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Sony MiniDisc DV Cam Does Java, Ethernet
Lifewolf writes: "Sony's new DCM-M1 digital video
camcorder stores up to 20 minutes of MPEG2 video, 4,500
still images, or 260 minutes of ATRAC encoded audio onto a
MiniDisc. Even more interesting, the camcorder features a
Java 2.0 GUI and an Ethernet port so you can download your
files from the built-in web server." Now all you need is a hot chick or two, a lot of bandwidth, and a macro virus and you're in business!
I don't know why MD havn't been pushed as a data storage media. IT is a logical choice. The same technology that MD uses is called Magneto-Optical, and it's used in drives that are called (duh) magneto-optical drives. Fujitsu makes them. The discs are about $5.00 for a 640 Mb disc (in Taiwan).
/home directory at night, and NEVER had a failure.
The technology that MD and MO discs uses requires a laser to heat the material past it's curie point, where a magnetic field can then flip the "polarity" of the material. This is very similar to a CDRW and the "Phrase change" technology. Combined with a good enclosure for the discs, they are virtually indestructable. I use it to back up my
Reading is thru a laser, so no contacts, no wear.
-=- SiKnight
The possibilities, as these utilities improve and drop in price, are magnificent. A kid in school could suddenly have more than just a 'voice' on a website. A protestor could share with the world, first-hand, what is occuring between him and the police (such as during the WTO incident). If you're stopped by an office, you can just flip the switch on this baby and have instant proof if anything unprofessional occurs. You could share your daughter's soccer game with her father who is across the country -- in real time.
But one of the greatest things I can envision about this would be for urgent situations such as natural disasters and military operations. Imagine cheap, unlimited access to what is basically a high-fi webcam to tell your wife goodnight, while you're getting under the covers, instead of from some busy commons or mess-hall that you have to share with a million other people.
Most importantly, imagine Mardi Gras . . . No more waiting for the photos of naked breasts to appear randomly on the internet. Suddenly, they're streaming from Joe Schmoe's MiniDisc recorder right to his website... Like I said, the possibilities are pretty endless.
The problem right now, of course, is that $2500 is a lot to spend. Even $1000 would seem pricey. And the camera itself doesn't look very comfortable. Perhaps if there were a way to easily transition it from a standard handy-cam setup to a more typical flat-standing camera that you could set on a surface somewhere and get in front of (like you would with a little Logitech webcam, strapped to the top of your computer, or elsewhere), it would be easier to handle.
It also says that images, once transferred to your computer, are in 640x480 resolution. That isn't horrible, but it doesn't say whether it can achieve higher resolution than that. In other words, do they mean that if you want to store 4500 images, it has to be done at 640x480? Or is 640x480 literally the highest resolution any single image can reach? For $2500, I'd want a finer quality.
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icq:2057699
seumas.com
So I'm a little peeved. It has an ethernet port! I want a FireWire port, dammit!
I mean, I have a perfectly good video device, another Sony product, the TRV103, digital 8 FireWire/iLink capable digital camcorder... but if I want to record audio, the best I can do is keep the lens on and record for about an hour straight. Is there no solution for people looking for a digital audio recorder device? DAT, miniDisc, whatever? I'm not sure where to look, but mostly what I've found are FireWire tape backup devices...
Sigh, this is off topic, of course, but it seems the best place, of any, to find other link minded individuals. Anyone able to help?
-AS
-AS
*Pikachu*
It would be nice if they offered an inexpensive MD-Data drive for this new 650M format, but somehow it seems unlikely, since they thought that people would pay over $700 for the original MD-Data drive. Sometimes it boggles my mind that a company with such superb engineering talent can have such idiots in marketing. Wait a minute, that sounds just like most companies I've worked for or dealt with; I guess it's not so mind-boggling after all.
I would have though that MD would have been a compelling product to place against the zip-drive.
This question comes up quite often on alt.music.minidisc, and from what I remember, they do exist. I don't recall exactly why they were not good, but a quick search on Deja will answer your question.
Now there are tons of digital products where MD would be perfect, like cameras.. It's about time. When can I get an MP3 that uses MD?
You don't need an MP3 player that uses MD! Portable MD players/recorders have the ability to record from any source, whether an analog headphone jack or an optical TOSLINK. Just get a $2 1/8 to 1/8 miniplug cable from Radioshack and record your MP3s to your MD. It takes a bit longer than just copying the files to a MP3 player, but the sound quality of MD is phenomally better than the portable MP3 players I've heard.
-Antipop
I posted this stuff a few weeks ago when someone asked about digital cameras.
Over at minidisc.org they have some good information about this camera, along with some external reviews. The thing does look very cool. Just hook it up to the net and you can do your webserving right off of it.