imlach

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertain...ic/3855745.stm

So, it can't play MP3s, and only plays music in the formats that can be downloaded from the online Sony music store....

Hmm.....doesn't seem the best marketing approach ever.....

Dracoro

Who wants a bet on the biggest flop of the year in the electronical music playing market?

Markus

Oh dear, that is rather silly!

T4molie

doesn't play mp3's?????? what the hell were they thinking?

angrynorth

The bit I can't figure out is they say it holds 3000 more songs than the top 40GB ipod. yet later they say

Shurely Shome Mishtake The quality must be terrible.

SteveV-WRX

that has got to be a HUGE own goal?

Steve

ChrisB

I could see it selling to the less geeky people who walk into Dixons etc to get a player. They see the Sony brand and assume that's good.

Me? Wouldn't touch it with a bargepole given the hours spent riping some of my CD collection.

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Although I'd guess with no doubt someone will put some freeware out that can convert MP3s into whatever the Sony works with, so it won't be the end of the world for it.

Think I'll stick with my Archos, even if it is the size and weight of half a housebrick!

STi wanna Subaru

iTrader: (1)

ogg file size is smaller then mp3 and equal quality.

I still think it's a 'betamax' waiting to happen tho.

messiah

Despite being a sony nut, I'll still be looking at the iPod methinks.

The NetMD walkmans aren't that good - the playback quality is appaling, I'm still using my old MD which is the size of a brick but still sounds superb.

Don't think the jap giant will be selling many of those - I can't beleive they've been so non-innovative.

Have to say it looks better though IMHO.

pbee

Sony has always been like this with digitally stored music, there first memeory stick walkmans, you could only encode music from original cd's to there format and download to the device. once on there you couldnt get it off digitally.

They do this to preserve the record labels / artisit rights, becuase if the didnt sony music would go nuts. They cant win. Normally there is a work around out very quickly.

have you seen the new commodore units ?

DJ Dunk

iTrader: (5)

Its not ogg format is it ? I thought Sony were using ATRAC now ?

STi wanna Subaru

iTrader: (1)

dunno, I was just giving an example of how they could fit more tracks onto a smaller HD

wez_sti

think i know why its not gonna use MP3's, Sony are one of the biggest record labels in the world afterall so making it a piece of p1ss to copy their music for free and listen to it wherever you want coul also be seen as a bit of an own goal...

Freak

This drives me insane- i have a net md walkman which i use to record myself at work- but i cant pull it off digitally, i can only record it back throughy analogue which is a pain in the *** ( several hours on LP4 mode).
No cracks for it either.

lpski1

yep that was the same for me, binned it for a mini ipod, im going to purchase the iTrip for it aswell. Gave my sis the net md with all my ripped discs.

angrynorth

Further investigation shows that their claim of 13,000 tracks on the 20GB HD is somewhat unjust.

"Holds 13,000 tracks encoded at 48k" That's worse than cassette!

Fatman

...yeah, it uses ATRAC. Fantastic idea, Sony! Of course the rest of the world will adopt your standard.

If it were my money I'd buy a Creative Muvo2. It plays MP3s, of course, and also WMAs without requiring them to be DRM-crippled. Bizarrely Creative chose not to include ATRAC support.

angrynorth

Aren't WMA's DRM controlled whether you like it or not? WMP9 slaps a DRM on every track you rip from CD, let alone the ones you download off a music store.

The Muvo2 is reasonable looking, what sort of size is it?

Fatman

Not AFAIK. In Windows Media Player, for example, you can choose whether to 'Protect Content' or not. Size? Storage-wise: 4Gb (think there's a 1.5Gb version, too). Physically: 66.5 x 67 x 20mm

angrynorth

The next version of WMP has this option deleted, the current has it enabled as default so most people leave it on anyway.

Fatman

You mean the WMP10 beta, whatever was in the WinXP SP2 RC? IIRC the last couple of versions of WMP didn't even ship with MP3 codecs, either.

angrynorth

That'll be it WMP10 oops It's staying in for the final build, much to do with this rather frightening thing that's going on in the states at the moment.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/indust...duce-act_x.htm

Fatman

I'd like to think "they wouldn't be that dumb, would they?", but I know the answer (assuming that their 'interpretation' really is that wide-ranging).

angrynorth

I think they would, things don't look good anyhow.