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The disc is stored in a cartridge. You can handle it
easily without worrying about dust, fingerprints, etc.
However, dust entering the opening of the cartridge,
dirt on the cartridge, warping, etc. may cause
malfunctions. Please note the following.
■ Handling the MiniDisc
Do not touch the disc directly!
Do not open the shutter or touch the disc directly.
If the shutter is opened forcibly, it may break.
Shutter
Disc
Cartridg
e
Where not to store discs:
Do not store discs in places with high temperatures
or humidity. Specifically, do not leave discs in places
exposed to direct sunlight or in cars with doors and
windows closed. Do not leave discs in places where
sand can get into the cartridge easily (e.g.,
beaches).
■ To prevent recorded discs from
being erased accidentally
Slide the accidental erase prevention tab, located
on the side of the disc, in the direction indicated by
the arrow.
● The disc will then be protected against acciden-
tal erasure.
● To add a recording to such a disc, slide the acci-
dental erase prevention tab back to its original
position.
Tab
Protected against
accidental erasure
■ What is a MiniDisc?
● A MiniDisc is a 64 mm (2-1/2") diameter disc
which is stored in a cartridge. MiniDiscs are easy
to handle, compared to compact discs, because
they are protected against dust and scratches.
● Recording and playback use a digital system with
a sound quality that is similar to that found on
compact discs.
MiniDiscs cannot twist or stretch like tapes. The
quality of sound will not deteriorate. MiniDiscs
are extremely durable.
● Never disassemble MiniDiscs.
■ Adaptive TRansform Acoustic Cod-
ing [ATRAC]
The ATRAC (Adaptive TRansform Acoustic Cod-
ing) is a new technol-ogy that is designed to
eliminate the information in sounds which you can
not hear and to compress the remaining sound data
so that the recording uses about 1/5 of the original
sound information. Sound data is analysed and
filtered to take advantage of psycho acous-
ticmasking. The acoustic quality of the sound is not
impaired.
■ Types of discs
There are two types of discs: playback-only and
recordable type.
● Playback-only MiniDisc:
This type of MiniDisc is used for commercially
available pre-recorded music. This is the same
kind of optical disc as CDs. Playback is performed
using an optical pickup. (Recording and editing
are not possible.)
● Recordable MiniDisc:
This is a “raw disc” on which recording can be
performed. A magneto optical disc is used.
Recordings are made using a laser and
magnetic field. Repeated recording is possible.
A Shutter will be used on
only one side (back).
Shutters will be used on
both sides.
■ How to apply labels
When sticking a label on an MD cartridge, be sure
to observe the following. If a label is not affixed
properly, an MD may become jammed in the unit
such that it can not be removed.
● Stick a label correctly to the specified area.
(Do not stick labels to areas other than the
specified one.)
● Do not stick one label upon another.
● If a label is peeling off or starts to
come loose, replace it with a new
one.
■ Shock Resistant Memory
During playback, approximately 10 seconds of
information is stored in the semiconductor memory.
Therefore, even when the pickup cannot read
information for a second or two due to an external
shock, the sound continues without interruption
because the information stored in memory is
output.
WHAT IS A MINIDISC?