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JEFFH
Posting Profoundly
220 Posts |
 Posted - 09/15/2005 : 10:53:48 AM
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the black rubber cover ripped-off first time I removed it.
I recorded video from the TV and could find no way to pause it during recording mode.
poor quality ear phones that came with it caused audio to cut in and out so I had to find another pair right away.
Audio sounded good with the new ear buds.
Playback on the 442 looked good except for the very top edge of the screen where there was always a white dash line jittering.
Playback on a 26 inch TV looked poor but there was no white dash line jitter at the top of the display.
Playback on my computer using windows media player looked good but also had the white dash line jitter. full screen mode the jitter goes away and the video still looks good.
No way to bookmark your playback is a big negative.
Interfaced with my PC with no problems, easy to move files,rename or delete.
I loaded some video files I had and could not get any of them to work.
When I tried to delete these using the 442 it deleted 1 file but would not delete the others. No errors and it did not hang just would not delete the files for some reason.
I attempted to use The Video Toolbox to convert a dvd video but it kept getting errors and shutting down the program so I gave up on that for now.
I don't care for the protective case. the clear plastic has too much meterial and bubbles out and crinkles distorting the image when trying to view. Its also hard to use the controls when in the case.
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game_writer
Posting Profoundly
102 Posts |
Posted - 09/15/2005 : 11:04:45 AM
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I found out about the rebate. You have to play with your new toy for two weeks and then the feedback survey will be posted at:
http://www.neurosaudio.com/store/442woot.asp
I guess they didn't want premature feedback. Two weeks, I guess, is a good evaluation time. I would like to get the recorder sooner, tho! I'm excited about getting it, too!
Someone mentioned no shrinkwrap. I was surprised to hear that somebody expected it. I didn't even think about it. I did think the thickness of the box made it feel flimpsy, but other than that, the packaging seemed good to me.
New 442 owner |
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JEFFH
Posting Profoundly
220 Posts |
Posted - 09/15/2005 : 11:15:59 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by game_writer
Someone mentioned no shrinkwrap. I was surprised to hear that somebody expected it. I didn't even think about it. I did think the thickness of the box made it feel flimpsy, but other than that, the packaging seemed good to me.
New 442 owner
Normally when I purchase electronics the product boxes are sealed in plastic wrap.
I mentioned it because the 442 I received had finger prints and smudges all over it so I know it was handled.
The back of the case has a couple minor scratches as well.
The course grinding or filing on the top and bottom edges of the back case plate really lowered my first impression. |
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JEFFH
Posting Profoundly
220 Posts |
Posted - 09/15/2005 : 11:20:03 AM
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I followed the How To:442 instructions from the Neuros website and converted some DVD files to Xvid using autogk a few days ago and none of them will play on the 442. I just get the hour glass.
I hope others are having better luck actually using the 442 than I am. |
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Gamma442Tester
Just Posting
4 Posts |
Posted - 09/15/2005 : 12:27:12 PM
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Well, i had to wait around all day for the Fed Ex guy yesterday (didnt show up till 6pm), then i went to a concert so i only got to play with it for about an hour last night. The 442 came about half way charged. Mine also shifted during shipping (not a big deal though). I opened it up and immediately transfered 5 XVid movies i had waiting on my comp. The player said that none of the file types were supported. I transfered a few songs on plugged in the headphones and sounded good. Only problem was that if i didnt have them plugged in exactly right one of the ear buds was not working. Didnt have a chance to try another headset last night, but i will today. Id there a firmware upgrade for the 442? I cant seem to find info on it.
Now for the good, i opened it up and i loved the color, size of the screen and the nifty case. Started it up and i was wow'ed by the size of the screen (i expected it to be much smaller). The hum of the drive put an instant smile on my face. Showed some of my buds online over the webcam and they also thought it looked great. (They were jealous i bought one i think  . Anyways other than not getting the movies to play, and the issue with the headphones, the 442 looks awesome. Maybe once i update the firmware my existing XVid movies will play?
Ben |
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FJ
Neuros Team
Moderator
333 Posts |
Posted - 09/15/2005 : 1:12:16 PM
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Thanks for all the feedback. I am not able to answer all the questions, but I can assure you that someone will. As for problems with Xvid, you can take a look at the beta tester thread: http://neurostechnology.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6399
There is also another more recent thread under feedback and discussion.
As for the unit that had prints ?!?! what the hell! I really don't know what happen there but we will look into it.
