Sony ATRAC NW-HD1 Problem

72hundred · 19-08-2008 12:03am #1

Hello,

I've a problem. A friend brought his Sony NW-HD1 to me today with laptop to help him put some new music onto the portable device, he needed the help as it turned out as the SonicStage software that Sony uses is truly horrible.

So here's the problem; he wiped his PC recently and so went the Sonic Stage from it, and you have to use SonicStage because its the ATRAC format that we're dealing with here. But the NW-HD1 will only work with the version of SonicStage that he was last using, pre-reinstalling XP, which is somewhere Ver 2.0 and Ver 3.3. Solution one (not the best though)

Does anyone know where I can download previous specific versions of SonicStage?

Solution two:

Does anyone know how I could take the raw data off the portable audio player and convert it back to normal files and songs.

At the moment its in the kind of encrypted format that I can't figure out which song is which, much in the same way that audio files look like on an iPod.

So there's the problem! If you need more details to help me figure out a solution please post 'em up and I'll do my best to answer. Hopefully we can do something for the guy, I feel for him as the device cost a fortune initially and is a lovely piece of hardware, but the software is like a noose!

Many thanks,
72oo

BostonB · 19-08-2008 12:25am

You need to ask on

http://www.atraclife.com/forums/
http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showforum=34

As you can see from here
http://support.sony-europe.com/hotnews/vista.asp?l=en&f=nw

The Sony NW-HD1 can use the latest version of SonicStage. Which is 4.3

The problem is that earlier version of SonicStage encrypted the files as they are transfered. (You can turn this off in later versions of SonicStage). The file so encrypted are usually tied to a specific key which is generated from the machine and OS installed. From memory I think if you reinstall the OS you lose the key that was used to encypt these files and theres no way of getting them back. I don't think you can move files from a NW-HD1 back to a PC anyway, its a one way transfer only.

I may be wrong but I think thats the way it works. You'd need to ask on those forums to confirm this.

72hundred · 21-08-2008 4:23pm

If anyone else is looking for a solution to this try here.

Jonathan · 21-08-2008 4:26pm

You might find the oldversion here.

72hundred · 21-08-2008 4:45pm

jmccrohan wrote: »

You might find the oldversion here.

Cheers, but I think that won't work with new info that I have. Namely the fact a unique key is required, and this key is created a program installation, and is program version and operating system.

BostonB · 21-08-2008 5:08pm

It wouldn't take that long to re-rip the CD's again. The later versions of SonicStage allowed you to turn this encryption off, so you wouldn't have the same problem again. Pity he didn't get the MP3 firmware installed on the NW-HD1.

Jonathan · 21-08-2008 5:10pm

BostonB wrote: »

It wouldn't take that long to re-rip the CD's again. The later versions of SonicStage allowed you to turn this encryption off, so you wouldn't have the same problem again. Pity he didn't get the MP3 firmware installed on the NW-HD1.

For some reason I dont think the friend owns all of the cds

BostonB · 21-08-2008 5:23pm

He got all the files from somewhere because he had to rip them to ATRAC for the ND1. I can't imagine it going to be that hard to get them all again. If there are any he can't get, simply record them back into the PC on the line in.

72hundred · 23-08-2008 12:59am

BostonB wrote: »

It wouldn't take that long to re-rip the CD's again. The later versions of SonicStage allowed you to turn this encryption off, so you wouldn't have the same problem again. Pity he didn't get the MP3 firmware installed on the NW-HD1.

:eek: :eek: :eek: How can you get MP3's onto the NW-HD1???? If this can be done it would be a GOD SEND!!! Can it be done?

jmccrohan wrote: »

For some reason I dont think the friend owns all of the cds

Actually he does funnily enough! Kinda old-school in that fashion.

BostonB · 23-08-2008 1:25am

Sony had a firmware patch that allowed you to put MP3's on the ND1 via SonicStage. You had to send it off to Sony to do it though. I dunno if you can still get it done.

Having the CD's is a form of backup for the MP3 player. As all you are doing is ripping them, a bunch of 2nd hand CD's does aswell as a new CD, but for a fraction of the cost.

72hundred · 26-08-2008 12:30am

BostonB wrote: »

Sony had a firmware patch that allowed you to put MP3's on the ND1 via SonicStage. You had to send it off to Sony to do it though. I dunno if you can still get it done.

I'll have to look into it. Bit of a pain that it has to be sent away.

Worth it though if it plays mp3's I guess ?

?

BostonB · 26-08-2008 12:57am

I always kinda liked ATRAC. But what choice do you have. Its a ATRAC only player.

72hundred · 27-08-2008 5:01pm

Well unfortunately, re-ripping was the CD's was the only solution in the end despite extensive searching for a solution. SS is probably the worst software I've come across.:(

BostonB · 27-08-2008 5:31pm

In fairness Sony is a Hardware manufacturer and a Music Publisher. So they made the system so they could enforce DRM, Apple also did this with iTunes. Everyone was doing it back then. The protection was obviously very good, as even after all this time its not been broken. Which is pretty amazing. Sony realised (too late) that this was the wrong route and allowed you to turn off DRM in later versions of SonicStage. I use SonicStage for my HiMD (MiniDisc) and never had any problems with it.

When you re-rip your library make sure you turn it off. Or you'll have the same problem again.

72hundred · 27-08-2008 7:28pm

BostonB wrote: »

When you re-rip your library make sure you turn it off. Or you'll have the same problem again.

iTunes is going to be the primary CD ripper and then import to SonicStage 4.3. Reason for doing this is because I trust iTunes to give a clean mp3 back-up. I don't have to change any settings when importing the music as mp3's do I? So as to ensure they're not encrypted...

Also when (inevitably) he swaps to a mp3 based system, the files will all be there ready to go. I'll be recommending iPod, as I've a 2nd gen ipod nano myself. Athought if I really thought about it I liked what Creative had out a few years ago, where you could open the device in Windows Explorer and move the music/video/files around manually.

BostonB · 27-08-2008 11:47pm

Personally I use Audiograbber with the Lame plugin. Dunno about importing MP3's I never used it for that.

72hundred · 21-09-2008 10:45pm

Well a little update: the first part of the plan is done, all the CD's have been found and ripped with iTunes. Currently several hundred CD's have been done leading to a ~ 20gb library at 128kbps compression.... pretty good going I think.

The next step will be the conversion into SonicStage ATRAC format... the poor old PC might melt just at the thought of it

I'll update with more info when converting!

Jonathan · 22-09-2008 3:23am

72hundred wrote: »

Well a little update: the first part of the plan is done, all the CD's have been found and ripped with iTunes. Currently several hundred CD's have been done leading to a ~ 20gb library at 128kbps compression.... pretty good going I think.

The next step will be the conversion into SonicStage ATRAC format... the poor old PC might melt just at the thought of it

I'll update with more info when converting!

If you were reripping all of them, would you not have gone for a higher bit rate?

BostonB · 22-09-2008 10:21am

192~256 is my minimum. Especially as you are converting/transcoding MP3>ATRAC that will degrade them a little bit more aswell. But if you're happy with it, and can't hear it then I guess it doesn't matter.

Sony ATRAC NW-HD1 Problem

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