WMA Play problem w/PocketMusic, Pocket Player

[famousdavis]

I've been using Windows Media Player on my iPAQ 1910 to play VBR-encoded WMA files. The WMA files are encoded at mid-quality.

While playing them on the WMP, the playback is fine -- but I thought I'd venture out to try something else that offered hardware controls and an equalizer.

I tried Pocket Player -- couldn't get it to play anything without skipping terribly! I even use ClearSpeed on my 1910 to increase the speed of the CPU, but that didn't seem to make a difference.

I tried PocketMusic -- with ClearSpeed bumping up the speed of the processor, I can get music to play without skips, but there is an extremely bad distortion -- kind of a shadowing crackling sound that is especially noticeable during, say, a song with just a lone piano playing.

Going back to WMP, the same song that played with distortion in PocketMusic plays flawlessly in WMP.

So, is there a better alternative to playing WMA files aside from using the native WMP?

Or is the best bet now to re-encode back to MP3 to get music that can play using a non-WMP program, without the skips and distortion?

(I've read about OGG, no nothing about it, and don't especially want to have to buy another piece of software to encode to yet another file format...so for me, it's either WMA or MP3).

[Kati Compton]

(I've read about OGG, no nothing about it, and don't especially want to have to buy another piece of software to encode to yet another file format...so for me, it's either WMA or MP3).
Side note - I believe you can use CDex, which is free, to encode OGGs.

[Tom W.M.]

(I've read about OGG, no nothing about it, and don't especially want to have to buy another piece of software to encode to yet another file format...so for me, it's either WMA or MP3).
Side note - I believe you can use CDex, which is free, to encode OGGs.
Or you can do it the hard way and use Winamp, as I said here (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=199531&highlight=#199531).

Also, at Vorbis.com (http://www.vorbis.com/) they have a few drag-and-drop encoders, though I can report that I had severe instability problems with one, and the other produced files that were unplayable in GSPlayer2. Still, I'm not using the OS that they reccommend, so your experiences may vary.

I'm sure that there are many more free OGG Vorbis encoders out there, so don't give up on the format yet.

[maikii]

Why not just stick with WMP? I've tried some of these alternative players, and they all have problems, crash, etc. WMP works, without crashes. (In WM 2003, at least.)

With WMP you can map hardware buttons too.

An equalizer? Can be fun to play with, but is it important?

One major defect I find in WMP is the lack of a bookmarking capability. Not so important for music, where tracks are usually fairly short (although it could come in handy at times.), but more so in watching a movie. You might not have time to watch the whole movie in one setting. It would be nice to click something to make a bookmark, and later easily come back to the same place. Of course, you could press pause. Then, if you keep WMP open all the time until you watch the movie again, and do not reboot, it will be at the same place. Maybe if you come back to the movie in a half hour that might be feasible. If it's a couple days later, not likely that you'll keep WMP open all that time and not reboot!

I have to do it manually. Look at the time display when I stop watching in the middle, and try by dragging the slider to find about the same place. A bookmark sure would be easier. I hope Microsoft plans to update WMP PPC with a bookmark facility!

But the programs mentioned above (and most other alternative music players) don't also play movies, so you'd have to get other alternative media players for movies. I have tried some of those too (like Pocket MVP), and have also had problems with crashes, etc. So for now, I'm sticking to WMP for both audio and video. At least it works, and it's free.

(I wish the playlist function would also an option "sort by file date/time", but I don't see this in any of the alternative players either, even in the ones that say "advanced playlist editor", and the program that just does playlists.) Besides, one should be able to transfer playlists from the PC to the PPC. (If the playlist and the songs are transferred at the same time, the playlist should be able to keep track of the song location on the PPC, perhaps in the same folder.)

WMP PPC also has some alternative skins available, with very large buttons, which comes in handy!

[famousdavis]

Why not just stick with WMP? I've tried some of these alternative players, and they all have problems, crash, etc. WMP works, without crashes. (In WM 2003, at least.)

With WMP you can map hardware buttons too.

An equalizer? Can be fun to play with, but is it important?



Well, you bring up a practical, pragmatic point.

1) HOW do you map hardware buttons in WMP? I'm using WMP v8 on a PPC2002 device, not the latest version of WMP (v9).

