Sony Sonic Stage vs Windows Media Player

[Steve Maskery]

Hi all,

I have a Sony mp3 player which works fine. But the software to drive it is very proprietary. Sonic Stage takes all my mp3 and wma files and converts them to OMA files before transferring them. This means I have tracks duplicated.

I cold just have all my music as OMA instead of MP3 and WMA, but I quite like Windows Media Player, which doesn't recognize the OMA format, it's strictly Sony only for them.

Is it possible to change the OS on my Sony player so that it reads standards MP3s and WMAs rather than only OMA files? I'm reluctant to just junk it and buy another (much, much cheaper one), but this proprietary attitude is a pain. I really don't like Sonic Stage, it's so slow.

I can transfer MP3s to the MP3 player with a normal drag & drop, but then the MP3 player doesn't find them.

Any help, anyone?

 

[RogerS]

Steve

I'm a little confused in that you refer to your Sony player as an MP3 player...were you using the generic term or is it supposed to play MP3?

Anyway...I doubt very much if you can change the firmware inside the player.

But having said that let me know the model number and I'll have a dig around.

Roger

 

[Steve Maskery]

HI Roger

Yes I as using the term generically. The PC software converts MPSs and WMA to OMA files and transfers them.

The user really needss to stick with either WMA/MP3 or use just Sony's format and application.

I didn't realize it was a true MP3 player until after I'd bought it. In use it's fine, t's just the PC end which is a pain.

 

[RogerS]

Hi Steve

What's the Sony model number ?

 

[Steve Maskery]

Sorry, yes it would help wouldn't it?
It a Sony NW E-107

Thanks

 

[RogerS]

When you drag and drop MP3 files, do you navigate to a particular folder on the Sony player or do you just drop onto the icon?

Are you able to drop down through a folder hierarchy on the Sony player...from Windows explorer on your PC?

 

[RogerS]

Have you seen this?

 

[RogerS]

And this?

Are you using MP3Filemanager?

 

[Steve Maskery]

When you drag and drop MP3 files, do you navigate to a particular folder on the Sony player or do you just drop onto the icon?

I can navigate to a folder. THere are just two folders under the top level.

Are you able to drop down through a folder hierarchy on the Sony player...from Windows explorer on your PC?

Yes. I can see the file on the Sony from WE, but the Sony doesn't see them, won't play them.

So my thoughts were towards downloading a different, more generic OS to the Sony. Long shot, I know.

 

[RogerS]

Have you tried mp3FileManager? And had a look at the Microsoft link?

 

[Steve Maskery]

HI Roger,
Yes I have the mp3FleManager, but I have real problem with Sony.

First of all it is incredibly difficult to get the web pages even to load, it needs many attempts, in my experience.

Secondly the MP3FM doesn't recognise my player as an external drive, even though Windows does.

It's all very frustrating!

I haven't found what you refer to as the "microsoft link" though, do you have a URL?

 

[RogerS]

http://www.sony.net/Products/OpenMG/support/840987/


Urgent Message Regarding Problems Caused by Microsoft Windows Security Update Program MS04-032 (KB840987)

It has been confirmed that some of Sony's application software(*) for managing music files on the PC may not work as originally intended, if a user installs Microsoft Windows Security Update Program MS04-032 (KB840987) on his/her PC. Sony has been investigating the cause of this problem as well as working on countermeasures in collaboration with Microsoft Corporation. A countermeasure program (KB887811) to remedy this situation is now available at Microsoft's website as shown below.

Taken from Sony's page..if you search on microsoft for KB840987 you should get there.

Sony loads very fast for me? Have you cleared your browser cache recently?

 

[wizer]

Steve the short answer to your question is NO. You will not be able to change the OS of that MP3 player.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Thanks Roger, Wizer.

I have XP SP2, so the bug is not an issue. I think, unfortunately, that Wizer is right,, I have to stick with Sony and Sonic Stage for my player, and either use it on my PC as my default player, or duplicate my music library.

Methinks my Sony is not going to get reprogrammed very often.

Thanks guys,

 

[Tarkin]

Wizer is bang on right. There is zip you can do about it. This is a huge problem with Sony, and it's all to do with Piracy. Sony being a record label as well as producing music players decided that It would attempt to make it difficult to use 'illegal' music with its players and so netMD and SonicStage were born, and instantly thousnads of people all over the world were p'd of in unison! :evil:

Supposedly their newer players have 'much improved' software but I've yet to use it so can't comment, but i'm very suspicious... :roll:

 

[Vormulac]

I could be missing something here (forgive me if someone's covered this, I've only had time to briefly scan the thread), but I saw this line in the description of the player:

"Plays Back in ATRAC3™ Audio Format and MP3 Files"

From the Sony site itself:

http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSH ... VER/BSTOCK

It should therefore be able to play your mp3s without re-encoding them to this OMA format. Otherwise it would appear Sony are setting themselves up for yet another day in court...

V.

 

[Steve Maskery]

The problem is, V, that the user interface for file transfer does this OMA coversion automatically. Plus, OMAs are similar in size to MP3s, so my every 1G of WMA is copied to another 2G of OMA, tripling the size of my library.

It's all so unnecessary.

Cheers
Steve

 

[Mike B]

Steve, Tarkin, and Wizer you are all (sadly) spot on here.

I did a little research as I was considering one of the new Sony mp3 players only to find all the afore mentioned problems. There are literally hundreds of threads and complaints on the web all saying pretty much the same thing - great players but rubbish software (especially the "new" version of the software which appears not to work at all for some XP users...).

And if this isn't enough Sony's suggested fix for the troubled users of the new software - use the older (Sonic Stage??) version...!!

Sorry Steve!

And in case anyone is interested - I have a Sony so called "Walkman" phone and the "Walkman" part of that is junk too....


regards
Mike

 

[RogerS]

And let's not forget either that it was Sony who installed all those sneaky rootkit programs on peoples laptops and came in for a whole storm of protest and IIRC class actions.

 

[Tarkin]

It really is a shame, because the sound quality from the newer Sony's is really quite good. But the software is utterly appauling. Which makes it really annoying, becasue iriver have also reacently got rubbish (they used to be the best IMO), and so that just leaves apple producing deacent players, from a sound quality point of view that is, and they have got annoyangly good of late (original ipod was dreadfull in terms of sounds quality, it was the look of it that made apple). I have a slightly irrational hatred of all things apple mac incase you can't tell... :roll: . I wonder if microsoft can do something about it with their reacently announced digital music player...the so called 'micropod'! Oh wait yea, microsft has even more DRM than sony. :evil:

PS: just remeberd, Samsung have a new flash player than is fantastic for anyone interested in a good player than doesnt involve fruit!