi _______________________________

Manual de instrucciones_______________________

GB

FR

ES

DS-HMD1

© 2005 Sony Corporation

WARNING

To prevent fire or shock
hazard, do not expose the unit
to rain or moisture.

Do not install the appliance in a
confined space, such as a
bookcase or built-in cabinet.

To prevent fire, do not cover the
ventilation of the apparatus with
newspapers, tablecloths, curtains,
etc. And don’t place lighted candles
on the apparatus.

To prevent fire or shock hazard, do
not place objects filled with liquids,
such as vases, on the apparatus.

Certain countries may regulate
disposal of the battery used to power
this product.
Please consult with your local
authority.

Caution

The use of optical instruments with
this product will increase eye hazard.

CAUTION — INVISIBLE LASER
RADIATION WHEN OPEN

AVOID EXPOSURE TO BEAM
CAUTION — CLASS 1M

INVISIBLE LASER RADIATION
WHEN OPEN

DO NOT VIEW DIRECTLY WITH
OPTICAL INSTRUMENTS

Information

IN NO EVENT SHALL SELLER
BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT,
INCIDENTAL OR
CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES
OF ANY NATURE, OR LOSSES
OR EXPENSES RESULTING
FROM ANY DEFECTIVE
PRODUCT OR THE USE OF
ANY PRODUCT.

For customers who
purchased this product
in the USA

Owner’s Record

The serial number is located at the
rear of the disc compartment lid and
the model number is located at the
bottom. Record the serial number in
the space provided below. Refer to
them whenever you call upon your
Sony dealer regarding this product.
Model No. DS-HMD1
Serial No.

Product registration

Please register this product on line at
www.sony.com/walkmanreg
<http://www.sony.com/
walkmanreg>
Proper registration will enable us to
send you periodic mailings about
software upgrades, new products,
services and other important
announcements. Thank you.

If you have any questions
about this product, contact:

—http://www.sony.com/

walkmansupport

—Sony Network Portable

Audio Support Line
1-(866)-456-7669

2-GB

—Sony Customer Information

Services Center
12451 Gateway Blvd. Fort
Myers, FL 33913

Declaration of Conformity

Trade Name: SONY
Model No.: DS-HMD1
Responsible Party: Sony
Electronics Inc.
Address: 16450 W. Bernardo Dr,
San Diego, CA 92127 USA
Telephone No.: 858-942-2230

This device complies with Part 15
of the FCC Rules. Operation is
subject to the following two
conditions: (1) This device may
not cause harmful interference,
and (2) this device must accept
any interference received,
including interference that may
cause undesired operation.

This equipment has been tested and
found to comply with the limits for a
Class B digital device, pursuant to
Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These
limits are designed to provide
reasonable protection against
harmful interference in a residential
installation. This equipment
generates, uses, and can radiate radio
frequency energy and, if not
installed and used in accordance
with the instructions, may cause
harmful interference to radio
communications. However, there is
no guarantee that interference will
not occur in a particular installation.
If this equipment does cause harmful
interference to radio or television
reception, which can be determined
by turning the equipment off and on,
the user is encouraged to try to
correct the interference by one or
more of the following measures:

—Reorient or relocate the

receiving antenna.

—Increase the separation between

the equipment and receiver.

—Connect the equipment into an

outlet on a circuit different from
that to which the receiver is
connected.

—Consult the dealer or an

experienced radio/TV technician

for help.
You are cautioned that any changes
or modifications not expressly
approved in this manual could void
your authority to operate this
equipment.

The validity of the CE marking is
restricted to only those countries
where it is legally enforced, mainly
in the countries EEA (European
Economic Area).

GB

3-GB

Disposal of Old Electrical
& Electronic Equipment
(Applicable in the
European Union and
other European countries
with separate collection
systems)

This symbol on the
product or on its
packaging indicates
that this product
shall not be treated
as household waste.
Instead it shall be

applicable collection point for the
recycling of electrical and electronic
equipment. By ensuring this product
is disposed of correctly, you will
help prevent potential negative
consequences for the environment
and human health, which could
otherwise be caused by
inappropriate waste handling of this
product. The recycling of materials
will help to conserve natural
resources. For more detailed
information about recycling of this
product, please contact your local
city office, your household waste
disposal service or the shop where
you purchased the product.

handed over to the

Notice for users

On the supplied software

• Copyright laws prohibit
reproducing the software or the
manual accompanying it in whole
or in part, or renting the software
without the permission of the
copyright holder.