2) An equalizer is more than just fun to play with -- it tailors the sound of music to the way I like to hear it. Playing a flatly-adjusted song through WMP is okay, but the experience can be better by using an equalizer. Is it a necessity? Nah, but it makes the experience of listening to music better. Surely you use an equalizer (or bass/treble controls) on your home stereo, right? :wink:

Here's what I've done: I had to restore my Windows directory and registery on my PPC because the Remove Programs function wouldn't remove Pocket Music from my device! Grrrr!

Then, I downloaded some 192kbps MP3 songs on my PPC and installed the freeware version of Pocket Music. I gave it a brief run last night before bed, and it seemed to play well. Still, the freeware version apparently installed some "bundle" package that I think is part of the $20 Pocket Music version, so I'm not sure as yet what I exactly installed on my PPC, and if everything will be the same after the 15 trial period.

Playing bloated MP3s isn't preferable to playing the leaner WMA VBR files I've encoded, but I'm willing to live with MP3s if they play cleanly and the software doesn't crash.

[Janak Parekh]

Why not just stick with WMP? I've tried some of these alternative players, and they all have problems, crash, etc. WMP works, without crashes. (In WM 2003, at least.)
I've had the opposite experience. I've found WMP to eat up too much CPU and to be too feature-limited, although I haven't played with WMP9 much, admittedly.

An equalizer? Can be fun to play with, but is it important?
Most definitely. I find the tonal defaults on most Pocket PCs rather limited for music.

But the programs mentioned above (and most other alternative music players) don't also play movies, so you'd have to get other alternative media players for movies.
Ah. I don't usually watch movies on my Pocket PC.

(I wish the playlist function would also an option "sort by file date/time", but I don't see this in any of the alternative players either, even in the ones that say "advanced playlist editor", and the program that just does playlists.)
Many of them support this -- just tap the Date column. WMP, however, does not.

--janak

[Janak Parekh]

1) HOW do you map hardware buttons in WMP? I'm using WMP v8 on a PPC2002 device, not the latest version of WMP (v9).
WMP has supported hardware button mapping since v4. Go to Tools, Settings, and there's an option somewhere in there.

--janak

[maikii]

[quote="famousdavis"]

2) An equalizer is more than just fun to play with -- it tailors the sound of music to the way I like to hear it. Playing a flatly-adjusted song through WMP is okay, but the experience can be better by using an equalizer. Is it a necessity? Nah, but it makes the experience of listening to music better. Surely you use an equalizer (or bass/treble controls) on your home stereo, right? :wink:

quote]

I have equalizer controls on my home stereo receiver--but frankly, I hardly use them. I don't know that the music would sound better by my fiddling with them. The musicians and sound engineers who made the recordings already equalized and adjusted bass, treble, etc. to optimize the sound of the recording. The fact that I don't fiddle with the equalizer controls does not make the music sound "flat".

Actually, many home stereos these days don't even come with equalizers. Or sometimes, they have those stupid "presets"--"rock", "classic", etc.

I don't know that it matters, but perhaps I should mention that I am a musician and music teacher--so the sound quality of music I listen to is important to me. I have never found my fiddling with equalizer controls to improve the music much. If there is a particular situation, like listening to an old LP or tape with a lot of noise, it can help to cut down the treble equalizer controls. Occasionally, I might make an equalizer adjustment. Usually, I leave all at dead center, and it sounds fine, not "flat" at all.

Also--on my IPAQ 2210--under "Settings", "IPAQ audio", there are sliders to adjust "Bass Boost", and "Treble Adjustment". I don't know if those controls are there on all PPCs, or just current IPAQs.

Do you change equalizer settings for each song you hear? Or each album? Or each type of music?

Using an audio program on your PC, you could probably change the equalization of ripped music to the way you want it, before rendering it to WMAs or MP3s.

[Janak Parekh]

I have equalizer controls on my home stereo receiver--but frankly, I hardly use them. I don't know that the music would sound better by my fiddling with them. The musicians and sound engineers who made the recordings already equalized and adjusted bass, treble, etc. to optimize the sound of the recording.
But that's assuming they know your stereo system. They don't. Frequently, an equalizer can help for the limitations in your stereo system. If you have a top-notch system, then maybe you don't need one. ;)

Also--on my IPAQ 2210--under "Settings", "IPAQ audio", there are sliders to adjust "Bass Boost", and "Treble Adjustment". I don't know if those controls are there on all PPCs, or just current IPAQs.
Most Pocket PCs don't have those, actually. The iPAQs all do, but I'd guess only a few other non-iPAQs do.

