Well, if that's the case, then it should say MP3 on it.

---

The problem is, this isn't an MP3 player. It's an mp3/next compressed and mainstream technology player.. MP3's might be replaced in a year or two with something else, and the empeg is in a position to support the something else.
-mark

...proud to have one of the first Mark I units

I'm going to stand by my suggestion of Empeg Car Audiobase

It is not format dependant.
If Empeg decides to bring out a new version, (not soon please guys!) they can add "2" on the end or something.
if Empeg decides to expand the product range, (DVD players, surround sound processors, God knows what else), they can change the "Audiobase" accordingly.

Remember it is not an MP3 play exclusively. They have not signed exclusive rights there, they just havn't implemented other format playback. Anyway, the market is getting swamped with catchwords of MP3 and Jukebox. PLEASE steer away from it!

A very important implementation of the serial port. It can be used for all manner of things. Given the correct adapter, it could control ANY CD changer, DVD player, etc. The music world went through an amazing revolution when MIDI first came out. No more proprietry operating control methods, and each component was on competing on its own terms.


this unit is capable of so much more than just audio playback, we have seen that with the discussion on open source (don't bring it up again here) and the posts to programming.

The name should be open enough to reflect what it is capable of.

-- Murray
Empeg changed my life and it did happen overnight.

Eeeek. Lotsa posts...

Tony -- after reading your assessment of the word "advanced", I agree that marketing has made it stale; I feel rather foolish having missed this observation, myself.

"Audiobase" is rather cool.

Other than those two comments, I'll put my faith in Empeg to do whatever they deem best for the appearance of the Mark II; I've yet to be disappointed with their physical expression(s) of tech, style, and class.

-- Bleys

"If you would judge, understand." -- Seneca

Henno,

You're right. My mistake. I just went back and re-read the message you wrote. I interpreted what you wrote to mean something different. Sorry about that. Now, I just realized that we're going back and forth with each other and we practically agree on the subject! :-) We both want it simple, hehe.

My only point was to bring to light the fact that all the other manufacturers put words on the face of their products. Are they meaningful? Not really, but they're still there. Sadly, I think Empeg needs to fall into the mainstream a little before they can start doing their own thing. (Not that they aren't doing their own thing already...)

BTW, Palm also puts their model number and 3com on the face of their pilots. ;-)

I'm sure Empeg will decide what they need to do in this department and whether we like it or not, we'll have to live with it. So is the way of buying someone else's product.


George

Hehe, yeah, they could slap an "Intel Inside" sticker on there.

[Empeg Logo] Random Access Audio - Mark2

I would stay away from something like that. most of the people I'd show it to wouldn't understand the "Random Access" part. Not everyone know what RAM even stands for, let alone what it is.

I think naming the product Mark II does have a nice ring to it. But I can't say for sure whether it has a nice ring to it for the general consumer audience, that would take a market study. I suspect that we as audience members of this forum would psychologically tune to the name Mark II, whether new buyers will also tune in to it is a different story. But yeah, it sounds very nice!

Calvin

Digital Audio Mark2. Well digital audio is "meaningless" according to your definition, and "Mark2" surely has meaning only to an incrowd. So doesn't your rational cancel out your own suggestion???

Calvin

Thumbs down on ICE. It certainly is a meaningless acryonym to 99% of people out there. Is it even a term in wide use in the United States? I never heard of it before. You associate ICE with frozen and cold. The ice age. Vanilla Ice. It is a synonymous with death ("that guy is on ice.."). You never want to associate ice with a car component, like "yeah my engine is frozen, iced, cold." My windshield is iced. My door locks are iced. My car stereo is ice..??

nah.

Calvin

Jukebox is precisely and exactly what the empeg is. It is certainly not a LP Vinyl Jukebox. It is not a CD Jukebox. It is not a CD Changer. It is not a CD player. If you truly wish to have a precise labeling of what the empeg is, it is a musical jukebox. You can not argue with that. You can argue that jukebox has other undesirable connotations, since it is a term more widely used decades ago, and is more often associated with another time. I don't believe that using the term jukebox will cause people to believe it is a backwards product. If anything, if empeg uses the word Jukebox the market may well associate all Jukeboxes with empeg the same way Sony has its grips on Walkman and Discman.

Obviously the technology is forward looking, but the marketing trends of the early 2000's seems to be to mine the past and spin a retro look on a very modern product. Look at the PT Cruiser gangster car and the Prowler hot rod as examples of this. Do people think of the gangster car and the hot rod as an outdated unsalable product, nope! I'd say take Jukebox, trademark it or copyright it if possible and run it with.
Calvin

Yep. People know what Random means, and people know what Access means, and people know what Audio means. Put them all together and you'll get a puzzled look from anyone who isn't associated with computers. Heck, even if you are associated with computers, what exactly is random about random access. isn't it an oxymoron? Hmm. Random access came about probably because some dork thought Random access is the opposite of serialized access. Ouch.

Calvin

Audiobase has a nice ring to it. A better meter and rhythm to it than Empeg car IMHO.

