aob9

Hi all, After my last negative reply from Sony ( re. firmware upgrade for NW-A80*), I decided to push it a little further and query them about some people being told there WOULD be an upgrade.................this is the reply!!!!!!! NOTE:I have now decided to accept that there will be no upgrade. Dear Mr O'Brien Thank you for your recent response. With regards to this, unfortunately I am unable to confirm the origins of opinions posted on forums. However I can confirm that only our new series of MP3 Walkmans will be able to be synced with Windows Media Player, and that our current Walkmans will remain exactly the same. I hope that you will find this information useful. If you require any further assistance then please do not hesitate to contact us. Yours sincerely Adam Callow For and on behalf of Sony United Kingdom Limited

Are you using a USB hub? Try a direct connection to a USB connection on your PC. You say only 'recent' files are affected, did you change anything else that may effect the quality of your transfers?

Sony are a bunch of muppets that make excellent DAPS. I love my A805, I only wish I bought a higher capacity model.........No firmware upgrade for me (even if they do release one ).

Are you using 'drag and drop' or WMP11??

For the first time ever I have listened to ATRAC 64k and I chose my NW-A805 as the target. I am amazed at the sound quality of this codec at such a low bitrate. My reason for filling my player up at 64k is because of space limitations as I'm heading on a holiday for a few days ( the 2 gig version was all I could afford at the time). I usually listen to MP3@192k and consider myself fairly fussy about SQ. I have been very vocal about a firmware upgrade for my A805................................I'm not too sure now

aob, I would agree that the iPod is over-rated, however they do provide a entrancing experience. I also watched the getting to know iPod touch video. The first thought was cult. Anyways, thanks for the heads up. I suppose I forget to take into consideration that whilst SQ is the over-riding feature for me this may not be the case for everyone else. In fact what I actually need to realize is that SQ is one single feature of a DAP. In the vast majority of cases people are probably happy with a player with 'good' SQ and a lot of street cred. I am a self confessed technology addict which makes me a little too critical to give a balanced opinion really. I look forward to ceres review of the itouch as he appears to be balanced in his opinions. CERES, If you do this review will you start a new thread so I don't miss it.PLEASE. Now, where was I, Oh yeah, Isn't APPLE TV CRAP.................................Sorry.

I don't wish to sound overly negative but I don't think 128 signatures will bother Sony very much ( one of them is mine ).

SonicStage 4.3.. I have 3 Walkman(s) and I have decided that there is little point in using two or more different media managers.So I have given up the idea of the firmware upgrade.....All of my music is ripped in MP3 anyway so I don't have a Hard Drive full of ATRAC to make me rush to change everything.

Taken directly from a consumer review on 'macrumors' forum..... ''The sound from the Touch is definitely not nearly as robust as the sound from the 5G iPod. The Touch sounds thin and 'tinny'. Chords in the song don't reverberate, and there is a lack of depth in the audio. Additionally at 50% volume there is some noticeable background noise coming from the device which noticeably dissapears when the device is shut off with the power switch. This is a big disappointment for me, as I expected a flash device to deliver sound quality at least as good as my 5G hard drive based iPod if not better. Sound from the Touch is not bad it actually sounds 'ok' but definitely not as good as previous generation iPods.'' This is my point entirely.........APPLE ipod is over-rated............. and getting worse. A little more of the truth from everyone please!!!!!!!!

WE were told SS would burn in 64k only, and were trying to give advice with little to go on...............there's no need for accusations of false information!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I started a thread yesterday entitled 'Official ........no firmware upgrade' . Sony have informed me that there will be be NO upgrade.

Instead of selecting a bitrate just select 'standard transfer mode' .This should allow you to burn the disc with the current ATRAC bitrate.

What else does SS say apart from only letting you burn in 64k?.........any messages,errors?