Thanks again for the feedback and remember to edit the wiki as well. I am sure your feedback will help others greatly.
Johan
Neuros
FJ |
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Doug M.
Likes to Post
13 Posts |
Posted - 09/15/2005 : 5:44:43 PM
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| I got a chance to play with the video out feature of the 442 today. I played a divx file made from a dvd. I played it on my 42" Panasonic plasma and it looked great :) I did notice some pixelation on some fast action scenes, but on slower-normal paced scenes, it was near dvd quality. It looked much better than I expected from a 600mb file. |
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bravotsx
Just Posting
5 Posts |
Posted - 09/15/2005 : 6:48:12 PM
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i also had the box shifting problem, in addition to the smudged back plate.
i thought the color was strange, almost a titanium color, but the pictures make it look more gray or silver.
the power adapter seemed cheap for some reason, and so did the earbuds.
so far, i've tried many of my movie files, and they simply won't play!
wmv
divx 5, ac3
div3
the unit is quite hefty, so any size reduction wuold be greatly appreciated. im' guessing you guys are using a stock 2.5" notebook hd?
the interface for music, especially, is very clutzy. i'd like to be able to listen to music or whatever while navigating the menus. the silence is disturbing while i am selecting tracks! <- bad! bad! bad! i also found the headphone jack to be tempramental. if you jack in and turn connector, the audio will start to crackle...not a good first impression, especially for a $400 device.
i have big fingers and hands, and i'm finding the 4 day d switch to be a little clutzy at well, since sometimes i hit up/down when i want to go left/right, or vice versa. also, a few more buttons wouldn't hurt!
the placement of the rubber cover is indeed a consern, since it is propped up at a 90 degree angle when the charger is in place.
the changing color of the neuros logo is cool, but it's also kind of distracting, as if it can't make up its mind on what color it really wants to be.
maybe supply some RCA gender changers? i wanted to hook my digital camera's video out to this thing, and even my laptop, but since they also have male RCA, i'll need to buy some female-female connectors to make this work.
if a movie doesn't play, i think the player should say why instead of
1) doing nothing
2) playing the next clip w/o notification
maybe visualizations for mp3s?
also i found the image browser to be very clutzy as well. load times for 2mb images is pretty bad..also i'm missing the zoom feature for digital images. i heard you can play music with your slideshow, but i'm having difficulty doing that as well.
i've only had it for a couple of hours. we'll see how it goes. i'm very particular about my hardware. |
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summerblink
Just Posting
4 Posts |
Posted - 09/15/2005 : 7:23:35 PM
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| one thing that I noticed right off the bat is that if your folder names are 8 letters or less, they're repesented in all caps . . . big MINUS for me - i'm big on lowercase! i had the same problem with my iAudio x5 . . . |
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lmgaines
Just Posting
1 Posts |
Posted - 09/15/2005 : 8:26:43 PM
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A short comment.
I have been using the PVR function heavily and when I am waiting to press start at the correct moment for the beginning of the movie......the film strip bar across the center of the screen with "press to start" is blocking my view. Maybe make the filmstrip part slightly translucent (the words could remain opaque....or make the filmstrip smaller (not covering so much of the screen.
lmgaines |
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sodakar
Just Posting
1 Posts |
Posted - 09/16/2005 : 01:12:41 AM
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Build/Case/Size/Weight
- Ends should not be smooth and curved; too slippery
- I'd pay another $100 to make the device slimmer/lighter
Design/UI/Keys
- Keys are hard to press; finger fatigue
- small speaker/mic on this device would be convenient
- There should be a "Charging" icon when AC power is applied
- The volume bar on top is difficult to reach, press, etc...
Perhaps a rocker button would have been better
- I prefer card slots on the side, where dust doesn't pile up
- A USB port to connect *any* card/device would be preferred over an SD slot
- Background image customization would be nice
General Comments
- USB cable-based charging is mandatory (for me)
- dock/cradle and sync software would be helpful for those of us who PVR to our PC's
Photo Viewer Mode
- on/off control for slideshow mode
- slideshow duration is not adjustable
- Right/Left should be valid entries as well as Up/Down when browsing
- Multi-view/thumbnail navigation (up to 9 images) would be nice
mp3 Player Mode
- Visualization mode would be wasteful, but appreciated
- Album art support would be great
- When navigating away from current song, it would be nice
if the current sond would continue playing -- the next
song should only be played if "play" is clicked on.
