Benefits of Rockbox? |
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Benefits of Rockbox? |
 Nov 9 2010, 23:32
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#1
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Group: Members Posts: 143 Joined: 22-November 05 Member No.: 25923  |
Hey Guys!
 My new Sansa Fuze (V2) has just arrived. Few people mentioned I should flash the original firmware with Rockbox. I did some reading over the Rockbox site and i'm worried about two things: 1. DRM - The manual mentioning there is a good chance I will not be able to use files with DRM after the update. I dont have any DRM files at the moment but I was wondering why is that and if I should be worried about that? 2. I need to Flash a new Bootloader. If I'll find the player faulty in the next couple of days, I probably will want to return the original firmware before sending it to Sandisk. Is it possible to roll back? Does Flashing Rockbox remove warranty? So because of those questions, I really want to know what are the benefits of Rockbox vs the original Firmware.I really don't care about UI and Customization. Does it do anything concrete? Like for example - improving the Sound Quality? Thanks! Update: I just noticed I published it under *CD* software and not just software Can you please move it to the right forum? Thanks. This post has been edited by Tall-Guy: Nov 9 2010, 23:33 |
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Nov 9 2010, 23:43
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#2
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 Group: Members Posts: 143 Joined: 29-December 05 Member No.: 26719 |
1. Because DRM requires an integrated solution which Rockbox cannot deliver.
2. Yes, it is possible to roll back. The installer will modify the stock firmware. You can follow the Sandisk procedure for firmware upgrades to get back to stock. In fact, you can dual boot (which is necessary for the Fuze in order to transfer files - only possible with OF). For me the 2 biggest benefits are that I can play so many more formats and take advantage of gapless playback. |
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Nov 10 2010, 00:11
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#3
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Group: Members Posts: 143 Joined: 22-November 05 Member No.: 25923 |
QUOTE (dyneq @ Nov 10 2010, 00:43)  1. Because DRM requires an integrated solution which Rockbox cannot deliver. 2. Yes, it is possible to roll back. The installer will modify the stock firmware. You can follow the Sandisk procedure for firmware upgrades to get back to stock. In fact, you can dual boot (which is necessary for the Fuze in order to transfer files - only possible with OF). For me the 2 biggest benefits are that I can play so many more formats and take advantage of gapless playback. Thanks for your answer :-) It says on the manual that "It is possible that installation of the bootloader may lead to you permanently losing the ability to playback files with DRM". If it is just something Rockbox cannot deliver, Doesn't it mean that if I'll roll-back to the original firmware it should be OK? Only posible with OF? can you please explain what OF stands for? Should I be worried about Warranty in case of Rockbox installation? Or anyways Sandisk don't have a way to know if I'll flash the original Bootloader? And last thing - I need to encode the files with gapless support if I want to use this feature right? |
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Nov 10 2010, 01:48
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#4
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 Group: Members Posts: 4163 Joined: 2-September 02 Member No.: 3264 |
QUOTE (Tall-Guy @ Nov 9 2010, 18:11) It says on the manual that "It is possible that installation of the bootloader may lead to you permanently losing the ability to playback files with DRM". If it is just something Rockbox cannot deliver, Doesn't it mean that if I'll roll-back to the original firmware it should be OK? Probably, but I don't know that anyone has ever tried. QUOTE (Tall-Guy @ Nov 9 2010, 18:11) And last thing - I need to encode the files with gapless support if I want to use this feature right? Yes, but all mp3, ogg, flac, ape, aac and mpc files in the last decade or so should be gapless. Its rather hard to find non-gapless files these days. |
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Nov 10 2010, 07:09
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#5
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 Group: Members Posts: 468 Joined: 16-February 10 Member No.: 78200 |
QUOTE (Tall-Guy @ Nov 9 2010, 17:32) Hey Guys! ...there is a good chance I will not be able to use files with DRM after the update. I dont have any DRM files at the moment but I was wondering why is that and if I should be worried about that? If you don't currently have files that are DRMed this should not be a concern. Any music you download from iTunes or Zune is now DRM-free. The other major online sources I know of (like Amazon) are also DRM-free. This should be a non-issue now. -------------------- The Loudness War is over. Now it's a hopeless occupation.
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Nov 10 2010, 23:19
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#6
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Group: Members Posts: 955 Joined: 6-September 04 Member No.: 16817 |
Re 2. If you're worried about a broken player, then use it with the stock firmware for a few weeks then try rockbox.
I still use a 1st gen nano thanks to rockbox Replaygain support, gapless playback etc all make it far better than what Apple did. I can even display album art now.
