empeg-car software beta 12c release.

* Versions:

empeg-car player 0.95
emplode          0.95
empegUpgrade	 0.95
emptool		 0.95
kernel           2.2.14-rmk5-np17-empeg32

* Notes

*  General

This release is appropriate for both Mark I and Mark II players.

When submitting bug reports to bugs@empeg.com please put each bug in a
separate email - this helps us to classify bugs and to archive the reports
when the bugs have been fixed.

Release notes are not cumulative. If you are upgrading by more than one
release then please read each set of release notes. These are available in
the support/downloads/empeg car documentation section of the website at
http://www.empeg.com/

You should not run this version of the player with an earlier release of
emplode or this version of emplode with an earlier release of the player.

*  Installation

Download either the consumer or developer images and emplode (or emptool)
from the empeg-car upgrades site.

You should install the new emplode or emptool before installing this
release. If you fail to do so your empeg-car unit will not function and it
will be necessary to apply the upgrade again using the correct version of
empegUpgrade or upgclient.

Connect your computer to your empeg car using the supplied serial
cable. Switch off your player at the wall, if this is not possible, unplug
the IEC cable from the brick power supply.

The upgrade can be installed by serial only. Select Upgrade empeg-car
software from the Tools menu and either enter or browse for the upgrade
file. Click Next and select the serial port that your unit is connected
to. Click Next again.

When instructed to do so by the upgrade program re-apply power to your
player by switching it on at the wall or connecting the IEC cable and brick 
power supply. The upgrade should then be applied.

* Changes:

*  player:

The offset of the actual MP3 data (as written by the new version of
emplode) is now read and used. This means that ID3v2 tags aren't
unnecessarily cached and files should not be misidentified as not being
valid.

Duplicates are now correctly removed when using shuffle.

The player now automatically rebuilds (but does not save) the database if
certain anomalies are detected.

The menus have been restructured to make them quicker to navigate.

A lot of work has been done on the caching algorithm which will hopefully
solve some of the gap problems.

A new loading screen has been implemented.

Append and shuffle now work correctly together.

The playlist is now reshuffled when the play position passes the end of the 
playlist.

A bug with the pick N/pick % feature that would cause less tracks than
intended to be played has been fixed.

*  player (Mark II specific):

Several bugs with the mute sense have been fixed.

*  emplode:

Many features from the Technology Preview have been integrated.

Several bugs have been fixed and improvements made in the Player
Configuration dialog.

The time after which the player will hard power itself off when the
accessory line is low and the player is soft powered off is now
configurable.

The offset of the actual MP3 data in the file is now calculated and stored
for newly added files.

If only the player configuration has changed the database is not rebuilt.

It is now possible to sort a stored playlist as well as the view of it.

The synchronisation dialog box now displays errors in a read-only edit box
so that they can be copied and pasted.

*  empegUpgrade:

The last upgrade file is now remembered so that the correct folder can be
displayed when browse is pressed.

* empegClone:

empegClone has not been updated in this release.

*  emptool

Fixed the "name by FID" and "name by position" feature (see man page for
details).

Other bug fixes.

*  developer

No changes.

* Known bugs:

The empeg hangs if connected via USB to a machine that is switched
off. Removing the USB cable fixes the problem.

The emplode install program doesn't restart the computer when necessary to
ensure that the empeg-car device is found. This is not always essential.

The emplode program doesn't check whether files are valid MP3 files before
downloading.

The same PIN may be entered for more than one tune/playlist - the empeg-car
will play the first one it finds.

Plugging more than empeg-car into a single machine via USB may confuse
emplode.

It is not currently possible to play WAV files on the unit.

emplode is only capable of communicating with one player via ethernet. If
more than one player is present then one is effectively picked at random.

Mike Crowe 2000/07/28 17:48 BST
mac@empeg.com