Sony Answer to Connect problem:

[Stakeholderman]

So I emailed Sony and complained about Connect, and here is their reply:

"On further investigation Sony is aware that some customers have experienced

similar issues due to the interaction of the software with their computer.

In the light of this, we recommend you use SonicStage 3.3 software. This can

be downloaded from www.connect-europe.com/sonicstage. Please ensure that

you uninstall the Connect Player software before download; instructions on

how to do this are attached.

I am sorry for the inconvenience this has caused you. "

Does this mean that they have finally given up ?

[JSP62]

So I emailed Sony and complained about Connect, and here is their reply:

"On further investigation Sony is aware that some customers have experienced

similar issues due to the interaction of the software with their computer.

In the light of this, we recommend you use SonicStage 3.3 software. This can

be downloaded from www.connect-europe.com/sonicstage. Please ensure that

you uninstall the Connect Player software before download; instructions on

how to do this are attached.

I am sorry for the inconvenience this has caused you. "

Does this mean that they have finally given up ?

Pretty much so. In short, "Good luck we know our software sucks, but we are not doing anything"

[sh33p]

No I think it means they are working on something but they obviously recognise the fact that SS probably does CP's job better so they will want you to be able to have at least some functionality of your device.

Then again they make no mention of it, so who knows?

[Obli]

Sony had better be doing something to improve the Connect software (speed, stability, userability) - do they not value customer loyalty, because I may (and many others may) think twice about purchasing Sony products in the future!

[Christopher]

The Connect Player team is one of the best divisions in Sony -- I know that it may seem like unusable software but they built this from the ground up. Most of the software engineers have worked 23 hour days trying to resolve the major issues that plague the software itself. Updates are coming just as they have before, and the software will continue to improve. There should be a pretty big update this month -- from what my sources have cited there will be a monthly update cycle.

[tazdevil]

You know what would be really good is we out here could beta test this stuff before they ship it out. I'd be will to test for them, im sure others here would also. I haven't had any issues since I reinstalled my systems, have over 3500 songs imported, and its fast.

[willykyu]

Thanx Kurisu for the info. Now I can be more patient for the new update this month. But when you say they're one of the best division at sony, well, probably... but nothing shows this in Connect player. They didn't even put half what other software deliver. Well even from scratch, some simple options could be there! But well, I hope they 're aware their soft is far from usable as a player, and a music manager (not even plays gapless... sob...).

Well, give them my best wishes for 2006 anyway.

[mgillespie]

So I emailed Sony and complained about Connect, and here is their reply:

"On further investigation Sony is aware that some customers have experienced

similar issues due to the interaction of the software with their computer.

In the light of this, we recommend you use SonicStage 3.3 software. This can

be downloaded from www.connect-europe.com/sonicstage. Please ensure that

you uninstall the Connect Player software before download; instructions on

how to do this are attached.

I am sorry for the inconvenience this has caused you. "

Does this mean that they have finally given up ?

If it does, I want a refund for ArtistLink, Top 100, and Play History features, as they don't work at all with SonicStage (and barely work with Connect).

Perhaps if they pay me £70, for the 3 advertised features which are no longer features....

The Connect Player team is one of the best divisions in Sony --

Personally, I would say the exact opposite. Connect is the worst, most bug ridden, and unintuitive software from ANY manufacturer. For Decent Sony software, you have to look at either bought in products (Sonic Foundry for example), or Maddisson Studios products (Sony division responsble for the excellent V1 PSP Media Manager).

It's been well over a month since the last Connect "bug fix" (which fixed none of my issues), with nothing on the horizon. Why not release a beta NOW, so we can provide feedback. Anything has got to be better than the pre-Alpha release we currently have.

[riggsby]

If it does, I want a refund for ArtistLink, Top 100, and Play History features, as they don't work at all with SonicStage (and barely work with Connect).

Perhaps if they pay me £70, for the 3 advertised features which are no longer features....

Personally, I would say the exact opposite. Connect is the worst, most bug ridden, and unintuitive software from ANY manufacturer. For Decent Sony software, you have to look at either bought in products (Sonic Foundry for example), or Maddisson Studios products (Sony division responsble for the excellent V1 PSP Media Manager).

It's been well over a month since the last Connect "bug fix" (which fixed none of my issues), with nothing on the horizon. Why not release a beta NOW, so we can provide feedback. Anything has got to be better than the pre-Alpha release we currently have.

After owning my A3000 since release November, and as a huge Sony fan boi, I've got to agree with you 100%. I can't rip most of my CD collection to my A3000 because they are Enhanced CD's. So I've got a portable music player which, because of the software part, can't play alot of my music, which kind of defeats the object...

[C_player]

I've heard that the enhanced CD and mixed mode CD fixes are at the top of the "to be fixed" list for the next few patches.

[Ascariss]

I've heard that the enhanced CD and mixed mode CD fixes are at the top of the "to be fixed" list for the next few patches.

next few patches? Hopefully sony will release it next week and not at he end of the month since if it is at the end of the month, that will be a major bummer.

[Julian]

After owning my A3000 since release November, and as a huge Sony fan boi, I've got to agree with you 100%. I can't rip most of my CD collection to my A3000 because they are Enhanced CD's. So I've got a portable music player which, because of the software part, can't play alot of my music, which kind of defeats the object...

I got around this by using MP10 to rip the tracks intoWMA, it handles mixed music / data and also allows you to seach for albums by name or artist if Gracenote fails.

Additionaly before Christmas I had a lot of e mail correspondance with Sony Convergence team, they even sent me a utility to run on my PC which produced a csv file which I returned to them, they appeared helpful but I have heard nothing since and had no replies to my subsequent e mails ... perhaps they are too busy writing a new program

[C_player]

Trust me, if the fixes could be out in a week, they would be.

