"Steve Underwood" wrote in message
...
Be warned that *very* few MP3 players do MP3 recording. Most only record
in a rather low quality ADPCM format. An external mic makes them sound a
bit better than the internal mic, but not a great deal better.

The Sony HiMD (high capacity minidisc) recorders have a linear PCM recording
mode, that's essentially the same as what you get on a CD. The HiMD blanks
are about $7, but you can find the lower capacity (original "80 minute")
MD's for less than $2 each. I recently bought a 10 pack of Memorex MD's for
$15 at MicroCenter. In Linear PCM mode, an "80 minute" MD can hold 28
minutes of audio. A HiMD can hold 1 hour 34 minutes of linear PCM. If CD
quality is overkill (for recording lectures), the next best mode, Hi-SP can
fit 2 hours 20 minutes on an "80 minute" MD and 7 hours 55 minutes on a
HiMD. Hi-SP is Sony's ATRAC3plus at 256kbps, which is a pretty high bitrate
for a compressed format.

For field recording, HiMD isn't a bad way to go. The discs are cheap
compared to flash memory, and the HiMD unit itself is cheaper than a (high
capacity) HD based unit with a decent recording capability. On top of that,
your field recordings can be transferred back to your PC through USB.

http://www.minidisc.org/

Jeff
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