Ok Rob and empeg people,

I've got the high school graduation money coming in and I'm just about ready to buy an empeg, but I don't want to jump the gun on a $1000 product if Sonicblue is about to put out a product that is better suited for me, so if you could answer either of the folowing two questions it would be a great help. First, what if the main difference between these two products? Is it aimed at a cheaper market? At a different type or volume of storage? Different way of operating? etc. On this BBS, my second question is akin to strapping dynamite to my chest and diving into the flaming pits of hell, but here goes nothing: About when is a tenative date when we might get some more information on this product? If you can't answer any of these questions, I understand, but if this new thing isn't something I want, it would be nice to be able to show my friends my new empeg before everyons leaves on their summer breaks!

Thanks,

John

[ johnmcd3 - funding for my empeg purchace: 80% complete ]

I thought Rob said that it wasn't a car product.

Sean

John, I would be willing to bet, through te delicate subtlties of rob's teases, that whatever product is in the works will be used in conjunction with the car player. That is only a guess, but I would be willing to bet that it is not simply a different type of car player.

Just watch, in a few months I will be offered some salt to go with my tastey foot.

Anyway, the empeg is a VERY worthwhile purchase, and that is something I can tell you with absolute certainty.

DiGNAN
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, etc.

This post by Rob indicates that it is definantly a car mp3 player of some sort, [note that sonicblue will release "an array" of car mp3 solutions] and unless I'm misreading this, it does not at all sound like this new product will work in conjunction with the empeg.

[ johnmcd3 - funding for my empeg purchace: 80% complete ]

Erm.. new car product?

I guess you got this idea from mention on here that we've been working on another project recently. Don't forget that we're Rio's HOME and automotive development division. Our next product might well be something you'll want, but you won't want to put it in your car

Obviously we do have plans for the car player range, however we intend to sell a lot more of the current Rio Car product. I guess your concern is that if you bought a Rio Car today you would come to regret it in a few months - I don't think you will.

Rob

bag, cat, out of the, would you be letting.
Sooooooo.
it's some sort of home product. hmmm. I'm guessing some sort of master control & comms system if empeg's track record is anything to go by.



Murray 06000047
I don't think, therefore I am not.

i think it might be time to start taking bets

note that sonicblue will release "an array" of car mp3 solutions

All that could mean is that they're solving the empeg's problems

GET AN EMPEG!!

DiGNAN
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, etc.

I thought they already had a kick-butt home product? What I'd like from them is a great PORTABLE product, with storage akin to the empeg's. Single laptop hard drive, and it could be smaller than a diskman. Clik, or other PCMCIA-type storage, and it could be a little bigger than the empeg's remote!
Just wishful thinking...I know RIO has a full line of portable products...


_~= Dearing =~_
"WAY too happy about having #99."

Hmmm... Rob just posted the following on the Reciever BBS:

Quite nice, but a completely different product to the
Receiver. It's a music server, not a thin client.

Rio don't have a comparable product - yet. The development of such a
product was announced in a press release several months ago, so maybe
you'll be able to compare like with like soon.

Rob

/Michael

ok, I'm conviced. I thought this next thing was a car mp3 thing because the press release said that Sonicblue was to make "an array of automotive solutions," and you responded in reference to this next thing, that "one product does not make an array." You're excatly right in that I was worried I would regret spending all this money if you were about to release a newer, better car mp3 solution that the empeg. But I have been drooling about this thing for about a year, and it's one of the coolest pieces of electronic equipment I've ever seen, and I think that I'll be buying one in the next week or two. Thanks for creating such a cool product. :)

John

[ johnmcd3 - funding for my empeg purchace: 80% complete ]

It would be some what of a challenge to produce a signifantly better solution than the empeg for in car mp3s i was very hesitant to spend so much on the empeg but i haven't regreted spending one penny on the thing since i bought it. My only regret was going for 12 gig instead of a bigger model.

The 12GB model is still the way to go... best value. Then, you can add another 20GB model for under $130! :)

For anyone wondering if the empeg is worth it or not... your concerns are very valid. You SHOULD ask yourself these questions (and the BBS) before spending so much money. Since this IS a peice of technology, it will eventually drop from it's "hottest thing on the market" status. But, it wont become obsolete. As long as you have a PC (or Mac or Linux box) you will be able to use the empeg. Mp3 will certainly go through a few changes in the next few years, but the empeg's software is upgradable. And mp3's are here to stay - at least for quite a few years.

People may *gasp* when you told them how much you spent on a "car radio", but the empeg/RioCar is more than just a car radio. It will literally change the way you view music. You can listen to it at home (either connected to a PC, home stereo or headphones with an adapter) or in a vehicle. It won't skip and you can find any song in seconds. In fact, my empeg has almost 4000 songs on it, and I can find a song faster than when I had my CD player. With my CD player, I had to reach for my CD book, find the correct CD (hoping the CD art allows for the artist and disk title), remove the CD currently in the player, load the CD I just found (trying not to scratch or dirty up the CD), wait for it to spin up and skip ahead through the CD until I recognized the track.

With the empeg/RioCar, I can find a tune by browsing through the playlists (this is actually my favorite meathod because of how I set up my playlists) or search (either by PIN, aritst, song title, year or genre). And I don't have to listen to the song to know if it is the right one. All of the info is right there.

