Monday, December 10, 2007

SONIC STAGE!!!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Here is my gift to you - Getting Sonic Stage to work with the W52S!!
BONUS - Works with Duogate AND MICRO SD!!!

Wow. I finally figured this whole deal out. (I am sketchy on a few parts, but I took the 'do it all, because some of them are important, and the others wont hurt' approach.)

This one will be a lengthy/complex procedure so lets get everything together:
1: you need your W52S CD. If you do not have it, please message me and I will email or post the particular package you need.
2: Phone, Cradle, and USB cable (naturally)
3: Duogate OR MicroSD card installed.


Ok, here we go:
1: Download and install Sonic Stage from: http://sonicstage.connect.com/SS-US.zip
(unzip, run the install file. follow directions.. easy)

2: Insert your W52S CD.

3:
Explore to: CD:\utility_softwares\SonicStage_CP

4:
You will find a single EXE file here. DO NOT RUN THIS FILE! It will simply report back that it cannot install on a non-Japanese OS.
Instead you need to do the following:
  • Right Click on the file and choose Extract files. You will then be able to make a folder somewhere to extract the files to. I reccomend Either a new folder on your desktop, or a new folder in the root of your C drive.
  • Find the folder you extracted to. I called it C:\SSinstall. Inside you will find several sub folders. Go to C:\SSinstall\Common\OpenMG.
  • Run Is_setup.exe and follow the directions.
  • If you have not already installed the USB driver, go to C:\SSinstall\Device\Driver\W52S and do so. (You might want to do it just in case, as it may only now make Sonic Stage aware of the device.)

NOTE: At this point, my install path may diverge from yours. Give Sonic Stage a try and see if you can access your memory card. To do so, plug in the cradle, drop the phone in, and choose 2-mass storage on the phone. Run Sonic Stage. In the Transfer tab you will have two new devices: Memory Stick (in my case, drive K) and ATRAC audio device (drive J). Memory Stick is if you have a DuoGate memory stick. ATRAC audio device is for all us MicroSD users.

If you get this far, and it works, please let me know. If not, then continue exploring the folder you made. You will find SEVERAL install packages. I went through and hit them all, just in case.

I hope this works out for everyone and you can enjoy using SS and dump your crappy AMP intall!




A quick review of the projects checklist: (all of these are without AMP, and on MicoSD cards)
  • Convert and upload/watch video (full length movies in widescreen, using Image Converter 2) - check
  • Download photos and video from camera - check
  • Upload PDF files and view them - check
  • Convert and upload photos (using Image Converter 2) - check
  • Convert and upload music with Sonic Stage - check
  • Upload and run games and third party applications - still to do
  • Offer support for MAC (I dont have access to one, and wouldn't know where to start. Sorry to all you MAC users) - still to do
  • Write user guides for GPS functions - still to do
  • Write user guides for EZweb functions - still to do
  • Write guide for subscription services (TangoTown, LastTrain search, etc) - still to do

Anything I should add?

31 comments:

MRE said...

Double PHAT bonus!
Once you have the phone working in Sonic Stage, it will appear in Image Converter 2!!! No more copying to the PC_INOUT folder!

Who's your Santa?

Anonymous said...

MRE, i am using vista, and I have no option to Extract, is there a different method to extract those files? Thank you.

Anonymous said...

Ok, i got an extractor (ultimate zip) but when I tried to extract from that .exe, it does nothing, nothing appears in the folder. It seems to start to but then it stops, please help!

Anonymous said...

MRE, your previous post worked! I got music files onto my phone and they play perfect, the next thing i tried was to install music vids using image converter 3. However after following all your directions to the letter, I cannot play any music files, they save perfectly (i choose move to mem stick) and I can see the files but when i click play a window comes up that says 'Cannot play file'
What can i do??

MRE said...

SMG:
Glad its working.

I dont have IC3 yet (want it.. are to make a 'contribution'? :)

Clarify how you are moving the files to the phone? Via IC3?

I must admit my first comment that IC2 now works was premature. IC2 sees the phone now, but files that I move over with it do not play.

Try the manual method if you have a memory card:
Point IC3 drop folder to your C drive. Convert your movie. Look in the C drive under MP_ROOT.. your vid is there. Change the file name to something usefull but keep the .MP4 extension. Copy it to the mem stick (PC_INOUT folder). Then on the phone find the folder on the stick, copy the file to the phone mem using 'file corresponded'

That should work.... for now.

MRE said...

gunz:
umm sounds like the extractor app wont pull files from a self extracting EXE.. I'll try to get them online for you.

MRE said...

Mmmm k.. GUNZ:
Send me your email address and I will send you a link to grab the file via yousendit. your extraction tool should be able to handle .rar files. Is that correct?

Anonymous said...

mre, i will try that now with IC3, you can upgrade to IC3 for free as long as you have IC2 or IC2 plus heres the link: http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-download.pl?upd_id=2989

Anonymous said...

mre, it does not work, this is exactly what i am doing:

In IC3 on the left side I click "add to list" I add the music video and it comes up in the list as "needs conversion", I click "conversion" and it says: Will convert to MPEG4 769kbps/30 fps 4:3 Stereo (these are the high settings that i defaulted IC3 to do).
After conversion it appears in the menu as MPEG4 format, I than click the transfer button to the phone, h:mem stick (not the g:512) I then disconnect my phone, go to external mem->pc folder->find the file->click option->click copy to phone->data folder->correspond file. Than i go back to external memory, data folder and the file is there but when I click play it says "Cannot play" I will try direct load onto the mem stick via IC3 next.

