Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems Re: Message from Meridian concerning Firmware (including Supplementary update)

I am very surprised by the aggressive approach Meridian have taken.

The person who posted the wiki did considerable amount of work out of frustration because Meridian has failed to produce the updates in a timely manner.

He did not do this for financial gain and has not disclosed anything he saw in the firmware so therefore has not infringed any of Meridian's IP except perhaps from a very black letter law perspective.

I think that the response is childish and has been prompted by wounded pride rather than considering from a customers perspective why this event happened.

Considering that Bob believes that the unofficial firmware is suboptimal, the correct approach in my opnion would have been to speed up the official release and demonstrate how Meridian can do it better, not delay it further.

Well, at least we know now what you need to do to get a response from Meridian posted on this site.

Just highlighting how they could improve customer service, pointing out problems with the existing products and reminding them about promises made is just not sufficient, it seems.

We have never wanted to-and-fro discussions here just meaningful communications now and then.

Bob says

"over-riding". Hmmm...

How does this square with the (frankly ludicrous) wait for the Trifield fix?

If that implies that from henceforth all updates will have to happen via a dealer, that just seems spiteful. Meridian's imminent updates would have rendered the desirability of the unoffical filter moot as theirs should then have been presumably better implemented and certified. Having to go the dealer route is a hassle and customer unfriendly.

6 months later


That's what Meridian are worried about.

Steve.

The response seems excessive and poor customer relations, to me, particularly given the series of failures to deliver on commitments or fix long standing problems.

In my opinion, it was entirely reasonable to make a statement that loading non-factory approved firmware would invalidate warranty coverage for failures caused by such unapproved code. A blanket invalidation of warranty would, I feel, be unjustified and I doubt it would be upheld.

In terms of the FordAudiBmw analogy, if the seat heaters had failed, I don't think said should have a problem with repair within the warranty period, despite the GT35R bolted onto his 1.3l.

Cheers, Ian

The extra vibration caused by the modification caused numerous electro-mechanical failures. The extra G-forces on the seats under acceleration also put the heaters under an untested and therefore unwarranted state.

Steve.

It would be perfectly reasonable to recover some of the money spent by Meridian on developing firmware updates by charging a reasonable sum for them. This could be done via an Internet shop and does not require dealer intervention. If I were them I would go down this route. Maybe this might be the "updated delivery mechanism".

Meridian's recent policy of decreasing the number of dealers will make the provision of updates a difficult and pointless exercise as hardly anyone will get it done. They will then stop development on the grounds that it is uneconomic. A self fulfilling prophecy.

Anyway, the unapproved firmware change is reversible isn't it?

Or of course, the update/delivery mechanism may be changed to only allow unaltered/uncorrupted images to be loaded.

If you read Bobs statement a few times it is not as harsh as when first read, and is mostly a statement of fact. However...

Most complex hardware now comes with software(firmware) that because of the speed of developments is updated frequently post release. We all know of some software which is even released before being fully developed and tested, the users being the final testers.

It is niave of a manufacturer to expect that software remains unmodified today when there are many skilled people capable of doing so. Of course let the user beware of code which may fu their equipment - but this is not a problem for the manufacturer. Its easy to verify if code is moded so any repairs can be charged appropriately.

Companies that are clever enough to utilise their "free" amateur programmers can benefit from fast developments and more loyal and plentiful followers. Linux springs to mind and there are many more. Some companies seem to embrace this shared development activity and have forums where paid for software developers liase with the users. But this is a choice that only Meridian can make.

Perhaps Bob is worried about the competition getting his IPR - but they can already do that if they wanted to and probably do a better job than a few hobbyists to extract it.

Are there that many Meridian users that are capable and intersted in modifying their equipments source code after paying many ���/$$$/��� for it - actually probably not that many - so Bob why worry? Look at how to add value and capture the benefits to add profit and not discourage interest through expensive door closing.

Just my opinion.

Wouldn't the 3db trick also fall within this category as the change was not initially intended ?

Bob,

Please could you add the DVP2351 firmware to the list to be updated? To my knowledge Meridian haven't managed to release a single firmware update for this item despite the fact that DVDO are up to firmware 1.04 and have released a stable beta 1.05 some time ago.

These firmware updates do significantly enhance their VP50Pro, and given that M charge a premium over DVDO for their badge I see no reason why these enhancements should not also be available to DVP2351 owners.

I am "shocked and disappointed" with the lack of support from Meridian on this matter given how little they would really need to do to release this.

Yeah, The Man is not happy because someone put him and his team to shame. And he remember us all that this way to put them to shame is contrary to some legal practice about intelectual propriety.
But this is something with just a handful of people involved (us HHs), I wonder why not accept the upgrade and make its own... It's not exactly 'public'!
And, how about finish at last the work on the Trifield trouble thing...
What I do not like AT ALL is the 'menace' about future upgrades. To me reason n�1 to own Meridian gear is how easy is to get upgrades and to manage them and the hardware with a computer (something quite unique), if this stops... here you have one less customer.