But the way software works in large companies is that it takes time to go through all the "proper channels" to get things fixed, tested, buttoned down and released. I can assure you that people working on the software know how much we all want the software fixed.

Fixes will be coming, but we shouldn't expect miracles. That's what I know as of now.

[Christopher]

I don't think people understand how much progress has been made since the days of Sonicstage; the updates for CP come steadfast, much moreso than before -- the team that is working on this has focus, they are very determined for an optimal user experience. Patience..

[mgillespie]

Trust me, if the fixes could be out in a week, they would be.

But the way software works in large companies is that it takes time to go through all the "proper channels" to get things fixed, tested, buttoned down and released. I can assure you that people working on the software know how much we all want the software fixed.

Fixes will be coming, but we shouldn't expect miracles. That's what I know as of now.

Those are all juste excuses. If Sony REALLY wanted to sort out problems, then the red tape can be cast aside. Perhaps a public (or private) beta program to test weekly builds of connect. At the moment, anything is better than the crap we currently have.

[Ascariss]

The funny thing is, I am sure plenty of people on this board, including myself would beta test the software.

[riggsby]

I don't think people understand how much progress has been made since the days of Sonicstage; the updates for CP come steadfast, much moreso than before -- the team that is working on this has focus, they are very determined for an optimal user experience. Patience..

But that is the problem kurisu, the connect software is a step back from SS. I could (and did) rip all my music to minidisc using SS. To then find that I cannot do this in its successor is somewhat frustrating. I've had my A3000 since the start of November. I was willing to accept the "Beta" software that the player shipped with. But its now the middle of Janurary and Connect still contains major bugs in its basic core functionality.

If I brought a car, then on delivery was told i'd have to wait 8+ weeks for the wheels to be delivered, i would not accept that. Would you?

Edited January 13, 2006 by riggsby

[mgillespie]

I've heard that the enhanced CD and mixed mode CD fixes are at the top of the "to be fixed" list for the next few patches.

I hope the more important issues are fixed 1st, like ridiculus CPU and memory useage, and lack of being able to RIP ANYTHING!!! ( I don't even see my CDROM drives in Connect), I have to rip using something else, and transfer the ripped files to my player as a seperate process.

Seems like they may be fixing the "easy" ones, not the "important" ones...

[C_player]

I will ask some folks I know about the possibility of beta testing, but I wouldn't get your hopes up. The Connect player software is a very complex software project, which makes fixing things remarkably non-straightforward. There's a reason why SonicStage hasn't gotten dramatically better over the past 5 years or so and it has nothing to do with people inside Sony wanting or not wanting to make it better.

[rosjos]

Fixes will be coming, but we shouldn't expect miracles. That's what I know as of now.

Expect miracles - we need a bloody miracle!

And as for, quote "...the way software works in large companies is that it takes time to go through all the "proper channels...", what proper channels did CONNECT Software go through before its initial release?

What is the problem here? It's not as though they are having to re-invent the wheel.

They may have built this thing "from the ground up", Kurisu. I suggest they return it to ground level and bury it.

As far as the need for "patience" - if the thing wasn't ready for the market then SONY should have shown patience and waited 'til the software was usable instead of the position it (and we) are now in. Oh, I forgot -Xmas time - big sales - money - silly me.

The bottom line is there is absolutley no excuse for this, whatsoever. If the Connect team are as committed as you say, then it's really a question their competance.

As for patience - it has ran out.

[Ascariss]

I will ask some folks I know about the possibility of beta testing, but I wouldn't get your hopes up. The Connect player software is a very complex software project, which makes fixing things remarkably non-straightforward. There's a reason why SonicStage hasn't gotten dramatically better over the past 5 years or so and it has nothing to do with people inside Sony wanting or not wanting to make it better.

I agree it is complex, but the best method that sony could have gone with the software would have been lessis more. The less complicated they made it, the better it would be. Seriously do we really need tinyhttp.exe? someone mentioned it was a browser that really had no purpose except the connect store? If that is so, I have no use for it, we don't have a connect store in canada.

I am the lucky few where the software seems to work more or less, my slow pc is the only thing keeping me back, other than that only a few bugs.

[mgillespie]

I agree it is complex, but the best method that sony could have gone with the software would have been lessis more. The less complicated they made it, the better it would be. Seriously do we really need tinyhttp.exe? someone mentioned it was a browser that really had no purpose except the connect store? If that is so, I have no use for it, we don't have a connect store in canada.

I am the lucky few where the software seems to work more or less, my slow pc is the only thing keeping me back, other than that only a few bugs.

Problems are only as complex as Sony make them. if they had released the NW-A3000 with "PlaysForSure" support, then we could all use Windows Media Player to RIP and download music. Of course Sony being Sony, though "we can do better", we all see what that left us with....

Sorry, these excuses do NOT wear with me. Sony have been in control of where their products are being lead, they now have to take the concequences of getting no marketshare, becuase of the poor state of Connect.

To say the software is complex, they are joking right? All it does is RIP, encode, transfer have a embedded IE browser for Connect store. Many of these functions are from bought in libraries, or use other components (like Internet Explorer rendering engine)

It's hardly cutting edge stuff, compared to some software projects... (and yes I do know, I work as a software engineer, full-time).

[sxc_]

Sony has had at least 4 years to get back into the game and sort out their software issues. Unfortunately in the commercial world pleading "Give us more time, our products are too complex" doesn't cut it.

I was patient and have decided that I've had enough of Sony and defected to the dark side and bought an ipod, with all if its flaws. The software just works and is a joy to use. No more workarounds, no more forgiveness. Yes the sound quality isn't great, but now I've been willing to sacrifice that after seeing the mess that Connect Player has become and losing hope that Sony would really release something great.