- Resume play
- Audio while cue
Video Player Mode
- I question how useful it is to know things like encoding
method, fps, and resolution ALL THE TIME. I'd much rather
see the full file name, and optionally see all the vital
stats when I ask for it.
General Player UI Comments
- Doesn't seem to support East Asian fonts
- Filenames on the lefthand column are truncated
- ID3 tags/Video description on the right-hand column are truncated
- Instead of two columns, perhaps two *rows* with
scrolling text would have been better
- Sort by such things as Artist Name, Genre, Filename, Length, etc.
- Cannot find random play mode
To summarize:
- As a video player, it's pretty good; I'd prefer something smaller with less features
- As a video recorder, it's pretty good; honestly, I don't see myself ever using this feature
- As an audio player, it's nearly useless without resume or shuffle |
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kalahari
Just Posting
3 Posts |
Posted - 09/16/2005 : 05:01:08 AM
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I love the screen, it's huge! I can't wait to get my hands dirty and write some software for this thing.
I like the case, very comfortable to hold and watch. No problems with the controls here. The software does look a little crude, but I expect that with a pre-release gizmo.
It seems that unless I have the top tilted slightly away from me, the picture washes out. Curious. I changed the brighness in the settings menu, but there was little visible effect. |
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Atreyurock
Posting is for Closers
46 Posts |
Posted - 09/16/2005 : 07:47:49 AM
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| First things off i love the player i guess im more accepting than others but oh well, i use the thing mostly for video since i already have a mp3 player so i havent even tested that yet. As for the video player i would love to see folder icons present like haveing a movie poster of the movie in the fold along with the videos so you can see the poster knowing right away what movie it is, also i tried 27 divx/Xvid movies i had already coded and only 10 worked, this is horrible, i tried recoding with ulead and it only recoded like 4, the rest had errors, if there is an update around id love to know about it because re-doing all of my videos i have already done once is going to take forever. ill play with it some more before i decide to keep it or not i guesss. |
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Gamma442Tester
Just Posting
4 Posts |
Posted - 09/16/2005 : 12:55:55 PM
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So ive uploaded about 40 XVid movies up, but only 12 play...the others say unsupported or just go to the screen like its going to play and just see the hour glass...Im pretty disappointed i had joped to just be able to upload all my movies and not have to go through the process of converting 75% of my movies. Also i have full seasons of a few shows ive tried and none of them work, they are also in XVid form. Im pretty disappointed in the video aspect of the 442 so far. Also for music i cant even seem to scroll through a folder, when i hit down it just automatically begins to play the next song. Anyways if these problems are unfixable ill probably be returning mine within the 6 months.
Ben |
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FJ
Neuros Team
Moderator
333 Posts |
Posted - 09/16/2005 : 1:39:12 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Gamma442Tester
So ive uploaded about 40 XVid movies up, but only 12 play...the others say unsupported or just go to the screen like its going to play and just see the hour glass...Im pretty disappointed i had joped to just be able to upload all my movies and not have to go through the process of converting 75% of my movies. Also i have full seasons of a few shows ive tried and none of them work, they are also in XVid form. Im pretty disappointed in the video aspect of the 442 so far. Also for music i cant even seem to scroll through a folder, when i hit down it just automatically begins to play the next song. Anyways if these problems are unfixable ill probably be returning mine within the 6 months.
Ben
Ben-
You might have seen this already but it is really worth saying it again. Check out this link on our wiki. One of our beta tester wrote it a few weeks ago: http://www.theneuros.com/index.php/HOWTO:442
We all wish there was a well defined video standard, especially us, it would make our job much easier. Being able to play most popular video formats is a challenge since many videos can be encoded several times, and there are many different codecs available. We really feel like we have the right community and the right player to figure that out though. This is why the 442 has a dual core CPU. With that type of power this baby is ideal to get the job done.
I also asked a few of our members to add section to this HOW TO page. Please feel free to add anything you deem worth sharing.
Johan
Neuros
FJ |
Edited by - FJ on 09/16/2005 1:40:23 PM |
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JEFFH
Posting Profoundly
220 Posts |
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JoeBorn
Neuros Audio Team
Administrator
801 Posts |
Posted - 09/17/2005 : 05:46:02 AM
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I don't think you got a used unit per se (as they don't exist) but based on your description, your unit was obviously handled and you should talk to customer service. I really appoligize, did anyone else have this issue on their unit?
quote:
Originally posted by JEFFH
Received mine late Wed.
The 442 box was not shrinked sealed and looked like it had been opened a few times.
