New MP3 Player

[Igor]

We have completed new mp3 engine for the PicturesToExe.

Now it requires a long period of careful testing. And we finally add this player into PTE *only* if it will not cause any problem.

This player should solve all known problems, because it has maximal compatibility with all mp3, wav and midi files under any version of Windows (even first version of Win95 without IE, without MediaPlayer, without DirectX). It provides excellent quality of playing, because it uses high quality MP3 decoder. Also only this engine gives ability to add video output feature (for the sound channel).

For maximal stability and compactness of the code it doesn't use DirectX, and there is one difficulty with it. Because WMA music files support not included. It requires to use DirectSound for playing of such files. We wouldn't wanted to add this support, but if it really necessary, we could write special separate code for the WMA support.

Currently PTE supports WMA format.

Please let us know about your opinion about this.

[ccmanz]

Thanks for your Hard Work.

For myself I don't use the WMA Files. So It would Work Fine for Myself.

without the WMA support.

I think there are too Many Freeware MP3 Rippers for it to make a Different for

Anyone. If someone were using WMA files it would not cost them anything

To Switch and start using MP3. And I am sure if one searched they could find

a free WMA to MP3 convert program.

cc

[nobeefstu]

Im pretty much agree with CC's reply ... in "not providing WMA support".

I dont use WMA anyway ... due to the fact Im never sure if that music will play on another usersPC with the limitations/protections this format seems to carry with it.

[ecps]

I agree that WMA support is an unnecessary luxury and doubt that many people use it. The compatability of the new mp3 engine sounds like very good news.

Eddie.

[Tripstrilles]

@Igor

I never use wma-files. But a question. If I use a mp3-file which is created with lame-encoder with variable bitrate,

the time of the song, which is displayed is wrong (autosync/timeline). So I have to encode the song once more with constant bitrate. What´s about the new mp3-player? Can this player show the real time of a variable bitrate file?

Greetings, T.

[think(box)]

Thanks Igor! WMA support seems very low priority. Conversion to MP3 should be suggested to WMA users.

I would like to ask for an enhancement since you will now be able to play shows directly from CD, including music tracks. In the PTE software, not P2E, could you do a checking operation for the benefit of show developers as follows?: Scan through the sync show timeline with music or unsync show slide timing with music and determine the maximum READ rate required of CD drive, and list this as status information every time we click "Create"? Given that image processing can be factored in during the scan, can you also determine an estimated minimum CPU MHz required to play show without performance loss or skipping failures?

Status information line determined after "Create" could thus be as follows for a demanding show:

Min CD-Reader speed for this show: 30X (5-10X is best, this show may fail in playback)

Min CPU speed for this show: 1200MHz (200-400MHz is best; this show may fail in playback)

Status information line determined after "Create" could thus be as follows for an undemanding show:

Min CD-Reader speed for this show: 8X (5-10X is best, this show is OK)

Min CPU speed for this show: 300MHz (200-400MHz is best; this show is OK)

With this information available the show developer will know they need to make adjustments for successful playback by the general public

[Igor]

Tripstrilles

New mp3 player plays and should show length correctly of VBR mp3 files. We tested it on several files.

think(box)

Yes, new mp3 player can play mp3/wav/midi files directly from .exe file of presentation (we'll make it optionally on choose of author). So any presentations starts instantly. I shall test how it will work on the slow CD-ROMs (600 Kb per second), but they are enough for smooth playing, because playback takes 16-32 Kb per second only.

[think(box)]

Thanks Igor - I applaud the change because it will help a lot! But you know from forum posts that many users will do things like using large image pixel sizes and fade/timing/music combinations that will indeed skip even with the improved music handling. You are simply improving the threshold at which people have problems when playing from CD, but everyone will at some time goof. Further, although the proposed change makes playback from CD less stressful, the CPU demand on large images with tight timing is not substantially reduced.

All users, from novice to advanced, will benefit from a performance required status!

A strong consideration should be that show developers are providing shows to customers and when a show skips it hurts business

[Igor]

I think that we could add checking when presentation runs from hard drive or from CD-ROM, and in last case copy music into temp folder.

[alrobin]

Igor,

As both Granot and I have discovered, you cannot copy to a temp file in Win XP (under program control), and then delete that file. (unless you have a secret way of programming that for XP ???? )

[Ken Cox]

reading between the lines i think Igor means to create a folder and maybe name it "test Music" - and paste files in it --- when done throw it out the next time you reboot --

ken

[Igor]

PicturesToExe copies music files into default temp folder of Windows.

On closing of a presentation, it deletes all these temp files (even under Windows XP). There is no difficulty with this. Just I use GetTempPath API function and then create a sub-folder there, and after delete this sub-folder.

[mannybr2003]

I applaud the improvement made on mp3 features. However, I have my concerns in the future, whereby Microsoft is more into pushing the WMA format. It that be the case, as a lot of companies are getting united against usage of MP3, not only for downloading, then Microsoft might as well not support the use of MP3 in the next 10 years. If this format is no longer supported, then our slideshows will be maimed when played in the future. I suggest that although we have midi, mp3, etc. as features supported in the current PTE, it might not hurt if the WMA format will continually be supported, as that is the way Microsoft will always go.

Just sharing another point of view.

