Sansa Media Converter.

I bought the Sansa Fuze 2gb model and a 4gb flash card to go with it about a month ago. I have updated the firmware via the updater and I drag + drop music to the player all day long without any problems. I have Windows XP sp2 and have zero problems with any other software/hardware I have used on my computer thus far. I have a Dual core 2.2ghz with 2 gigs of ram. My machine works great for everything I use it for. When I plug in my Fuze, it automatically detects my player and my SD card and shows everything on them in the correct fashion. I love this player and almost everything about it, with one exception: the way that video formatting was chosen. At some point in the Fuze development, a unnanimous decision was made to allow any mp3 from any source play on this player, regardless of the way it was uploaded. Whether you use Rapshody, WMP sync, or just drag and drop.

When it came to video, someone who hates the world was allowed to decide how it would function regarding the player. I have downloaded/installed/uninstalled the SMC software COUNTLESS times. Every time it hangs on the loading screen of the program and then gives me a windows error message, asking me if I want to send an error report to microsoft. I have tried to run the program with the player connected, without the player connected, and have gone to my wits end trying to figure out what the problem could be. I have a program that can convert any format into any other format, yet none of the 50 or so formats will work on the player. Only Avi formats show up and they give me the ‘unsupported file type’ error message. 

From what I have discovered, the SMC software converts all video into a type that will work with the player, but this doesn’t work if the program can’t get past the loading screen. A solution to the problem would be a firmware update that supports the same codecs that mobile phones, ipods, PSPs, and other tiny video players support. 

My suggestion? 3gP under a QVGA header. Otherwise come out with a stable SMC that will work for everyone, not just random users. I would be surprised to see people who actually use rapshody or WMP to get their music onto their player, leading me to believe there are a lot more drag + drop type people out there. Why can’t you release a firmware that accomodates this in videos? Use a generic format that most converters will convert to, and leave it at that. You are not making any money on SMC, it is freeware, so why require it for people to get videos on their players. Makes no sense to have proprietary technology when you aren’t profiting from it.

Please do something to fix this asap, I have read far more threads about peoples bad experiences with the SMC than I have read good. And I would hate to go buy an ipod at this point. 

I will be bumping this thread daily until sandisk addresses the seemingly universal problems with SMC and streamlines the Fuze firmware/SMC software to fix it.

@boburanus wrote:
I will be bumping this thread daily until sandisk addresses the seemingly universal problems with SMC and streamlines the Fuze firmware/SMC software to fix it.

I’ll make a note of this then, not to bother with this thread any more as you will be ‘bumping’ your brains out for the foreseeable future.

Some things to consider though:

  • Coercion, intimidation & threats are not usually a reliable way of influencing someone (especially a large company like SanDisk) to acquiesce to your desires or succumb to your wishes.
  • Being an annoyance on a User’s forum probably isn’t the most direct way of conveying your message to SanDisk.
  • Following through with your ‘squeaky wheel’ philosophy and bumping vow may just get you banned from the forum.

Love your name though . . . it fits you to a ‘T’.

:smileyvery-happy:

I am so glad you think that an unhappy customer who wants to be able to use the device he spent hard earned money on to it’s fullest potential, as an annoying, coercive, intimidating, threatening, ‘squeaky wheel’ who should be banned from the forums.

TBH, I had high hopes for a device this low profile that has somehow become this popular while standing in the shadow of the many versions of the Ipod. I did my homework before I bought it, and from what I could learn, I bought the biggest ‘bang’ for my buck. Little did I know that it would be so difficult to actually use the device for it’s intended purpose. 

I am not a terrorist, nor do I wish to come accross as as an annoying, coercive, intimidating, and threatening. I am merely just another customer who has yet encountered problems with Sandisks faulty software. Yet, unlike everyone else who seems to be content with problems, I want a solution. Tell me how I am wrong? I have already sent Sandisk an email regarding my issues. They insist the problem is not theirs. Their solution has been that I need to uninstall the software, re download it, and then install it again, until it ‘magically’ works. I have done this, countless times, with the same result every time. I know it isn’t my computer, it is nearly brand new. The message I get when I try to run the SMC software is this:

Error Signature:

AppName: sansa media converter.exe     AppVer: 0.0.0.0     ModName: devicemanager.dll
ModVer: 1.0.0.1     Offset: 00004e9b

It then creates a file C:\DOCUME~1\boburanus\LOCALS~1\Temp\WER3FD.tmp.dir00\appcompat.txt, I have posted a link here:

I honestly don’t know what to do at this point. Sandisk is aware of the multitude of problems, yet they are ignoring them completely in favor of the Republican strategy of: ‘insist the problem isn’t yours while continuing to support the problem whole heartedly.’