• In no event will SONY be liable for
any financial damage or loss of
profits, including claims made by
third parties, arising out of the use
of the software supplied with this
drive.

• In the event a problem occurs with
this software as a result of defective
manufacturing, SONY will replace
it. However, SONY bears no other
responsibility.

• The software provided with this
drive cannot be used with
equipment other than that which is
so designated.

• Please note that, due to continued
efforts to improve quality, the
software specifications may be
changed without notice.

• Operation of this drive with
software other than that provided is
not covered by the warranty.

• The ability to display specific
languages by the software will
depend on the installed OS on your
PC. For better results, please
ensure that the installed OS is
compatible with the desired
language you want to display.
—We do not guarantee all the

languages will be able to be
displayed properly on the
software.

—User-created characters and

some special characters may not
be displayed.

4-GB

• Depending on the type of the text

and characters, the text shown by
the software may not be displayed
properly on the device. This is due
to:
—The capability of the connected

device.

—The device is not functioning

normally.

• SonicStage and the SonicStage
logo are trademarks or registered
trademarks of Sony Corporation.

• OpenMG, “Magic Gate”,
“MagicGate Memory Stick”,
“Memory Stick”, Hi-MD, Net MD,
ATRAC, ATRAC3, ATRAC3plus
and their logos are trademarks of
Sony Corporation.

• “WALKMAN” is a registered
trademark of Sony Corporation to
represent Headphone Stereo
products.
trademark of Sony Corporation.

• Microsoft, Windows, Windows NT
and Windows Media are
trademarks or registered
trademarks of Microsoft
Corporation in the United States
and /or other countries.

• IBM and PC/AT are registered
trademarks of International
Business Machines Corporation.

• Macintosh is a trademark of Apple
Computer, Inc. in the United States
and/or other countries.

• Pentium is a trademark or a
registered trademark of Intel
Corporation.

• MPEG Layer-3 audio coding
technology and patents licensed
from Fraunhofer IIS and Thomson.

• All other trademarks and registered
trademarks are trademarks or
registered trademarks of their
respective holders.

is a

• ™ and ® marks are omitted in this
manual.

• CD and music-related data from
Gracenote, Inc., copyright © 2000­2004 Gracenote. Gracenote

R

CDDB

Client Software,
copyright 2000-2004 Gracenote.
This product and service may
practice one or more of the
following U.S. Patents:
#5,987,525; #6,061,680;
#6,154,773, #6,161,132,
#6,230,192, #6,230,207,
#6,240,459, #6,330,593, and other
patents issued or pending. Services
supplied and/or device
manufactured under license for
following Open Globe, Inc. United
States Patent 6,304,523.
Gracenote is a registered
trademarks of Gracenote. The
Gracenote logo and logotype, and
the “Powered by Gracenote” logo
are trademarks of Gracenote.

Program © 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004,
2005 Sony Corporation

Documentation © 2005 Sony
Corporation

5-GB

Table of contents

What you can do with this drive ......................7

Providing the required system environment ...9

System requirements .......................................................................9

Installing SonicStage onto your computer ....................................10

Storing data to a disc .....................................13

Storing computer data (Data Storage) ..........................................13

Transferring audio data using SonicStage ....17

Starting up SonicStage ..................................................................17

Using SonicStage Help .................................................................18

Additional information ...................................23

Precautions ....................................................................................23

Specifications ................................................................................24

Troubleshooting .............................................25

Troubleshooting ............................................................................25

6-GB

What you can do with this drive

Use it to store data from a computer
(Data Storage)

You can save various data such as image or text data from your computer
to a disc in this drive.
You can store data to the disc with simple drag-and-drop operations. The
small size and light weight of the MD makes it easy to carry large
amounts of data.

