Sansa Updater installs known buggy firmware on Fuze V2

SanDisk MP3 players Sansa® Fuze™
1

So, I had to find out about a version 2.02.28 from the Updater software instead of a stickied warning to Fuze Version 2 Owners???

I really don’t care why replay gain was broken for us version 2 Sansa Fuze owners, but why not post a warning not to allow upgrade to a known buggy firmware?  How can your updater know what model and version I have and not know it shouldn’t be offering my player buggy firmware?

I experienced the auto-reboot 2 or 3 times before I logged back in here and read about the problem, then I was upset that Sansa’s forums have all kinds of posts about the new firmware… OOOPS, they all talk about 2.02.26, not 2.02.28… except in the firmware sticky… but, untill you scroll down, where it is mentioned in normal sized, non-bold text, The title lacks clarity…    I’d think somebody here would correct it nearer the top, or BOLD it, so it’s harder to miss…

Red might be a bit much, but would also make it harder to miss…

I learned more from someone else’s problem than glossing over the Stickies…

Thanks Tanolin! 

Well, the main thing here is it has been around 6 months since the update that broke Version 2 Fuze’s… .Why does it take so long to fix ?  Why not issue a firmware based on 2.02.28 with the 2.02.26 replay gain code?  And if it isn’t so simple, can I expect to wait another 6 months for a firmware update along with all the other angry Sansa Fuze buyers?  I don’t like Ipods, but at least they patch their problems QUICKLY. 

C’mon, Apple is a small company, though growing fairly quickly in market share, and they are quick on the fix…

I don’t want to complain, I just got this thing a few days agoa nd already I am having problems that the update software should have warned me about…

I have an old MP3 player that has never needed a firmware update, and has never locked up or had any problems… (It’s only an mp3 player, so that would be part of it)  The point is I tend to stick with companies that can make a quality product and not rush it out the door with incomplete software.

Everything else ends up on ebay for a loss…

Don’t confuse this with any threats,  I am the one that is having the bad experience here, and obviously have nothing to threaten this company with, except voting with my feet…

I saw all rosey reviews of this product and thought I could trust them, that’s my fault.

I just don’t see how someone complained about the problem roughly 6 months ago and nothing has been released to fix the problem without losing functionality.

From what I saw, version 2.02.26 didn’t have a slot radio menu item, 2.02.28 does…  I haven’t had a chance to see what else I will lose in teh downgrade, but I feel ripped off because other Fuze owners (Version 1) don’t have this problem.

I’d install Rockbox if I could, but apparently this new version is geared to stop 3rd party firmwares from being installed sucessfully… It has no new features compared to version 1, and no other explanations that would make sense why a different processor was chosen.

I can put it in a drawer, or return it…  or downgrade and be reminded how stupid I must have been to order it without questioning the vendor about what version it was…

Can anyone in the know tell the Sansa Fuze Version 2 owners how long the wait is going to be, and please try not to use weasel words like “soon” or “in a few months.”

   I suppose I could take the time to normalize my entire collection, then format and reinstall my favorites, but that would be more tedious than it’s worth.

I sure hope this is not the trend with consumer electronics.

   On a positive note, I do like the look and feel of the Fuze.  It has potential, but seems to have been rushed to market… maybe it shouldn’t have been launced till later?  but then there wouldn’t be so many of us paying beta testers…

  I am sorry, I just can’t be very positive about this product, in fact I have difficulty not using thos bad 4 letter words in this posting.  But I promised I wouldn’t when I signed up for this forum, so y’all have nothing to worry about in that regard.

   Normally I wouldn’t appologize when I didn’t do anything wrong in the first place, but I dont’ want to hurt anyone’s feelings in here… I just want to feel better knowing I got it all off my chest… I don’t need the stress.

   This device was supposed to help me relax, not wish I had bought peace of mind with an ipod or zen.

