navsimpson

And, in the I told you so department... The same blog is now reporting that he "got some very promising news from some Sony fellows that there will be a point where all devices - Sony Ericsson Walkman, Sony Playstation Portable and Sony Network Walkman - use [sony Media Manager]". So this suggests that Sony will finally drop Sonicstage and integrate their digital audio brands, on some level anyway. I know that we got this news already with the B100, but we couldn't really tell if that was a one off or not.

Just a little snippit. Over at some guy's All About Sony blog, he states that Sony Ericsson's new Walkman phone (the w960) comes with Media Manager i.e. the software the PSP uses. I was just wondering if this means that all Sony products are finally moving closer to integration - or perhaps if the new Walkmans will start to use the software too, in addition to drag 'n drop. Just a thought. Here's the link: http://sonyfanboy.wordpress.com/2007/06/14...-walkman-phone/ -Nav

This was on Gizmodo today: "At a press breakfast today in NYC, Sony Electronics US President Stan Glasgow admitted that Sony's attempts to unseat Apple in the once Walkman-dominated personal audio category are pretty close to over. For many years, Sony repeated the slogan, "It's still early in the game." Today, acknowledging Apple's 80% market share in personal audio, Glasgow said, "I wouldn't say the game is over, but it's really late in the game." Rick Clancy, head of Sony's US public relations, quickly reminded reporters that Sony would still innovate in this category, but when discussion turned to the Sony Connect service, Glasgow said that, looking to the future, it would be more focused on movies and books. (It is currently the content hub for Sony's E-Ink Reader.)" Alright - I take back my optimism. So, what then? Does this mean the game is over? Should we expect Sony to not release new software, and stick to smaller players like the B100? -Nav

God, and here I was trying to be optimistic! You downers you... Nah, I think you're all quite right - Sony did try and relaunch with the A3000 and Connect and this could very well be just 'more of the same', differently branded. I was just thinking that it might involve something more than just a marketing push - i.e. new jukebox software to go with new players (like the B100 perhaps? I mean, that would be the entry-level model and bigger/better ones would go with it). As for ATRAC, something big-ish to keep in mind is that if they drop it, they also drop Connect.com . That could mean a whole new service with jukebox/storefront software or tighter integration with PSN. There's always the Windows Media Player 11 option, which is very good I think - but it doesn't support AAC properly, and I think that AAC should be the format of choice if DRM-free MP3s aren't an option. I think changes are afoot though - there have been creeping signs of movement in the world of Sony, so perhaps they're making baby-steps. -Nav

This was on news.com today, from a media session where they were talking about Sony's consumer electronic plans. Sounds sorta' promising eh? "Though Apple has eaten up most of the market for portable audio, Sony says it will relaunch the Walkman brand in the fall. Sony will tweak its home audio products so that there will be better interoperability between portable and home products. "It's not going to damage Apple's market share," Glasgow admitted, but he said Bluetooth capability will be featured heavily on the products." http://news.com.com/Sony+plans+TV+line+for...0&subj=news It is a bit disappointing that they're not going for the bigger picture here - i.e. not simply relaunching the Walkman brand, but tying it to the Playstation brand and, more importantly, re-launching a music service. Still, I'm optimistic. I wonder if it means sticking with the a800, s7x and e01x series and simply promoting them in a new marketing push; or if this means new hardware and new software. Given how notorious Sonicstage has become, I'm hopeful that it's the latter. What do y'all think? -Nav

Bangraman, I think that some sort of unification of the Playstation Network and Connect - even if that means a complete overhaul of Connect - is the way to go. 'Course, that doesn't mean anything, even if it makes sense - this is Sony after all. I do wonder what will happen now that we know for certain that a PSP store is coming (Dave Karraker has said so explicitly now). It seems pretty unlikely that ATRAC will be used; but it also seems likely that DRM will still play a major role. So I think that a new Sony AAC-based DRM system is on the way. It seems like that could happen in the Walkman segment as well, but that could potentially make every model they've made up until now incompatible, unless they were willing to suck up the cost of a large firmware upgrade program for the NW-A800 and its contemporaries. Personally, I think we might see one more stability upgrade for Sonicstage. After that though, if they've got any sense, it'll be done. -Nav

So, even diehard Sony geeks like ourselves all generally agree - Sonicstage could be a heck of a lot better. Even though versions 4.2/4.3 saw a lot of improvements, particularly in the performance department, SS is lacklustre as an everyday jukebox player. One wonders if anyone at Sony has ever used iTunes or Windows Media Player 11. So, the big question is - will Sony release another version of Sonicstage? Will it drop it entirely? Or will it replace it with something entirely new? -Nav

I would say stick to MP3 - preferably using the EAC/LAME combo if you don't mind it being a little difficult to initially figure out. Sonicstage supports ID3v2 tags and embedded album art. Plus, the sound quality you'll get will be at least on par with AAC, if not better. MP3s are by far the most universal format, so to me that makes the most sense. -Nav

I've heard the Soundsticks, and they're very good - very natural compared to most computer speakers. I imagine the M-Audio monitors would be better though.

