From: trevor@home.net   
      
   "Peter Larsen"  wrote in message   
   news:4e87f4ea$0$56776$edfadb0f@dtext02.news.tele.dk...   
   >>>> I have a number of old minidisks and want to convert the music on   
   >>>> them into mp3. MDs are digital, so it ought to be possible to retain   
   >>>> the digital form and "just" convert that, rather than go through the   
   >>>> analogue output when I play an MD, which causes some loss of   
   >>>> quality.   
   >   
   >>> Good idea.   
   >   
   >>>> Can this be done, and how?   
   >   
   >>> player with sp-dif output, soundcard or computer with sp-dif input.   
   >   
   >> Which of course still means converting from ATRAC to PCM/Wav to MP3.   
   >> You may lose a *little* less than going via an analog connection, but   
   >> "some loss of quality" is unavoidable if you want .MP3's from MD.   
   >   
   > .wav or flac comes to mind as the usable household standards. MP3's sound   
   > boring in comparison.   
      
      
   The OP asked for .MP3, *and* MD is already compressed with ATRAC.   
   Saving it as .wav or flac will save one more compression step of course, but   
   still begs the question how much more loss will you get from an analog   
   connection compared with what has already occured. Assuming a half way   
   decent soundcard, and also assuming the D-A section of the MD player is as   
   good as the A-D section was to begin with.   
   Frankly the damage has been done IMO, and I wouldn't waste too much time and   
   effort worrying about it further.   
      
   Trevor.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)