Rio Nitrus User's Guide ® Table of Contents Getting Started Connections Software Setup Basic Operations Advanced Features Help Index Table of Contents Index Package Contents · Rio Nitrus · Installation CD · AC Adapter · Earphones · Quick Start Poster · USB Cable Copyright/Trademarks © 2003, 2004 Digital Networks North America, Inc. All rights reserved. Digital Networks North America, Inc. shall not be liable for any errors contained herein or for any damages arising out of or related to this document or the information contained herein, even if Digital Networks North America has been advised of the possibility of such damages. This document is intended for informational and instructional purposes only. Digital Networks North America, Inc. reserves the right to make changes in the specifications and other information contained in this document without prior notification. Digital Networks North America, Inc. disclaims any obligation to update the information contained herein. Microsoft, Windows Media and the Windows Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other product names may be trademarks of the companies with which they are associated. Rio Nitrus P/N 41000855-004_B ii Table of Contents · Package Contents .......................... ii · Copyright/Trademarks .................... ii Table of Contents Index Copy ......................................... 12 · Copying Tracks with Rio Music Manager ................................... 12 1 - Getting Started Welcome ..................................... 1 · Learning More............................... 1 Tour of the Rio Nitrus.................. 2 LCD Overview ............................. 4 · Playback Mode .............................. 4 · Menu Mode .................................. 4 · Date View .................................... 5 · Time Code View ............................ 5 · Track Format View ......................... 5 · Play Screens................................. 5 2 - Connections Basic Connections ....................... 6 · AC Power Adapter .......................... 6 · Batteries ..................................... 6 · Earphones ................................... 7 · USB ........................................... 7 · Additional Accessories..................... 8 Transfer .................................... 13 · Rio Music Manager ....................... 13 Control...................................... 14 Play .......................................... 15 · Play All ..................................... 16 · Album....................................... 16 · Artist ........................................ 16 · Genre ....................................... 17 · Track........................................ 17 · Year ......................................... 17 · New Music ................................. 18 · Playlist...................................... 18 5 - Advanced Features Advanced Features ................... 19 Equalizer .................................. 20 · Custom ..................................... 20 · Normal ..................................... 20 · Rock ........................................ 21 · Jazz ......................................... 21 · Classical.................................... 21 · Pop .......................................... 22 · Trance ...................................... 22 Bookmarks ............................... 23 Stopwatch ................................ 24 iii 3 - Software Setup Rio Nitrus Software Installation .................. 9 · Rio Music Manager ....................... 10 4 - Basic Operations Basic Operations ....................... 11 Table of Contents Index Settings .................................... 25 · Playback.................................... 26 · Power ....................................... 27 · Resume..................................... 28 · Display ..................................... 29 · Time ........................................ 30 · Language .................................. 31 · Lock Setup................................. 32 About........................................ 33 Warranty................................... 42 FCC and Industry Canada Compliance ............................... 43 · Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ....................................... 43 · Industry Canada.......................... 43 Safety ....................................... 44 · Warning .................................... 44 · CAUTION................................... 44 6 - Help Troubleshooting........................ 34 · Customer Service Information ........ 34 · Frequently Asked Questions ........... 35 Glossary of Digital Audio Terms 39 · Bass ......................................... 