Sweet new MP3 player from Sony

[HarrietW]

Sony's new baby the NW-HD5 was launched last week.

Apparently it's the smallest 20GB player on the market with a battery life that beats the pants off the iPod with up to 40 hours playing time from a full charge. And being easily removable means you can buy replacements in the shops. It also has this funky LCD screen that rotates depending on how you hold the player and a well cool aluminium body that comes in red, silver or black. It's also cheaper than the 20 gig iPod too.

[paulyoung666]

hi and to the site , sorry but that is a bit spammy for a first post , haveing said that i reckon i could be well tempted

[Chris W]

Oooh does look rather nice

*goes to add to birthday list

[cookie_365]

Hmm, one major disadvantage though, to quote from Sony's website:

The NW-HD5 comes supplied with SonicStage3.1 software.

SonicStage is the biggest load of pants ever

I speak as the owner of an otherwise gorgeous NW-E99.

Still, native support for WMA and MP3 is a step in the right direction if true. Let's hope that the software for non-ATRAC formats is better than SonicStage (you'd think it couldn't be worse, but the MP3 Manager for the NW-E99 is basically a totally stripped down version of Win Explorer .....)

[Mal]

Originally Posted by cookie_365

I speak as the owner of an otherwise gorgeous NW-E99.

There's a new seller on the amazon marketplace selling it for £29.99.

That's got to be a mistake.

If you buy it and it doesn't turn up, don't blame me.

Hmm, they're calling it a 'HDD player', not an MP3 player. Knowing Sony's pig-headed obsession with pushing its own formats and standards, can anyone confirm whether this new toy can actually play mp3s?

[chambece]

Originally Posted by Chris T

Hmm, they're calling it a 'HDD player', not an MP3 player. Knowing Sony's pig-headed obsession with pushing its own formats and standards, can anyone confirm whether this new toy can actually play mp3s?

That looks quite interesting...... from the spec

* 20 GB internal Hard Disk Drive memory
* Fast music and data transfer via Hi-Speed USB connection
* Capable to store audio, visual and data files (Word, Powerpoint, ATRAC, Mp3, Jpeg, Mpeg, etc.)
* SonicStage 3.1 software for easy music management and transfers
* Sony's unique G-sensor technology protects the internal HDD even if it falls from a height of 1 m

There's a wealth of difference between being 'capable to store' and capable to play......


Edit - From another page....

20 GB internal Hard Disk Drive memory

Fast music and data transfer via Hi-Speed USB connection

Capable to store audio, visual and data files (Word, Powerpoint, ATRAC, Mp3, Jpeg, Mpeg, etc.)

SonicStage 3.1 software for easy music management and transfers

Sony's unique G-sensor technology protects the internal HDD even if it falls from a height of 1 m

Directly play back: ATRAC / MP3

Extremely long playback time of up to 40 hours with the built-in rechargeable battery

Large 7 line (1.5 inch) LCD with various backlight colours

Ultra compact size weighing just 135 grams

------

So I'd say yes....

By the way the battery life may be linked to a new battery released a while ago. The new iPod will be highly likely to contain it, the new iPod is expected (by me) to be released in august/september. Although we may here about it before hand due to sony

[cookie_365]

Review here.

Oh, and it looks like it won't play WMA natively either.

[jtwn]

Watch out, if its not firmware upgradeable if you really want this you'll want to get it through a Japanese import firm, Sony comply with the retarded volume limiting EU legislation...

Originally Posted by chambece

So I'd say yes....

Now, this is ringing a bell ... IIRC this made the news a while back, the fact that Sony is breaking with tradition and allowing it to play the widely accepted format and not merely its own.

Even so, the corporate arrogance of it. A selling point that it stores and plays back ATRAC format! And they list it alongside Word, Powerpoint, mp3 and jpg as if it is somehow of equal significance in the world. Yawn...

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by Chris T

Even so, the corporate arrogance of it. A selling point that it stores and plays back ATRAC format! And they list it alongside Word, Powerpoint, mp3 and jpg as if it is somehow of equal significance in the world. Yawn...

Well, although I am an a iPod owner, and think Apple's AAC format is good, I have found if you encode a CD using the same bitrate for AAC and Atrac (which is the compression used by Minidisc), the Atrac compressed music will sound better.

I've had a look at one of these MP3 players. If Sony can market it properly, they could have a real iPod beater on their hands. Trouble is, they don't have a good record on marketing. Betamax was technically superior to VHS, but look what happened there..

[Tezcatlipoca]

Originally Posted by scastle

If Sony can market it properly, they could have a real iPod beater on their hands. Trouble is, they don't have a good record on marketing. Betamax was technically superior to VHS, but look what happened there..

Don't have a good record?

The PS1 & PS2 are technicially inferior to other consoles of their generation, yet wiped the floor with them. Must've been some good marketing there.


But yeah, I don't think they'll be able to turn this into an iPod beater. Doesn't have the image...

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by Matt D

The PS1 & PS2 are technicially inferior to other consoles of their generation, yet wiped the floor with them. Must've been some good marketing there.

I don't deny that Sony have marketed SOME things sucessfully. I could argue that they have had other failures. MicroDV (like mini dv, but smaller) & SACD for instance.

I think that where Sony have done well with a product, it's often because they are first to market. Look at the Walkman (which is a Sony trademark, as much as iPod is an Apple one) - one of the most sucessful consumer products ever.

I think the PS1 succeeded partly because it was the first 32 bit console to market (IIRC it was released several weeks before the Saturn) and partly because Sony has a massive library of products (games, films, tunes etc) it can licence.

The PS2 had those advantages, and it also had the Playstation brand. Where Sony have a "brand name" (such as "Walkman", "Trinitron" or "Playstation") they have been very effective in marketing that.

Unfortunately, they don't have a powerful brand name in the MP3 player market (even calling their players "walkman" doesn't seem to have helped), and they certainly weren't first. They have had digital music players on the market for a long time, but MP3 had already been established as a standard when they entered the market, and their players didn't directly support it.

That said, I would like the new Sony player to sell well. TBH, the last couple of Sony MP3 players I have tried have been (IMO) superior to the iPod, and when my iPod dies, I might get one of them.

[kronas]

Originally Posted by Chris T

Hmm, they're calling it a 'HDD player', not an MP3 player. Knowing Sony's pig-headed obsession with pushing its own formats and standards, can anyone confirm whether this new toy can actually play mp3s?

as said it is mp3 compliant finally, sony's future players will incorporate mp3 playback as a now standard feature, yes they have finally realised mp3 is the defacto standard.

they have a new head of the electronics and semiconductor division mr ihara who replaces ken kutaragi as the firm is trying to to recreate its success of the past after its recent dismal preformance in the home electronics division opting to stick to 'atrack' as an audio format and still mass producing old box style tv's and not producing LCD's and plasma's.