Download Feature rocks!

First of all many thanks to the empeg guys for this new great release.
What can I say, once more a great job, I do like all the new visuals and info mode.

Now, the download feature just rocks, and works beautifully. So here are my suggestions for its future developments:

1) As other suggested, I'd like to be able to configure in detail the naming of the mp3 on the hdd, plus, I'd like to indicate the player whether some of the info related to an mp3 should be turned into a directory on my pc's hdd, rather than simply being included in the name of the file. Just to give an obvious example, I may want to store the mp3 into a folder named after the album title.

2) I'd like to be able to backup somewhere on the hdd all the database files in the empeg.

3) Now, a simple, all-inclusive "backup" function would be of great help. That should download all the mp3 to the hdd, the dbase, and store in such a way that it can be uploaded back into a blank empeg with a simple "restore" function.

4) A natural evolution of 3) is that the backup on the hdd could be "read and modified" by emplode as if it was the player itself. This would no only allow us to play the tracks on the "backup" from emplode, but also modify/add/delete, and then resync the changes to the empeg. Wouldn't that be awsome? Now, this would require emplode to run in two modes: "empeg-based" or "hdd-based", just like IE can work on-line or off-line.

Well, that's enough wishes in one single post.

P.S.: ehm, actually, I have another wish. I can't help, I have to say this once more : what a bout a random changing visual mode, at every song change, or after x seconds/minutes, ecc... ? Ok, ok, I know, I'll try to refrein from asking this again...

3) Now, a simple, all-inclusive "backup" function would be of great help. That should download all the mp3 to the hdd, the dbase, and store in such a way that it can be uploaded back into a blank empeg with a simple "restore" function.

Yes. Please. Pretty Please. I will pay money for such a utility.

4) A natural evolution of 3) is that the backup on the hdd could be "read and modified" by emplode as if it was the player itself. This would no only allow us to play the tracks on the "backup" from emplode, but also modify/add/delete, and then resync the changes to the empeg. Wouldn't that be awsome? Now, this would require emplode to run in two modes: "empeg-based" or "hdd-based", just like IE can work on-line or off-line.

Actually, you'd have to call the second mode "pirate-based" and the chances of seeing that mode are pretty slim. I'd be just as happy going the opposite direction: make the backup file unplayable, uneditable, unreadable, unusable for anything in the world except to restore back into the same empeg that created it.

Have I said any of this before?

tanstaafl.

Online/offline editing of your playlist data is very useful. Not at all a pirating based feature. We're already going to get file taxi ability expanded, we've already got a download feature - offline ability is just a convenience for making edits and addtions when you can't take the time to sync with the empeg - or have left the empeg in the car or have it playing music you don't want to stop, or want to keep the same database on two empeg units for yourself and your wife/gf/etc. PLUS, emplode will make an excellent addition to other other MP3 tools if it gets the ability to write back ID3 tags. I'd love to have it able to manipulate the MP3s on my PC - I already keep a backup of all the files I send to my player - My biggest concern is backing up the database and syncing edits to both places.

Bruno

Oh, and it's been mentioned that this is something being looked at already. :) Even if in an unofficial capacity.

I know Toby is thinking about the auto changing visual. I've suggested that it could also change on phrase transitions.

Rob

I know that displayserver does it but i want mp3 streaming it would be gret for the empeg and a must for the HSX

Oh, that's an excellent idea, Rob, now that we have the chance to do so!!

Well, since we are here, this is my IDEAL auto change visual function. I know I'm asking a lot, but this is at least useful to give some ideas, even in the case that coding efforts should mainly go to more needed and important features (after all these are just visuals, right? :) And after all it is christmas, let me dream a litte bit! ):

From the player, there could be an option to set the visual to "auto-changing," and that would affect all the info modes where a visual is shown.
From Emplode, there could be an option to configure the autochange visual in this ways:

1) Among favorite visuals / among all

2) Every x songs, where x is set by the end user (x=1, visual changes at every song)

3) Every y seconds, where y is set by the user

4) Every z phrases, where z is set by the user

5) Based on the change of any of the pieces of info related to a song, ie, every time (or every w times, with w set by the end user) the ARTIST changes, or the YEAR change, or the ALBUM changes, or the Genre changes, source, etc. Think how neat this would be: same visual for the same artist. When the artist changes, new visual! :) And that's just an example, of course.

6) COMBINATION of the above mentioned changing functions, by setting conditions and linkind them with logic operators such ad AND/OR .

Ok, this is way to much, I admit. I was just free whishing :DD

The HSX109 has streaming as standard - it contains a Rio Receiver server. You even get a free Rio Receiver!

Roger has already explained elsewhere how you can stream from a Receiver server to WinAmp or similar.

The car player has a Receiver server which is compiled out, because it hogs too much memory. DisplayServer seems to fill that gap.

Rob

So you will be able to stream from the HSX to a pc once some one comes up with the appropriate hack. However if i was to buy the HSX out the shop i would like streaming to come as standard. Would be a nice touch but i have every faith in this board coming up with something.

Now here is an intresting idea i may be wrong i maybe right but if the server bit of the software hogs to much memory could ou or someone stick out a speacial edition of the software which has bugger all in the way of a cache to save memory so the server bit could be run.

This would be good for those out there that have a spare empeg that could be pushed into use as a server for in the home.

So you will be able to stream from the HSX to a pc once some one comes up with the appropriate hack. However if i was to buy the HSX out the shop i would like streaming to come as standard.

Streaming from the HSX does come as standard, no hacking needed. Just put the correct URL into the "Play Location" box in WinAmp, and off it goes. Roger posted some nice instructions on how to do it.

excellent just hope it makes it into the manual as it is a great feature of display server

Not having tried the download feature or installed it yet, I'm wondering if the download feature might be expanded to automatically populate id3 tags based on the emplode tags?

Calvin

Wouldn't that be great? Count me in for a vote on that one.

Eventually, yes. For the moment, it's a quick-and-dirty solution.

Hey Roger, check out my thread about the total tracks tag that now seems to be used in emplode...

Bruno

Had to get someone's attention. :)

Any chance we can get it compiled in a custom kernel?
Is it at least in the source or totally removed.

Will a rio receiver work with display server out of the box?
Doesn't seem to me like that would be true from what
little I can find on the receiver.


Ed

Will a rio receiver work with display server out of the box?

No, DS just provides a simple HTTP server, to act as a Receiver server involves quite a bit of extra logic.

>The car player has a Receiver server which is compiled out, because it hogs too much memory.

And that is a problem... why? If my sole use at home
would be as a receiver server, and in the car not, could
I not hack up a "detect voltage line" deal and then
do this? I have yet to look at the kernel as I've been a
bit busy with the rally seasons starting up.

Ed

If you wanted to do that you could install one of the free Linux servers and load it from a custom init script.

Rob