39 · Bitrate ...................................... 39 · Codec ....................................... 39 · Firmware ................................... 39 · Gain ......................................... 39 · ID3 Tag..................................... 40 · MP3 ......................................... 40 · Rip and Encode ........................... 40 · Synchronize ............................... 40 · Treble....................................... 40 · VBR ......................................... 40 · WMA ........................................ 40 Limited Warranty and Software License ..................................... 41 · Warranty ................................... 41 · Warranty Service......................... 41 · Scope of and Limitation on iv Rio Nitrus Chapter 1 :: Welcome Getting Started Table of Contents Index Thank you for purchasing the Rio Nitrus. Small and powerful, the Rio Nitrus can store more than 400 4-minute songs on its 1.5GB* hard drive. The Rio Nitrus includes an AC adapter, earphones, a lighted LCD display, a long lasting built-in battery, and high speed USB 2.0 connectivity. Learning More · · Refer to the Quick Start Poster for the basics on how to set up and start using the Rio Nitrus. Visit the Rio website at www.rioaudio.com. Rio Nitrus * Actual formatted capacity less. 1GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes. 1 Table of Contents Index :: Tour of the Rio Nitrus Power Press to turn the player on. Press and hold to turn the player off. Rotary control Press or rotate to control menu navigation and select menu options. Volume + and Press to adjust the volume level. Menu Press to enter Menu mode. When in Menu mode, press to return to Player mode. Play/Pause Select with the RioStick to play or pause playback. RIOSTICK Forward and Reverse Select with the RioStick to skip to the next or previous track. Select and hold to scan forward or reverse. In Menu mode, press to select menu options. Move to control menu navigation. In Player mode press to cycle through Time Code View, Track Format View, and Date View. Move to control PLAY/PAUSE, STOP, FORWARD, and REVERSE playback functions. Rio Nitrus Stop Select with the RioStick to stop playback. 2 Table of Contents Index invisible text Reset hole Insert pin to reset the player. DC IN Connects to AC adapter. USB Connects to USB cable. Earphones Rio Nitrus Connects to earphones. Lock/Unlock Slide into the LOCK position to disable buttons and prevent accidental operation. 3 Table of Contents Index :: LCD Overview Playback Mode Volume Level Track Artist Album Track Position Bar Track Time Play Indicator Repeat Playback Indicator Shuffle Playback Indicator Lock Indicator Power Indicator Track Number/Total Number of Tracks Menu Mode Menu Title Selected Option Options Rio Nitrus 4 Table of Contents Index invisible text Time Code View Play Screens Press the RioStick to cycle through Time Code, Track Format, and Date Views. Track Time Track Number/Total Number of Tracks Track Format View Codec Bitrate Track Size Date View Rio Nitrus Time Month/Day/Year 5 Chapter 2 :: Basic Connections Connections Table of Contents Index This chapter describes how to connect the Rio Nitrus to power adapters, USB cables, and alternate audio devices. Basic connections include: AC Power Adapter Connect the AC adapter to the DC IN port on the player. The AC adapter will recharge the battery, from 0% capacity to 60-70% capacity, within two hours. 1 2 3 Plug the AC adapter into an electrical outlet. Connect the AC adapter to the Rio Nitrus. After the battery is fully charged, remove the AC adapter from the Rio Nitrus. Batteries The Rio Nitrus uses a built-in lithium-ion rechargable battery that lasts many hours per charge. Lithium-ion batteries drain at a very slow rate even when they are not being used. If you have not used your Rio Nitrus in a long period of time you will need to recharge the battery. The battery should be charged for at least five hours during its initial charge. The player will recharge anytime the AC adapter is plugged into the player. Power Indicator Full Half Low Charging (indicator grows) Rio Nitrus Empty (indicator flashes) 6 Table of Contents Index Earphones Connect the supplied earphones to the EARPHONE port on the top of the player. USB The player must be connected using the included USB cable to the USB port on your computer to transfer files to and from the player and your computer. USB Detection with the Windows Device Driver The Rio Nitrus is ready to be connected to your PC after Rio Music Manager has been installed. If for any reason the Windows Device Driver Wizard is displayed after the USB cable has been plugged into both the Rio Nitrus and the