Are you sure you don't have either AVLS or the Dynamic Normaliser on?

I downloaded a couple of the new DRM-free AAC tracks from iTunes yesterday, just to test them out. They seem generally fine, except for the tags. When I play them on my PSP, then some of the information is missing. I know that SS doesn't deal with AAC tags, particularly iTunes ones, but does anyone know how to fix this (other than just manually entering the info)? -Nav

I think he means on Connect Europe. There's nothing here in North America.

For the first question - Sonicstage transcodes your MP3s into ATRAC files for the purpose of transferring to your device. It keeps the original files in the library and kinda' 'hides' your ATRAC files. One benefit of this is that you can keep the better sounding files on your PC and save space on your portable device. If you really just want to get rid of your MP3s - which I wouldn't recommend given how proprietary and odd Sonicstage can be - you would actually have to go in and delete those files from Sonicstage's library or actually delete them fully. For the second, are you adjusting from the album view? Sometimes, you need to go in and edit the track properties themselves, rather than the album name etc. -Nav

1080p isn't just an output resolution, it's a rendering resolution. Right now, only the highest end PC graphics cards can display PS3-like graphics at 1920x1080 i.e. 1080p. I think it's unrealistic to expect that the PS3, even with the Cell processor, to display graphics like those in Motorstorm at 1080p, at least right now. Also, it's much more the graphical effects and design that will determine graphical quality. I've played Gears of War in 720p and 1080i and the difference is almost impossible to distinguish. What's more important for visual fidelity is the engine used, rather than the resolution displayed.

While I think that SS is way better than it was, it's still subpar, especially when compared to iTunes. I don't think that CNET are being biased here - I think there's a solid case to be made that iTunes is more intuitive and better designed than Sonicstage. And Sonicstage is proprietary, isn't it? It's the only way you can get songs onto a Sony device, especially since the alternatives we know about here don't always work on new models. iTunes is also proprietary, but its universality makes that a bit of a moot point. And I just noticed - 200 posts! Yay. -Nav

http://reviews.cnet.com/mp3-players/sony-n...ag=nefdprod.rev

Hi, Welcome to ATRACLife! The music you purchased from iTunes is copy protected using a technology called FairPlay. It restricts the use of those AAC files to devices and software made by Apple. So, unfortunately, you cannot use those files with Sonicstage or a Sony product. You do have the option of burning the files to a cd and then re-ripping the files in whichever format you choose - however, since you're compressing the music twice (the original file from iTunes is compressed, and burn and rip compresses again) the sound quality will be significantly worse. I've found you sorta' get used to Sonicstage over time. You can always just use it as your transferring program though, and keep using iTunes as your main player. -Nav

http://www.pspfanboy.com/2007/05/10/statio...-movies-to-psp/ This, to me, seems huge - and yet, no-one in the press or on the 'tubes seems to care. -Nav

To throw in my two cents - I had thought the whole EAC/LAME combo was all geek hype and that nothing topped ATRAC 352kbs. But I recently switched and I'm really amazed at how clean and crisp everything sounds. Highly recommend it, even despite the lack of user-friendliness. -Nav

Hi, All Sony players play MP3s natively - no conversion required. As to what's the better buy, that probably depends on your needs and what price you can get them at. If you won't use video at all and would value built-in noise cancelling, the s700 series might be better for you. However, from all the hubbub here about the a800 series, it seems that there's just something 'cool' about the design and interface which, let's face it, is often half the fun when it comes to buying a new gadget. Don't quote me on this, but it also feels like Sony are actually supporting the a800 with a full range of accessories etc. - perhaps it's best in the long run? I think you should read reviews and then, when you're in the UK, go to a shop and play around with both and see which one you like best. -Nav

Yeah, the bitrate selection is for Walkmans that don't support AAL. What we sorta' guessed that AAL does is keep a lossy copy of the file along with the lossless, so that when it transfers, it can just pull the lossy copy at whatever bitrate you selected. But when it plays on your PC - or if you just transfer the lossless file to your device - it'll sound exactly the same, as it'll be playing a lossless version of the track. Hope this clarifies things a bit. -Nav

Hiya, Because your Walkman supports ATRAC Lossless natively, SS will just transfer the file as is, regardless of the bitrate you selected. What you'll need to do is right-click on those tracks and select 'Convert Format' and select whichever bitrate you want for your Walkman. This will create a new ATRAC3/plus file, and that's what will transfer. -Nav

As far as I know, Connect won't function on Vista. You'll have to use Sonicstage 4.3, which is available from Sony's website. People have been having troubles with it, but I'm afraid that it's the only Sony software that's Vista compatible - to make no mention of the fact that even Sony recommend using Sonicstage over Connect. -Nav

Sorry, no email address. Phoning will probably be the quickest way to get an answer though. -Nav

Also, unless you're running Vista, there's no need to upgrade to 4.3 . My experience has been that if Sonicstage is working, don't tempt fate - just stick with what you have. -Nav