<s>
SonicStage	B-Application
is	O
a	O
discontinued	O
software	O
product	O
from	O
Sony	O
that	O
is	O
used	O
for	O
managing	O
portable	O
devices	O
when	O
they	O
are	O
plugged	O
into	O
a	O
computer	O
running	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
comprises	O
a	O
music	O
player	O
and	O
library	O
manager	O
,	O
similar	O
to	O
iTunes	B-Operating_System
,	O
Windows	B-Device
Media	I-Device
Player	I-Device
and	O
RealPlayer	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
used	O
to	O
manage	O
the	O
library	O
of	O
ATRAC	O
(	O
.omg	O
and	O
.oma	O
)	O
and	O
MP3	B-Application
recordings	O
on	O
a	O
PC	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SonicStage	B-Application
was	O
required	O
to	O
transfer	O
and	O
manage	O
music	O
on	O
all	O
Network	O
Walkman	O
,	O
NetMD	O
and	O
Hi-MD	O
players	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Clie	B-Application
handheld	O
,	O
before	O
the	O
product	O
was	O
dropped	O
entirely	O
outside	O
of	O
Japan	O
in	O
2007	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SonicStage	B-Application
was	O
first	O
used	O
in	O
Vaio	O
PCs	O
put	O
on	O
the	O
Japanese	O
market	O
in	O
October	O
2001	O
,	O
and	O
superseded	O
OpenMG	O
Jukebox	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Version	O
2	O
was	O
found	O
on	O
2004	O
model	O
products	O
,	O
and	O
Version	O
3	O
on	O
2005	O
model	O
products	O
(	O
Sony	O
introduced	O
native	O
MP3	B-Application
support	O
on	O
its	O
music	O
players	O
in	O
2005	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Sony	O
Connect	O
service	O
was	O
used	O
to	O
purchase	O
recordings	O
online	O
,	O
and	O
could	O
be	O
accessed	O
from	O
within	O
the	O
SonicStage	B-Application
program	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
Sony	O
announced	O
that	O
on	O
31	O
March	O
2008	O
,	O
its	O
CONNECT	O
download	O
site	O
would	O
be	O
going	O
offline	O
,	O
affecting	O
SonicStage	B-Application
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Japan	O
exclusively	O
uses	O
the	O
mora	O
service	O
,	O
and	O
SonicStage	B-Application
continued	O
to	O
be	O
released	O
for	O
Japanese	O
customers	O
until	O
it	O
was	O
superseded	O
by	O
x-APPLICATION	O
in	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SonicStage	B-Application
is	O
closely	O
tied	O
to	O
a	O
requirement	O
that	O
the	O
program	O
guard	O
against	O
copyright	O
infractions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Somewhat	O
similar	O
to	O
an	O
Apple	B-Device
iPod	I-Device
,	O
it	O
is	O
not	O
generally	O
possible	O
to	O
move	O
tracks	O
from	O
the	O
music	O
player	O
to	O
the	O
PC	O
hard	O
drive	O
,	O
and	O
thereby	O
from	O
one	O
music	O
player	O
to	O
another	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SonicStage	B-Application
ties	O
the	O
DRM	O
license	O
of	O
each	O
track	O
to	O
the	O
hardware	O
of	O
the	O
computer	O
from	O
which	O
it	O
has	O
been	O
transferred	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SonicStage	B-Application
will	O
not	O
allow	O
transfer	O
of	O
tracks	O
from	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
another	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
possible	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
to	O
backup	O
"	O
My	O
Library	O
"	O
and	O
import	O
it	O
into	O
another	O
installation	O
of	O
SonicStage	B-Application
on	O
a	O
different	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
it	O
is	O
possible	O
to	O
load	O
files	O
directly	O
onto	O
a	O
Sony	O
player	O
without	O
using	O
SonicStage	B-Application
,	O
it	O
is	O
not	O
possible	O
to	O
play	O
music	O
files	O
loaded	O
this	O
way	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
program	O
does	O
not	O
generally	O
convert	O
OMG/OMA	O
files	O
to	O
MP3	B-Application
or	O
WAV	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
program	O
only	O
supports	O
OMG	O
format	O
,	O
not	O
MP3	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
program	O
lacks	O
a	O
true	O
import	O
album	O
feature	O
for	O
WAV	O
and	O