computer, please follow these steps: 1 2 3 Confirm the Rio installation CD is in the computer's CD-ROM drive. Check the CD-ROM Drives box when the Windows Device Driver Wizard requests the location of the Rio Nitrus drivers. Click Next and follow the Windows Device Driver Wizard instructions. Rio Nitrus 7 Table of Contents Index Additional Accessories You can get the most out of your Rio Nitrus with additional accessories available online at the Rio website. Some of the most popular accessories include the following: · Rio Player AC Adapter An extra AC adapter lets you recharge your batteries whenever you are near an electrical outlet. Perfect for digital audio at the office. · Rio Car Stereo Adapter Upgrade your car stereo for hundreds of dollars less than buying a new MP3 CD player. The Rio car stereo adapter lets you play your favorite tracks in any vehicle equipped with a standard cassette deck. Rio Nitrus 8 Chapter 3 :: Software Installation Software Setup Table of Contents Index Follow these instructions to load software that enables a computer to recognize the Rio Nitrus. The installation also loads Rio Music Manager. 1 Place the Rio installation CD label-side up into the computer's CD-ROM drive. The Rio installation software launches automatically. 2 3 Click Rio Music Manager INSTALL NOW (required) and follow the on-screen instructions. If prompted, reboot the computer when the installation is complete. · If Rio installation software does not display automatically, follow these steps to begin the installation manually: 4 5 6 7 Double-click the My Computer icon, Double-click the CD-ROM icon, Double-click the Install icon, Go to Step 2. . . , on the Windows desktop. Rio Nitrus 9 Table of Contents Index Rio Music Manager Rio Music Manager is an all-in-one solution that can rip, encode, and manage entire collections of digital audio tracks. Rio Music Manager provides the following capabilities: · Save (Rip and Encode) audio CDs into compressed digital audio files. Rio Music Manager encodes WMA tracks by default, and MP3 via an optional upgrade pack. Automatically Synchronize the music collection on your computer with your Rio Nitrus. Edit ID3 Tag and WMA tags on digital audio tracks. Organize and manage digital audio tracks on your computer and Rio Nitrus. Search for tracks on your computer and Rio Nitrus. Create custom playlists. Transfer tracks from your computer to Rio Nitrus. · · · · · · Rio Nitrus 10 Chapter 4 :: Basic Operations Basic Operations Table of Contents Index Enjoying audio tracks on the Rio Nitrus is easy. Basic operations of the Rio Nitrus include: Copy Transfer Control Play Rio Nitrus 11 Table of Contents Index :: Copy Copying Tracks with Rio Music Manager Copying tracks from Audio CDs involves two steps commonly known as ripping and encoding. Ripping and encoding refers to the process of ripping (copying) audio from a CD and encoding (saving) the audio content into a compressed digital audio format like MP3 or WMA. 1 2 3 4 Launch the Rio Music Manager. Insert an Audio CD into your CD-ROM drive. Click the CD-ROM icon on the Rio Music Manager Device List. Use any of the following techniques to select tracks: Track Type Single track. Multiple tracks. All tracks. No tracks. Every track except for the currently selected tracks. 5 Click Technique · Left-click the track. · Press SHIFT+Click or CTRL+Click. · Press CTRL+A. · Press CTRL+N. · Select Edit, Invert Selection. to begin copying tracks to your computer. Rio Nitrus 12 Table of Contents Index :: Transfer Rio Music Manager Transferring tracks from the PC to the Rio Nitrus using Rio Music Manager involves selecting tracks and transferring them to the player. 1 2 3 Launch the Rio Music Manager. Click My Music in the left frame to access tracks. Rio Music Manager will scan the computer's hard drives for digital audio tracks that are compatible with the Rio Nitrus player. Tracks are automatically categorized by album title and displayed in the Track List. Select tracks within a category of tracks. Categories include Albums, Artists, Genres, Songs, and Playlists. For example, if you wish to copy all tracks from a favorite artist onto the player, click the Artists tab and then use any of the techniques in Step 4 to select the desired tracks. 4 Use any of the following techniques to select tracks: Track Type Single track, album, or artist. Multiple tracks, albums, and/or artists. All tracks, albums, and artists. No tracks, albums, or artists. Every track except for the currently selected tracks. 