Audio data Text data

Video dataImage data

Use it to transfer audio data to a disc using
the SonicStage software

SonicStage allows you to import audio data from music sources such as
audio CDs and the Internet to your computer, and then transfer that audio
data to a disc in this drive at high speed. You can listen to the disc on other
components that can play MDs. This drive cannot be used to play MDs.

SonicStage

LinearPCM
ATRAC3/ATRAC3plus
MP3

7-GB

Types of discs that you can use

Disc type Data

storage

1 GB Hi-MD disc
60/74/80-

minute standard
disc

1)

Note
You cannot store data to a disc that contains material recorded in MD mode. To
store data to such a disc, the disc must first be formatted as a Hi-MD disc using the
supplied SonicStage. In this case, the entire contents of the disc will be erased.

Blank disc
Disc containing material

recorded in Hi-MD mode
Disc containing material

recorded in MD mode

1)

Audio
transfer

8-GB

Providing the required system environment

System requirements

The following system environment is required in order to use the drive.

Computer IBM PC/AT or Compatible

• CPU: Pentium III 450 MHz or higher

• Hard disk drive space: 200 MB or more (1.5 GB or more is
recommended) (The amount of free space will vary
according to Windows version and the number of music
files stored on the hard disk.)

• RAM: 128 MB or more

Others

• CD drive (capable of digital playback by WDM) (A CD-R/
RW drive is necessary for CD writing)

• Sound Board

•USB port

Operating
System

Display High Color (16 bit) or higher, 800 × 600 dots or better (1,024

Others • Internet access: for Web registration, EMD services and

Factory installed:
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005/Windows XP
Media Center Edition 2004/Windows XP Media Center
Edition/Windows XP Professional/Windows XP Home
Edition/Windows 2000 Professional (Service Pack 3 or later)/
Windows Millennium Edition/Windows 98 Second Edition

× 768 dots or better is recommended)

CDDB

• Windows Media Player (version 7.0 or higher) installed for
playing WMA files

This software is not supported by the following
environments:

• OSs other than those indicated above

• Personally constructed PCs or operating systems

• An environment that is an upgrade of the original manufacturer-installed

operating system

• Multi-boot environment

• Multi-monitor environment

• Macintosh

9-GB

Notes

• We do not ensure trouble-free operation on all computers that satisfy the

system requirements.

• The NTFS format of Windows XP/Windows 2000 Professional can be used
only with the standard (factory) settings.

• We do not ensure trouble-free operation on computers which have changed to
the system suspend, sleep, or hibernation mode.

Installing SonicStage onto your
computer

Before using the drive, make sure to install SonicStage from the supplied
CD-ROM.

Installing SonicStage allows you to do the
following.

• Install the driver for this drive (The driver must be installed to ensure

stable operation of the drive.)

• Format discs (You cannot store data to a disc that contains material

recorded in MD mode. To use such a disc, format it in Hi-MD mode
using the supplied SonicStage.)

• Transfer audio data

z

If you use the drive only as a storage device, it is possible to install only the
driver for this drive by doing the procedure below.
1 Insert the supplied CD-ROM into the CD drive of your computer, and click

[Start] – [Run].

2 Type “D:\Device\Driver\pa\Setup.exe” (when “D:” is the CD drive) in the

[Open] text box, and click [OK] to run the setup routine.

Notes

• When formatting a disc through Windows Explorer, make sure not to format

it with the NTFS format.

• If a disc formatted through Windows Explorer is inserted in a component that
can play discs in Hi-MD mode, an error message may appear. However, the
disc can still be used as storage media. If you want to transfer audio data to
such a disc, format it using the supplied SonicStage.

10-GB

Before installing SonicStage

• Close all the Windows software programs. Especially, make sure to

close any virus-check software, as such software usually demands a
large amount of system resources.

• To use this drive, you must install SonicStage from the supplied CD-

ROM.
— If OpenMG Jukebox or SonicStage is installed already, the current

software will be overwritten by the new version. The new version
retains the functions of the older version, but with new functions
added.

— If SonicStage Premium is installed already, the current software will

co-exist with the new version.

