any one have pages for this?

The escient trainer at cedia claimed you could get a ccf from their website, escientconvergence.com

Here's the link to the support page for the Fireball where you can download Pronto ccfs:

[Link: escientconvergence.com]

By the way, anyone have enough experience with the Fireball that they can answer some questions I have about it?

Sure, ask away.

--Mark

Do you generally find that the response speed of the system to be different when using a touchpanel as opposed to the onscreen display in tandem with the remote/keyboard? I ask this because the unit I tried was only setup with the touchscreen and the responsiveness seemed a tad sluggish (although that could be attributed to teh limitation of the serial connection used for touchpanel feedback).

Have you experienced any problems with VBR encodced MP3s (a "Tech Tips" pdf available in the support section of the website mentions possible problems with VBR encoded MP3s)?

Have you found a USB -> Ethernet adapter that works with the Fireball? Escient says they can be used but doesn't recommend them (some compatability issues) and instead points to higher priced HPNA -> Ethernet adapters.

Any issues with ID3 tags and FireBall not displaying title, artist, album, etc info correctly?

Thanks for any and all inout.

Jeff

Bump :-)

Doh! Sorry Jeff.

Yes, the touch panel seemed slower than the IR input, but I don't have a touch panel on my Fireball. I have only used one at Escient's office before they were released.

Honestly, I've not tried any VBR MP3's but I'll put some on it and let you know the outcome.

Yeah! USB-Ethernet is the only way to go. I'm not a fan of HPNA so that was not even an option I considered. I'm using a Belkin F505050 adapter and it works fine. The original software on the Fireball's was very picky however the recent updates have added compatibility with other adapters.

ID3 tags work fine for the MP3's I've tested. I mostly just control my CD changer as opposed to playing MP3's.

BTW, the Pipeline software that will be coming out is pretty nice. It is much more convenient to build your custom playlists on the PC than on the Fireball. As well as correcting any naming issues on CD tracks. The Fireball software will allow you to upload MP3's to the Fireball directly without needing to go through CD's.

--Mark

FYI: The Pipeline software is now released. Download from www.escientconvergence.com for use with Fireball and Tunebase 200's.

--Mark

I've heard a lot of people say that the Fireball has had issues with lock-ups but I've also heard that some of those have been cleared up with software updates. What's your experience? Thanks.

Unfortunately, Yes I have had lock-ups. Now, my symptoms seem to be different that others. When it is powered "off" (really a sleep mode), sometimes it won't turn on (Wake up) and I have to hard reset the unit. Once running it is fine. The initial software that it was running was buggy with the OpenGlobe browsing, but that has since cleared up on mine with later software. Escient has done a good job of listening to feedback and fixing issues as well as adding new features.

I heard a rumor that there was going to be a price drop on them soon - but that is just a rumor to the best of my knowledge.

The Pipeline software is very nice, however there is still one feature that we would like to see added. The ability to back-up your customization, and playlists, etc. All of that data is stored on the units internal hard drive, what if it fails?

All-in-all, I am still very pleased and the Fireball has increased my music listening tremendously.

--Mark