5 Technique · Left-click the track, album, or artist. · Press SHIFT+Click or CTRL+Click. · Press CTRL+A. · Press CTRL+N. · Select Edit, Invert Selection. . After the tracks have been selected they can be transferred to the Rio Nitrus by clicking Rio Nitrus 13 Table of Contents Index :: Control · · POWER Press to turn the player on. Press and hold to turn the player off. MENU Press to enter Menu mode. In Menu mode, press to return to Player mode. ROTARY CONTROL (Rotate) Rotate to control menu navigation and select menu options. ROTARY CONTROL (Press) Press to select menu options. In Player mode, press to cycle through Time Code View, Track Format View, and Date View. RIOSTICK (Press) Press to select menu options. RIOSTICK (Movement) Move to control menu navigation. In Player mode, move to control PLAY/ PAUSE, STOP, FORWARD, and REVERSE playback functions. PLAY/PAUSE Select with the RioStick to play or pause playback. STOP Select with the RioStick to stop playback. FORWARD and REVERSE Select with the RioStick to skip to the next or previous track. Select and hold to scan forward or reverse. VOLUME + and Press to adjust volume level. · · · · · Controls Locations of all controls can be found on page 2 and 3. · · Rio Nitrus · 14 Table of Contents Index :: Play The Rio Nitrus player can play audio tracks in multiple playback formats. Formats can be set within a matter of seconds so you can spend more time enjoying your favorite tracks and less time arranging them. Play All Album Artist Genre Track Year New Music Playlist Rio Nitrus · If the Rio Nitrus does not power on after POWER has been pressed, check the LOCK/UNLOCK switch and confirm it is in the UNLOCK position. 15 Table of Contents Index Play All To play all tracks on the player please follow these steps: 1 2 3 4 5 Press MENU. Select Play Music. Press ROTARY WHEEL. Select Play All. Press ROTARY WHEEL to begin playback. Album To play tracks from specific albums please follow these steps: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Press MENU. Select Play Music. Press ROTARY WHEEL. Select Album. Press ROTARY WHEEL. Select an album. Press ROTARY WHEEL to begin playback. Artist To play tracks from a specific artist please follow these steps: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Press MENU. Select Play Music. Press ROTARY WHEEL. Select Artist. Press ROTARY WHEEL. Select an artist. Press ROTARY WHEEL to begin playback. Rio Nitrus 16 Table of Contents Index Genre To play tracks from a specific genre please follow these steps: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Press MENU. Select Play Music. Press ROTARY WHEEL. Select Genre. Press ROTARY WHEEL. Select a genre. Press ROTARY WHEEL to begin playback. Track To play a specific track please follow these steps: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Press MENU. Select Play Music. Press ROTARY WHEEL. Select Track. Press ROTARY WHEEL. Select a track. Press ROTARY WHEEL to begin playback. Year To play tracks from a specific year please follow these steps: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Press MENU. Select Play Music. Press ROTARY WHEEL. Select Year. Press ROTARY WHEEL. Select a year (or none). Press ROTARY WHEEL to begin playback. Rio Nitrus 17 Table of Contents Index New Music Select to compose a running order composed of the most recently played tracks during a set amount of time. The most recently played tracks are played first. Settings include 1 day (the default setting), 2 days, 1 week, and 1 month. To play tracks using New Music please follow these steps: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Press MENU. Select Play Music. Press ROTARY WHEEL. Select New Music. Press ROTARY WHEEL. Select a set amount of time. Press ROTARY WHEEL to begin playback. Playlist To play tracks from playlists created in Rio Music Manager please follow these steps: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Press MENU. Select Play Music. Press ROTARY WHEEL. Select Playlist. Press ROTARY WHEEL. Select a playlist. Press ROTARY WHEEL to begin playback. Rio Nitrus 18 Chapter 5 :: Advanced Features Advanced features of the Rio Nitrus include: Advanced Features Table of Contents Index Equalizer Bookmarks Stopwatch Settings About Rio Nitrus 19 Table of Contents Index :: Equalizer Custom Custom mode allows the player's equalizer settings to be adjusted according to personal preferences. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Press MENU. Select Equalizer. Press ROTARY WHEEL. Select Custom. Press ROTARY WHEEL. Adjust 5-band equalizer. Move the RioStick left or right to navigate between frequencies. Move the RioStick up or down to boost or reduce the Gain of the frequency. Press RIOSTICK to set the Custom equalizer setting and return to player mode. Normal Select the Normal equalizer option to apply no equalizer adjustments to audio content on the Rio Nitrus. 