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Product: Audio: Recorder
Long Play CD Recorder   (0)  [vote for, against]
For those never-ending conferences and meetings.

A portable, battery operated CD recorder that, instead of recording audio in 'Red Book' format, allows the operator to select a variety of recording sample rates and stereo and mono options.

The audio would be recorded as PC-format Wave (.WAV) files. Sequentially numbered, these files could be played directly off the recorder, or inserted in any computer and played with the media player. This would, for example, allow almost 500 minutes of recording time at 11kHz in mono with a 700Mb disc. The sample rate could be raised to 22kHz or even 44.1 if needed.

These low sample-rate recordings would be ideal for capturing long conferences and meetings where total recording time and low media costs would be favoured over sound fidelity.
-- Cedar Park, May 25 2003

Mambo-X http://www.mambox.com/P350.htm
Kinda related, but hard drive recorder, instead of CD-R. [Cedar Park, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 17 2004]

Archos review http://rollingstone...20GB~RD-94606167684
Records to Portable Hard Drive [thumbwax, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 17 2004]

minidisc's LP encoding http://minidisc.org/mdlpfaq.html#_q56
kind of similar... [oatcake, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 17 2004]

Okay, but is the cost of CD-R in general in the media it'elf? I don't think so. If I can afford the CD-R, am I going to quibble over the cost of a CD? And how does the cost of a very portable CD-R plus media compare to the cost of a very portable tape recorder plus media?

I'll grant it would be lighter than carrying a laptop, but my laptop would do this and more.
-- phoenix, May 25 2003


The purpose is not to generate a low cost recorder, it is for a much longer continuous recording time than is currently available with DAT, cassette, or minidisc.

Around here, cassette media is more expensive than CD-R media, and many people would not prefer to use a $2000.00 laptop to be a meeting recorder.
-- Cedar Park, May 25 2003


Recording in MP3 format, copies can be recorded (and compressed) at a bit-rate of 128 kbps without suffering from an audible loss in audio quality. At this rate, a 74-minute disc may contain approximately 140 MP3-recorded tracks, for a total playing time of over 11 hours. Trick'd be in the holding tank.
-- thumbwax, May 25 2003


I thought about the MP3 aspect. Couldn't Google up a _portable_ MP3 CD recorder, though.

Add this to the wish list. Would want this to have variable bit rate for extended recordings, then.

Maybe Broadcast Wave format, with embedded time code, too.
-- Cedar Park, May 25 2003


I'm diggin' Mambo's mascot.
-- rapid transit, May 25 2003


Newer minidisc recorders are capable of recording in 3 formats: normal ATRAC encoding (282 kbps/74 minutes), "LP2" (132 kbps/120 minutes), and "LP4" (66 kbps/320 minutes). [link]
-- oatcake, May 25 2003


The problem with this is that minidisc media is still more expensive, and you just can't throw it in any computer.
-- Cedar Park, May 25 2003


Minidiscs may be more expensive, but they can be rerecorded on practically an infinite number of times, are more durable, and of course smaller. As for computer transferring, NetMD is capable of uploading at multiple-times-faster-than-realtime via USB, but currently isn't implemented in any existing software. MD users are begging - and hacking - for such a feature.
-- oatcake, May 25 2003


Nice idea for the real world, for a few people who might need it. But (forgive me) it sort of fills up a very tiny gap in the offerings of an already hyper-active technology market, no?
-- bquady, May 25 2003


You're still losing me between these two statements:
"The purpose is not to generate a low cost recorder..."
and
"The problem with this is that minidisc media is still more expensive..."
-- phoenix, May 26 2003


I see several reasons for this idea: 1. Using the WAV format lets you play the file on a 386 with a 1x CD-ROM drive, unlike MP3. 2. Using write-once discs let you archive all of the voice recordings--you will never know that you need one later, unlike tape or minidisc. 3. You can copy the file to the PC and then use them in any number of ways, unlike minidisc.
-- Amishman35, Nov 30 2003



random, halfbakery