Neuros Technology Forums

phr, I disagree with your statement about Flash.

While it's true that the cost of Flash memory has been decreasing, to say that it will make HD obsolete in the next year or even the next 3 years is unrealistic. Flash is nice, but it's not perfect, and it's not going to get THAT cheap any time soon either. Unless you can show me a 60GB Flash (some of us want more than 10 songs) player that is priced competitively with similar HD alternatives, I don't consider Flash to be a viable alternative.

I completely agree that the N3 should focus on Audio first and foremost. However I think the platform is capable of much more and we should take advantage of that so long as it doesn't degrade the quality of the primary function (which is Audio). Most of the hardware (cpu, memory, etc) has already been set in stone. Yes it might cost us some battery life, but flash isn't the only thing that's coming down in price. In a year we'll have better, cheaper batteries available.

The concensus of the community is that we're not opposed to Neuros products playing DRM'd music as long as the capability doesn't impede non-DRM playback and recording or our ability to hack the device. Due to the secretive nature of DRM, it's unlikely any companies would want their code on an opensource device where it would be visible by the public.

I belive there will only be one version that supports both NTSC and PAL. Therefore, the answer would be yes.

Why is it you fanboy, obsessive-posters are always such doomsayers? Yes the N3 is going to come out much later than everyone hoped. Yes everyone, including Joe, is dissapointed about it. But that doesn't mean that the N3 will be a complete loss when it does arrive. Keep in mind, the N1 and N2 were a bit behind their competitors in some ways when they arrived on the scene and Neuros still convinced you guys to buy them. On the forums I hear a lot of talk about NCast being the most favored/desired feature from the N1/2s. For me, it was the OGG support, Linux support, and overall versatility of the player that sealed the deal. I liked NCast but more as a novelty, I use tape adapters when I'm in my car and it's not like there aren't iTrip and similar accessories for everyone else.

The new line of products that NT is developing is going to be Open Source from the beginning which will attract a lot of attention from the growing Linux community. I'm lucky enough to have an OSD developer sample and it's a very promising device. Yes, there are other mp3 players out there, there always have been. But, when the N3 does come out you will be sorry if you didn't wait for it. Even while OGG Vorbis continues to gain popularity there are very few portable devices that support it. FLAC support is even harder (if not impossible) to find. Neuros is taking the time they need to create a solid, finised product. They're too smart to rush to market with something that is only half-baked at best. The reality is "first-to-market" mentality is the primary source of bad products and we all hold Neuros to a pretty high standard. Just tell your iPodding freind that the N3 is wourth waiting for because it really is THAT much better (and you won't be lying either).

Finally, I'd like to say that as with any OpenSource project... Instead of comming to the forums every day to complain, fix it yourself. The more help NT gets with the OSD the faster we'll see the 442v2 and N3. These products are all being developed on the same core hardware so the work being done now for the OSD is the foundation of what will become the N3. Notice how no one answered Joe's call-to-arms to help him program the OSD but everyone wants to pester him about the release date of the N3? Even if you're not a programmer or not good programmer, visit #neuros and find out what you can do to help move things along and improve the product for everyone.

The resolution of the built-in screen is 320x240 and apparently when it's connected to a TV it can output at 720x480. I've noticed that some other resolutions will play though, is there a max resolution or any resolutions that don't play? Is there a maximum bitrate that I should watch out for when encoding for the 442? Are there any other factors I need to check for to ensure a video will playback correctly on the 442 or when encoding a video to play on the 442?