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#27092 - 23/02/2001 22:56 watch me beat a dead horse
rockstar
enthusiast

Registered: 24/11/2000
Posts: 316
are we ever gunna see tuner support. I have been following this for months before i got the empeg (about 4 montsh ago) it is something that many of us need. I don't think i understand what the holdup is

anyone?


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#27093 - 24/02/2001 00:00 Re: watch me beat a dead horse [Re: rockstar]
Dignan
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12320
Loc: Sterling, VA
As far as I understood it, it was purely a hardware dely. They were unsatisfied with the original design, plus there was alot of complaint over the lack of AM.

But dude, realx. Did you see rob's post? Did that not make you psyched about the possibility of seeing a tuner in the near future?

Believe me, there are plenty of people here who have been following this for a long time. I've been concerned about this ever since finding out about the product last spring. But I have faith and confidence that they will do all they can to bring it out.

NOW STOP ASKING!

DiGNAN
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, etc.
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Matt

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#27094 - 24/02/2001 01:20 Re: watch me beat a dead horse [Re: Dignan]
rockstar
enthusiast

Registered: 24/11/2000
Posts: 316
i know, it is just frustrating, i am just about ready to say forget it and get a second deck, but blah, i don't watn two, and i don't want to spend another few hundred (better to get more drive space)

no i did not see rob's post, where is it, i wil lgo look now.


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#27095 - 24/02/2001 03:25 Re: watch me beat a dead horse [Re: rockstar]
schofiel
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/06/1999
Posts: 2993
Loc: Wareham, Dorset, UK
You might try reading this post from Rob. You are right, you are whipping a dead horse. I doubt you are making any friends re-hashing this over and over and over again (isn't that a Status Quo song?); it's seriously starting to tick me off - I can't speak for anyone else.

Tony, although I know the rules, this really SHOULD be a major FAQ entry. Paul, can you put a quick link on the board header pointing to this entry? Rob, can you put a special "Tuner Status" page somewhere on the empeg site so that Paul can also put a quick link to that, for those of us too lazy to read the current status information on the empeg site itself/search the BBS for the word "Tuner"?

One of the few remaining Mk1 owners... #00015
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One of the few remaining Mk1 owners... #00015

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#27096 - 24/02/2001 03:52 Re: watch me beat a dead horse [Re: schofiel]
rockstar
enthusiast

Registered: 24/11/2000
Posts: 316
one post by me hardly constitutes me rehashing it over and over again,
lighten up ass hole.

the whole topic header, was meant to be comedic, get a clue.


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#27097 - 24/02/2001 05:33 What about the software [Re: schofiel]
andy
carpal tunnel

Registered: 10/06/1999
Posts: 5914
Loc: Wivenhoe, Essex, UK
We all know the state of play on the tuner hardware and I think most of us understand the problems involved.

However, it has been a long time since we had any news on improved software for the Mk1 tuner. My Mk1 empeg is still not fitted in my car, the main reason being that the tuner does not have RDS auto tuning and I don't want two head units in the car. Without auto tuning I would have to retune (or at least find the right preset) at least 10 times a day (my daily commute involved an awful lot of frequency switches for my favourite station).

As far I remember we have not had any new on any planned upgrades to the tuner software in about 12 months. Are there any actually planned?

And before someone says "why would you want a tuner if you had empeg", there are some days where there are specific programmes on when I'm driving to work when I would want to listen to the tuner for the whole hour of the journey.

Just a simple "no there are no upgrades planned" would help, I could then reconsider my objections to having two head units.

P.S. traffic announcements would be good too.

__
Unit serial number 47 (was 330 in the queue)...

Edited by andy on 24/02/01 12:35 PM.

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#27098 - 24/02/2001 05:34 Re: watch me beat a dead horse [Re: rockstar]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31583
Loc: Seattle, WA
Now, now, boys. Settle down.

Rockstar: Whether or not you meant it as a joke, you're right, everyone's been waiting for the Mk2 tuner module for a long time. It's understandable that we're getting a little fidgety about it.

Also, I don't think that Rob meant you were ticking him off specifically, I think he meant that all of the "where are the tuner" posts were starting to get under his skin.