Sony are so badly organized that one region says there will be firmware upgrade program and another says there won't be!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hate to have to do this but you will see below a direct copy and paste of a query I sent to SONY IRELAND together with their reply. I received this by email today!!!!!!Can somebody please tell me what the hell is going on here??????????? My Query In the light of Sony's plans to ditch ATRAC, SonicStage and Connect music store I think it is only fair that they provide a firmware upgrade to allow the most recent Walkman products (e.g the NW-A80* series) to be compatible with Windows Media Player. I recently invested in this product including cradle and charger, only to find that it is already 'old technology'.I hope, like others, that Sony show respect for their customers and do the decent thing!!!! Regards, A hopeful Sony Customer. Sony Ireland's response ( note the SONY UNITED KINGDOM undersigning ) Dear Mr O'Brien Thank you for your recent enquiry to Sony. I am very pleased to learn that you own one of our walkmans but am sorry to read of the difficulties that you have been experiencing. With regards to this I have checked for you and can confirm that there are currently no plans to create a firmware update which will allow these players to sync with Windows Media Player. As you have specified these walkmans require the file to be in ATRAC format to be playable. Technological advancements are made on a daily basis, whilst products take many months of design before they are be produced. It is therefore unfortunately inherent in all consumer technology that it will be exceeded and become outdated at a very rapid speed. I hope that you will find this information useful. If you require any further information please do not hesitate to contact us. Yours Sincerely Adam Callow For and on behalf of Sony United Kingdom

Okay, I apologise for this question in advance but I notice there has been a lot of discussion on this subject recently. I require only a brief answer. When you refer to gapless playback do you mean the seamless advance to the next track ( e.g in LIVE recordings )? Is it true that Sony devices are unique in the ability to play tracks like this and this feature is not in the new NWZ series?

The best I've ever heard is someone asking a garage attendent 'how much '710' do I put in my car'? The puzzled attendent asked her to show him what she meant. On looking under the bonnet he realised that the 'OIL' filler cap was upside down..........................................Welcome to ATRACLIFE zoomhummer.

This looks like a problem with your player...............Sony Repair Service I reckon!!!

My cousin has informed me she will be buying a new ipod..............she says she wouldn't be caught 'wearing' anything else?!?!?!?!!?

Check this out..................but what is it???????????? http://stuff.tv/news/sonys-new-mp3-player-...is/default.aspx

This is why I despise APPLE. On this month's 'STUFF' Magazine in Britain there was yet another review of the iphone. It was supposed to be a balanced review and was summarized like this. Pros.......The sexiest phone ever made, period. Intuitive, beautiful, and fun user interface. Unsurpassed music and internet functionality. Cons........AT&T’s EDGE data network horribly slow. Screen smudges easily. Quite expensive and requires 2-year service commitment. If any other modern phone manufacturer released a phone with a horribly slow internet connection speed it would be slated beyond belief...notice however in the pro's section they have stated that it has Unsurpassed music and internet functionality. Even the reviewers cannot give fair, balanced comments when they get their hands on an APPLE product. Will anyone in the media have the courage to slate an APPLE product or at least be brutally honest about their limitations?

Are you sure????? as I am waiting patiently

Well delivered and well said..........but think about this also. Sony will never beat Apple ( I don't like them either ) because, although they probably have a few forward thinking people in their employ they have two major stumbling blocks...........a/ an interest in music rights ( Samsung, Cowon, Creative and APPLE [to a degree] couldn't give a toss)......b/ they are bogged down in red tape and buocracy (can't spell it) so even if the bright sparks attempted a coup they would be squashed by the baldies. To date, Sony build quality and SQ has been getting them through but they could be in for major trouble............imagine OWNING one of the largest music libraries on the planet and having to remove it from the internet 'cos you can't get your s*** together;...................unforgivable really.

Actually, your post has posed a question for me steve. Will WMP11 transfer MP3 to the A81*( A80* with firmware) or will it convert it to WMV on the way? I know MP3 will transfer via D'a'D, but I would like WMP11 to do the same...........I don't fancy WMV and the thoughts of re-ripping would lead me to stay with SS for my A805, now there's a development.

Sorry .......... missed that bit!!!!!!