Synth-DIY Yahoo! Groups Archives

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Re: [disklavier] Wifi Mark IV controller upgrade?

2004-11-15 by James Fry

On Fri, 19 Nov 2004 PianoBench@... wrote:
> There is no upgrade. The Mark IV is a completely new system. Fortunately, you
> can achieve many of the conveniences of the Mark IV system by adding a laptop
> with well-chosen software to an earlier model Disklavier.

Hello PianoBench

Do you know if there are any plans to release an updated control unit, 
like with the DSR, so that older disklaviers will have a similar control 
unit as the new disklaviers, or are the new ones considered to be such an 
"upgrade" that one should change their piano?

Regards,

James

Wifi Mark IV controller upgrade?

2004-11-18 by mkenig

YAMAHA PLAYER PIANO GOES WIRELESS: THE DISKLAVIER MARK IV
http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/yamaha/20680/

Anbody have an idea if these new electronics will be an U/G available 
to Mark III owners?

DGT7A for Sale

2004-11-18 by holly hegeman

Mint Ebony DGT7A GranTouch Disklavier for sale. Only about 100 hours playing
time on the piano. Was bought new from Bitsie Werlein Pianos, New Orleans,
LA in August of 2003. Piano is located in Covington, Louisiana, which is
just north of New Orleans.

As some of you may recall from an earlier posting, we just inherited a
Steinway from my husband's mother, so my wonderful digital Disklavier has to
go. 

You folks know the specs. 4'11" in length, full CD capability, SmartKey,
silent mode. Includes bench, manuals, remote, etc.

Will be posting the piano for sale on Ebay in the next week or so.

-Holly Hegeman
hhegeman@...

Re: [disklavier] Wifi Mark IV controller upgrade?

2004-11-20 by PianoBench@aol.com

Good evening, everyone.

In a message dated 11/18/04 3:00:47 PM, kenig@... writes:

Anbody have an idea if these new electronics will be an U/G available
to Mark III owners?

There is no upgrade. The Mark IV is a completely new system. Fortunately, you can achieve many of the conveniences of the Mark IV system by adding a laptop with well-chosen software to an earlier model Disklavier.

Regards,
PianoBench

Re: [disklavier] Wifi Mark IV controller upgrade?

2004-11-22 by PianoBench@aol.com

Good morning, everyone.

In a message dated 11/20/04 11:28:24 PM, James writes:

Hello PianoBench

Do you know if there are any plans to release an updated control unit,
like with the DSR, so that older disklaviers will have a similar control
unit as the new disklaviers, or are the new ones considered to be such an
"upgrade" that one should change their piano?

It is rare that I know anything about product plans prior to a public announcement, and there has been no announcement on that subject. What I can tell you is that the Mark IV has the equivalent of a powerful computer with an 80GB hard drive and many ports, a PDA-style remote control that is similar to a Palm Pilot-like device with a Wi-Fi card, and (in the case of the DC3 and larger non-Pro Mark IVs), a tablet remote controller that is similar to a tablet PC.

(Please note that I keep using the words, "equivalent" and "similar." It is impossible to draw completely accurate comparisons.)

To replicate all of those things mentioned above in an add-on package would be a pretty expensive matter, I think.

Regards,
PianoBench

Re: [disklavier] Wifi Mark IV controller upgrade?

2004-11-22 by Richard Cerio

Hello PianoBench,

Thanks for your informative and always helpful replies.

By appropriate software I imagine you mean a "JukeBox" player and then
perhaps a wireless USB - correct?

Not as convenient as the WiFi PDA, and I doubt that the total functionality
of the Mark IV can be duplicated, but perhaps this moves a III a third of
halfway or so to a IV.








                                                                           
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Good evening, everyone.

In a message dated 11/18/04 3:00:47 PM, kenig@... writes:

 Anbody have an idea if these new electronics will be an U/G available
 to Mark III owners?