Do you change equalizer settings for each song you hear? Or each album? Or each type of music?
I do tweak my equalizers for different kinds of music. I prefer a bit stronger bass for rock than for classical, for example.

--janak

[famousdavis]

Also--on my IPAQ 2210--under "Settings", "IPAQ audio", there are sliders to adjust "Bass Boost", and "Treble Adjustment". I don't know if those controls are there on all PPCs, or just current IPAQs.

Do you change equalizer settings for each song you hear? Or each album? Or each type of music?

Using an audio program on your PC, you could probably change the equalization of ripped music to the way you want it, before rendering it to WMAs or MP3s.

The iPAQ Audio must be a feature of newer iPAQs -- it's not on my 1910.

At home, I never touch the equalization -- but I have 4 small kids at home, so music on the stereo is just to cover-up the general noise my kids are making. :wink:

On PPC, though, I would set the equalization for an album, given the listening conditions I'm in and the way the music sounds to me. It's a much more personal experience listening to music via my PPC than it is sitting in my family room at home.

On equalizing ripped music, I'm no expert on the matter, but I'd think that the ripping process does not use the preamp/equalizer, so you wouldn't be able to adjust tonal quality on the ripped music. That's the way it was growing up when I was copying LPs to audio cassettes, anyway.

[famousdavis]

I have equalizer controls on my home stereo receiver--but frankly, I hardly use them. I don't know that the music would sound better by my fiddling with them. The musicians and sound engineers who made the recordings already equalized and adjusted bass, treble, etc. to optimize the sound of the recording.
But that's assuming they know your stereo system. They don't. Frequently, an equalizer can help for the limitations in your stereo system. If you have a top-notch system, then maybe you don't need one. ;)

So true, Janak!

My home stereo uses a pair of very lame, 15-year-old, bookshelf speakers that have virtually no bass output. Even with my preamp boosting the base as much as possible, the bass response is dismal. But it does sound better than a flat, unadjusted setting.

The point here is just to say that for some people, having an equalizer is much more than a useless gizmo on a stereo (or display on a PPC). For some people, the equalizer improves -- even dramatically improves -- their listening enjoyment of their music.

You can't really quibble with that, now can you? :wink:

[hipchick]

PocketMVP is a great media & video player. It plays all sorts of audio - MP3, Ogg & WMA - plus video files.

It's easy to use, has an equalizer, is skinnable and has some neat other goodies ... plus it's free :D

Check it out at http://www.pocketMVP.com if you are interested.

Ciao!!
Hipchick

[maikii]

PocketMVP is a great media & video player. It plays all sorts of audio - MP3, Ogg & WMA - plus video files.

It's easy to use, has an equalizer, is skinnable and has some neat other goodies ... plus it's free :D

Check it out at http://www.pocketMVP.com if you are interested.

Ciao!!
Hipchick

May I ask, which version of PPC OS you are using it with. I tried it with my IPAQ 2210, WM 2003, I think the newest version of Pocket MVP, which is supposed to support that OS, and got a lot of crashes, freeze-ups, etc.

[maikii]

My home stereo uses a pair of very lame, 15-year-old, bookshelf speakers that have virtually no bass output. Even with my preamp boosting the base as much as possible, the bass response is dismal. But it does sound better than a flat, unadjusted setting.

The point here is just to say that for some people, having an equalizer is much more than a useless gizmo on a stereo (or display on a PPC). For some people, the equalizer improves -- even dramatically improves -- their listening enjoyment of their music.

You can't really quibble with that, now can you? :wink:

Well, I won't quibble with it, Famous (real first name--Gray? :wink: ), if the equalizer helps the music in your house to sound only dismal instead of horrendous! :wink:

By the way, if the music in your house sounds dismal with those speakers, even with the equalization, why not just buy some better speakers? (Being 15 years old, however, has nothing to do with the sound quality of the speakers. Some older speakers ae much better than any being made today.)

[Janak Parekh]

The iPAQ Audio must be a feature of newer iPAQs -- it's not on my 1910.
8O You sure? I've adjusted it for my mom, actually, to compensate for the weak earbuds that come with the device. It only has bass and treble adjustments, mind you. Double-check -- it's in the Control Panel, not in Programs.

--janak

[famousdavis]

The iPAQ Audio must be a feature of newer iPAQs -- it's not on my 1910.
8O You sure? I've adjusted it for my mom, actually, to compensate for the weak earbuds that come with the device. It only has bass and treble adjustments, mind you. Double-check -- it's in the Control Panel, not in Programs.

