[BC] What is "better?" HOW do we get there?

[Robert Orban]

At 04:15 PM 1/21/2006, you wrote:
>From: Barry Mishkind <barry at oldradio.com>
>Subject: Re: [BC] What is "better?" HOW do we get there?
>To: Broadcasters' Mailing List <broadcast at radiolists.net>
>Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20060121155746.03f736e8 at oldradio.com>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
>
>At 03:29 PM 1/21/2006, Phil Alexander wrote
>
> >Forgive me if I remain unmoved by that one. The technology does exist,
> >and for more critical purposes. For example, daily anti-virus upgrades.
> >
> > >          It would seem that, at least for the near future,
> > >          upgrading the codecs is not a viable option.
> >
> >Why not? Use the old file until the new file is correctly downloaded.
> >Files can be self-validating. We have had CRC's for ... well forever.
>
>          Why not?  Because the receiver manufacturers
>          at this point in time have decided that is what
>          they want to do.
>
>          Now, if there was a financially attractive alternative
>          for them, they'd do it.
>
>          Remember what Rich said about people returning
>          their cars to the dealers for service because "it
>          suddenly didn't sound right" ... it costs money
>          for anything you do.  Free upgrades are only
>          at Google.  For now.
>
>          Whether you are supporting transmitters or receivers,
>          cost is an issue, not just manufacturing, but
>          on-going costs.  Just one mistake in programming
>          a CMOS or Flash upgrade, and entire
>          distribution systems will pull the product overnight.

Yep. Moreover, the upgrade process is not 100% foolproof, even if the 
upgrade code itself is bug-free. Starting with the 8400, Optimods have been 
field upgradeable via a PC download through the serial or Ethernet ports. 
We get an occasional unit where the EEPROM runs into problems during the 
upgrade and needs to get replaced at the factory to restore the processor's 
functionality. Since we started doing upgrades this way, we've learned 
quite a bit about how to do these upgrades reliably, including always 
keeping a backup copy of our system executable on the EEPROM so that the 
unit can recover as long as the BIOS is still intact. But in the case of 
the 8500, storing a backup requires an extra 6 MB of non-volatile 
memory,  which is not a problem in a product in that price range but 
probably is a problem in the consumer electronics industry, where every 
fraction of a penny in the bill of materials gets counted.

Bob Orban