In any case, we all know that Rob S. isn't really an [censored].

Rob S.: I'll work on putting up a FAQ entry.

___________
Tony Fabris
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Tony Fabris

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#27099 - 24/02/2001 05:38 Re: What about the software [Re: andy]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31583
Loc: Seattle, WA
However, it has been a long time since we had any news on improved software for the Mk1 tuner.

The Mark1 and Mark2 will, as always, have the same code base. Improvements to the Mark2 tuner software will also apply to the Mark1 (assuming that the hardware is available for a given feature).

So if RDS auto tuning ever gets implemented, it will apply equally to the Mark1 and Mark2.

___________
Tony Fabris
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Tony Fabris

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#27100 - 24/02/2001 06:31 Re: What about the software [Re: tfabris]
andy
carpal tunnel

Registered: 10/06/1999
Posts: 5914
Loc: Wivenhoe, Essex, UK
I'm not sure that is exactly true Tony. Sure to a certain level the code for the two tuners will be shared.

However, unless the interfaces to the two modules are identical there has to be a point at which there is specific code for the two tuners (probably at the device driver level). I can imagine a situation where extra coding is needed for the Mk1 tuner to make the RDS feature set more complete. At that point the empeg team could easily find they can't justify that cost for a few hundred existing Mk1 units.

I just find the fact that there has been no progress on the software front on the tuner in the last year strange, considering the other improvements there have been. It suggests to me that there may be no further improvements.

I'm not complaining about this by the way, if empeg have given up on the Mk1 tuner I can entirely understand (especially if it means putting in coding time specific to the Mk1). I'd just like to know about it if they have.

__
Unit serial number 47 (was 330 in the queue)...
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#27101 - 24/02/2001 06:39 Re: watch me beat a dead horse [Re: tfabris]
rockstar
enthusiast

Registered: 24/11/2000
Posts: 316
i understand, but i hate bbs's where there are guys with superior attitudes and "net toughguys"

some fly to phx and tell me how bad i am pissing you off, or shut your mouth.

You can't blame me for wondering, jeez/.


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#27102 - 24/02/2001 12:52 Re: What about the software [Re: andy]
altman
carpal tunnel

Registered: 19/05/1999
Posts: 3457
Loc: Palo Alto, CA
The mk1 and mk2's RDS data separation is performed in the DSP (onboard the empeg) - the mk2 tuner feeds FM MPX data into the main box.

Hence, the RDS stack is the same on both. There have been improvements with the 1.1 tuner, but I can't promise that auto-tuning will be spectacularly good on the mk1 due to hardware limitations (tuner settle time, noise on the signal strength line). Currently, 1.1 does not do auto tuning, but this is going to be added, along with TP/TA support.

We will try to make the mk1 as fully featured as possible in this department - TP/TA whilst listening to MP3s should be very possible, as we can retune & play with the tuner without disturbing the audio. The mk2's tuner is better at this though.

There have been improvements to the tuner in the last year (the late betas before 1.0 had many improvements) but 1.1 has a lot more stuff in that area. John's been working hard :)

Hugo




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#27103 - 24/02/2001 12:54 Re: watch me beat a dead horse [Re: Dignan]
altman
carpal tunnel

Registered: 19/05/1999
Posts: 3457
Loc: Palo Alto, CA
We should have a new tuner module to show at the US meet on March 3rd.

Hopefully, it'll be functional, I'm hammering on the new PIC code now to make the new features (no, not telling, you'll have to wait until March 3rd!) work. Might not be cased, there has been a delay with the casings, and there are a couple of PCB errors which will get corrected before production too.

Hugo



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#27104 - 24/02/2001 14:17 Re: watch me beat a dead horse [Re: rockstar]
Dignan
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12320
Loc: Sterling, VA
rockstar, that is not his attitude at all. The frequent readers here are just coming off a period of time in which there were a large number of posts about this exact topic. The post I was refering to was floating at the top of the forum only a few days ago, and if you were reading this more than bi-weekly you would have noticed critism's (not so clearly) sarcastic post about the posters on this BBS.

