#272766 - 22/12/2005 12:04
This is the best Volvo can do?
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addict
Registered: 02/08/2004
Posts: 434
Loc: Helsinki, Finland
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Saw this via the FLAC web page. Volvo plus PhatNoise Now it's nice to see a manufactuer adding a music system like this to the car, but why limit the display like that? I don't think they were the first to use the PhatNoise system, Audi did it first, IIRC. But this is a "new" development and I don't see how this is any better than an IPod.
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#272767 - 22/12/2005 14:57
Re: This is the best Volvo can do?
[Re: petteri]
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enthusiast
Registered: 18/02/2002
Posts: 335
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ive never used a phatnoise.The specs dont look too bad, but the one line interface looks awful. The diagrams are nice though.
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#272768 - 23/12/2005 01:56
Re: This is the best Volvo can do?
[Re: petteri]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 23/09/2000
Posts: 3608
Loc: Minnetonka, MN
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I can't believe phatnoise is still around even.
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Matt
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#272769 - 23/12/2005 02:22
Re: This is the best Volvo can do?
[Re: petteri]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 19/09/2002
Posts: 2494
Loc: East Coast, USA
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I saw that also. Pretty sad, but at least they are offering something.
I saw it while looking for a factory iPod adapter, which I found. A call to my local dealer revealed its purchase + install price: $375. I'll stick with iPod-to-go or the aftermarket Volvo iPod adapter ($180 + install).
Of course, this is a gift for my sister. *I* will stick with my empeg.
_________________________
- FireFox31 110gig MKIIa (30+80), Eutronix lights, 32 meg stacked RAM, Filener orange gel lens, Greenlights Lit Buttons green set
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#272770 - 06/01/2006 14:46
Re: This is the best Volvo can do?
[Re: msaeger]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 25/08/2000
Posts: 2413
Loc: NH USA
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Ok, everyone repeat after me:
It's not the product, it's the marketing*.
Phatnoise worked to get into the Automotive OEM market and succeeded. SonicBlue did not. Who has the best product is moot. Phatnoise made a viable company out of the automotive product line and SonicBlue/Rio did not.
(* Note: Marketing a good product is easier)
I'm sorry for my snarkiness, it's just that the 'build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door' myth needs to be taken out back and beaten repeatedly on the head with a shovel.
I love my empeg dearly. Was it before its time? Perhaps, but (in my opinion) it never had a chance with the level of marketing support it received (Slashdot/Linux Journal articles don't count as marketing) from either Rio or SonicBlue.
-Zeke
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WWFSMD?
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#272771 - 06/01/2006 14:48
Re: This is the best Volvo can do?
[Re: Ezekiel]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 15/08/2000
Posts: 4859
Loc: New Jersey, USA
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...or DNNA, although that would not include the empeg at that point but would include a bunch of other nice items instead.
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Paul Grzelak 200GB with 48MB RAM, Illuminated Buttons and Digital Outputs
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#272772 - 06/01/2006 21:15
Re: This is the best Volvo can do?
[Re: petteri]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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FWIW, that's been available for a few years.
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Bitt Faulk
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#272773 - 08/01/2006 04:32
Re: This is the best Volvo can do?
[Re: petteri]
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addict
Registered: 25/06/2002
Posts: 456
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Quote: I don't think they were the first to use the PhatNoise system, Audi did it first, IIRC.
Ah yes. The infamous PhatBox Interface of Utmost Heinosity.
They also came out with this identical (nasty) interface for Audi, Volkswagen, and BMW at around the same time.
However, when I checked a year or so back it didn't seem to be available for the BMW any more.
[Just checked their website. Looks like they're back in stock. A mere $898 for the 80GB, or $699 for the 40GB version. Uggghh. They now claim to support Acura, BMW, Ferrari, Ford, Honda, Lincoln, Mecury[sic], MINI, Porsche, Range Rover, Scion, Toyota.
And are "partnered" with Volvo, Mazda, VW, Audi, Kenwood.]
Note: Ebay is always chock full of used Audi and VW ones. But if you're a Volvo or Ferrari guy, you'll most likely have to buy a new one (or better yet, install a real unit like an Empeg).
On a related note, I talked to a BMW parts guy today. Apparently the much-hyped BMW-to-ipod interface of last year will already be discontinued starting with the '06 models.
According to the BMW guy, Apple and BMW (and perhaps Alpine) worked together on this project, then Apple yanked their blessing to BMW thus releasing the technology somewhat into the public domain allowing Alpine to do a much better interface than the BMW one (I.e., one that actually shows Artist and Track info in the dash display).
Apparently, BMW thinks that Alpine really stabbed them in the back on that one.
So BMW's cop-out is now to just offer an Aux-In jack and let you reach over and twiddle your iPod/iRiver/cheap-korean-flash-mp3-player while you are driving (real safe, folks).
Of course, you can still just replace the factory head unit -- but they are still doing their damn best to make sure that that process is expensive, impractical, nearly impossible, and totally invalidates your 4-year electrical system warranty for the entire car.
(Hey, at least they aren't (yet) burying the heater system electronics inside the factory head unit like the Infiniti G35 does!)