1 2 3 4 5 Press MENU. Select Equalizer. Press ROTARY WHEEL. Select Normal. Press ROTARY WHEEL to set the Normal equalizer option and return to Player mode. Rio Nitrus 20 Table of Contents Index Rock Select the Rock equalizer option to change the sound of tracks according to the Rock preset settings and return to Player mode. 1 2 3 4 5 Press MENU. Select Equalizer. Press ROTARY WHEEL. Select Rock. Press ROTARY WHEEL to set the Rock equalizer option. Jazz Select the Jazz equalizer option to change the sound of tracks according to the Jazz preset settings and return to Player mode. 1 2 3 4 5 Press MENU. Select Equalizer. Press ROTARY WHEEL. Select Jazz. Press ROTARY WHEEL to set the Jazz equalizer option. Classical Select the Classical equalizer option to change the sound of tracks according to the Classical preset settings and return to Player mode. 1 2 3 4 5 Press MENU. Select Equalizer. Press ROTARY WHEEL. Select Classical. Press ROTARY WHEEL to set the Classical equalizer option. Rio Nitrus 21 Table of Contents Index Pop Select the Pop equalizer option to change the sound of tracks according to the Pop preset settings and return to Player mode. 1 2 3 4 5 Press MENU. Select Equalizer. Press ROTARY WHEEL. Select Pop. Press ROTARY WHEEL to set the Pop equalizer option. Trance Select the Trance equalizer option to change the sound of tracks according to the Trance preset settings and return to Player mode. 1 2 3 4 5 Press MENU. Select Equalizer. Press ROTARY WHEEL. Select Trance. Press ROTARY WHEEL to set the Trance equalizer option. Rio Nitrus 22 Table of Contents Index :: Bookmarks Bookmarks store specific player settings, including the current running order, the current track, the current time position of the track, the repeat setting, and the shuffle setting. Users can save these settings in a bookmark and restore them whenever they use the player. Bookmarks are great for: · · · Placing digital bookmarks in digital audio books or other extended length tracks. Maintaining positions in long term running orders. Sharing your player with others without losing personal settings. 1 2 3 4 5 Press MENU. Select Bookmarks. Press ROTARY WHEEL. Select a Bookmark option. Press ROTARY WHEEL. Bookmark options include: · Set Press ROTARY WHEEL to set a bookmark. Select Use the ROTARY WHEEL to select a bookmark. Press the ROTARY WHEEL to restore the selected bookmark. Delete Use the ROTARY WHEEL to select a bookmark. Press the ROTARY WHEEL to delete the selected bookmark. · · Rio Nitrus · The Rio Nitrus automatically saves user settings when it is turned off. These settings are automatically restored when the Rio Nitrus is turned on. Settings saved automatically are not saved as a bookmarks. 23 Table of Contents Index :: Stopwatch Use the stopwatch to keep track of time-sensitive events while listening to music. 1 2 3 Press MENU. Select Stopwatch. Press ROTARY WHEEL. Lap statistics are displayed at the bottom of the Stopwatch screen. When a new lap is set the difference, either faster (-) or slower (+) between new lap times and the average laptime, is displayed for a few moments. When in Stopwatch mode, the controls work in the following ways: · MENU Press to return to the Main Menu. · Pressing MENU and using other player functions will not turn the timer off. The timer will continue to run until the RioStick is moved into the Up position (PLAY/PAUSE) while in Stopwatch mode. · RIOSTICK (Press) Press to set a lap time. Press and hold to return to single lap display. Multiple laps and lap averages will be lost. RIOSTICK (Up) Press to start and stop the timer. RIOSTICK (Down) Press to reset timer. Average Lap Time · · Lap Difference Rio Nitrus 24 Table of Contents Index :: Settings Rio Nitrus settings include: Playback Power Resume Display Time Language Lock Setup Rio Nitrus 25 Table of Contents Index Playback Various playback settings can be set to modify the way the Rio Nitrus plays tracks. Tracks can be shuffled at random and/or repeated continuously. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Press MENU. Select Settings. Press ROTARY WHEEL. Select Playback. Press ROTARY WHEEL. Adjust Shuffle and Repeat settings. Press RIOSTICK to apply settings return to Player mode. Plackback options include: · Shuffle Set selected tracks to play in standard or random order. Settings include Off (the default setting) and On. · Repeat Set selected tracks to repeat playback of all tracks or the current track. Settings include Off (the default setting), All, and One. Rio Nitrus 26 Table of Contents Index Power By adjusting the Power settings, the player can conserve energy and extend the amount of playback time during each battery charge. