Vibez firmware question - Who owns it?
Posted by: rubennyc
Vibez firmware question - Who owns it? - 25/11/2006 17:25
So, who owns the Vibez firmware? Trekstor or Sigmatel? And who is responsible for writing and/or providing firmware updates going forward?
I haven't bought the Vibez yet, (still trying to make up my mind whether to get the 12 GB now or wait for the 15 GB) just trying to understand the support structure.
Thanks.
Posted by: rob
Re: Vibez firmware question - Who owns it? - 29/11/2006 15:38
Sigmatel license technology. Trekstor sell and support products. I doubt either party will reveal the extent of the maintenance contract that exists between the two. It's usually safe to say that a successful product is more likely to be well supported and updated than a failure - so we better all start buying them now!
Rob
Posted by: wfaulk
Re: Vibez firmware question - Who owns it? - 29/11/2006 16:44
I think the question was more along the lines of "which party will release updated firmware" and, if both, "will both parties' firmwares work on the Vibez"?
Posted by: rob
Re: Vibez firmware question - Who owns it? - 29/11/2006 17:32
That's the question I intended to answer (and failed to do so). Perhaps Peter can comment, but it seems highly unlikely that Sigmatel would directly release an update to Trekstor customers. One doesn't expect to get ones iPod firmware from PortalPlayer after all.
Rob
Posted by: wfaulk
Re: Vibez firmware question - Who owns it? - 29/11/2006 18:07
True, but nVidia do supply video card drivers directly to end users, bypassing their integrators, for example. It's not a totally invalid question, especially since it was stated that a huge portion of the feature set of the player is built into the Sigmatel chip.
Posted by: rubennyc
Re: Vibez firmware question - Who owns it? - 30/11/2006 00:50
I was also thinking from the perspective that the firmware at least looks 98% Sigmatel/Rio (based on playing with the Vibez for 20 minutes at J&R). So, while I'm confident that Sigmatel probably knows every last bit of code in the Vibez firmware, I'm not so confident that Trekstor knows jack.
Maybe a better question is, to whom should we direct firmware update and bug/fix requests so that they actually have a chance of being implemented?
Posted by: Robotic
Re: Vibez firmware question - Who owns it? - 30/11/2006 02:47
Quote:
Maybe a better question is, to whom should we direct firmware update and bug/fix requests so that they actually have a chance of being implemented?
Maybe some sort of 'user forum' would be helpful- something 'unofficial' that could be visited by users and developers alike.
Posted by: rubennyc
Re: Vibez firmware question - Who owns it? - 30/11/2006 09:04
Quote:
Quote:
Maybe a better question is, to whom should we direct firmware update and bug/fix requests so that they actually have a chance of being implemented?
Maybe some sort of 'user forum' would be helpful- something 'unofficial' that could be visited by users and developers alike.
Nah, it would never work.
Posted by: rob
Re: Vibez firmware question - Who owns it? - 30/11/2006 21:32
I seriously wish some of you guys were DJ's. Some of our new stuff has massive user community hacking potential, but I can't see it happening with our userbase unfortunately *sigh*
Posted by: rubennyc
Re: Vibez firmware question - Who owns it? - 30/11/2006 21:42
Rumor has it the All Albums bug is still there, the one where if you select "All Albums" the tracks play out of order. Can anyone verify?
Posted by: peter
Re: Vibez firmware question - Who owns it? - 01/12/2006 13:41
Quote:
Maybe some sort of 'user forum' would be helpful- something 'unofficial' that could be visited by users and developers alike.
Be careful what you wish for. The Trekstor Vibez demographic is likely to much more closely resemble those of Karma and Carbon than that of the car-player. Riovolution, where most of those types hang out, is a successful community, but with a completely different tone, and really a different "social contract", than the Empeg BBS. Plus, if the Vibez is anything like the success Trekstor are evidently hoping, its users will colossally outnumber the car-player people.
Not even the biggest "kids" on this BBS are as whiny, melodramatic, self-obsessed, and generally fifteen-year-old-like as the actual fifteen-year-olds on Riovolution.
Peter
Posted by: Robotic
Re: Vibez firmware question - Who owns it? - 01/12/2006 20:07
Quote:
Not even the biggest "kids" on this BBS are as whiny, melodramatic, self-obsessed, and generally fifteen-year-old-like as the actual fifteen-year-olds on Riovolution.
Peter
I love the empeg BBSers and wouldn't wish such an innundation upon them!
Posted by: rubennyc
Re: Vibez firmware question - Who owns it? - 01/12/2006 20:53
Agreed with all the above. Inviting the masses here could very quickly and dramatically change the complexion of this community. Something I'm sure you really really really don't want to have happen.
I consider myself little more than a visitor with a great deal of respect for the folks that made my Karma possible. I spend most of my time at Riovolution but enjoy dropping in here for a different perspective. (And I'm much older than 15, too, I promise
)
Posted by: drakino
Re: Vibez firmware question - Who owns it? - 01/12/2006 22:27
I had a brief "Hey, wouldn't it be cool if the Karma expanded the community" thought a while back. Pretty quickly I realized what that would actually mean, and decided against any push to make this an official home for Karma forums. I was quite glad to see Riovolution appear, and even intentionally changed this section to "Rio Hard Drive Portables" to ensure this board appeared lower on google searches.
Posted by: rubennyc
Re: Vibez firmware question - Who owns it? - 01/12/2006 23:37
In case folks don't already know, Riovolution.com (and Forums-Riovolution.com) has been left to die a slow, painful, spam-infested death. Due to the complete disappearance of founder Agent M, we've been forced to migrate to, (drum roll, please) Riovolution.org. And we're already accumulating some very good Vibez info there.
So, hopefully the Riovolution communicyt will be able to fill the same roll for the Vibez that it did for the Karma.
Posted by: rob
Re: Vibez firmware question - Who owns it? - 02/12/2006 09:34
I find it slightly entertaining that riovolution.org now have a forum for "Sigmatel Hard Drive Players, including the Rio Karma and Trekstor Vibez". The Karma is actually based on a processor from Sigmatel's main competitor, PortalPlayer.
Rob
Posted by: rubennyc
Re: Vibez firmware question - Who owns it? - 02/12/2006 11:39
Quote:
I find it slightly entertaining that riovolution.org now have a forum for "Sigmatel Hard Drive Players, including the Rio Karma and Trekstor Vibez". The Karma is actually based on a processor from Sigmatel's main competitor, PortalPlayer.
Rob
Yeah, there's still some disagreement about that. http://www.riovolution.org/thread/290
Posted by: lelyn
Re: Vibez firmware question - Who owns it? - 02/12/2006 14:49
Not even the biggest "kids" on this BBS are as whiny, melodramatic, self-obsessed, and generally fifteen-year-old-like as the actual fifteen-year-olds on Riovolution. - Peter.
I resemble that remark.
Is it probable that the volume analoginput for the scroll wheel and the independant volume button are on the same firmware compiler ports?