But the empeg's real power isn't just in it's ability to be upgraded for find music "on demand". What is really great is how much music you will re-discover! I have nearly 600 CD's. With my CD player in my car, I would never listen to half of my CD singles because they only offered 2-5 songs on them. Wasn't worth bringing it along. But, with the empeg it doesn't matter! Or with albums that you "like" but usually can't listen to an hour's worth of..you can bring those along too! My favorite mode to listen to in is shuffle of the root playlist. It is like having a radio station where you like every song! And you don't have to guess at the album or artist name because it is right there! Also,you are surprised at what song comes up next. There is so much music that I am rediscovering in my collection. CD's that would otherwise just colllect dust. So many memories have come back!

Another great asset of the player is this forum.. Name one other product that is this professionally built where you can visit an internet forum and have the original developer regularly post messages? Or so many knowledgeable users that even develope there own applications and tools and give them away (along with expert advice!)?

Sure, eventually there will be a Mk. II or something with a full color screne or somethig with built in GPS, but that is the nature of technology. And while you are waiting, the rest of us are enjoying!

One thing I would recommend is to take some time to rip as many CD's as you can to your hard drive and get all of your ID tags in order (see the FAQ). In the month or two it took me to do this, I continued to learn about the empeg and the price dropped $100. I can't gaurentee a price drop, but when I finally got my empeg, I knew how to work almost all of the features because of the info available on this BBS!

32GB (JUST UPGRADED!) Mk. II BLUE
Detroit, MI USA
www.PfeifferBeer.com

I can't think of a better thing to spend your graduation money on.

Go for it, you won't regret it.

In the meantime, read both pages of the FAQs, especially the ones about organizing your MP3s and tags.

And just to dig up an old thread, check out here and here

___________
Tony Fabris

Hehe, I'm assuming that after your graduation, you wil be going to a school that allows freshman to own cars! Mine didn't, so I'm glad I fell into the year I could have a car at school when the Mk2's started shipping...

DiGNAN
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, etc.

Good threads Tony! I hadn't read those before!

32GB (JUST UPGRADED!) Mk. II BLUE
Detroit, MI USA
www.PfeifferBeer.com

Yeah, I'm going to Duke in Durham, NC and taking my '95 Z28 Camaro.

John

[ johnmcd3 - funding for my empeg purchace: 80% complete ]

Hey - another Dukie! I graduated in '86. FWIW - Duke used to deduct the bluebook value of a car from any financial aid. I have no idea if they still do.

With advance apologies to the wildcats' and terps' fans, if you follow basketball (and you will if you don't) check out www.dukebasketballreport.com. Very nice for all college hoops - he even got a link from espn.com in February, and written about by cnnsi.com in March. Good content, good presentation, nice bbs.

Very well said, Tony. I was just was showing my empeg to a fellow nerd last night. He said that it was very cool, but he hardly listens to CDs anymore. That's the point! A year and a half before I bought my empeg, I sold my only car with a CD player. I didn't get a new one because I knew I'd get stuck in steps 2-4. Nothing tickles me more that hearing my empeg serve up a song I like but haven't listened to in years!

-jim 080000260 w/18G in a Carrera

Duke....

Oh man, I'm sorry.... ;p

(O|||||O)

Yeah, they do factor the value of your car into your financial aid package, but unfortunantly I did not qualify for aid (just barely - argh!), so it doesn't concern me. I do follow college basketball to some extent, but from what I've visiting it look like I'll be doing a lot more the next four years!

- John

[ johnmcd3 - funding for my empeg purchace: 80% complete ]

You're sorry you went to Clemson? You have my condolences;)

I live in the DC area, and have season tickets in Cameron. The empeg certainly makes it a more pleasant drive back and forth to Durham - especially coming back after those 9:00 weeknight games.

-jk

The students camp out for games in a tent city (Krzyzewskiville) - it's such an institution that the lamp posts around K-ville have network jacks. It's really amazing.

Have a good time - maybe I'll see you sometime next season?

-jk

remember when i was speaking of my phatbox and hugo said that somthing they were working on was going to be better? I don't feel like finding the post but if you search for threads where i posted you'll see it. hehe...its going to be a player to connect to the headunit!

____ _ ____ _
xlR

Read the thread it is Not going to be a car product. Empeg already built a unit similar to the Phatbox but i think it has sunk without trace as deicated head units are a far better way to go than a "phatbox"

I live in the DC area, and have season tickets in Cameron. The empeg certainly makes it a more pleasant drive back and forth to Durham - especially coming back after those 9:00 weeknight games.

I know what you're talking about. I drove down to nearly half of the Clemson football games last season, and its an 8 hour haul (nonstop) each way (I live in NoVA now). Talk about putting some miles on my Jeep and a dent in my wallet from gas. It's getting cheaper now to fly, since gas prices keep skyrocketing.

Looks like you have no reason to drive down to Durham in the fall (football) and I have no reason to drive down to Clemson in the late winter/spring (basketball). ;)

Although we did upset #1 UNC last season when we were last in the ACC! Didn't see that one coming!

(O|||||O)

Maybe we are thinking "within the lines" too much... perhaps it is a home product *primarily* that you can also hook up in the car ...

32GB (JUST UPGRADED!) Mk. II BLUE
Detroit, MI USA
www.PfeifferBeer.com

Perhaps there's more than one new product.

Rob

Rob, what would YOU know?!


:)



32GB (JUST UPGRADED!) Mk. II BLUE
Detroit, MI USA
www.PfeifferBeer.com

Good point.