Sony NW-HD3 Manual

Owner’s Record

The model and serial numbers are located at the rear of the player. 
Record the serial number in the space provided below. Refer to 
these numbers whenever you call upon your Sony dealer regarding 
this product.
Model No.     NW-HD3
Serial No.  ___________________________

WARNING

To prevent fire or shock hazard, do not expose

the unit to rain or moisture.

Do not install the appliance in a confined space, such as a
bookcase or built-in cabinet.

To prevent fire, do not cover the ventilation of the apparatus with
newspapers, table cloths, curtains, etc. And don’t place lighted 
candles on the apparatus.

To prevent fire or shock hazard, do not place objects filled with
liquids, such as vases, on the apparatus.

Note on installation
If you use the unit at a place subject to static or electrical noise, the 
track’s transferring information may be corrupted. This would 
prevent successful transferring authorization on your computer.

For the customers in the USA and Canada
RECYCLING LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES
Lithium-ion batteries are recyclable. 
You can help preserve our environment by returning 
your used rechargeable batteries to the collection and 
recycling location nearest you.

For more information regarding recycling of rechargeable batteries, 
call toll free 1-800-822-8837, or visit 

http://www.rbrc.org/.

Caution: Do not handle damaged or leaking Lithium-ion 
batteries.

For the Customers In Netherlands 

Voor de Klanten in Nederland

Gooi de batterij niet weg maar lever deze in als 
klein chemisch afval (KCA).

In sommige landen gelden wettelijke voorschriften met betrekking 
tot de afvoer van de batterij waarmee dit toestel wordt gevoed. 
Raadpleeg hiervoor de lokale instanties.

For the Customers in Russia 

 

Этот знaк отноcитcя только  

 

к aдaптepy пepeмeнного токa.

Портативный плеер со встроенным жёстким диском

For the customers in the USA
INFORMATION:
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the 
limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC 
Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection 
against harmful interference in a residential installation. This 
equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy 
and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, 
may cause harmful interference to radio communications. 
However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a 
particular installation.  If this equipment does cause harmful 
interference to radio or television reception, which can be 
determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is 
encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the 
following measures:
– Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
– Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
– Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from 

that to which the receiver is connected.

– Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for 

help.

You are cautioned that any changes or modifications not expressly
approved in this manual could void your authority to operate this 
equipment.

Declaration of Conformity

Trade Name: 

SONY

Model No.: 

NW-HD3

Responsible Party:  Sony Electronics Inc.
Address: 

16450 W. Bernardo Dr, 

 

San Diego, CA 92127 USA

Telephone Number:  858-942-2230

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation 
is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may 
not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept 
any interference received, including interference that may 
cause undesired operation.

“WALKMAN” is a registered trademark of Sony Corporation to 
represent Headphone Stereo products.  

 is a trademark of Sony Corporation.

On the softwares

• SonicStage and SonicStage logo are trademarks or registered 

trademarks of Sony Corporation.

• OpenMG, ATRAC3, ATRAC3plus and their logos are trademarks 

of Sony Corporation.

• Microsoft, Windows, Windows NT and Windows Media are 

trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in 
the United States and/or other countries.

• IBM and PC/AT are registered trademarks of International 

Business Machines Corporation.

• Macintosh is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. in the United 

States and/or other countries.

• Pentium is a trademark or a registered trademark of Intel 

Corporation.

• US and foreign patents licensed from Dolby Laboratories.
• All other trademarks and registered trademarks are trademarks or 

registered trademarks of their respective holders.  
In this manual, 

TM

 and ® marks are not specified.

• Adobe Reader is a trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated.
• CD and music-related data from Gracenote, Inc., copyright © 

2000-2003 Gracenote. Gracenote CDDB

®

 Client Software, 

copyright 2000-2003 Gracenote. This product and service may 
practice one or more of the following U.S. Patents: #5,987,525; 
#6,061,680; #6,154,773, #6,161,132, #6,230,192, #6,230,207, 
#6,240,459, #6,330,593 and other patents issued or pending. 
Gracenote and CDDB are registered trademarks of Gracenote. 
The Gracenote logo and logotype, the Gracenote CDDB logo, 
and the “Powered by Gracenote” logo are trademarks of 
Gracenote.

Program ©2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 Sony Corporation
Documentation ©2004 Sony Corporation

When installing is not successful



• IBM PC/AT or Compatible
• CPU: Pentium II 400 MHz or higher (Pentium 

III 450 

MHz or higher is recommended.)

• Hard disk drive space: 200 MB or more (1.5 GB or more 

is recommended.) (The amount of space will vary 
according to the Windows version and the number of 
music files stored on the hard disk.)

• RAM: 64 MB or more (128 MB or more is 

recommended.)