Now I have to jump through hoops just to restore functionality to a device that should never have had to be plugged in to use update software to download a video conversion program… why can’t it be downloaded directly from Sansa’s website?  It’s not like there aren’t already other converters for all of the other media players out there…

   If I were a conspiracy theorist I would say it was because Sansa wanted to spam me with their ads while I connect to their updates server so they can make more money off a ■■■■■■.  <— that’s not me, I know Sansa wouldn’t do a thing like that.

   I purchase real CD’s or DVD’s of everything I play, I don’t want Rhapsody or any other expiring service… I made that mistake years ago with Wal-Mart music downloads…  I installed my music to a new computer and was rewarded with NONE of it working… and because they changed their distribution setup I was unable to recover a single song, so I had to pay twice…

 NEVER again I told myself, and now I buy real discs for everything, and I make backups in un-DRM’d formats to protect myself from the future that I know is comming.

Oh: SlotMonsta…

On 7-20-2007 you posted " We would like to apologize for any inconvenience and we hope to have the new firmware available as soon as possible. "

 

LOL LOL LOL…   It’s been over a month… I am not a programmer, but when I do program, because I have to, I have NEVER needed over a month to fix a small error in code…  including my time to research whatever language I have to…

I don’t blame you for trying to be optomisitc, but over a month?

Can’t someone run a DIF on the old and new firmwares in the replay gain  code?

Please tell me ther eis more than 1 person working on this device’s software/firmware…

Ok, so, some of the above is supposed to be taken as  just my venting my frustrations with this new device (new to me, it’s obviously been out a while now since the version 1 is able to work partially ok with Rockbox these days, if not fully) and some is serious…

I could wait a few days to post, but why should I extend courtesies to Sandisk and it’s staff when they have caused me mental anguish over a small device that worked nearly perfectly the way I got it.  They offered me something broken without a warning… it’s not like they pointed me to these forums before telling me there was an upgrade, specifically to the part about the firmware having serious issues.

Now before you say it isn’t serious, I would consider a graphics glitch or even an audio hiccup minor… but to cause a reboot is certainly beyond minor.

No, it won’t kill me, and it won’t make me kill someone else… not yet anyway :slight_smile:

If it were a $40 - 50 item I would not even bother posting this… but it wasn’t.  I could have bought a creative or Apple product, but I trusted SanDisk because all of my flash based memory products have been SanDisk, and they have all worked flawlessly, even in adverse conditions (mostly extreme cold)

I hope somebody high enough in SanDisk’s business reads this and realizes there is a serious problem with the way updates are handled by the company, at least for all products that use the Sansa updater…

It has the ability to notify me that there is a problem with the firmware… it COULD inform me to avoid using the  features that do not work… It appears to use the IE engine for it’s display window and file download…

WHY not put a notice on the 2.02.28 firmware that if a user has a version 2 Fuze, they should not download and install the firmware?

Is it that hard?  there’s certainly other information there that is less important, and plently of space to leave such a message.

That’s enough for now…

I am starting to feel better, but still feel I should post my feelings so SanDisk can know how I and other CUSTOMERS feel about them in regards to this product.

I ticked E-Mail me when someone replies, so I hope someone does…

Please let it be good news, like a Dec. 3rd update or something definite like that…

I won’t wait long before returning this product to the vendor as defective <— ok, that is sort of like a threat, except it isn’t meant as one… more like an expression of my plans if I am forced into it…

Good luck getting an update out soon,

Eric

2

Excellent post! I too am very frustrated by this. We have been screwed over twice. We get a broken firmware, plus we can’t even install a different firmware like Rockbox, to avoid the problems of the original firmware. 

It can’t take a month to fix such a SIMPLE problem. Obviously nobody is working on the firmware at all at the moment, at least the V2 firmware.

Just fix the SIMPLE SIMPLE problem. Just DO it ffs!

SIMPLES. 