I just want to watch a low res video on my **bleep** player /cry.

Oh yeah, and BUMP

I agree with boburanus… we simply want the Sansa to work as advertised. I know of two seperate promises that this problem is being worked on, but no updates, or acknowledgements from Sansa on this.

  People post daily and are pretty much ignored.

Tapeworm, to turn it back your way, you are the one of the ones that frequently resorts to insults, so you cannot take  the high road on this. Insulting people who are frustrated with this is not necessary. Many , like me may be strident in thier discussion, but two wrongs don’t make a right.

There are serious and definitive issues with the Sansa players and video conversion. Ignoring , insulting, and otherwise attacking the consumers that are upset about this doesn’t change that fact. We just want to use our devices as advertised…period.

I don’t post my complaints anymore, I got tired of the attacks on me.

When can we expect software to be available that will convert videos consistantly and reliably? A simple question.

I am sure no answer is forthcoming.

There are many of us with issues with Sansa Media Converter and the formats used. It would be nice to have some clue what thoughs really are. I know most of my MP3s work just fine, but few if any album/CD covers work or show up. Some of the stuff I convert doesn’t work (Video). I can’t ‘see’ the files on the player with W2K (Windows 2000 Pro) or Linux (most of my systems run these though I have two with XP Home and one with XP Pro as well). I know it’s asking a lot for it to work with all the systems out there and all the formats, but I’d like to know what it should work with. I know it can show Jpeg files, but it seems to need some converted and others it will show (without conversion, just copied like the MP3s) even though they are all from the same source. I find that odd. First thing I’d like to know is what exact format Jpeg will show as an Album/CD cover with the MP3s? I know if I view them as photos most of mine work, but very few work with MP3s that are from that CD. I just looked on my 8G Fuse and found none of my Album covers show up, but all the songs that came with it work. Most of them (the cover Jpegs) work as photos, but none as Album covers. Since I can’t ‘see’ any of the files I can’t figure out (reverse engineer) the format that works. Has anyone figured it out?

try doing the new firmware upgrade. also download the smc at the same time. worked for me. It’s by corel rather than arcsoft. not sure what is different in the software. the user interface is slightly different. best of all it works slick for me on vista home premium. the only thing i havent figured out on the new one is that when you open the converter, the computer sees it as an .exe like it was about to install it but the converter opens. not sure what’s up with that but again…it works so no more complaining from me. the firmware upgrade also puts cooler graphics on the off/on cycles

Yup, did that. Sync’d to my main system and reverse engineered that cover format. I’m not sure of the version of tags being used but the cover pictures are in a tag on the MP3 in a number of different Jpeg sizes, The Jones Gang Single Angel for example has a 250x250x24 BBP Jpeg of the cover in the tag. MP3 files have the compressed audio and tags that include things like the song name and sometimes include the cover jpeg as well. ID3v1 & 2 are the common tag formats currently. They include Track #, Disk #, BPM, Title, Artist, Album, Album Artist, Year, Genre, Comment, Composer, Publisher . The ID3v2 adds Orig, Artist, Copyright, URL, Encoded, Track Gain, and Album Gain. Not sure when Album cover was added, but I think it’s in ID3v2.

@boburanus wrote:
I will be bumping this thread daily until sandisk addresses the seemingly universal problems with SMC and streamlines the Fuze firmware/SMC software to fix it.

Bumping this thread will be useless. As the Sansa community cannot do anything about this. Since you will be bumping this thread no one is going to bother looking at it. Keep in mind :

 This message can be deleted by an Administrator 

 Go to Sansa.com/support to put your message so that they may consider it

 SMC is a different software which may not be fixed by the Sansa Company. 

@boburanus wrote:

I am so glad you think that an unhappy customer who wants to be able to use the device he spent hard earned money on to it’s fullest potential, as an annoying, coercive, intimidating, threatening, ‘squeaky wheel’ who should be banned from the forums.

I did not say you ‘should’ be banned, only cautioned that if you follow your plan of annoyingly ‘bumping’ the thread every day you ‘may’ be banned. I am not the only one that this would irritate. There are thousands of members here and any one (or several) could view this as ‘troll’ behavior and complain to a moderator, who ‘may’ decide to ban you.

@boburanus wrote:

Little did I know that it would be so difficult to actually use the device for it’s intended purpose. 