--janak

If by Control Panel you mean, Settings, System tab, then yes, I'm sure that I don't have iPAQ Audio. I do have an Audio icon there, but if I click on it, it only has an adjustment for the microphone environment, gain control, and a slider for earphone volume -- that's it.

[famousdavis]

By the way, if the music in your house sounds dismal with those speakers, even with the equalization, why not just buy some better speakers?

You did read the part about me having 4 small kids at home, right? :lol:

[Janak Parekh]

If by Control Panel you mean, Settings, System tab, then yes, I'm sure that I don't have iPAQ Audio. I do have an Audio icon there, but if I click on it, it only has an adjustment for the microphone environment, gain control, and a slider for earphone volume -- that's it.
Weird! :| I'm sure it was there. I'll go check and get back to you on it in a day or two if I remember... there was some checkbox to "turn the feature on" first.

--janak

[famousdavis]

1) HOW do you map hardware buttons in WMP? I'm using WMP v8 on a PPC2002 device, not the latest version of WMP (v9).
WMP has supported hardware button mapping since v4. Go to Tools, Settings, and there's an option somewhere in there.

--janak

Hey, at least you got this one right! :twisted: I successfully mapped my hardware buttons in WMP! :D

[hipchick]

May I ask, which version of PPC OS you are using it with. I tried it with my IPAQ 2210, WM 2003, I think the newest version of Pocket MVP, which is supposed to support that OS, and got a lot of crashes, freeze-ups, etc.

I am using a Viewsonic V37 using PPC 2002. This device only has an SD card, but I still get great peformance. I haven't overclocked or mucked with my PDA, so I'm not sure what your issue could be.

Definitely take a moment to surf through the PMVP forums at http://www.corecodec.com. There are all sorts of helpful tips, suggestions, links, etc.

I know that Marc's been working on a new PMVP version which will hopefully be out within a week. There are a lot of bug & issue fixed :D and I'm sure he's come up with a few new features :wink:

[maikii]

I am using a Viewsonic V37 using PPC 2002. This device only has an SD card, but I still get great peformance. I haven't overclocked or mucked with my PDA, so I'm not sure what your issue could be.

Definitely take a moment to surf through the PMVP forums at http://www.corecodec.com. There are all sorts of helpful tips, suggestions, links, etc.

I know that Marc's been working on a new PMVP version which will hopefully be out within a week. There are a lot of bug & issue fixed :D and I'm sure he's come up with a few new features :wink:

What URL do you download it from? I think there are two competing versions out there, no? I guess Mark is the original developer, but a guy in Germany made another version? Something like that. I think I tried both.

Anyhow, there might be a difference in that you are using PPC 2002 and I have 2003. Perhaps his new version will be better suited for 2003. I'll take a look.

[Janak Parekh]

I am using a Viewsonic V37 using PPC 2002. This device only has an SD card, but I still get great peformance. I haven't overclocked or mucked with my PDA, so I'm not sure what your issue could be.
maikii's point is, I think, that some versions of PocketMVP had compatibility issues with Pocket PC 2003.

maikii, did you see http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=15384 ? That was a third-party build to make PMVP more compatible. I haven't tried it, and I don't know if it's the latest version, but if you've got some free time and want to play with it, it might be a good choice.

Of course, we're getting rather offtopic on this thread from the original point -- I don't think PMVP plays WMA at all... ;)

--janak

[hipchick]

Of course, we're getting rather offtopic on this thread from the original point -- I don't think PMVP plays WMA at all... ;)

PMVP does play WMA files however, you have to install an add on piece. Check out his downloads page for it :)

[Janak Parekh]

PMVP does play WMA files however, you have to install an add on piece. Check out his downloads page for it :)
:oops: I stand corrected. I haven't used PocketMVP in a while, ever since I got my iPod...

--janak

[famousdavis]

PMVP does play WMA files however, you have to install an add on piece. Check out his downloads page for it :)
:oops: I stand corrected. I haven't used PocketMVP in a while, ever since I got my iPod...

--janak

Methinks that add-on piece is the same add-on piece all third-party WMA players are using. And on my 1910 device, it doesn't work very well -- it works, but not well, not like playing WMA music within WMP.

So I'm just using 192kbps MP3s at the moment -- bloated, yes, and it takes longer to transfer onto my SD card (via ActiveSync 3.6), but at least it works. :wink:

Is file transfer via ActiveSync 3.7.1 much faster than 3.6?

