Sony to Support MP3 Music Files

[James Fee]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/9733477.htm' target='_blank'>http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/9733477.htm</a><br /><br /></div>"<i>In a major strategic reversal, Sony Corp. said Wednesday it plans to add support for MP3 music files to some of its portable music players. The shift to support the widely used MP3 music format would end Sony's long-standing insistence on its proprietary format called Atrac and better position the electronics giant against rivals such as Apple Computer Inc., whose portable players support both MP3s and other file formats. Similar plans are underway for the United States market but Griswold did not know when audio players with MP3 support would be introduced in the U.S.</i>"<br /><br />About time. Is the the start of Sony moving away from ATRAC or just answering their consumers who want to be able to play their MP3s?

[Chris Gohlke]

Sony to Support MP3 Music Files


Yes, but only when played from a memory stick. :D

[Felix Torres]

Is the the start of Sony moving away from ATRAC or just answering their consumers who want to be able to play their MP3s?

Depends on how and when its implemented.
Simply supporting plain MP3s simply puts you in the same camp as the low-ball toys coming out of China, Inc...

Could be a case of too little, too late...

[James Fee]

Depends on how and when its implemented.
Simply supporting plain MP3s simply puts you in the same camp as the low-ball toys coming out of China, Inc...

Could be a case of too little, too late...
Maybe, but it hasn't hurt the iPod....

[dean_shan]

About time. Is the the start of Sony moving away from ATRAC or just answering their consumers who want to be able to play their MP3s?

No they are going to keep pounding ATRAC onto consumers. They added MP3 support because no one would buy it. What sane person would buy a music play that can't support MP3?

[Felix Torres]

Depends on how and when its implemented.
Simply supporting plain MP3s simply puts you in the same camp as the low-ball toys coming out of China, Inc...

Could be a case of too little, too late...
Maybe, but it hasn't hurt the iPod....

Ah, but Apple started supporting MP3s two years ago, not next year.
And Apple supports a format with measurable market share...

Just adding generic, me-too, MP3 support alone isn't going to make them a contender; its way too late for that...

[James Fee]

Yet, somehow people still buy MiniDisc players from them...

[Doug Johnson]

Yet, somehow people still buy MiniDisc players from them...
I own several MiniDisc units, but it's because they make great portable recorders. At the time CD recorders didn't exist yet, and DAT was way too expensive. I still actually use the MiniDisc recorders when I need high-quality recordings and don't want to haul a ton of equipment with me.

Until an MP3 player comes along with the size of the iPod and real support for WMA, I won't be buying one. And it has to have a big drive... my music collection is huge, and if I can't take it all with me, I don't want to bother.

[Montego]

I have two portable minidiscs that I also use for video work. I use them with binaural mics to record ambient sound on a shoot, and sometimes also tapping into the audio out of the camcorder to make a backup track for interviews. the recorders are really nice, because when I get back from a shoot(or even during a shoot) it is so easy to just press a button to split and make new tracks to catalog the sounds.

But back on topic, I don't think Sony's MP3 support is too little too late. They know they will have to also support MP3 in their HD players (and maybe minidisc as well), besides support in flash players. Thisis stilla relatively young market and there's still time for Sony to makeup for past mistakes.

[James Fee]

Boy mention the MiniDisc and they come out of the woodwork... ;)

[Montego]

Boy mention the MiniDisc and they come out of the woodwork... ;)

Hey, someone has to defend us outsiders :)