3

BDProductions wrote:

I really don’t care why replay gain was broken for us version 2 Sansa Fuze owners, but why not post a warning not to allow upgrade to a known buggy firmware?  How can your updater know what model and version I have and not know it shouldn’t be offering my player buggy firmware?

A warning IS posted (in the Firmware Update thread). And has been since an hour after the firmware update was released:

We have confirmed a bug with Replay Gain in this firmware release. This bug only effects Fuze v2 devices. We are working on a new firmware which should be released very soon and have confirmed the issue is fixed. After the new firmware has passed a full QA cycle the new firmware will be released.  If you have experienced this issue your options are:

 

1. Temperately turn off replay gain until the next firmware release is available

2. Use the following link to downgrade to the .26 firmware release.  02.02.26 firmware download and instructions 

 

We would like to apologize for any inconvenience and we hope to have the new firmware available as soon as possible.  

As far as counting on the Sansa Updater to ‘know’ about this and not install the update? You’re giving this little piece of software wayyyy too much credit and expecting wayyyy too much from it. It simply looks at what version of firmware you have on your player, phones home to find out is there’s a newer version available and if so, offers to do the updating for you. That’s it. It’s not smart enough to know if the newer version has a bug in it, or a person has recommended that one not install it if that particular bug might affect the way that person uses his or her player. That’s for you to decide.

BDProductions wrote:

 

Oh: SlotMonsta…

On 7-20-2007 you posted " We would like to apologize for any inconvenience and we hope to have the new firmware available as soon as possible. "

 

LOL LOL LOL… I don’t know what post you’re looking at, but 7-20-2007 is like 3 1/2 years ago. Like I said, the problem was identified and the warning/disclaimer was posted about an hour after release. yes, it has been over a month, but as slotmonsta explained, they don’t want to put it out there again without doing some thorough QA testing to be sure the problem is undeniably and most reliably dead. So it may take a while. If you can’t (or won’t) wait? Well, good luck on your next player; I wish you the best.

4

Be serious guys, ay least it’s only replay gain, and you can just turn it off, or is there some more problem with .28 FW out there, but then again FW cycle of sandisk is really something …

5

Oop, I was wrong, since I do all my updates manually…

Message Edited by Black-Rectangle on 12-03-2009 01:11 PM

6

@black_rectangle wrote:

They withdrew .28 when they found out it wasn’t working and made sure a link was available to .26.

Withdrew it in what way? Though the sticky firmware thread has the warning, it still offers the .28 firmware.

I agree with other frustrated Fuze users that it is hard to understand why something that should be fairly easy to fix is taking so long. Then again, perhaps they are working on more useless SlotMusic icons for the firmware at the same time.

Message Edited by 7o9 on 11-25-2009 11:07 PM

7

7o9 wrote:

Then again, perhaps they are working on more useless SlotMusic icons for the firmware at the same time.

:smileyvery-happy: :smileyvery-happy: :smileyvery-happy:

8

Tapeworm wrote:

7o9 wrote:

Then again, perhaps they are working on more useless SlotMusic icons for the firmware at the same time.

:smileyvery-happy: :smileyvery-happy: :smileyvery-happy:

9

Just wanted to comment on your comment that “my old player never needed a FW update”.

That’s not a good thing. Most of the time a new FW adds feature, like one for the Sansa that added support for OGG and FLC.

I won’t buy a player that doesn’t get FW updates.

Sansa, imo, should do what Trekstor did for my old player. ON thier forum they released new FW so often it nearly made your head spin. They tapped into their market by offering BETA FW to the users with freaky regularity.

Sansa: you have 100’s if not 1,000’s of people here that would test your FW releases for you. Take advantage of that. Mark it BETA and install at your own risk and let us (them, I should say as I am on Rockbox now and not coming back lol) test stuff for you.

10

Regarding my old mp3 player and not needing any firmware updates:

   Everything works on my old player, it just doesn’t store a lot of my music, and has no sd slot for adding more space.  