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Press MENU. Select Settings. Press ROTARY WHEEL. Select Power. Press ROTARY WHEEL. Select Pwr Save options. Press RIOSTICK to apply settings and return to Player mode. Power options include: · Pwr Save Set the player to automatically power down after being idle for a set number of minutes. Settings include 1m, 5m (the default setting), 10m, 30m, and Never. Rio Nitrus 27 Table of Contents Index Resume Use the options in the Resume menu to set the track that the player will play whenever the player restarts. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Press MENU. Select Settings. Press ROTARY WHEEL. Select Resume. Press ROTARY WHEEL. Adjust Track and Timecode settings. Press RIOSTICK to apply settings and return to Player mode. Resume options include: · Track Set the player to begin playback of the last track played before shutdown or the first track in the running order when the player restarts. Settings include Current (the default setting) and First. Timecode Set the player to begin playback of the last track played at the point the track was at during shutdown or at the start of the track. Settings include Current (the default setting) and Start. · Rio Nitrus 28 Table of Contents Index Display Use the Display menu to adjust backlight and contrast settings. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Press MENU. Select Settings. Press ROTARY WHEEL. Select Display. Press ROTARY WHEEL. Adjust Backlight and Contrast settings. Press RIOSTICK to apply settings and return to Player mode. · Backlight Set the backlight on the player to shut itself off after a set number of seconds. Settings include Off, 2s, 5s, (the default setting) 10s, 20s, and On. On sets the backlight to remain lit constantly. · To conserve battery life, the On setting should only be used when the Rio Nitrus is connected an AC adapter. · Contrast Move RIOSTICK to control the contrast slider. Use the contrast slider to set how light or dark the images on the LCD will appear. Setting the contrast too high will result in washed out images. Setting the contrast too dark will result in images that are too dark to read. Rio Nitrus 29 Table of Contents Index Time Use the options in the Time menu to set the player's internal clock. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Press MENU. Select Settings. Press ROTARY WHEEL. Select Time. Press ROTARY WHEEL. Adjust Set Time, Set Date, or Time/Date Mode settings. Press RIOSTICK to apply settings and return to Player mode. Time settings include: · Set Time Options include Hour, Minute, and AM / PM. Set Date Options include Month, Day, and Year. Time/Date Mode Options include 12 hour (the default setting) and 24-hour time formats and USA (the default setting), Europe, and Japan date formats. · · Rio Nitrus 30 Table of Contents Index Language The Rio Nitrus menus can be set to display in one of six languages. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Press MENU. Select Settings. Press ROTARY WHEEL. Select Language. Press ROTARY WHEEL. Select a Language setting. Press ROTARY WHEEL. Language settings include: · English (the default setting) Set the player display language to English. · · Set the player display language to Japanese. Deutsch Set the player display language to German. Français Set the player display language to French. Español Set the player display language to Spanish. · · Rio Nitrus 31 Table of Contents Index Lock Setup Use the options in the Lock Setup menu to enable volume and RioStick control when the lock is enabled. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Press MENU. Select Settings. Press RIOSTICK. Select Lock Setup. Press RIOSTICK. Adjust Lock Volume and RioStick settings. Press RIOSTICK to apply settings and return to Player mode. Lock Setup settings include: · Lock Volume Options include On (the default setting) and Off. When set to Off, the volume level can be adjusted even when the Rio Nitrus has been locked. RioStick Options include Lock and control. / . When set to / , any RioStick movement will be interpreted as the / · Rio Nitrus 32 Table of Contents Index :: About The about screen displays information about the Rio Nitrus. Information includes the total amount of space on the disk, the amount of free space, the number of tracks on the player, and the Firmware version. 