MP3	B-Application
files	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
MP3	B-Application
and	O
WAV	O
files	O
cannot	O
generally	O
be	O
used	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
makes	O
it	O
difficult	O
to	O
use	O
SonicStage	B-Application
to	O
edit	O
CDs	O
that	O
have	O
been	O
ripped	O
with	O
another	O
program	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SonicStage	B-Application
3.4	O
allows	O
tracks	O
recorded	O
via	O
digital	O
or	O
analogue	O
inputs	O
on	O
Hi-MD	O
devices	O
to	O
be	O
transferred	O
back	O
in	O
WAV	O
format	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Support	O
for	O
MP3	B-Application
files	I-Application
in	O
both	O
SonicStage	B-Application
and	O
2005	O
model	O
devices	O
is	O
problematic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
it	O
may	O
not	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
play	O
low	O
bit	O
rate	O
MP3	B-Application
tracks	I-Application
,	O
(	O
the	O
ones	O
that	O
may	O
be	O
produced	O
by	O
an	O
Internet	O
radio	O
station	O
,	O
or	O
in	O
a	O
podcast	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SonicStage	B-Application
will	O
play	O
ATRAC3	O
files	O
directly	O
from	O
a	O
digital	O
music	O
device	O
when	O
the	O
latter	O
is	O
connected	O
to	O
the	O
computer	O
and	O
detected	O
by	O
the	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SonicStage	B-Application
3	O
does	O
not	O
play	O
DRM-wrapped	O
MP3	B-Application
files	I-Application
directly	O
from	O
the	O
device	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
origins	O
of	O
SonicStage	B-Application
lie	O
in	O
OpenMG	O
Jukebox	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
created	O
for	O
the	O
Memory	O
Stick	O
Walkman	O
(	O
NW-MS7	O
)	O
and	O
VAIO	O
Music	O
Clip	O
,	O
Sony	O
's	O
first	O
digital	O
audio	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
can	O
transfer	O
files	O
in	O
the	O
newly	O
developed	O
ATRAC3	O
format	O
to	O
these	O
players	O
,	O
or	O
convert	O
existing	O
MP3	B-Application
files	I-Application
to	O
ATRAC3	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Version	O
1.5	O
adds	O
native	O
support	O
for	O
ATRAC3plus	O
and	O
Windows	B-Application
Media	I-Application
Audio	I-Application
(	O
WMA	B-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
MP3	B-Application
encoding	O
plug-in	B-Application
was	O
sold	O
on	O
Sony	O
's	O
on-line	O
stores	O
(	O
SonyStyle	O
Japan	O
:	O
¥	O
1,590	O
)	O
,	O
for	O
their	O
Palm	O
device	O
called	O
CLIÉ	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
encoding	O
function	O
for	O
WMA/MP3	O
was	O
removed	O
in	O
SonicStage	B-Application
Version	O
2.0	O
,	O
which	O
supports	O
only	O
the	O
decoding	O
function	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
the	O
last	O
version	O
of	O
SonicStage	B-Application
before	O
native	O
MP3	B-Application
devices	O
were	O
introduced	O
by	O
Sony	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MP3	B-Application
is	O
supported	O
by	O
converting	O
the	O
mp3	B-Application
file	I-Application
to	O
ATRAC	O
format	O
and	O
downloading	O
that	O
file	O
to	O
the	O
device	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SonicStage	B-Application
added	O
a	O
batch	O
conversion	O
tool	O
to	O
convert	O
older	O
.omg	O
files	O
into	O
.oma	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SonicStage	B-Application
v3	O
classifies	O
tracks	O
according	O
to	O
the	O
album-related	O
information	O
present	O
in	O
their	O
headers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sony	O
added	O
the	O
option	O
to	O
drop	O
DRM	O
on	O
ripped	O
files	O
in	O
SonicStage	B-Application
v3.3	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SonicStage	B-Application
3.4	O
includes	O
an	O
option	O
to	O
de-DRM	O
an	O
entire	O
library	O
(	O
the	O
larger	O
it	O
is	O
,	O
the	O
longer	O
it	O
takes	O
)	O
allowing	O
unlimited	O
transfer	O
and	O
playback	O
on	O
PCs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SonicStage	B-Application
3.4	O
can	O
operate	O