   As far as adding new exciting features, it’s an mp3 player… ALL I want it to do is play my mp3’s at roughly the same apparent volume… My old player does this.

   I have kept the newest firmware installed, and it does mostly play mp3’s ok, other than the issues it has when the display blanks on some files.  And the most annoying thing is a lack of Replay Gain, causing fairly dramatic differences in volume when going album to album… which is more or less every song, as I prefer to have a random playlist.

   I’d rather see programmers do a feature freeze cleanup firmware… Perfect what is already there, worry about fancy upgrades later.

   I didn’t buy this product expecting to be a beta tester… worse yet every time I run the sansa updater, a paying customer (I) is forced to load an advertisement??? That’s very AOL’ish… I don’t like being bludgeoned to death with advertisements when I paid good money for a product and support that I should not need. (Shouldn’t need support for a mature product)

   I will say some positive things about the 8GB Sansa Fuze V2:

     Battery life is excellent.

     The display is bright and has decent color saturation.

     

2 days after I started this posting I made a trip from Snowflake, AZ to Phoenix, AZ to purchase supplies for the pantry.

  The 3 most noticable problems I faced were:

1.) Lack of replay gain meant excessive adjustments to the car stereo volume were necessary for the whole trip.

2.) After beginning play and setting Repeat: ALL and Shuffle: ON  the shuffle feature barely seems to work.  (I was getting 8-15 songs by the same artist in a row, with occassional single song departures…)  With about 40 artists, 100 albums, the math does  not work out well.

3.) This is a rare occurance, but sometimes songs that play fine in my other player, or in a windows media player/winamp/etc will sound as iff they are skipping for 1-2 seconds while the display is blanked on the Fuze. (This only seems to happen once every hour or so, with no warning or exact timing)

I will try the old firmware and see if it works better in this regard. (Obviously Replay gain worked before, so I won’t be testing to see what differences there exist there)

Again, I shouldn’t have to back out of an automatic update that I got before being warned not to accept it.

I should not be a sandisk beta tester either.

Imagine if SanDisk sold cars… how would they stay in business if their cars received updates without warnings that features would be lost.

With the limited feature set in the Fuze’s firmware, how can they not have tested replay gain?  Or if they did, how come they bothered releasing the firmware before it was ready?

Those two questions are rhetorical in nature… the answer doesn’t really matter, we are stuck with our Fuze’s and for the immediate future we are also stuck without a Rockbox option.

Wish me luck everyone, I am going back to the firmware that shipped with my Fuze… I didn’t have any problems with it as shipped, I only wanted the newest video converter… (BTW: Even that is broken)  I am back to using video4fuze, which works fine for me as long as the input file is acceptable to video4fuze.

I do wish FLV was supported though, as in YouTube videos… or mp4 for that matter.

I have tried sansa media converter Version 1.0 B004.256CDG and I am very disappointed that it takes so long to transcode and then the files are not even accepted by the Fuze v2.

Just to be clear: Transcoding the same files, video4fuze works, sansa media converter doesn’t.  I have not played with any settings in either program.

I am very disappointed in SanDisk for releasing software and hardware like this.

I do hope SanDisk will release any IP that Rockbox needs to make their excellent firmware work on my Fuze V2 before I get upset enough to sell, give away, or destroy the unfinished product they sold me.

I would consider that a first class move of SanDisk’s part… One that would change my reviews of my personal Fuze v2 on my own website as well as others I visit.

I do feel abused by SanDisk for advertising their product as if it were a complete mature product when, in fact, it is not.

When I have had more time to beta test for SanDisk I will return to update my opinion of this product.

Oh, why isn’t there a warning on the sansa updater about the new firmware yet?  Or why isn’t there an option to select the old firmware and have it installed so I don’t have to do it manually?  Can’t SanDisk programmers make it an option to download the older firmwares through the slick advert serving updater?

Obviously it works for multiple devices and can determine what is installed on the device…  so why not have a downgrade firmware option for those of us who would prefer replay gain and volume stability over fancy shmancy.

