In essence the HI MD player / recorder is a standard MD unit but using the high capacity 1gb MD media, this can fit up to 45 hours of music on a disc when using Sony's Proprietary ATRAC3 compression system. The Sony MZ-NH700 brings this high capacity to a much lower price range than the NHF800 we tried before, but the key components seem to be there with this cheaper model.

The MD player will only play ATRAC3 compressed files although the supplied sonic stage 2 software will convert both WMA and MP3 tracks to the Sony format, while we're not fans of extra compression the format is robust and the process is only mildly annoying. Audio quality however is first class just hook it up to your stereo and you can't help but be impressed and to our ears its better than our Ipod when hooked to a good quality stereo system.

Other comparisons with the Ipod leave the Sony MZ-NH700 in a less favourable position, size wise the HI MD player is a bit of a porker, its Billy Bunter proportions mean it is nearly double the thickness of a 20gb Ipod and about the same height and width, this may not be an issue but you do know when you have this unit in your pocket. But all this extra pork means extra poke the battery which accounts for most of the portly size will run the MZNH700 for some 27 hours before needing a charge, plus unlike the Ipod when the eventual death of the rechargeable battery occurs its easily swapped without the need for a visit to the Ipod service centre!

Sony make driving the MZ-NH700 nice and simple, despite the cheap feeling plastic case the controls do inspire confidence, the jog wheel allows you to spin through menus and track listings using the 3 line LCD screen to find the music you're after. Its a good tactile sensation with very positive feedback from clicks and twists of the controls which is ideal when the bulky NH700 is tucked beneath a jacket.

There is a slim and some what stick like remote control in line with the supplied headphones which can control most basic functions but it lacks the small LCD screen of the NHF800 which may mean an amount of fumbling inside jackets and pockets to see exactly which track you are looking for.

The Hi MD format is also good for storing things other than music, it is just at home acting as a 1 GB USB store holding anything from pictures from your digital camera or word or other office documents. Now getting hold of the HI MD media is a little tricky at present but you can still use the standard media and hold a sizeable amount of music on an ordinary disc.

The MZ-NH700 also has the ability to record via either USB, a Mic input or analogue / digital line inputs, of course if you are a CD ripping fan this will seem archaic but for those without a PC this will allow a move to digital music. In fact a colleague of LP's who bought an Ipod only to discover his work PC would not run iTunes and had no PC at home, may well have wanted such a direct record feature on his Ipod.

Perhaps Sony's trump card with the MZ-NH700 Hi MD player is the price, while other devices that have fixed 20gb storage typically cost north of £200 this baby is under £150. Of course you will find yourself changing discs and perhaps even carrying a few round with you but much like Lp's preference for single loading CD players in cars, sometimes there is enjoyment in selecting and loading what you want to play and having everything of tap breeds laziness.

Mini Disc is far from dead and the Sony MZ-NH700 represents excellent value for money.

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