— You will still be able to use music data registered by the older

software version even after the new SonicStage has been installed.
As a precaution, we recommend that you back up your music data.
To back up the data, refer to [Backing Up My Library] on
SonicStage Help.

• Make sure to install SonicStage before connecting the drive to the

computer with the supplied USB cable.

1 Turn on your computer and start up Windows.
2 Insert the supplied CD-ROM into the CD drive

of your computer.

The setup program starts up automatically.

3 When the [Region Selection] screen appears,

select the region where the SonicStage
software will be used, and then click [Next].

4 Click [Install SonicStage] and then follow the

displayed instructions.

Read the instructions carefully.
The installation may take 20 to 30 minutes, depending on your
system environment.
Make sure to restart your computer only after the installation is
completed.

11-GB

Was the installation successful?
If any trouble occurs during the installation, see “Troubleshooting”
(page 25).

To uninstall SonicStage

Click [Start] – [Control Panel]* – [Add/Remove Programs], and then
select [SonicStage 3.1] from the list of currently installed programs.

* [Settings] – [Control Panel] in the case of Windows 2000 Professional/Windows

Millennium Edition/Windows 98 Second Edition

Note

When you install SonicStage 3.1, [OpenMG Secure Module 4.1] is installed
along with it. Make sure not to uninstall [OpenMG Secure Module 4.1] as this
program may be used by other software.

12-GB

Storing data to a disc

Storing computer data (Data Storage)

When you insert a disc in Hi-MD mode into the drive and connect it to a
computer, it will appear in Windows Explorer as an external data storage
drive, allowing you to copy data from the computer to a disc. If the disc
contains material recorded in MD mode, the drive will not be recognized
as an external data storage device.
If you insert a blank 60/74/80-minute disc, the disc will be automatically
used in Hi-MD mode.

1 Insert a disc.

1 Slide the OPEN switch to

open the lid.

OPEN
switch

2 Insert a disc with the label side

facing up, and press the lid down
to close.

Make sure the
record-protect tab
is closed.

2 Connect the drive to the computer.

Use the supplied USB cable to connect the drive to the computer.
When the drive connects correctly with the computer, the
ACCESS lamp will light up (this may take about 15 seconds).
Power (bus power) is supplied to the drive from the USB port of
the computer.

To the USB port

USB cable (supplied)

To the USB cable
connecting jack

continued

13-GB

3 Double-click [My Computer] and make sure

[Removable Disk] has appeared.

4 Double-click [Removable Disk] and drag-and-

drop the data you want to store to the drive.

About the ACCESS lamp

The ACCESS lamp indicates the operating status of the drive.

ACCESS lamp Status

Continuously on The drive is connected to the

Flashing quickly
(at intervals of about

0.1 seconds)
Flashing slowly

(at intervals of about

1.5 seconds)
Off The disc in the drive can be

1)

About “standby mode for writing”
In standby mode for writing, data can be written immediately to the disc right after
the previous writing operation.
When you try to write data to the disc while the ACCESS lamp is continuously on,
it will take a little time before writing actually begins.

computer and has been
correctly recognized.

Data is being written to the
disc in the drive.

The drive is in standby
mode for writing

removed.

1)

14-GB

To remove the disc from the drive or disconnect
the USB cable

It is important that you follow the steps below when removing the disc or
disconnecting the drive from the computer. If you do not, damage to the
data may occur.

1 Press the RELEASE button, and confirm that the ACCESS lamp

is turned off.

ACCESS lamp

RELEASE button

2 Remove the disc from the drive and close the lid.
3 Disconnect the USB cable.

The storage space on each disc (formatted with
SonicStage)

Disc type Tot a l siz e Disc

60-minute
standard disc

74-minute
standard disc

80-minute
standard disc

1GB Hi-MD
disc

1)

This space is used for managing files on the disc.

2)

The size of the disc management space varies according to the operating conditions
of your computer and other factors. Therefore, the actual space available for use
may be lower than that displayed by Windows Explorer.

