Is there any rationale behind having the playlist stop after it has reached the last song?
Could it be configurable (Or is it already) so that it auto-repeats the playlist?
Thanks,
Jason

_~= Dearing =~_
"WAY too happy about having #99."

Could it be configurable (Or is it already) so that it auto-repeats the playlist?

The loop or automatically loop (I'm running Linux I can't check) playlist option in emplode should do what you want.

--
Mike Crowe
I may not be speaking on behalf of empeg above :-)

while it's nice to be able to persistently make a playlist looping or not looping, it's pretty annoying that you can't change your mind and make a playlist loop without taking the freaking thing out of the car, hooking it up to the computer and changing things around.

a "Repeat: on/off" runtime option would be *hugely* useful.

i offer to do it if i can get my hands on the source. :)


- mdaba

a "Repeat: on/off" runtime option would be *hugely* useful.

The problem with being able to set looping on both the unit and from within emplode is that the UI on the unit may become more complex. I'd be interested in other people's ideas here. I can think of a few ways to do it:

1. Have a single global option for repeat that is either on or off like the Information item on the menu is now. When selecting a playlist it will set this option to the flag specified in the playlist information. If necessary the user can then change the option _after_ playing the playlist.

2. A single global option for repeat that is either on, off or auto. On and off would force that state and auto would pick it up from the playlist flags when necessary.

3. A popup menu that appears after you select a playlist automatically that gives the opportunity to tailor the flags - i.e. it would contain Loop, Shuffle and possibly some others all set automatically from the playlist flags with an accept menu item as the default. There could even be a playlist flag that stops this menu being displayed, acting as if accept had been chosen without changing anything. (This would also solve the confusion over shuffle as a side-effect).

When I started writing this 1 was my preferred option but I'm starting to like 3 too :-)

Any more suggestions?

--
Mike Crowe
I may not be speaking on behalf of empeg above :-)

I like idea #3, but I think the flag to "automatically accept" should be an Empeg menu option, not an Emplode setting, in case I change my mind while I'm listening.
Jason

_~= Dearing =~_
"WAY too happy about having #99."

A menu to "tailor the flags" sounds very nice. However, I don't want to have it pop up automatically, and an "auto accept" flag somewhat defeats the purpose, because to be able to change it, I'd either need emplode again, or have still another menu somewhere in the empeg to change it, but then this menu could as well directly handle the flags for Loop, Shuffle etc.

So, my idea is more like having a "context menu" for every playlist, similar to right-clicking on an object in Windows, or - maybe an even better example - like the "current call" menu on an Nokia 6110 mobile phone. The only problem is to find an easy way to invoke it. On the Kenwood remote, I'd suggest using the MP3 key, which AFAIK currently does have no function when the empeg is already in MP3 mode. And if you call that menu "Current playlist settings" and make it an entry in the top-level menu, then it'd be fairly easily accessible with the "diamond keys" as well. What do you think?

I think all questions like this are easily answered by asking yourself another question:

"How would this work on a normal head unit?"

Thus, #2 would be the most logical.

This question should also be asked in regards to all other functions, such as Random, which I consider "broken" because it doesn't work like it does on a regular headunit.

"How would this work on a normal head unit?"

In general (but not necessarily in this case) I don't think this is the right approach. The empeg-car is not just another head unit. It is capable of far more than the average head unit. Some design decisions for head units are limited by their lack of capability and are therefore not optimal.

This question should also be asked in regards to all other functions, such as Random, which I consider "broken" because it doesn't work like it does on a regular headunit.

I also consider random to be "broken" but not for the reason you describe. Unfortunately, the way a CD multichanger does random is rather difficult due to the way the empeg-car does caching etc. I will try and investigate further.

--
Mike Crowe
I may not be speaking on behalf of empeg above :-)

So, my idea is more like having a "context menu" for every playlist, similar to right-clicking on an object in Windows

Interesting idea. The reason that this menu appeared directly after choosing the playlist is that some of the things on the menu are a lot easier to do at the point of playlist building rather than later. Even so, it may be possible.

Of course, any settings made in the context menu won't be persistent.

like the "current call" menu on an Nokia 6110 mobile phone.

I have one of those phones (well the Orange version anyway) but I've never used that menu. Maybe because it's difficult to use the phone when it is welded to your ear during a call.

--
Mike Crowe
I may not be speaking on behalf of empeg above :-)

I like idea #3, but I think the flag to "automatically accept" should be an Empeg menu option, not an Emplode setting, in case I change my mind while I'm listening.

If you mean a single global setting then you're probably right.


--
Mike Crowe
I may not be speaking on behalf of empeg above :-)

>In general (but not necessarily in this case) I don't think this is the right approach. The empeg-car is
>not just another head unit. It is capable of far more than the average head unit.

Thinking of the empeg as more than a headunit has thus far resulted in a non-intuitive user interface and inconsistant operation between various functions.

If anything, the majority of the problems are with the remote and/or buttons - trying to "navigate" in the car is impossible. You have to press at least 4 or 5 buttons just to select a playlist, the same amount to set random.

So, instead of dreaming about what the empeg might be capible of, I figure it would be more productive to make the current function - playing MP3s - easy to do while driving...

With a little bit of forethought in creating playlists, navigating can be as easy as you want it. Just make the right playlists (random or not), and assign an easy PIN to them. It may not be intuitive, but that's only because we consumers are used to inferior technology. The Empeg player shouldn't be limited by it's ancestors' features.
Jason

_~= Dearing =~_
"WAY too happy about having #99."

Mike,

I support your preference for 3, but I also share the concerns for still more key-presses before we can start playing whatever selected.

Haven't thought this through, but it may help that, instead of confirming a selection by pressing the OK-button, the present selection is confirmed by an immediate press of the button that selected it (say within 1 second). This would prevent a lot of navigation on the key-board of the remote AND allowing us to keep our eyes on the road!

Henno

Haven't thought this through, but it may help that, instead of confirming a selection by pressing the OK-button, the present selection is confirmed by an immediate press of the button that selected it (say within 1 second). This would prevent a lot of navigation on the key-board of the remote AND allowing us to keep our eyes on the road!

I'm not completely sure what you mean. If you are using the unit buttons then #3 would mean pressing the bottom button twice rather than once when selecting the final playlist. On the remote you would have to press DNPP (or OK) twice to perform the same operation.



--
Mike Crowe
I may not be speaking on behalf of empeg above :-)

Good interface design involves making something that is easy to use without having to train someone to use it. Using "PINs" is not intuitive for anyone but the person who assigns them.

The reason heads work the way they do is because it's the easiest way to do things in that environment, and people understand it.