[hipchick]

So I'm just using 192kbps MP3s at the moment -- bloated, yes, and it takes longer to transfer onto my SD card (via ActiveSync 3.6), but at least it works. :wink:

Is file transfer via ActiveSync 3.7.1 much faster than 3.6?

I personally only use ActiveSync to sync contacts & calendar. For files, spend $20 and get an SD card reader - you'll be so happy that you did :mrgreen:

[Janak Parekh]

Is file transfer via ActiveSync 3.7.1 much faster than 3.6?
No, it's not. Hipchick is 100% correct -- spend $20 and get a SD reader. You'll indeed be much happier. It's a MAJOR performance difference.

--janak

[famousdavis]

Is file transfer via ActiveSync 3.7.1 much faster than 3.6?
No, it's not. Hipchick is 100% correct -- spend $20 and get a SD reader. You'll indeed be much happier. It's a MAJOR performance difference.

--janak

Ummmm....I use SanDisk (yes, SanDisk) SD cards. Hey, it's all that Costco sells, whaddaya want from me??? :evil:

I have SanDisk CF cards, too (for my digital camera). Whenever I use my SanDisk CF cards in my card reader, I have to re-format them in my digital camera.

Am I likely to have problems using a card reader with SanDisk-branded SD cards?

[Janak Parekh]

I have SanDisk CF cards, too (for my digital camera). Whenever I use my SanDisk CF cards in my card reader, I have to re-format them in my digital camera.
There's something wrong then. You should be able to exchange between the two without any problems. I've even done it with Sandisk cards...

Likewise with SD.

--janak

[hipchick]

I have SanDisk CF cards, too (for my digital camera). Whenever I use my SanDisk CF cards in my card reader, I have to re-format them in my digital camera.

I have had a somewhat similar problem. I too use SanDisk cards (both CF and SD, depending on which of my devices I am using). If I take a CF card loaded with MP3's and then stick it in my digicam and power it up, the camera converts the file names to a truncated name and basically makes the files unuseable. If you put the card back in your PDA use the File Explorer to view the file names, you can see they are all wonky. Your camera has a certain file system that it must use, therefore it botches anything on your card.

Save a few more bucks and buy a couple extra cards, along with your card reader. SanDisk makes an easy to use reader for most media types ... and I think I picked mine up from Costco :wink: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=1061127111091&skuId=5957921&type=product&productCategoryId=cat04010

[Janak Parekh]

If I take a CF card loaded with MP3's and then stick it in my digicam and power it up, the camera converts the file names to a truncated name and basically makes the files unuseable.
Very possibly -- but that's the opposite. If you have a CF card with either pictures or media, the computer shouldn't mess it up. Or... unless... famousdavis -- perhaps the image viewer you're using writes some index files to the CF card. I *think* XP is smart enough not to do that, but I can't say that for all image viewers. Those extra peripheral files might confuse the heck out of the camera.

SanDisk makes an easy to use reader for most media types ... and I think I picked mine up from Costco :wink:
I have the very predecessor of that reader (6-in-1, doesn't have xD support). Pretty solid little unit. I had to get a firmware update, but once I did it's one the better of the card readers I've had.

--janak

[famousdavis]

I found this card reader (http://www.costco.com/frameset.asp?trg=product%2Easp&catid=79&subid=2109&hierid=3777&prdid=10036878&log=) on Costco's website, but my only objection is the USB v1.1, instead of USB v2.0. Although, when I download 128MB of digital photos from my USB 1.1 camera, it takes only a few minutes, not an ActiveSync eternity. For $20, I'm game for it.

Any reason why not to go with this unit? Hopefully, Costco carries it in their warehouses, too, so I can avoid S&H.

[maikii]

maikii, did you see http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=15384 ? That was a third-party build to make PMVP more compatible. I haven't tried it, and I don't know if it's the latest version, but if you've got some free time and want to play with it, it might be a good choice.


--janak

Yes, but if I recall correctly something I read, there was some controversy about that (the third-party version on the German site).

I believe I've tried both, and had problems with both, on PPC 2003.

[maikii]

PMVP does play WMA files however, you have to install an add on piece. Check out his downloads page for it :)

Yes, I know. I tried it. Couldn't it to work right at all. Tried to load an WMA, and froze up the system.

I've tried a few versions of Pocket MVP, and none have worked for me so far, using the OS WM 2003. You say a new version will be released soon. I hope that one works better.