mjacobs

Sony listed them on the page describing the features of version 4.0. Included were 96 kbs and 128 kbs. Is Sony simply lying?

I downloaded and installed Sonicstage 4.0CP. A quick check indicated it appeared to work. However, none of the new HI-MD bitrates show up in the bitrate selection menu. Anyone have an idea why not and what I can do to access the new bitrates?

SS 3.4 is definitely an improvement. Too bad they don't simply make all bitrates of all supported formats available as the default. For instance, I am an Old Time Radio (OTR) fan. OTR is low-fidelity, at best. The OTR files are .mp3 format, usually at 24 or 32 kbs, with an occassional 48 or 64 kbs file. From a sound quality viewpoint, there is no point in converting them to ATRAC at a higher bitrate, as the quality won't improve, and the file-size will increase significantly (a 24 kbs .mp3 file will double in size when converted to 48 kbs ATRAC 3+). I simply can't understand why Sony bothers to restrict bitrates the way they do.