Sharp MD-M3 Operation Manual - Page 46

WHAT IS A MINIDISC? 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. s 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. Disc Shutter Cartridge 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). s 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. q The disc will then be protected against acciden- tal erasure. q 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 s What is a MiniDisc? q 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. q 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. q Never disassemble MiniDiscs. s Adaptive TRansform Acoustic Cod- ing [ATRAC] The ATRAC (Adaptive TRansform Acoustic Coding) 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 acousticmasking. The acoustic quality of the sound is not impaired. s Types of discs There are two types of discs: playback-only and recordable type. q 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.) q 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 Shutters will be used on only one side (back). both sides. s 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. q Stick a label correctly to the specified area. (Do not stick labels to areas other than the specified one.) q Do not stick one label upon another. q If a label is peeling off or starts to come loose, replace it with a new one. s 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. 44