Got a s544 for my daughter, how do I put cds/dvds on it? i know nothing!

[arrow111903]

Hi, thanks for your help; I am totally new to this world! I just got a NWZS544PNKB for my daughter for Christmas and haven’t ever used one of these before. I’m using a pretty new Toshiba laptop, running Vista, Windows Media Player 11 and Microsoft Office 2003; but I don’t understand a lot of technical jargon!

• What is the easiest, fastest way to transfer songs/whole albums to my mp3 from cds that I’ve ripped and still have good quality (I don’t understand a lot of the conversations on other threads about all of the different settings)?
• How in the world do I transfer a store-bought dvd movie to my mp3 (do I really have to download some software, and, if so, what is the best/most reputable free one)?

Thanks again for your help!!!

[CrowdAds]

[Andreas]

This should help you understand the conversations around file formats and settings: http://www.anythingbutipod.com/archi...at-roundup.php

As for converting video, it's very likely to be a lot more work than it's worth- and you might not get it working at all. The thing is, the Sony is very picky about what video files it take. The listed specs aren't really true as there are a bazillion reasons why it won't take a file that should work. Handbrake is an application that in theory should be able to rip the dvds and maybe have them play on the Sony if you're lucky, but frankly I'd suggest stocking up on analgesics before trying it. The S540 is rather low-end when it comes to video capabilities.

[arrow111903]

wow, thanks for your help! that's disappointing about the movies... do you have any other resommendations about that? should i take it back and get something else that WILL let you do that?

[MattMc3]

Originally Posted by arrow111903

What is the easiest, fastest way to transfer songs/whole albums to my mp3 from cds that I’ve ripped and still have good quality

If you already have the MP3's ripped, you can just drag-and-drop them onto your Walkman using Windows Explorer. If you want to use a media manager to sync the music to your Walkman then you could use Windows Media Player or some other media manager.

Originally Posted by arrow111903

How in the world do I transfer a store-bought dvd movie to my mp3 (do I really have to download some software, and, if so, what is the best/most reputable free one)

Unfortunately this isn't an easy question to answer. The basic process is to rip the DVD to your hard drive, then encode it into a format that is playable with your Walkman. Some programs will only rip the DVD, some will only reencode the DVD. Some programs combine the ripping and reencoding into an automated procedure. There are numerous discussions here (use the seach) about people getting video to work on their Walkmans. The hard part about converting video is trying to find a program that works good on your computer. What works good on mine might not work good on yours. Expect to try a couple of different programs before you find one that works. Most video encoding programs will have presets for an iPod, which seem to work good on our Walkmans. Just make sure the resolution is set to 320x240. Encode it as an MP4 with either the h264 or MPEG4 CODEC and it should work. That info might be over your head, but you are going to have to experiment to get video working correctly. And almost all players can be finicky when playing videos.

A lot of people use Handbrake. I use DVD Decrypter and AVIDemux (but most people that have tried AVIDemux after my recommendation did not have much luck with it - and I wouldn't recommend that combination of programs for a beginner) I use DVD Decrypter for ripping DVD's (but it's not free).

Matt

Edit: If all else fails, your daughter will probably figure it out.

[arrow111903]

thank you! "Edit: If all else fails, your daughter will probably figure it out. " that made me laugh!!

that was pretty concise and easy for me to understand. one question, should i go ahead and try to get this to work on the walkman considering the laptop i have only has a celeron processor or should i buy a different mp3? (i.e. have you or someone you know been able to get this to work? - i just want her to be able to watch Wall-E, Cinderella, etc...)

[Andreas]

You'd probably be better off with something else. SOmething like a cowon s9 or maybe better a Samsung P3. Those are a lot less picky about what you stuff into them. A lot bigger screens too

[h1a8]

Originally Posted by arrow111903

Hi, thanks for your help; I am totally new to this world! I just got a NWZS544PNKB for my daughter for Christmas and haven’t ever used one of these before. I’m using a pretty new Toshiba laptop, running Vista, Windows Media Player 11 and Microsoft Office 2003; but I don’t understand a lot of technical jargon!

• What is the easiest, fastest way to transfer songs/whole albums to my mp3 from cds that I’ve ripped and still have good quality (I don’t understand a lot of the conversations on other threads about all of the different settings)?
• How in the world do I transfer a store-bought dvd movie to my mp3 (do I really have to download some software, and, if so, what is the best/most reputable free one)?

Thanks again for your help!!!

Movies on DVD's have copy protection and generally can't be converted or copied without special software. But you want to store then on the Sony right? So the best thing to do is buy DVDfab platinum with mobile option (choose Sony walkman profile). I little expensive I know but this is your best option for the upmost ease and painless experience. Plus you can use the software to make backup copies of all your DVDs so that they will last longer. I just wish it was a little cheaper.

As far as audio (music) Sony is drag and drop and doesn't need any software to transfer. Just go to my computer and double click on the device and then go inside the music folder and then start dragging and creating folders. Sony player also comes with Content Transer software in case you want to use software to transfer. It also can be used with WM 11. As a beginner you should only use mp3.

[stargazer]

The sony is really a (great) music machine, not a movie machine. I recently used Windows Media Player for the first time, so I'll try to tell how it works.

Use the "rip" tab to copy the cd's to your hard drive. With the drop down arrow you should be able to choose the format (WMA,MP3. .WAV) and control the quality (more options, use the slider) of the conversion to mp3. Then insert one cd and make sure it loads, then keep just popping in cd's. More quality takes more room, but the sony has great sound quality, might as well use it.

To get the music on the player, use the sync tab. Use the drop down list and it will show your player if it is plugged in. I think you have to click on it and say finished, don't remember exactly but try till it works. Don't be afraid to try the various options.

Then you drag the files you want to sync over to the right. I highlighted a ton of files and copied and pasted over to the top right. The only problem I had was that WMP installed everything and then went on to sync all my photos and video, so keep an eye on it.

I tried dragging and dropping, it worked fine, but I had to navigate to the album art, when I used the sync tab the album art showed as the song played, much nicer. I did not try the sony software (file is in the memory of your player, drag it out and save it in the computer in case you decide to use it later). I don't like windows software, but I hate sony software, so I used the WMP because it was right there and I wanted fast free results.