[Igor]

Thanks for your comment!

p.s. I don't believe that Microsoft will remove MP3 support. Anyway presentations with new mp3 player will be played OK, because they have own MP3 decoder.

[Danabw]

WMA support - very low importance to non-isssue. I'd leave it out as others suggest, and only spend time to add it later if it appears to become an issue.

This sounds very cool, Igor. Very glad to hear that this is getting us one step closer to video output....

Dana

[OGL]

Èãîðü, çäðàâñòâóéòå!

ß ñ÷èòàþ ÷òî ïîääåðæêó WMA ñëåäóåò îñòàâèòü, ïîñêîëüêó ýòîò ôîðìàò

ïî ñóòè ñâîåé ( ïîòîêîâûé ) âåñüìà ïåðñïåêòèâåí. Äà è óðîâåíü ñæàòèÿ

ó íåãî ïðè îäèíàêîâîì êà÷åñòâå çâóêà âûøå, ÷åì ó ÌÐ3. Äóìàþ ÷òî

íåïðèÿòèå ýòîãî ôîðìàòà, êàê ïîêàçàëà ðåàêöèÿ íà ôîðóìå, íè ÷òî èíîå

êàê íåæåëàíèå óõîäèòü îò ïðèâû÷íûõ âåùåé.

Óñïåõîâ è âñåãî äîáðîãî!

OGL

[alrobin]

Hi, OGL,

Welcome to the forum! (Igor, can you please translate for us? )

[OGL]

Hi, alrobin!

Thanks for your message.

Sorry, my English is very bad

For translation from Russian you can use next automatical translaters:

Socrat 97, 98;

Promt 98, 2000, 2002;

Stylus (any version >3 )

OGL ogl@fromru.com

[alrobin]

Hi, OGL,

Thanks for the links.

By the way, your English is much better than my Russian and I had a year of studying it at university, many years ago!

We also sing many Russian hymns in our choir (in Russian, but using phonetic translations). I even put one into one of my slide shows.

Good luck with PTE!

[mannybr2003]

Would it be possible to install the new version of PTE (not yet released) that incorporates the new MP3 player in another folder, and still retain the current 4.01 version, without affecting the functionality of either? It's just that I'd like to stick with both versions, wherein in the old version we can use a WMA, which I have not yet tested, but I know how to create and have created some more than a year ago, and to which the previous versions were made for, ... and this coming version which is likely dedicated to using MP3 and midi.

May I open up some questions/suggestions I would like to know if possibilities could be made true, such as (?):

-Will a button to make an automatic cd autorun maker become incorporated in later PTE versions?

-With a borderless slide(s), can a facility be added (say a button or key to press) to minimize it in any moment the user needs to work on something that is hidden from view (say desktop icons) while a PTE project is running?

-Are there plans to incorporate an internal "either" swf, avi, anim gif, or midikar player which I think will really, really make a deadly utility of PTE to possess in the field of multimedia? Just asking

[OGL]

Good evening, alrobin!

I know few offers in English, because I educated in two universities ( biological and electronic) many years ago!

>We also sing many Russian hymns...

This is very interesting

Where I can hear Your cantoes in Russian?

Best regards!

OGL

Èãîðü, ïðîñòèòå ÷òî ÿ ïà÷êàþ â ýòîé òåìå íå ïî òåìå!

ß õîðîøèé, ÿ áîëüøå íå áóäó...

Ñ óâàæåíèåì - Îëåã.

[alrobin]

Manny,

Yes, it is possible to retain all past versions of PTE in fully working order in separate folders.

[alrobin]

Oleg,

There's a link to a trip to Romania on my web site, where I have posted one of our songs in mp3 format, recorded on a friend's web-cam. Someday I'll post a slide show from the trip.

[nobeefstu]

mannybr2003

-With a borderless slide(s), can a facility be added (say a button or key to press) to minimize it in any moment the user needs to work on something that is hidden from view (say desktop icons) while a PTE project is running?

Heres a simple suggestion you might want to try :

You can already use your Keyboards - WINKEY (1st key to right of CTRL key). Pressing this key will open your START MENU plus show your TASK BAR. On your TASK BAR will be a Task Button of your running SHOW . You can right click it then to Minimize your SHOW. If you have a SHOW DESKTOP shortcut currently in your task bar ... this clears your whole desktop and minimizes the SHOW. This way you dont need to program any object/buttons ... just use Windows Key functions. Knowing your Keyboard Key functions will do many surprising things for you.

Note: Minimizing a running SHOW does not PAUSE the PLAY

New Note: I forgot to add ... just right click your TASK BAR after pressing WINKEY ... to minimize all windows

[think(box)]

mannybr2003 - you don't have to minimize anything to get to other applications. Try this!:

-With a borderless slide(s), can a facility be added (say a button or key to press) to minimize it in any moment the user needs to work on something that is hidden from view (say desktop icons) while a PTE project is running?

Windows already provides the simple "button or key to press". If the taskbar does not appear when you move the mouse cursor to bottom edge of your screen, use this alternate method of selecting *any* running task without having to minimize:

Hold down the <Alt> key and press the <Tab> key repeatedly until the task you want is highlighted. This is indicated by a square outline box surrounding that task's icon image. For the highlighted task Windows will list the task name as well. Next, release the <Alt> key to select highlighted task. You may return to the (full-screen) P2E show in the same manner.