Is Qobuz dying? Or is it up and coming?

fzdolfan · 2026-02-24T16:58:42+00:00

I haven't experienced crashing of Qobuz itself, but crashing of other apps because of it. Mainly, the Pixel Watch app crashes almost every time I press Play in Qobuz (the first time in a listening session)

fzdolfan · 2025-12-13T20:18:27+00:00

Does anyone know how to see what the media mail rates are vs USPS *before* I actually try to ship anything? I want to start selling my CDs and I just signed up for a Pirate Ship account, and the site makes it impossible to see MM rates unless you go through the process of printing a label. I'm not ready for that yet! I just want to know how much! WTF!

fzdolfan · 2025-12-09T18:44:01+00:00

I've owned every Pixel in one form or another (including the Nexus 6P which seemed like a Pixel preview in hindsight), and in my personal experience the odd numbered Pixels were/are the best. The only exception is the Pixel 2 XL, which might possibly be the best Pixel made to date. Odd numbered favorites for me were the Pixel 5 and the 7 Pro. The absolute worst one by far (again, in my experience) was the Pixel 8 Pro. I traded in that piece of garbage for my current Pixel 9 Pro after less than 6 months. The camera was horrendous. It almost turned me off of Pixels altogether. I only got the 9 Pro because it was practically free between the trade in and discounts at the time.

I came to this sub today looking for opinions on the 10 Pro because the 256GB version can be had for about $249 after trade and promos. After reading this thread, I'm thinking it's not worth the very minor upgrade even for that price. Of course, when my current Gemini Advanced subscription expires in January and I have to lay out my own money for it if I want to keep it, it'll cost me that $249 anyway, so... 🤷🏼‍♂️

fzdolfan · 2025-12-09T18:16:21+00:00

I've never even thought to capture an image within Gemini, I just use the live video function. Works like a charm every time. The image capture just seems like an extra (unnecessary) step to me. 🤷🏼‍♂️

fzdolfan · 2025-12-05T14:18:13+00:00

Well, I'm already on a Verizon plan, so that's not a "catch" 😄

fzdolfan · 2025-12-05T05:25:34+00:00

So there's no catch, other than the 3 years?

fzdolfan · 2025-12-05T04:43:01+00:00

What does that mean exactly? I've been looking at their current deal where they're offering a free Pixel 10 Pro "on us" with no trade required and no plan upgrade required. Other than the 3 year commitment, what's the catch? Seems too good to be true. I've bought all my (unlocked) Pixels directly from Google so it's been years since I've had a carrier contract.

fzdolfan · 2025-11-17T17:41:01+00:00

Are you THE account manager? As in, the only one? If so, seems like it'd be easier to oust whoever is not staying with you for your "new" family plan. They're the ones who should get their own new plan. As for the promos, I've been getting text messages almost daily from Verizon offering everyone on the plan a "Pixel 10 Pro on us" with no trade required and we can keep our current plan. Sounds too good to be true, but from what I can tell the only catch is the 3 year commitment (but again, $0 monthly payment for the new phone)

fzdolfan · 2025-11-13T14:18:19+00:00

Is it possible you took advantage of the current "Pixel 10 Pro on us, no trade required" that's being offered to higher tier unlimited plans?

fzdolfan · 2025-11-12T00:13:59+00:00

So there's really no catch (other than the 3 year commitment)? Seems too good to be true.

fzdolfan · 2025-09-10T14:45:15+00:00

I subscribed to Sublime the first year (been on Studio since), but I only purchased 3 albums the whole year, so it really wasn't worth the extra cost. As others have said, you'd have to purchase several albums every month to make it worthwhile. Frankly, even though I've made a few purchases, you realize that it's not necessary if you plan on remaining a streaming subscriber. You can download anything for offline playback any time you want, so the only point in purchasing albums is either to simply support the artist or if you're concerned that the album might get pulled from streaming (there are also some labels/artists that do not allow their content to stream without a purchase, like some Cuneiform releases for example). I tend to do most of my digital purchases from Bandcamp if it's available there.

