Back In The Fold (MK2 No.2 + 10GB Sold Out! + ?s)

After waiting almost two years (#5723 in the queue!) to buy one, I sold MK2 #141 last spring (didn't want to hack into my new car) and have regretted it since.

Dropped by this BBS a few weeks ago to see the price-drop announcement, and figured I could get back in the game for the same price I sold for. I figured I'd wait until after Christmas -- until I noticed the EOL references and checked SonicBLUE's online store (circa Dec 8) to find that the 10GB models had already sold out!

Well, I panicked -- just now my order is placed for a 20GB with tuner module and face-plate kit.

I'm back in the fold. I might have waited until after Christmas, but I wasn't willing to take that chance.

A couple questions, not totally answered by a cursory search of posts in my ~9mo. absence:

a) Now that the empeg is EOL, will the software remain in beta (like other products that had drivers/software in beta when the product went EOL or the company went Chapter 11) ?

b) Is there anyone developing a hack or add-on to the empeg software that I could use it as a (hate this term) digital wallet? (I guess the empeg would be more like a 'purse') When its back in duty between car, home, and office, a filestore will be very handy. Samba?

c) I have read a few posts and other press material indicating that a lot of the core empeg tech will be used in future products -- will any of that software make it back to the empeg community? In addition to that, will Rob and Hugo (et al.) continue to be active participants here?

d) Will this BBS remain, or will operations move to riocar.org?

e) Is there some new kick-ass equivalent about to hit the market in the next few months that'll make me regret buying my second MK2 this late?

Either way, I get to play the anxious empeg waiting-game all over again.

Hello again.

a) Now that the empeg is EOL, will the software remain in beta (like other products that had drivers/software in beta when the product went EOL or the company went Chapter 11) ?

No, work is still going on working on getting the 2.0x software ready for release. The empeg guys have said that there will be further development as they are working on the software for other OEM projects.

e) Is there some new kick-ass equivalent about to hit the market in the next few months that'll make me regret buying my second MK2 this late?

I doubt it and certainly not from Rio/SonicBlue.

Don't forget rob's EOL announcement did explain a lot of the detail of what you need for an answer; the only major casualty is likely to be VR which requires development money and probably a per-use licence. I would suggest you read through Rob's post for more details.

Paul/Tony, can you make a speed link to the EOL announcement posting?

are they really out this time it said they were out before and they still had some.

d) Will this BBS remain, or will operations move to riocar.org?

Both this BBS and RioCar.Org are unofficial resources run by owners. As long as there is a desire to have the site, I see no reason to close RioCar.Org, and I'm sure Paul feels the same way about this BBS. Both see additions from the empeg folks, and will probably continue to see them, even after the Mark II is just a memory. And the user community at this point I feel has only gotten better, not worse after the announcement.

Paul/Tony, can you make a speed link to the EOL announcement posting?

How about just linking to the long-standing FAQ entry on the subject?

A couple questions, not totally answered by a cursory search of posts in my ~9mo. absence:

Some of these were answered in the FAQ entry on this subject.

When its back in duty between car, home, and office, a filestore will be very handy.

I would like to see this as well. As it stands right now, you can use Emplode to send ZIP files to the player, then use EmpegTaxi to retrieve them via USB. You can also use Displayserver to do the same thing.

I am hoping that one day we will see a Taxi folder built into Emplode. Empeg guys, is this possible in the near future?

Is there some new kick-ass equivalent about to hit the market in the next few months that'll make me regret buying my second MK2 this late?

Not one made by the Empeg team. They're out of the car player business, allegedly.

There was a product being demonstrated at one of the trade shows by a big company (don't remember who... Panasonic? Sony? JVC? I forget) that was a hard-drive-plus-CD-ripper unit that lived in your dash. Each CD you inserted could be ripped to the internal hard drive. However, it had all that "digital rights management" copyprotection stuff on it, it wasn't hackable, the hard drive was small, and it was just as expensive as the empeg. Besides, it's still vaporware at this point, who knows when it'll be out.

But for now, the same alternatives to the Empeg exist as they did before you sold your player. The Neo and the Phatnoise. They have been nicely summarized here.

Basically, you've owned an empeg before so you know you won't regret buying one. It's still the best.

In reply to:

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[The Empeg team]'re out of the car player business, allegedly.

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I think you mislaid the word 'consumer' there, Tony.

Right, they're out of the CONSUMER car player business and are doing OEM-only now, allegedly.

> Some of these were answered in the FAQ entry on
> this subject

Ack. My apologies. I was looking in the 'FAQ' and 'Announcement' sections here.


> But for now, the same alternatives to the Empeg exist as
> they did before you sold your player. The Neo and the
> Phatnoise. They have been nicely summarized here.

So basically, still no REAL competition. I guess I am inappropriately applying my product cycle experience with the computer hardware market to this market -- which moves quite a bit slower. Nine months is an eternity in terms of computing hardware.


> Basically, you've owned an empeg before so you know
> you won't regret buying one. It's still the best.

You're right. Thanks for the reassurances, Tony.


> I am hoping that one day we will see a Taxi folder built into
> Emplode. Empeg guys, is this possible in the near future?

(...please say yes, please say yes, please say yes...)