• Others

– CD drive (capable of digital playback by WDM)
– Sound Board
– USB port (Hi-Speed USB is supported.)

Factory installed: Windows XP Media Center Edition 
2005/Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004/Windows 
XP Media Center Edition/Windows XP Professional/
Windows XP Home Edition/Windows 2000 Professional/
Windows Millennium Edition/Windows 98 Second Edition

High Color (16 bit) or higher, 800 × 600 dots or better 
(1024 × 768 dots or better is recommended.)

• Internet access: for Web registration, EMD services and 

CDDB

• Windows Media Player (version 7.0 or higher) installed 

for playing WMA files

SonicStage is not supported by the following 
environments: OSs other than those indicated above, 
personally constructed PCs or OSs, an environment that is 
an upgrade of the original manufacturer-installed 
operating system, Multi-boot environment, Multi-monitor 
environment, and Macintosh.

Make sure to use the supplied CD-ROM for installing 
SonicStage. If SonicStage or OpenMG Jukebox has been 
installed, the existing software will be overwritten by the new 
version. You will still be able to use the existing functions and 
audio data registered by the existing software. 
The PDF of Operating Instructions is also installed at the same 
time. 



Close all other software.
Make sure to close any virus-check software, as such 
software usually demands a large amount of system 
resources.



your computer.
The setup program starts up.



• Headphones (1)

 

 

•  USB adaptor (1) 

(For connecting to the supplied USB cable and  
the AC power adaptor)

 

 

• Dedicated USB cable (1)

 

 

You can charge the battery using a USB connection. See the 
PDF of the Operating Instructions for details.



Power is supplied from the built-in lithium-ion 
rechargeable battery.

If the player will not be used for three months or more, set the 
BUILT-IN BATTERY switch to OFF to prevent degradation 
of the battery.





into place.
Charging of the battery starts. The CHG lamp lights up on 
the USB adaptor, and if the player is on, the battery 
indicator in the display changes. 
Charging is completed and the CHG lamp goes off in 
approximately 3 hours. The lightning mark lights up in 
the display if the player is on. To charge quickly, turn the 
display off and disconnect the USB cable from the USB 
adaptor, and then it takes approximately 1 hour to charge 
up to 80%.

CHG lamp

To remove the USB adaptor from the player, while 
pressing the gray buttons on both sides, push the USB 
adaptor inward, and then pull it outward.



“Install 

SonicStage”

“Get Adobe Reader”

Read the instructions carefully. Depending on your 
region, the buttons other than “Install SonicStage” may 
differ from those in the illustration above. The 
installation may take 20 to 30 minutes, depending on 
your system environment. 
Make sure to restart your computer only after the 
installation is completed. If any problem occurs during 
the installation, see  “When installing is not 

successful” on the left.

To open the PDF of Operating Instructions, Adobe 
Acrobat Reader 5.0 or Adobe Reader is required. If you 
cannot open the PDF, click “Get Adobe Reader” and 
follow the instructions on the screen.



 Close all Windows applications before installation.
 Check that there is at least 200 MB free space on the hard 

disk of your computer. If not, delete the unnecessary files
on your computer.

 When the installation appears to have stopped before it has 

finished, check for the appearance of an error message
beneath the installation window. Press the “Tab” key while 
holding down the “Alt” key. If an error message has 
appeared, follow the instructions on the screen. If there is 
no message, the installation is still in progress. Wait for a 
little while longer.

 When the progress bar on the display of your computer is 

not moving or the access lamp of your computer has not lit 
for a few minutes, the installation is progressing normally. 
Please wait. The installation may take 30 minutes or more, 
depending on your CD drive or system environment.



•  We do not guarantee trouble-free operation on all computers that 

satisfy the system requirement.

•  The NTFS format of Windows XP/Windows 2000 Professional can 

be used only with the standard (factory) settings.

•  For Windows 2000 Professional users, install Service Pack 3 or later 

version before using the software.

•  We do not guarantee trouble-free operation of the system suspend, 

sleep, or hibernation function on the computers.

• AC power adaptor (1) 
• Carrying case (1)
• CD-ROM (1) *

Includes:
− SonicStage software
− Operating Instructions for the player (PDF)

• Quick Start Guide (this book) (1)

* Do not play this CD-ROM on an audio CD player.

This Quick Start Guide briefly explains the preparation, how to 
transfer audio data, and basic playback procedures of the player.

Printed on 100% recycled paper using 
VOC (Voltile Organic Compound)- 
free vegetable oil based ink.

USB adaptor

AC power 

adaptor

to an AC outlet

to DC IN 

jack

NW-HD3.US.2-000-000-11(1)

© 2004 Sony Corporation    Printed in Japan