Anonymous said...

Just tried direct load onto SD card with IC3. transfered to the card and put card into the phone but when I look under external memory, pc folder, nothing is there. What am i doing wrong???

Anonymous said...

mre, I just re-formated my SD card (start from scratch) and created a pc folder, and after looking at the new folders i do not have a PC_INOUT folder, I only have a PRIVATE folder->AU_INOUT folder.

Anonymous said...

Also, in IC3, there is MPEG4, AVC Main profile and AVC Baseline profile as codec options. Does AVC do anything? Under MPEG4 there is higher video quality (768kbps/30fps) and smaller file size (384kpbs/15fps) aspect ratio is locked at 4:3
AVC has much higher settings (I can name them if u need) and also lets you change aspect ratio to 16:9 or 4:3

Anonymous said...

mre, alot of questions sorry...
but i just noticed something in IC3, when I click "conversion" button the file will go to C:\Users\Public\Videos\Image Converter\ConvertedVideos

I dont see any MP_Root folder, where is that? Why doesnt it save to that folder?

MRE said...

smg:
"I only have a PRIVATE folder->AU_INOUT folder."
correct... my mistake. sorry! Dump your files there.

IC3 apparently uses a different file structure than IC2. Follow IC3's file structure to find your videos.

The upgrade only works on the CD install of the IC2. You must have the CD in order to procede. I have the webload version so its a no go for now. (Although, I am considering hacking the install package to point it to the webload install folder... If I ever feel unsatisfied with IC2 that is ;)

Anonymous said...

MRE, could you please post a link to the items that i need to extract from the w52S cd.

Unknown said...

Hi there! Thanks a lot for trying to explain the workings of this baffling phone, which I bought yesterday. Stupidest "smart phone" I ever saw, hehe.

I'm a Mac user, and none of the software is Mac-compatible. Any idea how I can get movies and photos onto my handset?

I tried copying files to an SD card, and it recognises them, but won't allow me to select them. Verrrry annoying...

Anonymous said...

Hey mre, thanks for all the info. Following your instructions I have been able to really get the most out of this phone. I took the plunge today and ordered a 8gb memorystick M2. I'll give a update after it arrives.

Anonymous said...

Bad news....M2 8gb does not seem to work. Oh well, maybe with the next firmware upgrade. Any ideas?

Anonymous said...

is there a way to make our own music files into ringtones? that would be sweet!

MRE said...

ringtones: yes, and no.
You can assign any music file in your library to be a ringtone for a specific person. Just look in the profile data in your phonebook and you will see the music note icon.
The reality is that its not very practical. You have to copy the file to another folder (it wont find the music folder). Copy your short music file to the User folder 1 for instance.

Oddly, it will locate all videos and let you use them as ringtones. go figure.

MRE said...

p.s. you cant copy from the music folder either.

So, you will need to drop it in manually to the PCfolder, then move it on the phone to somewhere accessable.

Honestly, I havnt bothered to do any of this..

Unknown said...

For the ringtone what format does it need to be? Atrac? Cant seem to figure this out... Could you try it and make sure it works for you so I know I am not banging my head against the wall. :)

Thanks for your help

Anonymous said...

I cannot get SonicStage to recognize my 2GB MicroSD card. I get 3 new drives in "My Computer" J: , K: and L: and the one MicroSD uses is L:, but SonicStage only recognizes the K:.

Windows defines the drives as following devices:
J: SEMCJ au W52S IM USB device
K: SEMCJ au W52S MS USB device
L: SEMCJ au W52S SD USB device

Have no idea about J:, but K: is the one SonicStage wants to use, but it claims that there's no media inserted. L: is the one that shows the contents of the MicroSD card, but that doesn't help much as I can't transfer music there..

Anonymous said...

If you follow MRE directions on installing sonic stage it should work for you. Try uninstalling and reinstall using his directions, should work.


Is mre still there? Prolly working hard, saw the stuff he works on looks very kewl. I am glad he has helped us this far.



THANKS mre.... :)

MRE said...

Thanks Anonymous. Working hard and hardly working.
I'll leave the situational update to the next post (imediately to by typed after this response ;) But a lot of stuff changing on my end of the interwebs.

Bayli: your drive letter report is as complete as I have seen. IM is internal memory (the phone). MS is Memory Stick Duo (M2) and SD is in fact the MicroSD slot. So, you are correct, your drive L is the one you want.

Sonic Stage will not let you transfer music to the storage device (SD, drive L)? Have you installed the W52S driver?

Anonymous said...

Hello MRE, thank you so much for maintaining this blog. I have been using W52S for about 8 months and am soon leaving Japan for good. I still have not figured out how to download photos from the phone to my computer, and even after reading your previous entries I am quite clear. Do I need to own any of those external memory cards or install programs such as SonicStage? I appreciate your help in advance. Thanks, SW

pikachuy!! said...

i need the w52s CD pleaaasee !!!
i cant download anything :S

MRE said...

hmm.. how to get it to you...?

Um, I could use yousendit... Id need an email address for you though.

pikachuy!! said...

here is my email
azpiri_florescarla@hotmail.com
please send me the cd

Anonymous said...

For the ringtone what format does it need to be? Atrac? Cant seem to figure this out... Could you try it and make sure it works for you so I know I am not banging my head against the wall. :)

Thanks for your help

Anonymous said...

hi! Could send me the packaGE, thanks in advance
my email add is ecrublue@hotmail.com