DSP Posted November 13, 2006 Report Share Posted November 13, 2006 (edited) dear people,We all know that sonicstage hasn't always been, and still isn't, the best software around these days.SSCP is good so far, But still leaves some desires unfulfilled.With the latest release of SSCP 4.2 I got to think of the following:It's known that a Video Walkman is on it's way to our pockets. It's logical to think that this device would also suport photo viewing. I think the video Walkman is going to be absolutely faboulus, but (as has always been the struggle with sony) how will the software be?upto now, sony DAPs have shippend with openMG and SS/SSCP. openMG was awfull software, SS got better and SSCP was quite good. But when a walkman with loads of features like video and photo support arrives on the playground would good old sonicstage be able to handle all those functions well? in my opinion there are 5 things sony can do:1) completely redesign SS and rebuild it from scratch, and integrate the new functions absolutely perfectly.2) scrap the SS formula and make an other piece of software that matches the needs of the new generation walkmans better.3) let a (better) software company design the software (so in this case, also a new formula)4) set atrac3(+) free and let the walkmans have drag&drop support 5) sit back, make some adjustments so that SSCP can handle and transfer video and photo files and see what will happen.I hope they'll do the first (actually that they'll do the 4th option but that ain't gonna happen).how do you guysthink about this?BTW: why can't we have this? sonicstage premium?!?!greetz sony walkman software as it is today:sony walkman software as it once was: Edited November 13, 2006 by DSP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
navsimpson Posted November 13, 2006 Report Share Posted November 13, 2006 (edited) Hey DSP - where did that Sonicstage Premium come from? Photoshop? That's interesting...Anyway - I've been wondering about this too. I think that trying to integrate video and photos into Sonicstage would be an unmitigated disaster - I know that there have been vast improvements in Sonicstage, but it's still a nightmare of instability and bloat. Sony seem to be very very slowly getting the idea that software is key to things, but if you look at the numerous screw-ups with the PS3 launch - something that the company's future ostensibly depends upon - I'm a little worried. If new software was released that was actually stable, I think I might consider buying the new walkman - I mean hey, think of all that money I'm saving since I can't afford a PS3!Seriously though - does anyone know *why* Sonicstage and Connect have been such disasters? It really seems strange that such a wealthy, established company is having so much trouble designing stable, easy-to-use software. Is ATRAC really that hard to integrate into software? Anyone have any insight? Couldn't they just hire new and better coders and engineers?-NavP.S. Oh yeah - there was some chatter about an ATRAC SDK being released, so maybe ATRAC3+ being 'set free' isn't as ludicrous as we used to think. Edited November 13, 2006 by navsimpson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pata2001 Posted November 13, 2006 Report Share Posted November 13, 2006 Couple points:1. Bloat: Sonicstage has to carry many drivers and support for older Network walkmen, classic NetMD, AtracCD, memory stick walkmen, etc. Same thing with iTunes. In the past, iTunes was slim and pretty quick. Now, it's sluggish too considering it has to support all the iPod ever made, plus the bulk of quicktime. You can say the same thing with windows, having to support legacy devices and older software. Backward compatibility, unfortunately, brings certain side effects. If Sony decided to ditch older hardware support (they did try with connect player and the Axxx/xxxx series), imagine the outcry.2. Video and photo: An option is to create another software to handle those, and SS will only have to transfer the content. Example is iTunes for Windows. It has no picture management capability, all it does it resize and transfer the pictures. On the mac, iTunes is complemented by iPhoto. Of course, Sony cannot even make SS properly, let alone other software.3. MTP: Unfortunately, MS' MTP is probably a solution. Many manufactures just gave up and follow MS' MTP and let WinXP and WMP to do the software side. Downside is locking users to winXP and above, no mac or win2k/9x support, and reliance on MS (MS already ditch playforsure themselves in support for the closed zune marketplace).With Sony embracing AAC, maybe they should just buck up and ask Apple to suppot the walkmen via iTunes... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
navsimpson Posted November 13, 2006 Report Share Posted November 13, 2006 Yeah, Sony should embrace iTunes - but I don't think so. Did anyone else hear the default codec for importing music to the PS3 is AAC? Makes you think...Pata2001, I hear what you're saying about bloat - but despite some muck-ups with version 7, iTunes actually runs well and is generally stable. I'm not saying it's not big or memory-hungry - just that it doesn't slow to a crawl in the way Sonicstage does. And WMP 11 runs like lightning, even on my P4 1.8. I guess I'm still really curious *why* Sony software is so bad - or I guess, more specifically why Sonicstage and Connect were so bad. Like I said, I'm glad Sonicstage is improving - but there's still a long way to go... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cauldron Posted November 14, 2006 Report Share Posted November 14, 2006 The problem with SonicStage is in fact no longer the bloat - but the logic of the user interface.One example: iTunes would "seem" a lot easier, because you can directly create playlists on an iPod (nano/video), and this can be edited just like the playlists on the computer. You can't do that on SonicStage -- every song you have on the walkman, you must have a copy mirrored on your PC, you must first edit the PC copy, and then ask SonicStage to reflect these changes on the Walkman.You can sort of "drag and drop" songs from a folder into the iPod window on iTunes, and iTunes will copy those songs into the iPod. SonicStage doesn't let you do that, despite Sony having removed all OpenMG restrictions. You must drag songs into the library first, THEN find those songs, and make a playlist you want, THEN transfer to the Walkman.But you know, last time Sony created a new software from scratch, look what they did. It's not even Sony's own work, it's from that Kinoma dude... but SSCP is finally acceptable, I suspect we should just leave well enough alone, because the other side of well enough is apparently hell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSP Posted November 14, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2006 @ navsimpson:that sonicstage premium is only available for japanese market. It has much more functions (EQ, effects etc etc)I'm really curious about it if this is as crappy as the SS we all get outsiede japan? and why on earth won't they allow people outside japan to use this software??If any-one knows how to get SS premium, I would appreciate it very very much if he/she could share it with us.greetz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ishiyoshi Posted November 14, 2006 Report Share Posted November 14, 2006 @ navsimpson:that sonicstage premium is only available for japanese market. It has much more functions (EQ, effects etc etc)I'm really curious about it if this is as crappy as the SS we all get outsiede japan? and why on earth won't they allow people outside japan to use this software??If any-one knows how to get SS premium, I would appreciate it very very much if he/she could share it with us.greetzSonicStage Premium (version 1.5) is really an obsolete version of SonicStage made exclusively (sometime in 2003/2004) for the VAIO MX series. The VAIO MX series feature a NetMD drive and if I remember correctly, it was also available in both the US and the UK market and naturally, Japan. More to the point, this version of SonicStage is not exclusive to the Japanese domestic market. The debut version of SonicStage Premium 1.5 was available in both Japanese and English edition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iroczvinnie Posted April 8, 2007 Report Share Posted April 8, 2007 Well here is the answers to the hypothetical questions raised - NW - A800 series of walkman video mp3 player. Uses SS for music transfer and drag n drop for video / photo or image converter. http://www.sony.co.uk/staticcontent/flashp...rQuickguide.pdfInterestingly image converter also has rss capability. Hopefully rss to be integrated into ss? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marftarf Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 That is crazy that they have built in support for video podcasting already when sonicstage still doesn't have support for audio podcasting.Unless I am missing something... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.