BIG UPDATE: NEW RESPIRONICS PR Series Auto CPAP Released!

[2ndGenCPAPgal]

Also a deal breaker for me. I'm currently having to deal w/ having my DME read my card and it currently takes them a full week to get me the data. By the time I get the data, it is of little use.

Why bother touting how much more detailed the data is and how beneficial it is for the end user when they aren't going to put the ability to access the data into our hands?!

[Guest]

I'm glad they finally released it, I was getting tired of NOT talking about it.

[socalmonkey]

According to the latest data on cpap.com:

"This is expected to ship on 08-19-2009."

That's tomorrow!

[socalmonkey]

Other NEW information:

Respironics also listened to the CPAP community and removed the "blue light" LED. The PR Series was placed in a dark room and the new power light could barely be seen. No more insomnia from excess system lights. The only common parts shared with the M series is the Power Supply. The PR comes with a separate, external power brick and allows the overall CPAP to stay compact.

[taberge]

I wonder if they will be making an update to at least the encore viewer software? It would be ashamed if they think that the lcd screen reports is all the patients want to see.

[socalmonkey]

A letter/email sent today to:

Donald J. Spence
Chief Executive Officer
Philips Home Healthcare Solutions

Dear Mr. Donald Spence,

Your companies new PR Auto CPAP Machine (model DS550S) looks really promising. You've appeared to be listening to what your customers want. However, there seems to be one glaring error. Apparently, all this great new advanced data featured in the machine, can only be accessed with EncorePro 2.1. Your professional version of the Encore software, available only to healthcare professionals.

Can you verify that the DS550S will only work with EncorePro 2.1? Is that correct?

Will there be any future version of the Encore Viewer that will work with this new machine?

Many in the CPAP community who love your products, and are particularly excited about this new machine, are upset about this. We can't understand why a premium machine would have no way to read the data. It makes no sense that you've added new data features, now available on an SD card... but we (the patient) can't access it?

This makes no sense and for many of us... it is a deal breaker!

I hope you can shed some light on this matter, and perhaps confirm if a consumer version of Encore Viewer is in the works.

Thank you,

signed by me

cc: Bob Pflueger, US Marketing Manager

[plr66]

Yeek! And the other major thing at issue is the power brick! I am amazed that this has been continued by Respironics despite the compaints listed regularly about this, along with the blue lights issue.

[jdm2857]

I wonder if they made the high leak alarm loud enough to wake the user.

[Patzee]

For over a year I have been holding off buying my APAP, waiting to see if Respironics would come out with an improved model over their M Series. Was particularly longing for a larger capacity humidifier, and an electrical cord rather than the cumbersome, and cord tangled power brick, and hoping to benefit for whatever their latest technology would be.

Was reading the info so fast on this new PRI at cpap.com that my eyes were blazing and it was all I could do to keep from placing the order before finishing reading...all the time thinking that two out of three wasn't bad. The software description ended my euphoria and the order. OMG, Respironics, how could you?

a deflated, and miserably disappointed patzee who has another l-o-n-g wait ahead

[socalmonkey]

Currently IN STOCK!

"25 currently in stock"

According to cpap.com - but no ability to read the card data!

[Slinky]

A Respironics Rep told me the reason that Respironics continues to utilize the power brick platform is to avoid the possible fire hazard that Resmed encountered w/a possibly faulty connection that resulted in the huge Recall a couple of years ago.

[jdm2857]

That approach only moves the potential fire hazard from the machine itself to the brick.

But, of course, Respironics doesn't manufacture the brick. Maybe they don't trust their designers with 120 (or 220) volts?

[2flamingos]

The brick does not bother me at all, and I am not sure what the big deal is.

For me, if the software issue were resolved, I would consider ordering one tomorrow and have my M-Series for back-up (M-Series is only 11 months old).

[apnez]

I don't see how this machine will kill ResMed Autoset II.

* Noisier (28 vs 24 db)... and + 4 db is a lot noisier

* Heavier (6 vs 5.4 lbs) PLUS the weight of the BRICK

* Brick vs NO brick

The rest is very comparable. Humidifier is based on same concept.

As far as software is concerned there is no real difference as we will all get our software either from grey market like PirateBay (as it is already the case for a lot of us!) or from alternate sources. That will also be an incentive for the development of freeware. I don't care too much about this as the manufacturers will have to produce software for DME and doctors and sofware will always "leak" from those sources.

[Guest]

Humidification is not handled the same, it is very different from the M series or the S8II series.