Many people have said the exact same thing when trying to program a new VCR/DVR or even use a new toaster. Technology, especially electronic technology, breeds frustration in coping with unfamiliar situations. We, as the superior beings on this planet naturally want to control ‘things’ and when we can’t it bugs the ‘be-jeebers’ out of us.

@boburanus wrote:

I am not a terrorist, nor do I wish to come accross as as an annoying, coercive, intimidating, and threatening.

@boburanus also wrote:
I will be bumping this thread daily until sandisk addresses the seemingly universal problems with SMC and streamlines the Fuze firmware/SMC software to fix it.

Sure sounds annoying, coercive, intimidating and threatening to me.

@boburanus yet again wrote:

 And I would hate to go buy an ipod at this point. 

Because a lot of people received new Sansas for Christmas, we have seen a flood of new members and pleas for help with their new toys. Literally hundreds! And in trying to wade through these, I keep seeing this same mantra over and over and over again.

Why do you (and so many others think) that if you overtly imply, suggest, or threaten to go buy a competitor’s product (in this case, an ipod) that this will somehow magically make a difference in how fast you receive service or increase the level of that service. If that is not intended as a coercive statement, I guess I’d better check my Funk & Wagnall’s dictionary for the correct meaning.

boburanus continued to write:

I am merely just another customer who has yet encountered problems with Sandisks faulty software. Yet, unlike everyone else who seems to be content with problems, I want a solution.

What gives you the idea that everyone else is content with the problem, and that you are going to ride in on your white horse and save all of us who are just waiting for a messiah?

You certainly are not alone in your frustrations or your wishes for a better solution. SanDisk is also aware of the issue, and has said that the problem is being worked on. Their intentions are to hopefully modify the firmware somehow to take advantage of other sucessfull conversion programs out there, thereby eliminating the need for proprietary software (that they do not produce, I might add) to convert videos to work on their devices.

This won’t happen overnight. And no amount of trash-talking or bad-mouthing the company who has acknowledged the problem and is attempting to solve it is going to speed up the process.

And had you taken some time to look around here on the forum, especially on the SMC board, you might have discovered this information and you would have realized you are not alone; many people are in the same boat, and have been there much longer than you. Some have come up with (and shared) creative solutions and/or work arounds to the problem, and others have no issues at all.

This is not to say the problem is with you or your computer. There’s definitely a problem and things could be better. My point is that some people, instead of bitching about it, have gone out & done something about it for themselves.

ickster then chimed in:

I agree with boburanus… 

 

People post daily and are pretty much ignored.

People who’s only goal is to ‘stir the pot’ usually are. I remember some time ago you picked up this same banner and just where did it get you? Do we now have a solution because of your efforts?

@ickster also wrote:

Tapeworm, to turn it back your way, you are the one of the ones that frequently resorts to insults,

Look back over your posts and then look in the mirror, Sir.

@Finally ickster wrote:

I don’t post my complaints anymore, I got tired of the attacks on me.

I wonder why . . . (see previous response).

A little sensitive there, Tapeworm?  I looked back at my posts and I stand by every word.You reinforce the point I make in (most) of my previous posts. Nothing HAS changed, people post daily SCREAMING about frustrated they are …only to be ignored or insulted. My complaint is the lack of results, the don’t ask don’t tell policy, and the incessent insults by the very people who claim they are there to help.

What, do you work at a help desk during the day, then come here to take your frustations out on us lowly neophytes? You simply cannot resist the little dig, subtle insult, or outright meanness.

Message Edited by ickster on 12-28-2008 03:40 PM

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Many people have said the exact same thing when trying to program a new VCR/DVR or even use a new toaster. Technology, especially electronic technology, breeds frustration in coping with unfamiliar situations. We, as the superior beings on this planet naturally want to control ‘things’ and when we can’t it bugs the ‘be-jeebers’ out of us.


But the difference here is …The VCR/DVR really did do what it said it  would…as did the toaster.  Not a very good analogy


TAPEWORM SEZ “Because a lot of people received new Sansas for Christmas, we have seen a flood of new members and pleas for help with their new toys. Literally hundreds! And in trying to wade through these, I keep seeing this same mantra over and over and over again.”


 So glad you made it your mission to put these mantra spouters in thier place. Thak you.

“Tapeworm sez’…”

Because a lot of people received new Sansas for Christmas, we have seen a flood of new members and pleas for help with their new toys. Literally hundreds! And in trying to wade through these, I keep seeing this same mantra over and over and over again."


I’m so glad you are here to put them firmly in their place. How dare they!

Tapeworm, you forgot the response to this little tidbit…

"Love your name though . . . it fits you to a ‘T’.

That’s when

I had to stupidly get in your line of fire.

