navsimpson

There is a workaround, but it'll be time consuming. You'll need to download and install Sonicstage 4.0, which, depending on your luck, will either go flawlessly or make you pull your hair out. Then, copy the ATRAC files to your harddrive and import them into Sonicstage. Then, save all the files as .wav files - you should be able to do this in batch. Then find a program that converts wav to mp3 - like CDex - and do a batch convert of the .wav files and then use whatever program you want - heck, even Sonicstage! - to make an MP3 cd. Nav

Any possibility? Gapless works fine on my DAP, but I still get hiccups in Sonicstage and I'm not sure if it's just my 4 year old PC. Thanks, Nav

As far as I know - and I might be wrong - since Sonicstage has no 'now playing' feature, there isn't a way to play songs that are not in the library. Nav

I think for Sony to take the same approach as the Zune would be suicidal - I don't think there's any point in trying to best the iPod/iTunes duo as their market share is just too great to surmount in the short-term. What many here have said - that Sony invented this market - is something that I think can be looked at another way. While it's true that Sony invented the portable audio market, I think (and this is just my opinion) that the DAP market is different in that it rests on the interdependence of hardware/software. ITunes just works well with the iPod - it's straightforward and makes the whole experience easy and transparent, and its often this that made people hop on the Apple train. In addition, Apple just made the iPod cool, like a Walkman or Discman used to be, because they not only embraced new technology, but also the new cultural changes that went along with it. I also don't believe that gapless or even things like sound quality matter that much in the larger picture (they might matter to me, but I don't think that counts for much). I decided to get a Sony player because I just thought iPods didn't sound great and, having listened to a few now, I'm glad I did get a Network Walkman. But if the iTunes revolution proved anything, it's that customers only care about basic quality (i.e. a 128kbs AAC file) and, probably more than that, usability and choice. Millions of people are more than happy to listen to DRMed lossy music, not because they're stupid but because it's just simple, easy and what they want. If Sony wants to gain a market share, then I believe it has to: have simple, straightforward and stable software; create a device that is a mix of the PSP and Walkman, particularly with the PSP's new focus on playing multiple formats; remake Connect to make it not only faster to use but also more in line with new Web 2.0 social networking; and include both video and music to make Connect the online hub not only for Walkmans, but also the PSP and PS3. It's only then that they'll have the sort of clout to get a workable business of selling both hardware and content. [edit] Oh, I also forgot, because I know you were to dying to hear: why doesn't Sony actually make use of their content arms and start selling their huge Columbia jazz/classical collections as something like 'premium Connect content' i.e. high-bitrate music. It seems that jazz and classical listeners are prob. more likely to want better sound quality, so it could be sold at 352kbs or maybe even ATRAC lossless. Sorry I'm such a wordy git. Nav

Not sure if this is entirely relevant, but I tried to rip some some copied CDs using Sonicstage and it couldn't recognise the discs. I tried using CDex to get a LAME rip - next best thing to ATRAC - and the discs did in fact read and rip, but with so many artifacts as to make them unlistenable. I don't think it was LAME that was at fault though - stuff from eMusic sounds great - but with the discs themselves. Perhaps you might have a similar problem, i.e. scratches etc? Not sure at all, but I thought I'd mention it just in case. Nav

Hey, It was my understanding that the nwe00x series did support non-DRMed AAC out of the box - I thought that's why it was in Sonicstage 4.0CP (and for the PSP too I guess). Anyone who has one wanna' help out? Oh, I forgot to add, if these are files you have bought from the iTunes music store, you're out of luck - the Digital Rights Manangement they have in them (Fairplay) only works in iTunes and on iPods. If they are simply files you have imported using iTunes, then I believe they should work, though I might be wrong. Nav

Heya, The NWA608 prob has been discontinued as they are now selling the 2GB NWE005. It sounds odd that your battery would just go from working normally to giving you just 40-50 minutes. Normal battery degredation tends to happen gradually. My HDD player was only giving me 7-8 hours while it was still under warranty and consequently I sent it in for repair. It came back saying that they had done some 'electrical realignment' and it did bump up my battery life by a few hours. Perhaps something similar has happened to you? good luck, Nav

DSP - I actually have a little folder of atrac playlists for WMP, for when I don't feel like waiting *forever* for Sonicstage to load! I guess I meant it in the sense of getting atrac as a recognised format that could become part of someone's library - basically so the file stays the same, but it remains transparent to the average user. cheers, nav

Yeah, I've been thinking about this too. Sony seems to financially be slowly getting back on the right track, but with DELL execs publicly blaming Sony for the laptop battery fiasco and the huge anti-climax of a stunted PS3 release, things aren't exactly looking rosy. I think Sony's biggest problem is the lack of cohesion and unison between the different divisions. I've said it before: it seems almost incomprehensible that, with the success of the Sony Ericsson walkman phones, there wouldn't be a push to make them compatible with Connect or, at the very least, ATRAC3+. I've read that it requires an extra processor and would thus make the phones a little bigger, but it just seems to be so worth it from the viewpoint of integration. I just can't believe that a large corporate would release a product from one division that snubs a potential revenue-stream from a different division of the very same company. I'm not entirely sure that they *have* to sell off their content arms - there is the very slight possibility that they could turn around and become industry leaders and open up their media to play across a variety of different software/hardware. This is, however, very very unlikely, particularly with Microsoft now a competitor in both software/content and hardware (there goes getting WMP to play atrac). I agree with what others here have said that they need to pick a few core product lines and focus on them. While they used to get billions from CD licensing (they co-invented CDs and get a slice of all CD sales), that little nest-egg is about to expire. Personally, I totally agree with the idea that Sony would be a great co. to make a small PMP with an amazing screen and sound quality. If they actually focus and integrate to make sure that it has a stable, simple-to-use software and a reasonably priced, redesigned Connect that sells music, music videos, tv shows and movies, they might actually take enough of a market share to make the Walkman brand profitable again. Nav