219 MB
(229,965,824
bytes)

270 MB
(283,312,128
bytes)

291 MB
(305,856,512
bytes)

964 MB
(1,011,613,696
bytes)

management

1)2)

space

832 KB
(851,968 bytes)

832 KB
(851,968 bytes)

832 KB
(851,968 bytes)

832 KB
(851,968 bytes)

Free space

218 MB
(229,113,856
bytes)

269 MB
(282,460,160
bytes)

290 MB
(305,004,544
bytes)

963 MB
(1,010,761,728
bytes)

15-GB

Notes

• You cannot store data to a disc that contains material recorded in MD mode.

To use such a disc, format it in Hi-MD mode using the supplied SonicStage.
In this case, the entire contents of the disc will be erased.

• The drive will not be recognized as an external data storage device while
SonicStage is active.

• Make sure not to delete the file management folder or file (HMDHIFI folder,
HI-MD.IND file, or THUMBxxx.DAT file) on the Windows Explorer.

• Damage to the data or other problems may occur if your computer changes to
system suspend, sleep, or hibernation mode while the drive is still connected.
For this reason, you should disable the system suspend, sleep, or hibernation
function. If you want to switch your computer to system suspend mode, make
sure that the ACCESS lamp on the drive is turned off and the USB cable is
disconnected.

• Make sure not to restart the computer while it is still connected to the drive.

• If the drive is not recognized by the computer, reconnect it.

• Make sure to place the drive at a stable, vibration-free place during recording.

• Make sure not to connect the drive to the computer through a USB hub.

• We do not ensure trouble-free operation on all computers that satisfy the

system requirements.

16-GB

Transferring audio data using SonicStage

You can transfer audio data from a computer to a disc in the drive, and
then play the disc on other components that can play MDs.

Starting up SonicStage

Make sure to connect the drive to the computer before starting up
SonicStage.

1 Insert a disc and connect the drive to the

computer.

Refer to “Storing computer data (Data Storage)” (page 13) for
details.

2 Select [Start] – [All Programs]

[SonicStage]

*[Programs] in the case of Windows 2000 Professional/Windows

Millennium Edition/Windows 98 Second Edition

SonicStage starts up and the main window appears.

z

You can also start up SonicStage by double-clicking ([SonicStage] icon)
on the desktop.

Note

This drive cannot be used to play discs. If a disc in Hi-MD mode is inserted in
the drive, audio data can be played back through the computer’s speaker
system when SonicStage is used. However, sound output from discs in MD
mode is not supported from either this drive or on the computer.

*

– [SonicStage] –

17-GB

Using SonicStage Help

SonicStage Help provides explanations on the use of SonicStage. Follow
the instructions below to display SonicStage Help, and then use
SonicStage in accordance with the explanations.

1 Display SonicStage Help.

While SonicStage is running, click [Help] – [SonicStage Help].

[SonicStage Help]

2 Search for the desired item in [Contents] on

the left-side frame.

The names of operations such as “Importing Tracks” or
“Transferring Tracks” are listed in the [Contents]. Click the item
you want to learn about and an explanation will appear in the
right-side frame.

The left-side
frame

To SonicStage Help

Find out what the SonicStage
functions are.

[Overview] – [Features]

18-GB

The right-side
frame

To SonicStage Help

Import audio data

• from audio CDs

• from the Internet

Manage and edit imported tracks [Managing Tracks and Albums]
Transfer imported tracks from the

computer to the drive

• in Hi-MD mode

• in MD (Net MD) mode

Transfer tracks from the drive
back to the computer

• in Hi-MD mode

• in MD (Net MD) mode

Import tracks recorded on a Hi­MD component to the computer

Format

• a disc to be used in Hi-MD
mode

• a disc to be used in MD (Net
MD) mode

Back up audio data in My
Library

Look up a troubleshooting
procedure

[Importing Tracks] –

• [Importing Tracks from an Audio CD]

• [Purchasing Tracks from a Music
Service Site]

[Transferring Tracks] – [Transferring
Tracks to a Device/Media] –

• [Using a Hi-MD] – [Transferring a
Track to a Hi-MD]

• [Using a Net MD] – [Transferring a
Track to a Net MD]

[Transferring Tracks] – [Transferring
Tracks to a Device/Media] –

• [Using a Hi-MD] – [Transferring from
a Hi-MD Back to My Library]