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Nov 10 2010, 23:25
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#7
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 Group: Members Posts: 531 Joined: 9-April 07 From: Belgrade, Serbia Member No.: 42357 |
QUOTE (Tall-Guy @ Nov 10 2010, 01:11) Only posible with OF? can you please explain what OF stands for? OF stands for Original Firmware. I have Fuze v2 and I bought it specially to use Rockbox on it. Have you read the page What is Rockbox? Why should I use it? It's a nice summary of Rockbox features... Cheers -------------------- If age or weaknes doe prohibyte bloudletting you must use boxing
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Nov 11 2010, 00:16
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#8
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 Group: Members Posts: 379 Joined: 9-October 02 Member No.: 3506 |
I use Rockbox on my E200 V2. The biggest advantage is navigating thorugh directories instead of only playlists or using the database.
The next thing to me is that it still can handle more codecs than the orig FW, e.g. mpc. The Sandisk-Sansa-products are without Rockbox still a very very lacking, poor product in the meaning of navigation and usability, sort of. The hardware is rocking, but you STILL need the firmware-tweaks to get the most out of the products. And its a pitty in some way that sandisk is selling products made of a lot of recources and lacks/fails in using its full potential, or even most of the potential - but thats a common disease nowadays, look at most of the pads/tablets you'll find up to christmas, electronic trash for some short-lasting cheap feelings.. |
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Nov 11 2010, 01:02
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#9
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 Group: Members (Donating) Posts: 1448 Joined: 11-February 03 From: Vermont Member No.: 4955 |
QUOTE (Engelsstaub @ Nov 10 2010, 02:09) QUOTE (Tall-Guy @ Nov 9 2010, 17:32) Hey Guys! ...there is a good chance I will not be able to use files with DRM after the update. I dont have any DRM files at the moment but I was wondering why is that and if I should be worried about that? If you don't currently have files that are DRMed this should not be a concern. Any music you download from iTunes or Zune is now DRM-free. The other major online sources I know of (like Amazon) are also DRM-free. This should be a non-issue now. I think Audible is still DRM, as well as a lot of library loan files (since they have to have an expiration) |
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Nov 11 2010, 01:53
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#10
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Group: Members Posts: 629 Joined: 25-July 08 From: USA Member No.: 56264 |
I have Rockbox on a Sansa Clip+. I like a lot of the features, but there is really only one feature that I can't live without - the EQ. The Rockbox EQ and sound processing functions are the best (IMHO) out there in a PMP. It's made it much easier for me to buy a technically competent pair of headphones and just EQ in what ever I'm missing.
As an example, I have the Audeo PFE IEM. The mids and treble are fantastic but I found the bass to be lacking. I was able to EQ the bass so it's just where I want it. Since the PFE reproduces the audible range well (many IEMs do not) I can use the EQ to get almost any sound I want. That's far cheaper then buying multiple IEMs. |
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Nov 11 2010, 22:25
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#11
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Group: Members Posts: 88 Joined: 8-July 04 Member No.: 15139 |
I use Rockbox on my Clip+ and there are loads of great features, but the best one for me is the extended battery life.
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Nov 11 2010, 22:47
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#12
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Group: Members Posts: 2275 Joined: 19-May 08 Member No.: 53637 |
Could you be more specific. I have found little data on rockbox.org that address this specifically.
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Nov 11 2010, 23:20
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#13
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Group: Members Posts: 991 Joined: 19-November 06 Member No.: 37767 |
QUOTE (tpijag @ Nov 11 2010, 16:47) Could you be more specific. I have found little data on rockbox.org that address this specifically. What is "this" referring to? -------------------- Creature of habit.
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Nov 12 2010, 00:04
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#14
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Group: Members Posts: 2275 Joined: 19-May 08 Member No.: 53637 |
soap
Post #11 Information regarding extended battery life. The chart / matrix I saw did not show sufficient information to draw a conclusion. http://www.rockbox.org/wiki/SansaRuntime terry This post has been edited by tpijag: Nov 12 2010, 00:04 |
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Nov 12 2010, 00:16
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#15
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Group: Members Posts: 4163 Joined: 2-September 02 Member No.: 3264 |
Well Sandisk says 15 hours for a brand new player, and those test results of probably not brand new batteries show hours longer then that, so . . .
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Nov 12 2010, 13:27
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#16
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Group: Members Posts: 143 Joined: 22-November 05 Member No.: 25923 |
Thank you all. I find the http://www.rockbox.org/wiki/WhyRockbox link very enlightening. As you guys suggest, I'll install Rockbox, but I'll the the player a week or two with the original firmware just to verify there is nothing wrong with it (so I can return it without any custom firmwares on it).
Thaks again
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Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 19th June 2013 - 17:33 |