Me, I’ve just been here lurking, collecting microsd cards until I can FINALLY download movies on them for my upcoming trip.

Still waiting for video software that works.

So you’ve had some troubles with the video parts too? I gave two Sansa Fuses to my older (teenage) nieces, one of which I had trouble syncing with this system I’m typing on. I figured it was a software limit to two units on one machine, but I’m still not sure about that. I do know I had a video clip that worked fine originally, but on the last round of updates became unusable (had to delete it as it wouldn’t play back anymore). The longest thing I’ve converted was an episode of "Life on Mars’ which worked fine but took all night on a 3 GHz machine. Have you tried any video over an hour? I know I had to update the two units I gave out as they were 2G units with 4G Flash added and they didn’t read the 4G before I updated them (but did afterward).  I’d also like to know if anyone has tried 8G or 16G flash with the Fuse. I see things are picking up here :smiley:

i found that you can convert your videos using winavi converter and if you cange the fram rate to 20 and cand the reslution to 224 and 176 it will work on your sansa fuze:smiley:

Thank you for posting a helpful response bearozoo. I wonder tho, do I still need to run the avi thru the SMC or can I just drag and drop them onto the player? The problem I have is that the SMC software itself is the issue. It just won’t work after install. I have the sanza Fuze 2gb model with the firmware version 1.01.22 installed and SMC version 1.04.256. I have contacted Sandisk about the problem, they insist that if I just re download, and install SMC until it works, then my issue will be resolved. After half a dozen times of doing this, I pretty much knew it was an issue with the SMC, not my computer, the download, or the install.

Tapeworm, I really don’t know what your problem is. I wasn’t attacking you at all. I wasn’t even attacking sansa. I was pointing out the simple truth about their SMC software, it was thought up by someone who hates the world. Why publish and continue to support a software that only works for random users at random times? I have been reading stuff on these boards for the last month, trying out different possible solutions to try and work around the SMC problem. I cannot figure this thing out. I did not engineer nor program this device, why should I do anything except point out the problem and expect the company who created the problem to address the mistake and resolve it? It seems you would rather I not hold someone accountable. How republican. 

As it has been stated, I just want this device to work properly. If the issue is the SMC software, then obviously an alternative needs to be implimented. Not ignored and left to wayside while people like you tear concerned customers apart like a hungry phirana. If they are currently working on a solution, then an update would be nice. If this problem somehow never gets resolved, then I would have no choice but to take my player back and get something else. Why would this seem like a threat? Simple fact is a simple fact. If Sansa feels threatened by this, then they should probably work to resolve the issue ASAP and not when it is convenient. 

If you continue to pick my posts apart to make it seem like I am a troll who just wants to stir the pot, you might as well just stop posting here. I know admins who work for Sansa frequent these boards, and my wish is for them to see this thread and understand just what it is that customers are dealing with. Maybe at that point they might feel more inclined to address the situation and work towards a speedy resolution, not just throw their hands up and tell us to deal with what we have. At the end of the day, when all is said and done, unhappy customers are unhappy customers who won’t feel inclined to recommend this sleek and sexy player to friends, family, and co workers, instead feeling inclined to be truthful about its flaws and Sansa’s attitude about the problem. 

I don’t know how else to put it. 

UPDATE:

I downloaded and installed Winavi version 8.0 from http://www.winavi.com. I converted a movie that I had, and then opened up my media player and drag + dropped it directly to the videos folder. I then tried playing the video and… it worked perfectly. If you have any problems with SMC, just use winavi and drag + drop the files, it works. Don’t forget to change the resolution and FPS in the advanced options in Winavi. 224x176 @ 20 fps should work fine. I converted The Dark Knight to start, and it went from 800mb to 320 mb, retaining the original widescreen format, picture clarity, and audio timing. 

The only downside: For some reason trying to fast forward in the movie causes the player to give the unsupported media type message. You can pause, and even go between the home menu, but if you plan on watching anything, be prepared to sit thru the whole thing. I am going to try to break movies down into separate files according to chapter, then playing them, and see if I can watch them that way, but for now, this works. 

@ Bearozoo: Thank you for pointing me in a better direction, giving me a tip on how to fix my problem. I appreciate it and I hope anyone else who is having problems benefits from this solution as well. My new mission: bumping this thread in hopes people can resolve their issues without having to wait for sansa. 

@ Tapeworm: Please take a vacation. 

Edit: there is a problem when you choose to resume to watch some videos, the video stutters upon resume. Otherwise, no problems so far. 

Message Edited by boburanus on 12-28-2008 09:32 PM