• [Using a Net MD] – [Transferring from
a Net MD Back to My Library]

[Transferring Tracks] – [Transferring
Tracks to a Device/Media] – [Using a Hi­MD] – [Importing a Track Recorded on a
Hi-MD Device]

[Transferring Tracks] – [Transferring
Tracks to a Device/Media] –

• [Using a Hi-MD] – [Initializing a Hi­MD disc]

• [Using a Net MD] – [Initializing an
MD in a Net MD device]

[Backing Up My Library] – [Backing Up
Data to a Disk]

[Additional Information] –
[Troubleshooting]

z

You can display SonicStage Help by selecting [Start] – [All Programs]*–
[SonicStage] – [SonicStage Help].

* [Programs] in the case of Windows 2000 Professional/Windows Millennium

Edition/Windows 98 Second Edition

19-GB

Notes

• In SonicStage Help, “Device/Media” is a general term for an external device

such as this drive and the MD Walkman.

• Follow the instructions of your Internet provider regarding such things as
recommended system environment when using EMD services.

Searching for a word inside an explanation

[Search]

“Type in the
keyword to find”
text box

[List Topics]

List of words
that were found

Explanation of
the selected
item

[Display]

1 Click [Search] to open the “Search” window.
2 Type in the word you want to search.
3 Click [List Topics].

A list of the words that were found is displayed.

4 Click to select the desired item among those displayed.
5 Click [Display].

An explanation of the selected item is displayed.

20-GB

List of transfer times for the various disc types

The transfer time for a disc depends on its type and the codec/bit rate.
Check the following table for details.

When using a
disc in Hi-MD

Transfer time

1)2)

mode

Codec/Bit rate 1GB Hi-MD

LinearPCM/

1.4 Mbps
ATRAC3plus/

256 kbps
ATRAC3plus/

disc

1 hour and
34 minutes

7 hours and
55 minutes

34 hours 10 hours and

64 kbps
ATRAC3plus/

45 hours 13 hours and

48 kbps
ATRAC3/

132 kbps
ATRAC3/

105 kbps
ATRAC3/

66 kbps

16 hours and
30 minutes

20 hours and
40 minutes

32 hours and
40 minutes

MP3/128 kbps 17 hours 5 hours 4 hours and

When using a disc

80-minute
standard disc

74-minute
standard disc

60-minute
standard disc

28 minutes 26 minutes 21 minutes

2 hours and
20 minutes

10 minutes

30 minutes
4 hours and

50 minutes
6 hours and

10 minutes
9 hours and

50 minutes

2 hours and
10 minutes

9 hours and
20 minutes

12 hours and

1 hour and 40
minutes

7 hours and
40 minutes

10 hours

30 minutes
4 hours and

30 minutes
5 hours and

40 minutes

3 hours and
40 minutes

4 hours and
40 minutes

9 hours 7 hours and

20 minutes
3 hours and

30 minutes

Transfer time

30 minutes

1)2)

in MD mode

Codec/Bit rate 80-minute

ATRAC(stereo)/

standard disc

80 minutes 74 minutes 60 minutes

74-minute
standard disc

60-minute
standard disc

292 kbps
ATRAC3/

132, 105 kbps
ATRAC3/66 kbps 5 hours and 20

1)

Approximate time

2)

When transferring 4-minute tracks

2 hours and 40
minutes

minutes

2 hours and 28
minutes

4 hours and 56
minutes

2 hours

4 hours

21-GB

About audio formats that can be transferred

The audio formats that can be transferred to this drive vary according to
the disc type. Check the following table for details.

Disc type Format Component that can be used for playback

1GB

Hi-MD

Hi-MD
component
that
supports
MP3

1)

Component
that
supports

2)

Hi-MD

Component
that
supports

3)

MDLP

MD
component

Hi-MD disc
60/74/80-

minute
standard
disc

1)

Audio components marked with the MP3 logo mark

2)

Audio components marked with the or logo mark

3)

Audio components marked only with the or logo mark

Hi-MD
MDLP
MD

22-GB

Additional information

Precautions

On handling

• Do not drop or bump the drive. This

may cause the drive malfunction.

