Sony is leaving ATRAC off new units ...

[micknkeef]

I was at a Sears recently and even though they carry rather pedestrian level electronics, I always take a look being the junkie that I am. I found a new mini-system from Sony that plays regular and mp3 CDs but not ATRAC files. If you go to Sonystyle.com, you can see that the new upconverting DVD players with HDMI (which I have been waiting for to use between now and blue-ray) are also supporting MP3 and not ATRAC. How can this be? I feel my loyalty to the format for the last 10 years is being ignored. It's really hard to get any of my friends, or even my girlfriend, into the format and lack of hardware support from even the format's creator is just unthinkable. Makes me wonder if Sony's new direction includes quietly sweeping ATRAC out the door without making any sort of announcement. Did I mention that my CDX-F7715X has a much smaller gap between mp3 files than ATRAC? Thanks a bunch Sony.

[Christopher]

ATRAC will be supported by Sony at least until 2007.

[micknkeef]

Interesting. What's happening in 2007?

[pata2001]

Shows you that there are many conflict of interest inside Sony. MD/HiMD doesn't get MP3 until this year, yet Sony's PCDPs and Car decks have MP3 support before Atrac.

[Christopher]

Interesting.  What's happening in 2007?

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No idea. I imagine that they project they will employ the format for a certain period of time, and then reassess it's value at the end of it's term. It'll probably be renewed or dumped at that point, but there are many variables that can influence this positively or negatively depending on the flow of the market interest.

[lxrichbirdxl]

It's not really a sad news for me, but I wonder what difference the new format would make; If it's again developed and supported by Sony only, it'll be just another isolated format like atract. In fact, if they are gonna do that, why don't just call it atract4..then atract4plus...?

[jonny mac]

I was wondering: can ATRAC CDs be played on a computer using Sonicstage or only in ATRAC CD players?

[Guest Stuge]

I was wondering: can ATRAC CDs be played on a computer using Sonicstage or only in ATRAC CD players?

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No.U can`t run ATRAC CD BACK .It can be played on Atrac devices only.

These r Sony`s Encryping Tactics that we have to face.......

[jonny mac]

Really? That seems crazy. Even copy protected CDs can be played on computers, albeit at crappy bit-rates and after installing software you didn't ask for or agree with.

So if you have music on ATRAC CDs and then Sony stopped making ATRAC compatible CD players then you'd have no way to play them back?

Stupid Sony. And you wonder why no-one uses your formats...

[Damage]

You, of course, realize that all ATRAC CD Players can play back redbook CDs and MP3 CDs. Always had that ability, always will.

Guess this is more of an incentive to stay in MP3 format then isn't it?

[JustAnUnCoolCat]

Would have to agree with the sentiments of how stupid is it, on paper and in the public perception, that the only supported method of playback of ATRAC CD's is via an ATRAC CD walkman.

Before i recently bit the bullet and bought myself a new MD unit (was freaked out against buying one after my baaaaad experience of using them in broadcasting), i went with ATRAC via a D-NE1 and more recently a D-NE20 to replace an aging pair of iRiver CDP's.

So when i write the following, i write it from a users's POV, and also from an outsider-insider POV (i was involved in the DAP industry at one time, and no.. i was not in sales either).

It would be so easy to add ATRAC CD playback capability to SonicStage, and why not.... after all, if you were able to buy ATRAC CD's commericially (or literally bought legit pre-gened items from a band you followed), why not be able to use your installed Sonicstage at work to listen to the discs with, where you may not be allowed to bring in your DAP..??

(yes, some places do allow you to listen to music on your PC at work, provided you apply discretion).

And it would literally take no effort to add ATRAC support for CD playback to Sony/Awia DVD units (i assume there must be an AWIA unit out there somewhere) or any other make that has licensed ATRAC CD in their audio products and yet also produce AV players.

It's a matter of willingness vs battling against ridiculous licensing thrashing that often kills such results (either the license issuer brickwalls you unless u tow the corporate line, or the battle becomes fruitless and redundant).

But let's say in a perfect or willing world, someone saw the wisdom of ATRAC CD playback (say either by a licensed plugin or a Sony released soft player) - what would the fear factor be for the corporate darker denziens of the music arm of Sony..??

Well, for a starter, at the moment the DRM in use in the ATRAC CD format files is kinda still a dark and mystical beast that aint been cracked (exactly why is 'out there', probably because there is no widespread motivation to crack it), so we are still waiting on Sony...

but let's just say, someone did stick their neck out and produce a simple plugin (through mucho dark rites induced reverse engineering and whatever else methods) to simply produce a soft ATRAC CD player or plugin.. what else would come out from it..??

A crack, or a serverly uprated chance of a crack for the DRM, and hence the ability to progress from simple playback to... decloaking the audio data from it's ATP wrapper, back to say the equiv OMG/OMA files with or without DRM.

You reckon the pressure, on those grounds, from the music arm to veto any such legit concession to a licensed or approved software player/plugin wouldn't be unsubstantial..??

They'd stamp on such an idea from on high, with mighty vengence, and probably do a 'assign you to the Eastern Front' action vs the idiot who stupidly suggested such a noble and useful concept.

I know people who made similar kinda of suggestions at other companies who were less draconian in their policies. who found themselves out on a limb and fired with extreme vengence for making that mistake - god help you if you made the same ferk-up at Sony

I think that more or less sums up the potential sane reasons why little pressure comes from within at Sony or Awia to go with such a nice software player/licensed plugin move. The reasons, which also involve similar mentality employed in the 'anti-ness', is also a high candidate for reasons it never really gets onto 'possible corp policy' agendas.

God knows, i locked horns with the Koreans often enough to know how unfriendly a situation can be when your good ideas simply have no form or function in corporate policy or thinking, from my days representing and consulting with Reigncom (aka iRiver), and if my Sony dealings (as an interested party on tech grounds, but mostly as a customer) are anything to go by - i'd rather have a headbutting match with the corporates at Reigncom thanks - at least i know humanity exists there somewhere, unlike at Sony where the atmosphere practically stinks of molten brimestone on a high temp boil

Sorry if that's a tad negative, but it's my impression from experience - i do like what we have, just wished the corporates would get their heads outa their collective asses and actually exploit what they started.

D-NE series, definately was a serious step in the right direction (definately contributed to the obsession other manufacturers undertook to compete on both slimness and long-endurance grounds and product quality too).

Hi-MD - definately a good evo of what is still the only real 'digtal walkman' concept that was not tied to a PC for content loading

Love my Sony kit, even if i would happily nuke the corporates from orbit

[adam917]

You, of course, realize that all ATRAC CD Players can play back redbook CDs and MP3 CDs. Always had that ability, always will. 

Guess this is more of an incentive to stay in MP3 format then isn't it?

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I don't think this is entirely true. I believe their first ATRAC CD player, the D-NE1, from 2002, didn't have MP3 support.

[pata2001]

I don't think this is entirely true. I believe their first ATRAC CD player, the D-NE1, from 2002, didn't have MP3 support.

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Damage has the NE1, and I have the NE9, and I assure you that they play MP3 files.

[Damage]

I don't think this is entirely true. I believe their first ATRAC CD player, the D-NE1, from 2002, didn't have MP3 support.

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I can say that it plays all my MP3s without issues. You might have been confused with the earlier line of PCDPs which played MP3s but not ATRAC files...

[adam917]

I can say that it plays all my MP3s without issues.  You might have been confused with the earlier line of PCDPs which played MP3s but not ATRAC files...

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Yes. Like their crappy D-CJ01 that didn't fast forward or rewind (how the hell do I get through my DJ mixes on such a device?!)...