I Recently started listening to PODCASTS on my FUZE:
V01.02.28A
4GB
8GB CARD INSERTED AS WELL
and have encountered the following issues:
When listening to ~1hr podcast for an extended period of time (e.g. 20-30+ minutes) the podcast just stops and unit becomes non-responsive, screen is black. I power cycle the unit and it goes through the ‘refresh media’ boot-up. The unit doesn’t remember where in the podcast it was.
When listening to a podcast for an extended period of time, the unit controls become unresponsive and the screen is black. The book/chapter continues
to play but the screen doesn’t turn on, pause doesn’t work, etc. So I end up power cycling.
While listening to a podcast for an extended period of time, with the FUZE plugged into the ALTEC Lansing IM413, the screen remains on, but the audio book/chapter will not pause via the “fuze” pause button. I ended up removing the FUZE from the IM413, plugged in headphones and after a while, pushing the FUZE wheel, the pause finally worked.
Has anyone else encountered any of the above issues/errors, and is there a way to prevent them?
Also, is there a way to have a slightly faster “speed” on the PODCAST option than the current “FAST”?
What type of files are these podcasts? Are they mp3? What bitrate? fixed or variable bitrate? What sampling rate? This only happens with podcasts and not music? Does this happen when the battery is fully charged?
Some people have reported that the pause button becomes inoperative if they press the button while the player is still booting. When you turn on the Fuze, make sure the booting is complete before pressing play.
There seem to be some bugs in the 28 firmware. I suggest you try the player with the 26 firmware.
Yes, they are podcasts. Bitrate 64 Kbps, sample rate 44100 Hz, CODEC MP3(ID3V2.3), track # 4017. The podcasts are from IT Conversations, StackOverflow, Jeff Atwood and Joel Spolsky.
I’ve only seen this occur with PODCASTS, and I’ve only listened to StackOverflow podcasts. The battery is not fully charged when this occurs. I wonder if the “battery” icon indicator is accurate, because earlier today it was somewhere just under 50% and then not so long the device when blank. I couldn’t turn it back on. I plugged it into the Altec IM314 player and it wouldn’t turn on and after a while the Fuze became warm to the touch. I thought the FUZE was dead. After dinner I plugged the FUZE into the PC with the USB connection and it turned on. It appears the battery was completely dead.
Thanks for the info about the 28 vs 26 firmware. I just noticed a newer version of firmware is out, I’ll have to keep my eye out on that and see what the first comers say.
I’m glad my Fuze turned on again. I thought it was DEAD and I would have to purchase another MP3 player. Wasn’t looking forward to that. I googled the CES event and it appears none of the vendors released any new MP3 players at CES, one story wrote an article basically indicating the companies have said the iPod is the defacto standard (to that I say bummer).
I do wonder if my player is starting to go bad. I’ve had it 14 months and it seems to need charging more frequently recently.
What have other Fuze owners purchased when their Fuze died (e.g. another Fuze, a Click+, etc.)?
I guess you problem is probably battery related. See if you get problems when running it with a wall charger attached. The Fuze should typically last much longer than 14 months. My Fuze is 16 months old and doing okay.
I guess typical life for a Fuze might be 30-48 months?
Podcasts shouldn’t be any different than music, except perhaps that they might be at a lower bitrate or might be mono.
Go ahead and update your firmware to the new .31 revision, and see if your podcasts run better. At 64kb/s, they should play just fine.
Let us know how your Fuze does with the new firmware. I’ve been trying my best to break it, and it appears quite stable. The latest firmware includes improved video playback (especially compared against the .26 build), and ReplayGain has been fixed.
Running docked, your forward / reverse are inhibited on the device; perhaps, upon disconnect, there was a glitch.