There is no upgrade. The Mark IV is a completely new system. Fortunately,
you can achieve many of the conveniences of the Mark IV system by adding a
laptop with well-chosen software to an earlier model Disklavier.

Regards,
PianoBench

To Post a message to the group, send it to:   disklavier@...

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send it to:
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Re: [disklavier] Wifi Mark IV controller upgrade?

2004-11-22 by PianoBench@aol.com

Good morning, everyone.

In a message dated 11/22/04 9:17:15 AM, cerio@... writes:

Hello PianoBench,

Thanks for your informative and always helpful replies.

By appropriate software I imagine you mean a "JukeBox" player and then
perhaps a wireless USB - correct?

Not as convenient as the WiFi PDA, and I doubt that the total functionality
of the Mark IV can be duplicated, but perhaps this moves a III a third of
halfway or so to a IV.

If we ignore improvements to the record and playback system (especially the ability of the piano to play at an almost inaudible volume level) and just focus on user features, the Mark IV feature set includes:

--wireless control from a Wi-Fi PDA
--additional wireless control from a Wi-Fi tablet (standard for the DC3 and larger non-Pros; optional on the other models)
--lyric display on the tablet
--80 GB hard drive for storing MIDI files and audio files
--ability to create playlists based on any stored song type (PianoSoft, PianoSoft Plus, PianoSoft Plus Audio, Smart PianoSoft)
--large suite of connecting ports
--built-in SMPTE for generating and decoding time code that can synchronize video with a piano recording
--options for displaying custom pictures and slide shows on the tablet

In comparison, by adding a personal computer to an earlier model Disklavier, you can assemble a library of song files on the computer and control the instrument from a distance (although doing so wirelessly is a challenge). A program like Van Basco will display lyrics. For about $280, you can get a box that does SMPTE, and any computer will give you the ability to show pictures and slide shows.

The biggest problem that you face trying to add Mark IV-like features to an earlier model is that you cannot store and play Smart PianoSoft albums (which consist of a floppy disk plus an audio CD) using a computer. To play Smart PianoSoft on a Mark III (or an ealier model with DCD1 and--where necessary--a DSR1), you must have the floppy disk in the floppy drive of the Disklavier and the CD in the CD drive of the Disklavier.

In addition, it is a troublesome matter to get any Yamaha-published PianoSoft or PianoSoft Plus files into your computer in a useable form. Yamaha publishes its software in E-SEQ format (which is not compatible with off-the-shelf MIDI players and therefore requires conversion to SMF), and Yamaha delivers its software on floppy disks that are unreadable in a computer (unless you use special PC-only software to read these normally unreadable disks). You can, of course, transfer these performances to computer in real time by playing them on the Disklavier and recording them simultaneously in a sequencer on the PC--but that is a time-consuming process.

For many people, the new Mark IV user features and its amazingly quiet playback capability are compelling reaons to trade up from an older model. As for myself, I have a DC6 Pro (the Mark IIXG vintage) with a DCD1. Although I admire the new features of the Mark IV, I consider my instrument to be a long way from obsolete, and I remain quite happy to use it the way that it is, supplementing its feature set with a laptop. In the latter case, as a performer and teacher, I use the laptop for showing music on the screen and controlling the tempo of accompaniment tracks as I play.

Regards,
PianoBench

Re: [disklavier] Wifi Mark IV controller upgrade?

2004-11-22 by Buddhika Wije

Hi,

I live in Melbourne Australia. The dealers here say that Yamaha is putting out a new range of disklaviers but no information is available on the new models�for the Australian market. I believe these would be the same as the Mark IV you mention. Does anyone know when it is going to be out? Also Would they be available in white? There was a herendus cost differance to get a white piano from Yamaha here in Australia, the dealers said it would cost an extra A$10,000 just to have a piano painted white. Is it the same in USA and other parts f the world?

Thanks

Budds

>From: PianoBench@...

>Reply-To: disklavier@yahoogroups.com

>To: disklavier@yahoogroups.com

>Subject: Re: [disklavier] Wifi Mark IV controller upgrade?

