So far, only MP3 as far as I know. It might play other variations of MPEG files, but I don't know which ones. It used to play .WAV files, too, but that's got a bug right now that prevents them from being played. I think they plan on fixing this bug pretty soon, most likely before the Mark 2 units begin shipping. Also, as I understand it, .WMA support is coming up, too, but I don't know if that'll happen before the Mark 2's start to ship or not. (Empeg guys, correct me if I'm wrong on any of those points.) That's the beauty of the hard-disk-based system: it allows for easy and frequent software upgrades to support new formats.
I know of one buyer who will be anxious for .WAV support for his Mark 2: Doug "tanstaafl" Burnside. He wants to use the Empeg in stereo competitions, and he's interested in storing the competition tracks without compression.
I have a friend who thought of another good use for .WAV support in the Empeg. He has a digital recording studio, and often burns his mixdowns onto recordable CDs to test on various reference systems: his car stereo, his home system, other home systems, etc. With an Empeg, he could squirt the .WAV directly into the unit without wasting a recordable CD to do it, and could use the AC adapter and RCA jacks to play on lots of different reference systems.
So, in other words, we're all waiting on support for other file formats. Some of them will probably be available by the time the Mark 2's ship. But even if they're not ready at shipment time, they'll appear later down the road in software upgrades.
Tony FabrisEmpeg #144
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