1 2 3 4 5 Press MENU. Select About. Press ROTARY WHEEL. Select Player or Storage. Press ROTARY WHEEL. About options include: · · Player Displays firmware version, copyright, and Rio website information. Storage Displays disk usage graphic bar, disk usage (MB used/MB capacity), total number of tracks, and total number of playlists. Rio Nitrus 33 Table of Contents Chapter 6 :: Troubleshooting Customer Service Information Help Index The FAQs below will help you solve common issues with your player. If you do not find the answers you need here, you can contact our Customer Service Department via any of the following methods: Web: www.rioaudio.com/support Technical Support Telephone (United States): (650) 261-2202 Technical Support Telephone (United Kingdom): 0207-744-0802 Technical Support Telephone (Canada): (905) 305-6565 Customer Service (United States): (650) 261-2203 Customer Service (United Kingdom): 0207-744-0802 Customer Service (Canada): (905) 305-6565 Customer Sales/Presales (United States): (866) 286-3662 Customer Sales/Presales (United Kingdom): 0207-744-0802 Customer Sales/Presales (Canada): (905) 305-6565 With every Rio product you receive the following support services: · Unlimited access to the Rio web-based technical information resources, available 24 hours a day every day at http://www.rioaudio.com/support. Here you will find FAQ files, product updates, and other useful information. Unlimited e-mail support for the duration of your Rio product hardware warranty period. Access to the latest software updates and enhancements for Rio products via our website. Rio Nitrus · · 34 Table of Contents Index Frequently Asked Questions Question Why will my Rio Nitrus not power on? Answer · Confirm the LOCK/UNLOCK switch on the player is set to UNLOCK. The player will not power on if LOCK/UNLOCK is in the LOCK position. Switch LOCK/ UNLOCK to the UNLOCK position and press POWER to turn the Rio Nitrus on. If the Nitrus still does not power on they battery may be dead. · You can play MP3 and WMA audio files on the Rio Nitrus. What type of files can I play with the Rio Nitrus? Can I add MP3 and WMA files to the player at the same time? What are the differences between MP3 and WMA files? · Yes. You can play MP3 and WMA audio content. They can be mixed together. · WMA files are generally half as large as comparable sounding MP3 files. Because WMA uses smaller file sizes, you can store more music in less space on CDs, hard drives, or the Rio Nitrus. The WMA format is exclusive to Windows-based computers. · The number of tracks you can store on the player depends on bitrate of the files stored. The About menu lists the total amount of space, the amount of free space, and the number of tracks on the Rio player. Bitrate 64 kbps 96 kbps 128 kbps 164 kbps 192 kbps Approximate amount of space required per minute of audio content 0.5 MB 0.75 MB 1 MB 1.25 MB 1.75 MB What is the maximum number of tracks I can put on the Rio player? Rio Nitrus 35 Table of Contents What kind of batteries can I use with the Rio Nitrus? Will the Rio Nitrus play Variable Bitrate (VBR) files? · The Rio Nitrus uses non-removable rechargable lithium-ion batteries. Index · Yes. Because there are many standards for VBR files, it cannot be guaranteed that every encoding software package will properly function with the Rio Nitrus. VBR files that do not comply to standards may lack track time, fast forward, and/ or rewind capabilities. · The battery indicator on the Rio Nitrus is located in the top-right corner of the display. The segments in the battery icon show the remaining battery power. The illumination of all segments indicates a fully charged battery. Non-illuminated segments indicate a run down battery. The battery indicator blinks when less than 20% of the charge on the battery remains. · No. Where is the battery indicator on the Rio Nitrus? Can I replace the battery in my Rio Nitrus? The drive stops spinning during playback. Is this normal? Can I charge the Rio Nitrus using the USB cable? · Yes. It is normal for the drive to stop spinning during playback. Stopping the drive is part of the player's battery life management system. When the drive is stopped, the Rio Nitrus conserves power and plays tracks from a memory buffer. · No. The USB connection will power the Rio Nitrus but will not charge it. The AC adapter must be used to charge the Rio Nitrus. At extremely low battery levels a USB connection will not be able to power the Rio Nitrus. Rio Nitrus 36 Table of Contents What should I do if the display permanently locks up, does not display, or displays UPGRADER? Index · If you cannot read the display, the player firmware may be corrupted. Corrupted firmware may be caused by a failed firmware update. If the player's firmware becomes corrupted for any reason, follow these steps to start the player in Recovery Mode and proceed with the firmware update. 