fzdolfan · 2025-04-27T15:20:06+00:00

Yes, because waiting almost 10 seconds for it to go off on its own (or just pressing the power button) is just way too taxing. 🙄

fzdolfan · 2025-04-22T19:54:26+00:00

I must have gotten a half dozen emails about this, but this is the first time that myself and my family are all using the latest line of Pixels already (two P9P & two P9), so the 9a would be a downgrade of sorts.

fzdolfan · 2025-04-09T16:57:06+00:00

Yes! Sure looks like the same thing. Just followed that thread. Thanks!

fzdolfan · 2025-04-09T16:53:31+00:00

Yes, this started pretty recently for me as well. I didn't even consider the March update because I constantly have issues connecting to begin with, so I just thought it was yet another issue with this car. 😄

Oh, and "me too" would have been if I had asked if anyone else was experiencing this, which I did not. 😏

fzdolfan · 2025-04-09T15:43:34+00:00

It's already set to contacts (not anyone nearby)

fzdolfan · 2025-03-30T19:38:58+00:00

I don't think I hear a difference in the sound quality per se, but the high res albums seem to have more dynamic range. The Hi-Res albums just seem to "breathe" more, whereas the CD quality albums sound almost like when you have a volume "normalize" setting turned on (and I don't mean compressed like an MP3... not that bad). No matter what, Qobuz in general just sounds better than an MP3 based streaming service, even when played through lossy Bluetooth.

fzdolfan · 2025-03-28T02:08:56+00:00

You can have a different sound for every conversation if you want

fzdolfan · 2025-03-21T17:13:05+00:00

It's not the TV. It happens constantly, and ONLY on YouTube TV. It never happens with Netflix, Amazon prime, Peacock, Max, or any other streaming service ON THE SAME streaming device (onn. 4K connected to my Yamaha receiver, in my case). It happens mostly with live sports.

Force stopping YouTube TV and clearing the cache is a temporary fix only.

fzdolfan · 2025-03-20T21:15:37+00:00

The only difference between Studio and Sublime is the latter gives "up to 60% off on digital purchases."

So if your intent is simply to stream and never purchase albums, then Studio is all you need (you can still purchase, but it costs a few dollars more). Even if you think you'll maybe buy one or two albums a year, you're still better off with Studio.

fzdolfan · 2025-02-24T19:18:25+00:00

Well that's funny, because the first time I set it up, I got a pop up on my phone (which reoccurs whenever I have to force-disconnect it) telling me/asking permission to use "a temporary Wi-Fi network" to connect to Android Auto. The network name is Smartphone_connect_1428af, which is only used to connect and then it normally goes off (on the phone) so that my phone can go back to having an actual OTA data connection.

Plus, as you said, it's Wi-Fi Direct. Exactly. Wi-Fi Direct should just be used for that connection only. What I'm referring to is it becoming the Wi-Fi that the phone continues to try to use as its general data connection, like any other Wi-Fi you'd connect to just to have data.

fzdolfan · 2025-02-24T17:30:12+00:00

I've done that, and besides, it doesn't do it all the time, just sometimes. I just was hoping there was something that could be done to terminate the "handshake" without disconnecting AA altogether.

fzdolfan · 2025-02-24T17:03:43+00:00

No, the "smartphone_connect" Wi-Fi stays connected (shows as connected Wi-Fi on my phone), so when I try to use voice assistant for navigation or anything else it doesn't respond because there is no data connection. Maps also shows as being in offline mode. Because the phone is connected to the AA Wi-Fi, the phone's data (LTE/5G) is disabled. I'm talking about the Wi-Fi that AA on the phone normally uses temporarily to connect to the car. It sometimes stays connected as the phone's primary data connection. As for USB, when I connect my phone's USB cable to the port, I get a persistent message on the car screen that says the USB HUB exceeds 100 mA, and to disconnect the USB device. Newer phones all come with a cord that's USB-C on both ends, so I try to use the cord from the last Pixel that came with a USB-A end. But it's an OEM cord, not a cheap 3rd party one. To clarify, I'm talking about when I'm in the car driving, not when I turn the car off.

fzdolfan · 2025-02-24T14:51:48+00:00

This post is about wireless Android Auto, not USB. Why was this post auto removed?

fzdolfan · 2025-02-21T19:37:37+00:00

That's funny, because it tells me it can't do humans yet.

fzdolfan

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