I just want my Fuze to work as advertised (I don’t even care much about video playback, I have a laptop or TV for that, depending on where I am)

If the Fuze v2 is going to be orphaned, please turn over whatever IP Rockbox needs to port their firmware over to Sansa Fuze V2… 

One last comment on my long test drive with the Fuze… Cross fading really would be nice… But for your customer’s sake, please correct the current issues before moving forward with more features.  Pauses between songs on the Fuze can be awkwardly long.

Thanks for the ear SanDisk,

Eric

11

RE 7o9’s comment.

They did NOT withdraw the 2.0.0.28 firmware.

The day I posted the start of this thread I got that update via the Sansa Updater software… It has NOT been withdrawn, only it has been slammed in here as unsuitable… it is still offered by default for users who use the Sansa Updater software… No warning, no appology there…

Yes, I understand this forum is here… but users don’t find this forum until AFTER they have been hosed by the Sansa Updater.

It uses html and has textual descriptions, looks polished, but they PUSH the buggy firmware on Sansa Fuze V2 owners that have not been here to learn why they don’t want to check the checkbox that installs Firmware 2.0.0.28.

This is a poor way to run a company.

I should have been WARNED in the updater that if I chose to install the new firmware that I would have problems with Replay Gain and possibly with songs skipping while the display is blanked.  The capability IS THERE.  SanDisk chose not to warn people who have not already been here… and even those who have visited here, the Title of the thread isn’t “WARNING: Upgrading to firmware 2.0.0.28 may cause a loss of functionality”

Instead it starts out “Sansa Fuze Firmware Update”  AS if it’s just more routine information about the new firmware…OK, maybe this is fine for those who have had their Fuze long enough to see how much development is still going on for this product, but New users of this product are not likely to find the SanDisk forums before running the Sansa Updater… so the warning should be on the updater’s screen as well.

Obviously I can’t TELL SanDisk how to run it’s business… but I can make suggestions that make sense… and they can either listen and ACT or sit and do NOTHING.

Again, I thought  from all of the advertisements and SanDisk’s own site that I would be buying a mature product with all features already implemented (Like an Ipod or Zen or Zune)

How can ANYONE defend SanDisk for selling unfinished products and not clearly labeling them as unfuinished?

Who here would like to buy a car that wasn’t finished at the factory… one that could get upgrades that crippled it… Oooh LOOK! Here’s an upgrade that lets you choose a color… but unfortunately it also disables your airbag… Oh well, it’s an auxilliary restraint device anyway…  

I don’t think so…

And for those who will cry apples to oranges… the point is products are supposed to be complete when sold and IF there are updates, they should be clearly labeled for what version they are, and for what flaws they may have…

OK, let’s assume the firmware in question was released without ANY knowledge of flaws… AS SOON as people complained an inquiry should have been made, followed by a warning in the updater and in these forums that the firmware had issues…

That is a minimum level of customer service.

Leaving those outside of these forums out of the loop is borderline criminal. <–<maybe just a tad over the top, but not by much>

Is that punishment for being too stupid to come check the forums first?

I might agree if the updater software  had a link to these forums… but it isn’t there.

Does anybody still not get it?

I don’t want to Beta Test for SanDisk unless they are GIVING me a device to test for free (or at least at a discounted price)

There is a time and a place for Beta Testing, it’s before a product is generally available on the market…

Companies who have this model seem to do well… 

Anyway, good luck with your Sansa Fuze v2’s to all the owners out there…

And Good Luck and Godspeed to the Rockbox programmers out there working on the Fuze V2.

Oh, and has ANYONE at SanDisk considered forming an alliance with the Rockbox programmers to make a top notch player firmware for your company?

I’d think they would do the work for less pay than the in house programmers, and likely to a better outcome.

