WMA Lossless

[Robinconsa]

I ripped some CDs using windows media player set to WMA lossless. These would not transfer to device (NWA3000 plus SS 4.0). Ripped again with player set to WMA and they transferred fine. Any suggestions for transferring from WMA lossless would be much appreciated. (there is a reason why I want to do it this way)

[grenert]

I'm not aware of any player, including the A3000, that plays WMA Lossless files.

[pata2001]

The NW-A3000 doesn't support WMA lossless, period. I'm not aware of any DAPs that actually support WMA lossless (maybe the Zune?)

[Beethovenian]

The Gigabeat S plays WMA Lossless, but for use in the NW-A series, what you can do is convert those files to Atrac. Since SonicStage recognizes and converts WMA Lossless, you can set it to convert on-the-fly during transfer to the Walkman. The problem is that it will be very slow.

[Robinconsa]

Thanks for the advice and apolgies for delay in acknolwedgement.

I had tried to convert on fly by selecting whole album in library but nothing happened. Recently tried single track -again nothing; tried again and it worked and then it worked for multiple tracks. Didn't even seem that slow although I don't have much experience to judge this by.

I guess this is SS again?

[JustAnUnCoolCat]

Well, two things worth noting..

WMA LSL source files will, for ANY Sony ATRAC unit, be transcoded on transfer according to whatever 'if it cant transfer, convert to....' settings you have in the transfer settings in SS.

I use WMA LSL as a more universal LSL (more universal that ATRAC LSL anyway) general codec, so i know the score from experience.

OTF, on a bulk transfer, is kinda real long and slow process, so really you are way better off literally importing the files into SS and setting it on a batch conversion process to convert to say ATRAC LSL with a preset quick transfer ATRAC setting.

That way, you dont hit the second most temperamental issue with SS, the fact that SS has been known to reject some legit files as being non-transferable (despite the fact it's been told how to handle em) during bulk transfers for seemingly no apparent reason.

Now the odds are, if you left the transfer to complete, then one by one, re attempt to transfer the rejected items, SS will do em just fine.

So i think it's pretty much a suspicious paw that points to SS

Me, i go with the pre-batched method (batch convert overnight on what would be a big bulk transfer/transcode op), then i have readied ATRAC LSL copies that i know will quick transfer to a preset lossy ATRAC version when sent to the device.

However, do ensure the files (the WMA ones) are not copy protected (i believe, unless my failing aging grey matter is really gone south, you can still inadvertently copy-protect WMA-LSL files during ripping in WMP.. or similar) - if they are CP'ed (DRM Protected) then SS will reject them outright.. all the copy protected ones anyway..

Hope that gives you some insight..

'Tom Kat'

[Robinconsa]

Thanks - think I got all that. I am sure it was the issue you mention of SS not recognising legit files on occassion; I have had similar problems with other transfers. Defintely not the DRM issue.

Never needed to do batch transfers so far but I will keep in mind what you suggest

[JustAnUnCoolCat]

Well, in my case, i usually hit the probs when i am doing kind huge bulk transfers.. like when the whole batch job goes into hundreds or thousands of tracks

Then again, i dont think the designers of SS really ever anticipated a HDD deck user ever doing a huge batch in one hit on that kinda scale (it's an overnight job, if transcoding on the fly too).

But it has happened to me before on more moderate, normal scale transfers when i have sent a mere 6 CD's worth of WMA LSL rips to transfer OTF to a Hi-MD unit - so it more or less discounts a flaw in the deck designs to me

'Tom Kat'