Hey dude, you're of course entitled to your opinion, but to me, Sony's implementation of ATRAC just works i.e. it does exactly what I want it to - keep a lossless copy on my hard drive and a lossy copy on my DAP. Hopefully they'll work something in future releases of Sonicstage that'll work for you too. Nav

Perhaps the reason your mp3s aren't sounding great is that Sonicstage's default for converting to ATRAC is usually 64kbs, which doesn't sound brilliant. Transcoding a high bitrate mp3 to around ATRAC 192kbs should sound okay, though to be honest, I've never really tried it - perhaps the 'double transcoding' will make it sound awful and perhaps that's the problem. On another note, I think Sony's implementation of lossless makes a lot sense (for once!). I highly doubt I could tell the difference between lossless and 352kbs on my NWHD3 - it sounds good, but it's no high-end piece of kit. To me, it's brilliant that you can keep lossless on your pc - where you might have it hooked up to high-end sound system - and then have a small lossy file to throw onto your DAP (which, at 352kbs, will sound really really good). Good luck! And an early welcome to Canada! Nav

Hi All, I'm a little new to this forum (which, btw, is a great resource) and had a question about the relative sound quality of the ATRAC format. I only hope that this hasn't been discussed ad-nauseum - I did do a search and could only find discussions of certain bitrates in the different releases of Sonicstage. I've recently been reading the forums at hydrogenaudio.org - where ATRAC seems to be *very* unpopular - and am a little curious as to what others think about the comparative sound quality of ATRAC, particularly ATRAC3plus since this is what I use for my NWHD3. At hydrogenaudio, it seems most people swear by AAC and LAME MP3s as the best-sounding codecs by far and claim that ATRAC has no benefits over these formats. Being curious about it - and, okay, a little defensive - I did a little informal test of my own (I know, I'm a giant nerd). I ripped the first track from Mark Knopfler's "Sailing to Philidelphia" CD, whose albums are always pristinely recorded - and used the following formats and bitrates: ATRAC Advanced Lossless (with the 352kbs setting) ATRAC3plus 352kbs ATRAC3plus 128kbs AAC 320kbs AAC 128kbs WMA 192kbs MP3 320kbs (using CDex to get a LAME ripper, rest ripped using Sonicstage 4.0) To 'test', I used my only set-up: a Creative Audigy 2 Notebook and a pair of Grado SR-60s. Unsurprisingly, the lossless file sounded the most lifelike to me, which I suppose is a little tautological. But when it came to the other formates, to my ears the ATRAC3plus 352kbs file simply sounded the cleanest and most vibrant. The AAC file at 320kbs was very very good, just ever so slightly flat in my opinion (perhaps because of the lower bitrate). The LAME MP3 also sounded good, but not as good as the aforementioned two while the MP3 ripped using Sonicstage and the WMA file sounded about the same. But, to be completely honest, the differences we're talking about here are minute, and definitely not the sort I'd notice on the subway, unless I had some super-expensive Etymotic headphones or something. All in all, I'd say using some pretty mid-level equipment (or high-end or low-end depending on your thresholds), there was a difference, but it was slight. I am, however, glad I'm spending all this time re-ripping my collection into ATRAC! The one area where ATRAC wasn't as good (in my opinion) was that I felt the AAC 128kbs file sounded better than the ATRAC3plus file at the same bitrate. I always thought that ATRAC's strong suit was its lower bitrates, but maybe I was wrong or perhaps it was just a song that favoured AAC. Anyway, what I was curious about was what others thought about, on the one hand, Sony's (and I suppose also my) claim that ATRAC is aurally superior and, on the other, the claims of others that ATRAC offers no benefits at all (particularly since we all know it comes with a lot of downsides). I know that many - including myself - often have a bit of a bias when it comes to Sony, but what do others think about ATRAC's sound quality, particularly at the higher- and middle- levels of the bitrate spectrum - say 128kbs and up? P.S. Sorry about the length, Nav

Hi, When I want to convert an ATRAC file to MP3, I actually find it more straightforward to just do a batch convert of whatever I want to a WAV file and then over to an MP3. But maybe that's just me. Nav

I'm a little late, but hopefully someone might read this still. Sonicstage 3.4 worked flawlessly for me. I've always just upgraded on top of the old versions and it's been great. But now, with 4.0CP, seemingly random MP3 files won't play of their own accord - instead, you have to click on the status bar to get any sound. No problem with wma's or ATRAC files. I reinstalled WMP10 to reinstall the codecs but the same problems exist. Anyone know of some possible solutions, other than re-ripping my whole music collection into ATRAC? Thanks, Nav P.S. Otherwise, 4.0 is amazing - I've just finally run up against the wall of bugs everyone keeps talking about in Sony software...

All I want - other than the software working as best as possible - is a set of transfer options. That way, you could label an album (like an audiobook) as "do not transfer" or one you don't listen to that much as "convert to 132kbs" so that when you do put music on your walkman or whatever, it will automatically move/transfer the things you want and leave the things you don't. Nav