I for one would pay good money for a working Rockbox port for my Fuze V2… I shouldn’t have to after paying good money for the Fuze itself in the first place, but now I am stuck with it (Actually I could still return it, but the product itself seems solidly built, buggy firmware aside)

Thanks for reading my Rant… I feel somewhat better already.

Eric

12

I agree on a lot of your points, Eric, but I still disagree that releasing FW updates that add features is pointless.

I had almost 1,000 FLC and OGG files when I first bought my Sansa. Kind of forgot I had them because it was all so seamless on my last player. I get a Fuze… and lose access to them. A month later they release a FW that supports OGG + FLAC. WIN!!!

That was not a minor update.

And as for my comment about Trekstor and “using us” as Beta testers: My main point about that is that we have heard before “that xyz FW is complete but we are still testing it”. That can take a month. I say release it to us and LABEL IT BETA with a warning that things might be broken.

This does many things. If Sansa did this it would: 

  • Give Sansa access to hundreds (if not more) of people to help find bugs in firmware -cutting dev time by weeks
  • Make Sansa look very customer-centric, caring, and committed to the product
  • Generate more brand loyalty

WIN-WIN

It worked for Trekstor, and worked well. We were rabid fans of that device.

13

If your user commuinity reports annoying repeated bugs with firmware, it should be pulled.

End of discussion.

To not do so is irresponsible at the very least.

14

Peregrine wrote: “I say release it to us and LABEL IT BETA with a warning that things might be broken.”

The problem is that SanDisk wants people to use the Updater–and in fact is forcing people to use it now as the only way to get Sansa Media Converter. 

And the Updater is so crude that it just looks at the version number–nothing else.

It apparently can’t offer a user the choice between 1.02.26 and 1.02.28 beta. 

Yet another problem with automated tasks that are supposed to keep things ■■■■■-proof.  Sometimes the automation itself is the ■■■■■. 

15

Then they need to get their heads out of their azzez and fix the Updater or better yet, make one available that is specially designed for those willing to beta test their firmware.

If the process doesn’t work then CHANGE IT.

16

Sandisk should release firmware as beta for those who are willing to test it.  Currently, whenever a new version is released, users are quick to post what’s good and what’s buggy about it.  Isn’t this already beta testing, in essence?

Beta releases will give Sandisk valuable feedback, instead of complaints about what’s wrong with the new firmware.

Message Edited by mags1230 on 12-03-2009 06:59 PM

17

Agreed.  Cowon does this.  Their firmware is the most solid of any DAP.

Sandisk, take a lesson.

Now.

18

… and many customers LOVE the process of helping. It really does create a rabid fan base. If I owned any company making players I would go out of my way to make them the mst rabid fans out there. My customers would be AFRAID to buy anything but my product. hehehehe

19

I will keep this short:

Tapeworm, What is the subject of this thread?

SANSA UPDATER installs known buggy firmware…

> As far as counting on the Sansa Updater to ‘know’ about this and not install the update?

>  You’re giving this little piece of software wayyyy too much credit and expecting wayyyy too much from it.

>  It simply looks at what version of firmware you have on your player, phones home to find out is there’s a newer version available

>     and if so, offers to do the updating for you. That’s it.

>  It’s not smart enough to know if the newer version has a bug in it,

>     or a person has recommended that one not install it if that particular bug might affect the way that person uses his or her player.

>  That’s for you to decide.

I never gave credit to the updater to “know” anything… I gave the credit to the web programmers that insert the HTML code that shows up in the updater window… (eg:Check out the example in blue below this line)

It is obvious that SanDisk could make a note in the SANSA UPDATER programs update source (which appears to be HTML) to state that although some things have been added, some have been broken, download at your own discretion.

There is plenty of room to leave such a notice, and the updater appears to use HTML for it’s display of updates. (for instance the Sansa Video Converter has a LINK that pops up an Internet Exploder window explaining theknown bugs and fixes(but not all of them))

As I stated earlier, users will run the updater software before ever finding the forums here (maybe not all, but enough)

I wouldn’t have minded so much if I had known that the software was as good as BETA for V2 Fuze owners… (I would likely not have downloaded it)

The download is optional, but some of us expect an Updater to only list stable updates…?.. (How without knowing about this forum is a user to know to read in here first, before updating their fuze v2?)