Calvin

Empeg should redo the face so it has neon tubing all around. Then they should utilize the empty space in the upper left corner and mold a coin slot there, and the passengers can help to pay for the cost of the empeg because it sure isn't cheap. Turning the car into a brothel with cheap drinks and food sounds like fun as well. I'm all for it.

Calvin

we're going back and forth with each other and we practically agree on the subject! :-) We both want it simple, hehe.
Yep, let's wait now to see what the Empeg folks make out of this discussion. Bet that the lettering won't be in gold ?

BTW, Palm also puts their model number and 3com on the face of their pilots. ;-)
They may be doing this now, but the one I have (my second one) has the model number on the back! Can't remember what the first one had, it's ages ago that I got it, but in those days they only had a single model. I doubt if it even had a model number. And it still made the company. Thinking about it, I get the impression that those meaningless model numbers only set in once a company goes professional, and product managers get appointed who get all excited about jargon. By that time the fun years will be over, I guess.

I'm sure Empeg will decide what they need to do in this department and ( . . ) we'll have to live with it.
Agree, but if they really mess up (I doubt it) we can -- for the time being -- stick to Mark1. It's a beauty in its simpleness. I haven't made my mind up yet, if I do want a Mark2. Really don't know.

Henno
# 00120

I can see it now... The Hoe Daddy AudioPimp 3000... =)

Jazz
(List 112, S/N 00030, 4 gig blue)

After reading through the 70-odd posts in this thread, a couple of things come to mind...

I remember when people got excited over things like hierarchical playlists, and parametric equalization, and adding a second hard drive... Now we're sitting here in great seriousness discussing the color of the paint to be used for the small printed text message on the bottom of the empeg screen! Are we (myself included) being a bit silly?

OK. Cool. I vote for non-colored, but incised into the screen. It might be possible to do it so that when the unit was off, you could read it, but when the screen was lit it would disappear. Or maybe it would work just the opposite. Might be interesting, probably not.

As for the wording, I think Muzza had it right with audiobase. But don't you think we're overlooking the most important thing that sets the empeg apart from any other audio system? The empeg is a computer and should tell it to the world!

So, how about [*logo*] empeg audiobase computer for the screen text?

tanstaafl.

(yes, henno, I'm listening... ;-)

"There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch"

This is a bit off-topic, but you know those "meaningless model numbers" you've been talking about?

I learned recently that many companies' model number acronyms are actually inside jokes. If you knew the actual meanings of some of them, you'd crack up.

Tony Fabris
Empeg #144

Wooo Hoooo! This is the best idea I have seen on the whole thread! Sign me up!

Term

Now we're sitting here in great seriousness discussing the color of the paint ( . . ) for the ( . . ) text message on the bottom of the empeg screen!
Are we ( . . ) being a bit silly?

We are, possibly, but the Empeg folks aren't. To get this many (conflicting) opinions they'd need to hire at least two consultants at US$ 150 an hour. And they'd still have to select the one advise that makes sense themselves . This is beyond e-commerce; it's an example of a true e-company! Product development, testing, product range, customer relations, after-market, third-party add-ons, ordering, sales all under one www roof, and with great fun.

When the BBC find out about this, they'll book Hugo for an update on the hacker broadcast! The next thing will be a minister's post in Toni's cabinet.




Henno
# 00120

Darn straight, can the serial port be rigged up to control low rider air bags? We need to modify these visuals to make the car do the humpty along with the beat.

Calvin

Darn straight, can the serial port be rigged up to control low rider air bags? We need to modify these visuals to make the car do the humpty along with the beat.

---

hmm.. sadly I seem to remember this being one of the things almost promissed in an early newsletter w/ the optional modules box;)
-mark

...proud to have one of the first Mark I units

RAMS - random access music system
RADA - random access digital audio

I like these; Random Access Digital Audio would be my favourite. A "Jukebox" seems to hokey - how often have you dialled in your preference and had it instantly available? - RADA sounds both professional and smooth, without trying to be too much.

But that's just me.

Save the whales. Feed the hungry. Free the mallocs.

hmm.. we need to close this thread already:) This thread
a) takes forever to load, especially on my cell modem
b) keeps advertising that bam like to delete his posts:)
-mark

...proud to have one of the first Mark I units

I say it's about time to start a riot over this. if not for anything else, it would be fun to get a mob together to push over buses and cars.

Calvin

I say it's about time to start a riot over this. if not for anything else, it would be fun to get a mob together to push over buses and cars.

I don't own any pitchforks or other outdoor gardening/landscaping tools but I'm sure we can loot soome up if our group is big enough...

-- Bleys


"If you would judge, understand." -- Seneca

Just a couple of questions, not neccesarily suggestions.
1) So it's not possible to put the logo and any other words somewhere else than horribly close to the visuals?
2) If the words are on the screen, is it possible to do that guy's suggestion of finding a way to make the text invisible when the player is on?
3) Will the text be silk-screened?