1 2 Reset the player by inserting a pin or needle into the RESET HOLE next to the DC IN port. Press POWER. The player should power on as normal. If the player continues to lock up or does not display properly: 1 2 3 Reset the player by inserting a pin or needle into the RESET HOLE next to the DC IN port. Press and hold MENU + POWER until UPGRADER is displayed on the screen. Connect the Rio Nitrus player to the computer using the USB cable. Proceed with the Firmware upgrade. Why won't the Rio Nitrus play secure, dated, or other DRM (digital rights management) encoded files? · DRM files may not work properly if the Rio Nitrus' internal clock is no longer accurate. This can happen if the rechargable batteries lose all charge for any period of time. Make sure the batteries are fully charged, then follow these steps: 1 2 Connect the Rio Nitrus to the computer using the USB cable. Connect to the secure service where the DRM encoded files came from. The Rio Nitrus' clock should reset. DRM files should now play correctly. Rio Nitrus 37 Table of Contents Can I upgrade the firmware on the Rio Nitrus? Index · Yes. If available, firmware for your Rio can be downloaded from the Rio Audio website. Note: Quit all applications before running the firmware update. While running the firmware update, do not close the program, turn off the player, or unplug the USB cable. 1 2 3 Downloading the update Click on the following link: Firmware Upgrade. Click on the link to the Rio Nitrus. Locate UPDATES and click Firmware. Select and download the latest software. Download the software that is specific to the operating system you use on your PC: *.exe (Windows) *.hqx (Mac) *.zip (Windows) *.txt (All operating systems--a text file including update information and instructions.) 1 2 Installing the update (PC) Connect the player to your computer with the USB cable. Turn the player on. Waiting will display on the player screen. 3 Double-click the file that you downloaded from the Rio website. The update should take approximately 30 seconds to load. Rio Nitrus 38 Table of Contents Index :: Glossary of Digital Audio Terms Bass Bass is the particular low-range area of the sound spectrum where low musical notes and sounds are located. Increasing the bass value will make the low vocals and drums more prominent in your music. You can select the amount of bass in your music by selecting various Equalizer options. Bitrate Bitrate denotes the number of bits per second used by a digital music file. The size and quality of a compressed digital audio file is determined by the bitrate used when encoding the file. Generally, the higher the bitrate used the higher the sound quality and the larger the file size. For example, a bitrate of 96kbps (96,000 bits per second) is generally thought of as "CD quality" for WMA audio files, and takes up about 0.75 megabytes (MB) per minute of music. At a 64kbps bitrate, the sound quality of WMA is similar to that of an FM radio signal, but approximately two minutes of music will fit in 1MB of space. Codec Depending on the context and kind of technology involved, codec can be defined as a compressed digital audio file format (like MP3, WMA, etc.), a "coding/decoding" chip used to translate between digital and analog transmissions (used in modems), or a compression/decompression algorithm. Codecs compress audio data into a file, often for efficient transmission over a network, and then decode it for playback. While all the codecs perform similar compression of digital audio, there are differences in the technology. The Rio Nitrus supports the following digital audio codecs: · · MP3 WMA Firmware Firmware is the read-only software that is installed on the player. Like software it can be updated, but unlike software, it can never be deleted from the player. Gain Rio Nitrus Gain is a measurement of the amplitude of frequency ranges. Gain adjustments boost or reduce frequencies to provide a more desirable audio output. 39 Table of Contents Index ID3 Tag The ID3 tag is the part of the encoded MP3 or WMA file that contains information about the digital music file such as song title, artist, album title, encoding bitrate, track time duration, and so on. ID3 tag information is displayed on the Album/Artist/Track title line on the player's LCD. MP3 MP3 is short for Moving Pictures Experts Group Audio Layer 3. MP3 is the most well known compressed digital audio file format. This format allows for near "CD quality" sound, but at a fraction of the size of normal audio files. MP3 conversion of an audio track from CD-ROM can reduce the file size by approximately a 12:1 ratio with virtually no perceptible loss in quality. MP3 compression removes the redundant and irrelevant parts of a sound signal that the human ear doesn't hear. This digital sound encoding and compression process was developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits and Thomson Multimedia.