>Date: Mon, 22 Nov 2004 08:29:39 EST

>Good morning, everyone.

>In a message dated 11/20/04 11:28:24 PM, James writes:

> > Hello PianoBench

> >

> > Do you know if there are any plans to release an updated control unit,

> > like with the DSR, so that older disklaviers will have a similar control

> > unit as the new disklaviers, or are the new ones considered to be such an

> > "upgrade" that one should change their piano?

> >

>It is rare that I know anything about product plans prior to a public

>announcement, and there has been no announcement on that subject. What I can tell you

>is that the Mark IV has the equivalent of a powerful computer with an 80GB

>hard drive and many ports, a PDA-style remote control that is similar to a Palm

>Pilot-like device with a Wi-Fi card, and (in the case of the DC3 and larger

>non-Pro Mark IVs), a tablet remote controller that is similar to a tablet PC.

>(Please note that I keep using the words, "equivalent" and "similar." It is

>impossible to draw completely accurate comparisons.)

>To replicate all of those things mentioned above in an add-on package would

>be a pretty expensive matter, I think.

>Regards,

>PianoBench

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Re: [disklavier] Wifi Mark IV controller upgrade?

2004-11-23 by PianoBench@aol.com

Good evening, everyone.

In a message dated 11/22/04 6:45:04 PM, Budds writes:

I live in Melbourne Australia. The dealers here say that Yamaha is putting out a new range of disklaviers but no information is available on the new models for the Australian market. I believe these would be the same as the Mark IV you mention. Does anyone know when it is going to be out?

I doubt that anyone in the US would have information on this. Your best source is probably your dealer in Melbourne. NOTE: In the US, the Mark IV is available only in grands. Uprights are still the previous series. I don't know if there are any plans to release a Mark IV upright.

Also Would they be available in white? There was a herendus cost differance to get a white piano from Yamaha here in Australia, the dealers said it would cost an extra A$10,000 just to have a piano painted white. Is it the same in USA and other parts f the world?

In the US, various finishes have traditionally been available, including white. Some finishes are a special order and come from the factory. It is very rare for a piano to be painted here in the US, outside of the factory. However, the red Yamaha Disklaviers used by Elton John are an exception. I believe that they are painted by a third party.

Regards,
PianoBench

Re: Wifi Mark IV controller upgrade?

2004-11-24 by sjhart110110

But not impossible.  I would think they could add a hard drive 
controller and the PDA to control previous versions.    The ability 
to load all of our software onto the hard drive would be worth it!  
This can not be done with a PC.  Some of the new Mark IV features 
seem like overkill (karoke, etc.).  They would be keeping with their 
previous focus in providing upgrades for these pianos.  I'm sure 
everyone would appreciate having the option!



--- In disklavier@yahoogroups.com, PianoBench@a... wrote:
> Good morning, everyone.
> 
> In a message dated 11/20/04 11:28:24 PM, James writes:
> 
> > Hello PianoBench
> > 
> > Do you know if there are any plans to release an updated control 
unit,
> > like with the DSR, so that older disklaviers will have a similar 
control
> > unit as the new disklaviers, or are the new ones considered to 
be such an
> > "upgrade" that one should change their piano?
> > 
> It is rare that I know anything about product plans prior to a 
public 
> announcement, and there has been no announcement on that subject. 
What I can tell you 
> is that the Mark IV has the equivalent of a powerful computer with 
an 80GB 
> hard drive and many ports, a PDA-style remote control that is 
similar to a Palm 
> Pilot-like device with a Wi-Fi card, and (in the case of the DC3 
and larger 
> non-Pro Mark IVs), a tablet remote controller that is similar to a 
tablet PC.
> 
> (Please note that I keep using the words, "equivalent" 
and "similar." It is 
> impossible to draw completely accurate comparisons.)
> 
> To replicate all of those things mentioned above in an add-on 
package would

Show quoted textHide quoted text

> be a pretty expensive matter, I think.
> 
> Regards,
> PianoBench