Unit was centered in box properly.
Everything is in the box as expected except the stand that has already been explained.
The unit itself had alot of smudges and finger prints on it so I know it had been handled alot.
The battery was dead and would not turn on.
Im not impressed with the Case fit and finish. The ends show signs of rough grinding where they did not fit together properly when first put together at the Manufacture.
At this point im thinking I received a used unit.
I didn't get to try it out yet as the battery is charging and I had to leave for work.
jborn (at) neurosaudio.com |
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jndizy
Just Posting
3 Posts |
Posted - 09/17/2005 : 2:59:53 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by pete7919
[*] I think this is a technical defect, but when I tried to record a show off TV I plugged the cable in and I didn't get video. I pulled the plug out a bit and video flickered then came in fine. I tried this a few times with the same result each time. Please respond if anyone else has this issue in case it really is a bigger problem.
I had the same problem trying to record via the PVR feature. The first 5 minutes or so seemed to record fine. I was watching the TV while monitoring the 442's LCD display during recording when the 442's display started getting jumpy and then blacked out. When I touched the cable the display flicked back on. By the time I got the picture back I missed a good piece of what was being recorded and had to start over. I don't think your's is the only unit with this problem.
Yesterday I brought the 442 with me to work to show an interested co-worker. I showed him some of the features and turned it back off. When I returned several hours to show someone else the unit, it would not turn back on. As I didn't have time to figure out the problem I put the unit away and returned to work. At lunchtime I pulled the 442 out to try to turn it on again and I nearly burned my fingers on the metal case. Luckily the unit did not melt the rubber cover. Neuros Tech Support advised me to reset the unit using the button on the bottom of the unit and it worked. He had no explanation what would cause this other than it doesn't shut down properly sometimes. Apparently the unit had been running silently in my closed briefcase for several hours, getting hotter and hotter and draining its battery.
Other than that I do like the unit. I find it very simple to use. I expect that additional features will be added with firmware upgrades that could make this unit a real winner. |
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JEFFH
Posting Profoundly
220 Posts |
Posted - 09/17/2005 : 3:22:13 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by jndizy
[Yesterday I brought the 442 with me to work to show an interested co-worker. I showed him some of the features and turned it back off. When I returned several hours to show someone else the unit, it would not turn back on. As I didn't have time to figure out the problem I put the unit away and returned to work. At lunchtime I pulled the 442 out to try to turn it on again and I nearly burned my fingers on the metal case. Luckily the unit did not melt the rubber cover. Neuros Tech Support advised me to reset the unit using the button on the bottom of the unit and it worked. He had no explanation what would cause this other than it doesn't shut down properly sometimes. Apparently the unit had been running silently in my closed briefcase for several hours, getting hotter and hotter and draining its battery.
Other than that I do like the unit. I find it very simple to use. I expect that additional features will be added with firmware upgrades that could make this unit a real winner.
sounds like the 442 hungup and left the harddrive spun up.
In this mode its going to generate alot of heat and drain the battery.
I have seen this kinda thing happen with other hard drive based players in the past and you need to use the reset pin hole to clear it.
The video/Audio cable connection does seem to be touchy. It seems to improve after being broken in.
I think it has to do with the mini plug connection point on the 442 not making a solid connection. |
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deeredr
Just Posting
2 Posts |
Posted - 09/17/2005 : 3:50:40 PM
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JOE-re:Smudgy/fingerprint saturation-lol
Ok, I first posted earlier under "Today was the Day" as I received my 442. Not much time to play with it yet and although an avid enthusiast I am NOT a techie so we'll see how long it takes me to hack and slash my way through this thing.
But here's MY first impression. My unit was shifted in the box, no big deal. Upon removing it I immediately liked the smooth, hefty feel to it, it felt solid. My immediate second impression was HEY! Who changed oil on their car and then handled my new 442??!!??
I mean it was covered ALL over with greasy fingerprints. I have sent the prints off to have ID'd at the crime bureau so we'll soon know just exactly who is responsible for this!!
Seriously, that was a letdown, for me at least, to have a new tech toy arrive covered with fingerprints.
Joe, I think you guys should check this out
Also don't feel the quickstart is of much use either.
More later, I have to go clean the fingerprints off the 442! Man, just like a real 442 I guess, gonna have to keep it waxed! Guess I should put one of those "Keepa yer fingers off" bumper stickers on it somewhere too.
Greg
Lost and wandering alone in the forest of technology |
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Gamma Group first impressions
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