In fact, read through the discussion in that post. even after Rob gives us more hint of an upcoming tuner than we've had in 7-8 months, another guy still posts his dissatisfaction with the delay. It gets really annoying sometimes, and alot of us get annoyed when people come to the board once in a while, don't search, and blindly post a continually annoying question.

It's not your fault entirely. If it had been on another topic, there probably wouldn't be such a backlash, you just happened to hit the wrong nail at the wrong time.

In conclusion, read Rob's posts in that thread, and be a little more patient, I'm sure we'll see the tuner any day now.

CAN't WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?!?

DiGNAN
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, etc.
_________________________
Matt

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#27105 - 25/02/2001 02:07 Re: What about the software [Re: altman]
andy
carpal tunnel

Registered: 10/06/1999
Posts: 5914
Loc: Wivenhoe, Essex, UK
Thanks for that Hugo, it was just that in all your 1.1 "leaks" you hadn't metioned the tuner software.

__
Unit serial number 47 (was 330 in the queue)...
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#27106 - 25/02/2001 14:57 Re: watch me beat a dead horse [Re: rockstar]
rob
carpal tunnel

Registered: 21/05/1999
Posts: 5335
Loc: Cambridge UK
Personally I'm only interested in participating in a BBS where people are polite and civil to each other. Rob Schofield has done more for the empeg community than most (in fact he probably saved the product when we had a major supply problem with the Philips DSP, which he helped us to resolve), and not to mention organising the world's first empeg owners meet. Calling him an [censored] isn't going to win your opinions much respect.

It's fine to be pissed off over the tuner, but if you entirely missed the _huge_ thread about it a few weeks ago that's your problem. I'm not going to repeat everything that was said then.

Rob



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#27107 - 25/02/2001 15:26 ok ok jeez [Re: rockstar]
rockstar
enthusiast

Registered: 24/11/2000
Posts: 316
ok ok, i am sorry i said a-hole.

but it is really annoying to come to a forum that is basically supposed to be a friendly atmosphere and get that kind of attitude.

i shouldn't have used the language, but the feelign still remains.

Not to sound like a jerk, but some people are too busy to read here daily. or used to other forum setups where the layout is a little more user friendly, etc, etc.

The point is no person (newbie or old hand) should have to put up with someone telling them how annoying they are or wahtever.

Jsut becuase you know about empeg doesn't mean you hold the cure for cancer.

I am just really sick of sntty, snooty , bbs'ers taking attitudes

obviously i knew it had been rehashed, but i couldn't find an update lately. sue me. Hnece why i titled it as i did.

Bottom line is, if you don't want to illicit those kind of responses, then don't answer the post by telling someone how much of a chump, newbie, jerk, annoying , they are just becuase they asked a freaking question.

Sorry , maybe i have just been having a bad month, but when i am over on vwvortex, i don't flame people who ask what kind of chip to get for their turbo, i either

a) skip over it if i don't feel like retyping
b) tell them the info
c) provide a link to the url, even if there is a thread 2 topics down.
This same sorta thing is what it is like on bimmer.org, and i am getting real sick of it, so maybe i took my agression out in the wrong place.


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#27108 - 26/02/2001 00:41 Re: ok ok jeez [Re: rockstar]
dionysus
veteran

Registered: 16/06/1999
Posts: 1222
Loc: San Francisco, CA
In reply to:

Not to sound like a jerk, but some people are too busy to read here daily. or used to other forum setups where the layout is a little more user friendly, etc, etc.

The point is no person (newbie or old hand) should have to put up with someone telling them how annoying they are or wahtever.



Welp - Something good did come out of your post - the item was added to the faq, which is meant to be a place to look for people that're too busy to read every single message:) I'm sorry that you received the treatment that you did from your post, but from previous experience the tendancy on this BBS has always been to give a nice answer/point in the right direction if the question is asked in a positive manner... There are many people on this bbs that go out of their way to help newbies, but the tone of a question can definately adjust people's attitudes..

Sorry that you had the bad experience - but please realize that it was partly the tone of your message that provoked people.
-mark
PS - yes I'm still alive guys - just waaay to busy with my current job to read this BBS more then once every other week or so:(


...proud to have owned an Empeg since 00287
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