MP3 MS Pro Magic Gate Sony Support

[NeilG]

Hi all,

Sony support said
"Please note that the MagicGate function is not supported by the Clie when using Pro memory sticks.
Alternatively, you can manually copy standard mp3 files (non atrac3 files) on the PALM/PROGRAMS/MSAUDIO folder of the memory stick"

Of course, that does not work either, when I copied an mp3 file to /PALM/Programs/MSAUDIO and then ran AudioPlayer on the TG50 I got the error message "Invalid Track" "This track is unavailable for one of the follwing reasons: The Memory Stick is write protected or does not support copyright control or the track file is corrupted."

Are Sony correct about the MS Pro (I have a 256MB Ms Pro that has Magic Gate written on it and is White in colour)
And, any ideas how to get mp3 playback working with the existing software?

[enderenya]

You've only tried one mp3, and you're jumping to conclusions?

Are you sure the mp3 you put on isn't a VBR? Because the TG50 can only play Constant Bit Rate mp3 files.

I have a 512Mb MemoryStickPro and play mp3s all the time, but that has nothing to do with it. You can play mp3s from _ANY_ memorystick media.

try... try again.... with a CBR mp3. I'm betting that you tried a variable bit rate mp3, OR it was as it said, "the track file is corrupted"

[NeilG]

Hi all,
yes, sorry I have only tried the one file I will try with a constant bit-rate file, if I could find one somewhere. And, is there a simple utility somewhere that will tell me what the bit rate is of a given mp3 file?
Regards,
Neil

[enderenya]

yeah... www.winamp.com
Winamp, just like _most_ players, show bitrate information as you play an mp3. If the bitrate changes as it plays, don't use it. If it's a constant 64, 96, 128, 160, 192 , or 256, etc... then it should work fine.

[NeilG]

Hi enderenya,
yes you were right. The mp3 I was using was VBR. It works fine with a CBR file (128K) copied to .../MSAUDIO. Winamp looks good. Thanks.

Sony Support are currently saying
"Please be advised that you cannot use the Memory Stick Pro in combination with Sonic Stage. Sonic Stage converts audio files to ATRAC3. ATRAC3 can only be transferred to Magic Gate Memory Sticks. The Magic Gate memory stick you use cannot be a Memory Stick Pro though"

Of course I have a Memory Stick Pro Magic Gate and I am now wondering why a non-Pro MS MG works but not the Pro MS MG.

Regards,
Neil

[zipslack]

Don't know why that would be....bound to be tied-in to the DRM stuff with ATRAC-3. Here's a bit of advice on ATRAC-3 ---> DON'T DO IT

Why should we go out and buy "special" memory sticks and use Sony's proprietary software to convert and then listen to our music? It's bad enough that I have go to back and re-rip to 44KHZ 128K MP3 (not VBR), but I refuse to cater to Sony's proprietary notions . Let's see Sony provide an audio player that will handle VBR MP3 or (preferably) OGG.

Does anybody here actually use ATRAC-3, and does it actually make a difference?

[NeilG]

Hi zipslack
good point I will avoid ATRAC3.

The Sony Support site
http://ciscdb.sel.sony.com/perl/news-display.pl?news_id=15
says:

"Devices That Are Not Currently Compatible: Sony® SonicStage™ and OpenMG™ Jukebox applications are not yet compatible with the Memory Stick PRO format. Until further notice, Sony suggests using only MagicGate™ Memory Stick media to store and transfer data created with these programs "

So this means that Sonic Stage does not work with my MS Pro.

Regards,
Neil

[grotesquery]

I'm having a similar problem, but I'm using a Sandisk MS Pro that has Magic Gate written on the card, so I shouldn't be having a problem. Has anyone had problems with Sandisk cards? Or is there anything else I could have been doing wrong?

[NeilG]

Hi,
are you using Sonic Stage?
I don't use it now, and can play MP3s OK (constant bit rate)
Regards,
Neil

[grotesquery]

I tried using sonic stage, but the software reported that my media was incompatible so I used musicmatch and realone player, which at first did not solve my problem, until i realized what was really happening--they were encoding my mp3 tracks at 22 kHz; I subsequently changed to another software (using the Lame encoder), and could play with no problem.
And by the way, what does the Magic Gate on my card mean? It does not really seem to work at all, besides taking up a substantial part of my memory. How do I know if I'm getting a "real" Magic Gate card?
Thanks

[NeilG]

Hi,
gla it is now working OK.
Magic Gate is Sony's proprietary copy protection system.
I am not using it in any way.
Regards,
Neil

[Unregistered]

download MCA by CliePet

then download PocketTunes

convert your songs with dbPowerAMP

Then listen to all your songs in OGG VORBIS (at least 1/3rd the size)

[NeilG]

Thanks, I will try it. 1/3rd size sounds good.
Regards,
Neil