• Do not place the drive in the

following places:
— An extremely hot place (over

+60

°C (+140°F))

— A place exposed to direct sunlight

or near a heater

— In a car with the windows rolled

up (especially in summer)

— In a damp place such as a

bathroom

— Near a source of electromagnetic

fields such as a magnet, speaker, or
TV

— In a dusty place

• Do not place any hard object into the

supplied carrying porch with the
drive. This may cause the painted
surface of the drive to be scratched.

• Do not disconnect the USB cable

while the data is being read or copied.
If this happens, the data may not be
copied correctly or may be lost.

•

Do not place the drive near a source of
static electricity or electrical noise.
This may cause data to be incorrectly
copied or lost.

On the MiniDisc
cartridge

• When carrying or storing the

MiniDisc, keep it in its case.

• Do not break open the shutter.

• Do not place the cartridge where it

will be subject to light, extreme
temperatures, moisture or dust.

• Attach the supplied disc label only in

the space designated for it on the disc.
Do not stick it on any other disc
surface.

On cleaning

Clean the drive casing with a soft cloth
slightly moistened with water or a mild
detergent solution. Do not use any type
of abrasive pad, scouring powder or
solvent such as alcohol or benzene as it
may mar the finish of the casing.

To protect a recorded
disc

To record-protect a disc, slide open the
tab at the side of the disc. In this
position, the disc cannot be recorded.
To record again, slide the tab back so
the tab is visible.

Tab

Recorded material

Back of
the disc

If you have any questions or problems
concerning your drive, please consult
your nearest Sony dealer. (If a problem
occurred when the disc was in the
drive, we recommend that the disc be
left in the drive when you consult your
Sony dealer so that the cause of trouble
may be better understood.)

is protected.

Recorded material
is not protected.

23-GB

Specifications

Systems

MiniDisc system, Hi-MD system

Laser diode properties

Emission duration: continuous
Laser output: less than 44.6 µW
(This output is the value measured at a
distance of 200 mm from the lens
surface on the optical pick-up block
with 7 mm aperture.)

Revolutions

350 rpm to 3,000 rpm (CLV)

Error correction

Hi-MD:

LDC (Long Distance Code)/BIS
(Burst Indicator Subcode)

MD:

ACIRC (Advanced Cross Interleave
Reed Solomon Code)

Audio formats supported by
this drive (SonicStage)

Hi-MD:

LinearPCM (44.1 kHz/16 bit)
ATRAC3plus (Adaptive TRansform
Acoustic Coding 3 plus)
MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3/
Sampling frequency 44.1 kHz/Bit
rate 32 - 320 kbps (constant/variable
bit rate))

MD:

AT R AC
AT R AC 3

Modulation system

Hi-MD:

1-7RLL (Run Length Limited)/
PRML (Partial Response Maximum
Likelihood)

MD:

EFM (Eight to Fourteen
Modulation)

Data transfer rate when writing
data to a disc

9.83 Mbps maximum (when using a

1GB Hi-MD disc)

4.37 Mbps maximum (when using a

60/74/80-minute standard disc)

Input/output connector

USB connecting jack (Mini-B
connector)

Power requirements

USB bus power (VBUS: 5V)

Operating temperature

+5°C (+41°F) to +35°C (+95°F)

Dimensions

Approx. 86.0 × 22.9 × 79.3 mm (w/h/d)
(31/2 × 29/32 × 31/5 in.) (excluding
projecting parts and controls)

Mass

Approx. 100 g (3.5 oz) (the drive only)

Supplied accessories

USB cable (1)
CD-ROM (SonicStage)* (1)
Carrying pouch (1)
* Do not play this CD-ROM on an

audio CD player.

Optional accessories

Recordable MDs MDW-series
Recordable Hi-MD disc HMD1G

Your dealer may not handle some of the
above listed accessories. Please ask the
dealer for detailed information about
the accessories in your country.

US and foreign patents licensed from
Dolby Laboratories.

Design and specifications are subject to
change without notice.