I am not ripping you for writing the software, or for defending the forums here, but instead venting my anger at site programmers who have NOT been in step with the forums in the practice of updating the updater’s description of files for download via the updater package.

Last time I ran the updater (December 13, 2009 ~4:30PM PST) it still offers the OFFENDING firmware with no warning it may cripple features that worked with the factory firmware.  (And let’s remember, we KNOW the updater CAN give us HTML links that popup in a new browser window as the above example shows, if the updater site programmers wanted to)

I would rather have replay gain than a shiny new slot radio icon, a menu option I will NEVER use.

I, like others here, buy real media or at least unprotected media files (that I can archive without fear of the format becomming useless) which I can convert to a format compatible with my choice of playback devices.

If I had no clue what type of music I liked, I might have interrest… or if I were a person who wanted an eclectic collection to play when my friends were around… (But if they come to visit me they already know I will play what I like anyway, so no slot radio for me)

The rest of the time I’d still use the built in 8GB, and maybe use the micro-sd upgrade slot (I have used the slot for MicroSD to insure it actually worked)

Next item: Another BAD Sansa Updater download -

I also downloaded the newest Sansa Media Converter and it has only worked on exactly ZERO videos… I will stick with video4fuze, which works flawlessly EVERY time. And after ~106MB of download I expect it to work (as in not BETA quality software)

I run Windows XP Pro. SP3… All of the rest of my software works as expected… what gives?

 (I do run BETA software sometimes, and mostly it always works as expected unless it’s closer to Alpha software)

The new Media Converter does manage to preformat my pictures for the Fuze nicely, but so would just about any image editting software out there… (I use XNView for most image operations that don’t need the bloat of Adobe Lightroom, it’s compact, fast, and free(and it NEVER crashes or fails to convert a file)

I am working with other video converters out there to create profiles for encoding videos to a sansa compatible format with a single click (or very close to that) and I hope to share the fruits of my labor with other Fuze owners (though video4fuze works awesome already)

I do appreciate these forums being here, the dedicated SanDisk staff that take abuse and kudos almost equally well, and the users who contribute their feeling and findings with these products.

I wiped the Fuze clean of media the other day and set to normalizing my entire music collection… I should not have had to, but since there’s no fixed firmware yet… 

As I unpack boxes from my youth, I am finding new (old) CD’s to encode in mp3 or FLAC format, and I am doing just that… and with already mp3’d files I am having to normalize them as well… it is time-consuming to say the least, as if I don’t have anything else better to do, like enjoy my music without having to jump through hoops.

Anyway, to the above poster who mentioned FLAC as a reason to upgrade, FLAC worked fine BEFORE the Updater suggested I install the newer buggy firmware, so other than Slot Radio I see no addition of features, only a loss to users like myself who only want their player to work as advertised. (MP3 playback with replay gain, video playback support)

As long as it will shuffle I don’t care if there were no other features…  I bought it for the core functionality of a basic player with some video support.

And now, to the firmware programmers, please fix replay gain soon… does it really take that long to find the coding error involved???

I am still running the buggy firmware, sans replay gain, and can watch videos fine, with the only problems being mp3 skipping when the display is blanked, and some MP3 files come close to locking up the player sometimes and WILL NOT skip forward or backwards for several seconds (these are normal length, 192Kb/s mp3’s)

Overall it is “usable,” but barely so due to the mentioned glitches.

Any word of a time table for the FIXED firmware would be GREATLY appreciated, as is your hard work.

Best Regards to ALL,

BDP

Message Edited by BDProductions on 12-13-2009 05:00 PM

20

And THIS you call short? :stuck_out_tongue: