Pictures from Hannover, Germany

Here's some images from the autumn '98 CeBit Home 98 trade show. Allthough most of the MD gear can be found in the lastest Sony catalogue, the Sony stand in Hall 4 is certainly worth a visit.
The titling & remote control software "PCLK MD1" for Windows95/98 is now on the market and will sell for DM 249,--. This was the only PC-connection on display, the digital audio card displayed earlier this year was not seen.
Another interesting new connection is the MD Link Plus. The designer audio system ZS-D7 allows you to completely remote control a MD walkman. It is connected via 3 cables and even gets the DC power from the system. You only need to tough the walkman if you want to exchange MDs.

Sony in Hall 4. Sony Sony
About the new home decks: Both the JB 920 and W 1 were on display, but it is quite impossible to get an overview about all the new features these models offer in a couple of minutes. And you can't judge the sound quality of these recorders in a noisy trade fair environment anyway. I noticed one thing however. The DJs on the MD-L have waited for an affordable recorder with pitch control for a long time. In case you don't know, this feature allows you to change the playback speed of the music in small steps. On the JB 920 you need to press a few buttons to reach this feature. So unless there's a shortcut I'm not aware of, the user interface practically prevents you from using the JB 920 as a player to mix music in a seamless way.

On the first floor I had an interesting chat about the recordable ES series MDs. These are now produced in Austria (Europe) as well. According to Mrs. Mischung (Sony Marketing Recording Media & Accessories) the difference between ES and ordinary MDs is that the ES series have a higher quality antistatic shell. Even though the medium is the same, this still improves the sound quality, as Mrs. Mischung had heard with her own ears while visiting the production plant DADC in Salzburg. Well, maybe this really is true (allthough most of the MD-L members think otherwise)... - what is beyond a doubt is that the ES series MD seems to be much more stable than normal MDs which might justify the higher price for important recordings alone.

OK, that's about all I could find out during my brief visit, if you want to know more, make sure you get a copy of the new INSIDE or the "it's in.hear" MD catalogue. Both can be ordered online from Sony Germany. And if you manage to get to the show before it closes on Sunday, 30/8/98 make sure you take home one of those nice MD pins... Now, here are more pictures, taken with a Sony Mavica and Casio QV-10 Camera. Enjoy:

PCLK MD1
Windows 95 screen shot of the PCLK MD1 software controlling a MD recorder and a CD player at the same time
PCLK MD1
Herr Gerlach demontrates the kit		 PCLK MD1
PCLK MD1 Hardware kit
Sony MZ-R 5 ST
Sony R 5 ST docking station
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