24-GB

Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting

If a problem arises during operation of the drive, follow the steps below
before consulting your nearest Sony dealer.

1 Check to see if the problem is listed in the “Troubleshooting” section.
2 When using SonicStage, check SonicStage Help.

3 If you still cannot solve the problem, consult your nearest Sony dealer.

Symptom Cause/Remedy

SonicStage cannot
be installed.

The SonicStage
installation seems
to have stopped
before
completion.

• You are using an OS that does not support this
software.
, See “System requirements” (page 9) for more

details.

• All Windows applications are not closed.
, If you start the installation while other programs

are running, a malfunction may occur. This is
especially true for programs that require large
amounts of system resources, such as virus-check
software.

• There is not enough hard disk space on your hard disk.
, You need 200MB or more free space on your hard

disk.

• Check for the appearance of an error message beneath
the installation window.
, Press the [Tab] key while holding down the [Alt]

key. If an error message has appeared, press the
[Enter] key. The installation will resume. If there
is no message, the installation is still in progress.
Wait a little while longer.

25-GB

Symptom Cause/Remedy

The progress bar
in the display does
not move during
the SonicStage
installation. The
access lamp on the
CD drive or hard
disk drive has not
lit up for a few
minutes.

The drive has not
been correctly
recognized as a
removable disc.

Data cannot be
saved to the disc
in the drive.

• The installation is progressing normally.
, Please wait.

The installation may take 30 minutes or more,
depending on your CD drive or system
environment.

• The drive does not contain a disc in Hi-MD mode.
, You cannot write data to a disc that contains

material recorded in MD mode. Replace the disc
with one in Hi-MD mode, or format the disc in
Hi-MD mode using the supplied SonicStage.

• SonicStage is active.
, The computer will not recognize the drive as an

external device if SonicStage is active. Close
SonicStage.

• The USB cable is not connected firmly.
, Connect the USB cable firmly.

• The computer was restarted while the drive was still
connected.
, Reconnect the drive to the computer.

• The connections are made through a USB hub.
, Operations are not guaranteed for USB hub

connections. Use the supplied USB cable to
connect the drive directly to the USB port on the
computer.

• You are using a computer on which the supplied
SonicStage or the driver for this drive has not been
installed.
, Install SonicStage or the driver from the supplied

CD-ROM.

• There is insufficient free space on the disc in the drive.
, Replace the disc with one with sufficient free

space.

• You tried to store data to a disc with the tab in the
record-protect position.
, Slide the tab back (page 23).

26-GB

Symptom Cause/Remedy

The drive failed to
store data.

The drive is not
correctly
recognized by
SonicStage.

Even though the
supplied USB
cable is used to
connect the drive
to the computer,
the ACCESS lamp
does not light up.

The drive does not
respond or does
not operate
correctly.

• Damage to the data occurred because the computer

changed to system suspend, sleep, or hibernation
mode while the drive was still connected to the
computer.
, Disable the system suspend, sleep, or hibernation

function on the computer and repeat the writing
operation.

• The USB cable has been disconnected.

, Connect the supplied USB cable firmly to the

computer before writing.

• The drive is not firmly connected with the supplied

USB cable to the computer.
, Disconnect the USB cable, restart the computer,

and then make the connection again.

• A disc is not inserted in the drive.

, Check if a disc is inserted in the drive.

• SonicStage installation failed.

, Disconnect the USB cable and install the software

again using the supplied CD-ROM.

• The connections are made through a USB hub.

, Operations are not guaranteed for USB hub

connections. Use the supplied USB cable to
connect the drive directly to the USB port on the
computer.

• You are using a computer on which the supplied

SonicStage has not been installed.
, Install SonicStage from the supplied CD-ROM.

• It takes time to recognize SonicStage.

, Please wait.

• Another application software is running.

, Reconnect the supplied USB cable after a while.

If the computer still does not recognize the drive,
disconnect the USB cable, restart the computer,
and connect it again.

• Moisture has condensed inside the drive (for example,

when the drive has been brought in from a cold place
to a warm place).
, Take the disc out and leave the drive in a warm

place for several hours until the moisture
evaporates.

27-GB