on	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
after	O
some	O
manual	O
driver	O
installations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Adds	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
import	O
AACLC	B-Application
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
HE-AAC	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Restrictions	O
on	O
what	O
non-administrator	O
users	O
could	O
do	O
were	O
due	O
to	O
restrictions	O
imposed	O
by	O
Windows	O
XP	O
and	O
earlier	O
;	O
these	O
restrictions	O
are	O
not	O
present	O
with	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
and	O
later	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Version	O
4.3	O
(	O
called	O
SonicStage	B-Application
CP	O
,	O
for	O
Connect	O
Player	O
)	O
adds	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
compatibility	O
(	O
Vista	B-Application
64-bit	O
and	O
Windows	O
7	O
64-bit	O
are	O
not	O
officially	O
supported	O
but	O
Sonicstage	B-Application
will	O
run	O
,	O
though	O
there	O
are	O
no	O
drivers	O
for	O
the	O
hardware	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
October	O
2008	O
,	O
this	O
is	O
the	O
latest	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
English	O
(	O
and	O
other	O
non-Japanese	O
language	O
)	O
SonicStage	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
SonicStage	B-Application
V	O
is	O
the	O
final	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
Japanese	O
SonicStage	B-Application
,	O
and	O
features	O
a	O
new	O
user	O
interface	O
like	O
SonicStage	B-Application
for	O
LISMO	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SonicStage	B-Application
V	O
does	O
not	O
work	O
with	O
the	O
Hi-MD/Net	O
MD	O
Walkmans	O
,	O
MP3-CD/ATRAC	O
-CD	O
players	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
CD	O
Walkmans	O
)	O
and	O
other	O
old	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
IFA	O
2007	O
,	O
Sony	O
announced	O
that	O
SonicStage	B-Application
software	O
would	O
be	O
dropped	O
for	O
all	O
future	O
Walkman	O
products	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Music	O
management	O
is	O
instead	O
done	O
using	O
drag	O
and	O
drop	O
,	O
the	O
Media	O
Manager	O
of	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
Portable	I-Operating_System
,	O
or	O
Windows	B-Device
Media	I-Device
Player	I-Device
11	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2008	O
,	O
Sony	O
created	O
a	O
lightweight	O
Windows	O
and	O
Mac	O
software	O
called	O
Content	O
Transfer	O
that	O
provides	O
drag	O
and	O
drop	O
transfer	O
from	O
Windows	B-Device
Media	I-Device
Player	I-Device
and	O
iTunes	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
SonicStage	B-Application
for	O
LISMO	O
is	O
a	O
stripped-down	O
version	O
of	O
Japanese	O
SonicStage	B-Application
CP	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
a	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
"	O
LISMO	O
Port	O
"	O
suite	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SonicStage	B-Application
for	O
LISMO	O
developed	O
for	O
a	O
new	O
ATRAC	O
service	O
(	O
)	O
of	O
LISMO	O
,	O
the	O
online	O
music	O
store	O
provided	O
by	O
a	O
Japanese	O
mobile	O
phone	O
operator	O
KDDI	O
(	O
au	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
playable	O
codecs	O
are	O
same	O
as	O
SonicStage	B-Application
Version	O
4.x	O
,	O
but	O
encoding	O
functions	O
are	O
only	O
available	O
for	O
the	O
ATRAC	O
codecs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SonicStage	B-Application
Mastering	O
Studio	O
is	O
a	O
related	O
Windows	O
software	O
package	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SonicStage	B-Application
was	O
criticized	O
for	O
being	O
user	O
unfriendly	O
and	O
having	O
numerous	O
technical	O
defects	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sony	O
offers	O
the	O
MP3	B-Application
File	I-Application
Manager	O
for	O
Network	O
Walkmans	O
as	O
a	O
very	O
limited	O
alternative	O
to	O
SonicStage	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
