I have waiting a while and still no word on this OEM upgraded Empeg a few differetn threads have talked about.

without voilating any NDA's anyone got updated information, I have reached the point where I am so pissed at my car I am getting a new one but if the 05's will have this as an option I can wait til then ?

Empeg
I consider Empeg 2 and 2a both pretty much the same unit so Empeg 3 is the next one.

Don't hold your breath. I don't see anything like Visteon's Camelot prototype being in cars for a few years yet. Remember.... its only a model.

<ssshhhh...>

Edit: Damn. I was going to link to the Lego representation of this scene, but my corporate firewall has decided that it is a "naughty site".

Was it this?

http://www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2405283

I think so. I know it is on that site, but I cannot drill further into it to check. I have a quicktime of it that I saved locally, but it is far too big to post here.

I never knew it existed until you posted. Just Googled for Lego Camelot! I can't imagine there would be too many versions of it!

If they wait a few more years, the big record companes will have forced through there own file sharing format and have protected cds so they can't be ripped (a few cd's are all ready Ripp proof and on the market) sure someone will make a program that will bust the copy protection but you understand what I mean.

plus all the Big Stereo players are making there own (pale limted knock off) of empeg player

Sony
Pioneer
Kenwood
Rockford fosgate
Alpine
All have a hard drive based MP3 player now.

Ripp Proof cd's link
http://edition.cnn.com/2003/TECH/ptech/09/10/bus2.feat.cd.save/

But do they sell? They are overpriced too. Companies tend not to be daft - if there was a market for an Empeg 3, it would be here. Truth is, the public probably still aren't ready for mp3 yet. I'd love an Empeg Mk3 to be on the cards, but I just don't see it (yet).

Seeing Empegs were hard to comeby a few months ago I have 2 friends that purchased Other units locally, one Sony and one Pioneer both were under 600 with a tuner and a cd play as well as a hard drive based mp3 storage, so they do sell and with the big boys in the game if there is a market the 800 pound gorilla will want it.

Its still very much a niche market - I'm guessing they were only hooked on it and bought the alternative units after seeing your empeg?

Not sure I agree about the Nitch part

I-tunes, napster 2 and a 100 others a springing up all over in fact its hard to find a CD player for portal or car that doesn't play mp3's now.

Sure Empeg is the First and best in fact all the others out there aren't qualified to wipe an Empegs butt after a night of beer drinking but the fact of the matter is there are no more empegs the market now belongs to the Electronics Heavy hitters, unless the empeg 3 gets rolling more people will be possised by the dark side and buy from the big guys.

Yes, theres loads of download sites and mp3 CD players in cars, but I would still argue its only a minority who use them. At work there are 4 people with mp3 players in the car. I have an empeg ans another worker has an mp3 CD player and she does use it for mp3s. The other 2 workers didn't even know their CD players could play mp3s and when I showed them how to make the mp3, they said it was too much effort/too hard. Everyone else uses standard CDs. Is my work place typical? We're all IT literate and work in a busy learning centre so maybe others have different experiences from me.

On a side note to maybe spur the Empeg 3 issue check out

www.mp3car.com there are a TON or people builting there own car mp3 players from home browed Empeg like to Full color touch screen media computers for cars, I considered this but not for this car (I even have a proto-type at home i play with when I have freetime.)

But mp3-cd players are too difficult. You've gotta get the mp3s, you've gotta reburn them to CD, and then you only have marginally more music than before. The empeg is much easier, I think, especially for the ROI of time.

True. I think its more the ripping of the CDs they disliked though. Rest assured I shall be holding training sessions at lunch times!

when I showed them how to make the mp3, they said it was too much effort/too hard

Too right! This is about the fifth time I've linked to this post, but what can I say? I'm kinda proud of it, I think it's one of my better efforts.

As for the big boys jumping in with players of their own... it isn't the hardware that makes the empeg player what it is -- it's the software. When Sonic Blue bought the empeg company, it wasn't because they wanted that nifty little car player; they wanted (and got) the best music management software writing team in the world, and from what I've seen nobody's caught up with them yet.

tanstaafl.

a few cd's are all ready Ripp proof and on the market

My SGI has lightpipe audio in/out.

There is no such thing as a rip-proof CD. It's a myth.

Until the RIAA decides to make CDs incapable of outputting audio (don't laugh; do you really think that's beyond them?) there will NEVER be effective copy protection on CDs.

Ever.

Until the RIAA decides to make CDs incapable of outputting audio

They're doing quite a good job of making CDs incapable of outputting audio anyone wants to listen to, allegedly (depending on whose figures you believe).

LMFAO!!!!

On a similar note, several major record labels in Sweden wants to get rid of the cd copyprotection. Bonnier Music, which is the largest swedish-owned label says they will stop using them because of complaints from consumers who are unable to copy the music to their mp3 players or listen to the cd's in their car stereo. The other large labels who wants to skip the protections are being restrained by their foreign owners. http://www.nyteknik.se/pub/ipsart.asp?art_id=33607.

// Jonathan

Told ya so.