. . . [Soapbox->start()]
I've said it here repeatedly, but I'll shout it out one more time.
Why don't we just get a bunch of IEEE members together into a Standards Committee and bang out a standard protocol for music unit control, music metadata transfer, and music search request transfers. This protocol could be spec'ed to run over USB2, PCI-Express, Ethernet, what have you. They could also spec a recommended physical connector as well, but it would be easier (as I said above) just to piggyback on existing interfaces.
Then every car could have a standard port in its glovebox. Every MP3 player could have a standard access port, too. Every home stereo or home media system could have the port, too.
Then, BOOM, you just plug your iPod-alike into your car, your rental car, your friend's dormroom stereo, your stadium sound-system, your fancy new exercise machine, whatever.
Why is it so hard to just Do The Right Thing here?
All these proprietary OEM automobile MP3 players are sucktastic.
And even if they were excellent why not make it so that when I'm still driving my 2007 Camry in 2017, I can just plug in my 27th Generation iMediaGizmo in the glovebox -- instead of being stuck with some crappy 20GB hard drive module designed in 2002 for the 2007 model year which can only be loaded with Windows XP which became COMPLETELY UNSUPPORTED in 2008.
Why do we keep making these SAME technology mistakes every go round when the solutions to mitigate these issues are extremely OBVIOUS?
[Soapbox->end()]
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#272774 - 08/01/2006 17:52
Re: This is the best Volvo can do?
[Re: music]
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veteran
Registered: 01/10/2001
Posts: 1307
Loc: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Quote: Why don't we just get a bunch of IEEE members together into a Standards Committee and bang out a standard protocol for music unit control, music metadata transfer, and music search request transfers. This protocol could be spec'ed to run over USB2, PCI-Express, Ethernet, what have you.
Because most IEEE committee members are still sponsored by their employers, who have diverging interests?
(OK, at least my efforts in the IEEE POSIX committee resulted in some interesting trips to interesting places)
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#272775 - 09/01/2006 13:58
Re: This is the best Volvo can do?
[Re: julf]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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True, but, at least in the US, I don't think you can buy a car without a factory stereo. It seems to me that they're selling it to you whether you want it or not, and already making their money off of it. At the same time, there's no benefit to them in providing an alternate interface, even if there's no penalty, either.
_________________________
Bitt Faulk
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#272776 - 09/01/2006 19:07
Re: This is the best Volvo can do?
[Re: wfaulk]
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addict
Registered: 25/06/2002
Posts: 456
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This just in from MacWorld: Chrysler becomes first US Automaker to provide iPod integration as a standard option. It will be $175 at the dealer for all 2006 cars, with retrofit to most 2005 cars. Of course these 12 foreign carmakers already do it. It looks like, through inaction, all the other MP3-player manufacturers have let the iPod interface become the de facto standard interface. And guess what, Apple ain't sharin' it with nobody nohow. And we all know what wonderful products pseudo-monopolies will eventually deliver to us! I guess in hindsight, a little CYA activity in some IEEE committee doesn't look like it would have been such a bad plan to all the companies on the losing side of this deal. I estimate 10-20% of all Chryslers sold will be fitted with this. And some of those people would have been happy with a cheaper Brand X player, particularly after a few years when "iPod Brand" becomes less of a status symbol. But now all the Brand X's have lost those sales.
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#272777 - 10/01/2006 10:02
Re: This is the best Volvo can do?
[Re: music]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 24/12/2001
Posts: 5528
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Quote: And guess what, Apple ain't sharin' it with nobody nohow.
The actual interface itself isn't particularly complicated and has been reverse engineered already. The problems are that it isn't very flexible and as you said, Apple probably won't be too thrilled with anybody else using it.
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#272778 - 16/01/2006 02:28
Re: This is the best Volvo can do?
[Re: music]
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enthusiast
Registered: 08/07/2002
Posts: 237
Loc: Toronto, Canada
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Quote: Why do we keep making these SAME technology mistakes every go round when the solutions to mitigate these issues are extremely OBVIOUS?
The real problem is that it is not a mistake. They are planned 'baby steps' which allow companies to milk consumers dry of their dollars by constantly making electronics just good enough to sell without breaking too much ground at a time. This way a bigger and better version is always around the corner with a fat price tag attached.
Why is it so diffucult for a major company to adopt the empeg model and make a real in-dash mp3 player with a HD capacity of at least 60GB? Hell, apple could even market a carPOD or something.
_________________________
It seemed like a good idea at the time.
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#272779 - 17/01/2006 23:47
Re: This is the best Volvo can do?
[Re: jets]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 19/09/2002
Posts: 2494
Loc: East Coast, USA
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Or, the pressure to continually release new products/versions is too great. Therefore, proper implementation of obvious functionality is sacrificed to the "Lion of the Dead" (insert Sluggy Freelance link which I am too tired to find because there's no easy way to find them). FITNR.
_________________________
- FireFox31 110gig MKIIa (30+80), Eutronix lights, 32 meg stacked RAM, Filener orange gel lens, Greenlights Lit Buttons green set
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