only	O
provides	O
a	O
simple	O
drag-and-drop	O
interface	O
and	O
is	O
lacking	O
many	O
of	O
the	O
newer	O
,	O
more	O
advanced	O
features	O
of	O
SonicStage	B-Application
(	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
transfer	O
files	O
back	O
to	O
the	O
computer	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
it	O
can	O
be	O
run	O
directly	O
on	O
the	O
device	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
not	O
truly	O
a	O
portable	B-Application
application	I-Application
because	O
it	O
requires	O
that	O
the	O
driver	O
be	O
installed	O
on	O
the	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
may	O
still	O
require	O
SonicStage	B-Application
to	O
be	O
installed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sony	O
released	O
an	O
MP3	B-Application
Conversion	O
Tool	O
in	O
2007	O
,	O
which	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
convert	O
non-DRM	O
protected	O
ATRAC®	O
format	O
audio	O
files	O
stored	O
on	O
computers	O
to	O
MP3	B-Application
format	O
audio	O
files	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
run	O
the	O
MP3	B-Application
Conversion	O
Tool	O
,	O
the	O
OpenMG	O
Secure	O
Module	O
is	O
required	O
(	O
included	O
with	O
SonicStage	B-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
also	O
works	O
under	O
WINE	B-Application
in	O
Linux	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
JSymphonic	O
is	O
a	O
piece	O
of	O
open-source	B-Application
Java	B-Language
software	O
that	O
works	O
on	O
Linux	B-Application
,	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
and	O
Mac	B-Operating_System
OS	I-Operating_System
X	I-Operating_System
and	O
can	O
transfer	O
MP3s	B-Application
to	O
and	O
from	O
the	O
Sony	O
NW-E00x	O
series	O
and	O
HDD	O
NW-A	O
series	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
a	O
continuation	O
of	O
the	O
NW-E00x	O
Mp3	B-Application
File	I-Application
Manager	O
project	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ML	O
Sony	O
is	O
a	O
plugin	B-Application
for	O
the	O
multimedia	O
player	O
Winamp	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
integrates	O
with	O
Winamp	B-Application
's	O
library	O
and	O
allows	O
the	O
user	O
to	O
transfer	O
MP3s	B-Application
between	O
the	O
PC	O
and	O
the	O
Sony	O
Walkman	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
does	O
not	O
require	O
SonicStage	B-Application
to	O
be	O
installed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
linux-minidisc	O
is	O
a	O
project	O
to	O
develop	O
free	O
transfer	O
software	O
for	O
all	O
HiMD	O
-	O
and	O
NetMD-Walkman	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
software	O
features	O
a	O
library	O
libhimd	O
for	O
accessing	O
HiMD-devices	O
and	O
a	O
Qt-based	O
GUI	B-Application
(	O
QHiMDTransfer	O
)	O
;	O
these	O
both	O
can	O
be	O
ported	O
to	O
many	O
platforms	O
,	O
including	O
Linux	B-Application
,	O
Windows	O
and	O
Macintosh	O
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
transfer	O
from	O
the	O
Walkman	O
to	O
the	O
PC	O
)	O
of	O
MP3s	B-Application
and	O
PCM/ATRAC3/ATRAC3	O
+	O
-recordings	O
(	O
all	O
HiMD	O
Walkman	O
)	O
is	O
possible	O
,	O
more	O
functionality	O
(	O
downloads	O
to	O
the	O
device	O
,	O
deleting	O
,	O
renaming	O
tracks	O
etc	O
.	O
)	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
sophisticated	O
debugging	O
and	O
reverse-engineering	O
protection	O
of	O
OpenMG/AVLib	O
made	O
development	O
tedious	O
but	O
linux-minidisc	O
is	O
the	O
only	O
software	O
to	O
provide	O
this	O
functionality	O
to	O
date	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Web	O
MiniDisc	O
is	O
a	O
utility	O
created	O
by	O
Stefano	O
Brilli	O
that	O
uses	O
portions	O
of	O
the	O
linux-minidisc	O
project	O
under	O
Chrome	O
web	O
browsers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
SonicStage	B-Application
,	O
this	O
utility	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
under	O
64-bit	O
operating	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
