There was some chatter awhile back about the possibility of a software release for Expert Pro customers around the time of the Munich High-End Show, originally planned for May 14-17 before it was cancelled due to the Corona-virus situation. We are now one week from that cancelled show. Additionally, an OP purportedly was beta-testing a fix for the gigabit Ethernet issue that some of us have experienced with Roon.
So, fingers crossed, let's see whether something transpires in quick order...
Would love this to be an accurate forecast. The Expert line really needs some love from Devialet!
Cheers,
Bernard
I think the chatter started with some of us commenting that if Devialet was going to show up at Munich for the first time in years then they really needed to have something to demonstrate for the Expert Pro owners and new firmware to fix the current issues would be a good idea. Then a poster here said he was trialling a beta firmware version which fixed the RAAT/gigabit ethernet problem and that it should be released soon, and then I saw another post somewhere saying the beta had bugs. As far as I know there has been no official statement from Devialet about new firmware.
I think new firmware is coming, and I think it will include a fix for the RAAT/gigabit ethernet bug but at the very least it should also include fixes for the 2 other bugs Devialet listed as outstanding in the release notes for the last firmware release as well as support for Bluetooth which was listed as an outstanding promise in that documentation. I'm less hopeful that we'll see anything in the next week or so. I think Devialet may have had plans for having something ready for Munich but two things experience has taught me in the 3 years since I bought my Devialet are that they seem totally incapable of meeting their own deadlines and that software is probably their weakest area.
I uncrossed my fingers a long time ago. My advice is to keep breathing normally, don't hold your breath waiting and don't cross your fingers because it's hard to use your fingers on the remote as you listen to great music while you wait for the firmware release. The coronavirus is giving me a lot of opportunity to listen to music during lockdown but it may also be throwing a big spanner in Devialet's work schedule as well as causing cancellation of the Munich show and also Axpona where they were also apparently going to appear. Whether we see new firmware within the next week or so, listening to music while we wait is going to be a lot more enjoyable without crossed fingers.
If there is some new software coming "soon", then in addition to the points made by @
David A there are some other bugs and issues that really do require resolution, see link below:
https://devialetchat.com/Thread-Summary-...let-issues
In particular, I think the dual mono configurator bugs really do need sorting out ASAP, the buggy remote app too, but I guess we all have out own views on priorities, depending on how we use our systems.
David - Picking up on one of your points above, you mention that the current coronavirus situation may be impacting Devialet's work schedule. This may well be true, I can envisage some challenges arising, but to be honest we have little idea of what is going on within Devialet, pandemic or not. What I can say is that I work in a highly collaborative design engineering environment and at the moment we are all working from home. The interesting thing is that in many areas the overall team productivity has increased. There could be many reasons for this, we sometimes joke that not having the client resident in the office is speeding up progress, and for sure some people are working longer hours, basically using former commuting time to instead perform productive work. The point here is that with current technology, some aspects of life and work can continue unhindered by this virus. I have been genuinely surprised how we have gone from 2000 people in one office alone, to all working from home, and major project work has quite simply carried on unhindered. It is genuinely quite remarkable. I might be wrong, but I would say audio software development is firmly in the category of things that can continue pretty much unaffected by the current situation.
Please note that his statement is not to diminish the fact that other aspects of life are of course severely disrupted, and many are losing there lives.
This reminds me of the old Bill Shankly quote. "Some people think audio software is a matter of life or death, I assure you, it's much more serious than that!" (I think that's what he said?)
@
Confused ,
You said "…to be honest we have little idea of what is going on within Devialet, pandemic or not". As someone, I can't remember who, once said, "our problem here is a lack of information but I have nothing to base that on" :-)
I agree that software development is an area which may be much less impacted by the virus situation, especially as its something which can in principle be done from home. The RAAT gigabit ethernet bug slipped through Devialet's development and internal testing, and also through Roon's certification process and I suspect that one of the reasons for that was that they do their development and testing on networks which aren't used for other activities and they've chosen their network hardware carefully. If the development and testing had been done on actual home networks, in the "real world" as they say, the problem may well have actually been noticed and identified so we may have ended up with a software release that didn't have the issue but we may well have been waiting a hell of a lot longer to get the release. If they're working on new software from home at present, it may end up taking longer because different programmers get different results because of differences in their home setup, but we may end up getting a better result in the end because they discover and fix a few bugs that might otherwise not be noticed.
(08-May-2020, 11:55)alaw Wrote: [ -> ] (08-May-2020, 09:03)David A Wrote: [ -> ]If the development and testing had been done on actual home networks, in the "real world" as they say, the problem may well have actually been noticed and identified so we may have ended up with a software release that didn't have the issue but we may well have been waiting a hell of a lot longer to get the release.
Perhaps we should all sign up to their beta program and test it for them. Is that even possible?
No idea how to do this but it would indeed be interesting for those willing to contribute.
cheers,
Bernard
I think the total lack of any information or feedback from Devialet contributes in a big way to the frustration we all feel. The RAAT problem first surfaced 15 months ago and not a single update since then. The configurator problems for the dual monos has also been known for a long time.
Hey, I love my Expert Pro as much as anyone but my respect (tolerance?) for Devialet is slipping away... It would be interesting to know just how well (and how often used) the Devialet beta program is. I'd be very willing to be part of it as well, but I'd also worry that it just might further magnify my frustrations.
I'm still waiting for my Munich non-PRO firmware update that would add new features. Forgot what year it was.
Same story over and over it seems. Sorry to hear that.
(08-May-2020, 14:01)bernardl Wrote: [ -> ] (08-May-2020, 11:55)alaw Wrote: [ -> ] (08-May-2020, 09:03)David A Wrote: [ -> ]If the development and testing had been done on actual home networks, in the "real world" as they say, the problem may well have actually been noticed and identified so we may have ended up with a software release that didn't have the issue but we may well have been waiting a hell of a lot longer to get the release.
Perhaps we should all sign up to their beta program and test it for them. Is that even possible?
No idea how to do this but it would indeed be interesting for those willing to contribute.
cheers,
Bernard
I think anyone can apply to be a beta tester. Just raise a ticket in Devialet help. Of course, they may have a full house which might prevent the opportunity. The main considerations are whether you want to risk compromising your personal amp, should you be issued with seriously buggy software to trial, and of course, you have to sign a gagging clause, preventing you from sharing any of what you learn (apart from with Devialet) as a result of the beta testing you do.
Personally, the risks and restrictions are too high a price to gamble, so I sit tight until an authenticated software release Comes out. We know a new release is going to be buggy anyway, but I feel sufficiently more secure that it won’t stop my system working. Just my three p’worth/cents worth.
I’m going out on a limb here...we have seen the last of new features, fixes, and firmware upgrades.