[bangraman]

A Geek Feature is something that's pretty much useless as far as the real-world application of the feature goes, but is implemented for the sake of it to say that the device in question can do it. FLAC support is FLAC support... it either works or it doesn't, although it would be something of a Geek Feature if for example the player could only play FLAC files after internally re-encoding it, taking ten minutes per track and resampling it to 22khz

 

[450]

If only some of it would trickle down to the iMP's...namely the 450...


Anyway, the update looks good!

 

[wanderman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bangraman wanderman, yes I've seen the video playback. I'm posting based on that. I have a question for you. Taking a standard MPEG-2 rip of a DVD... let's say a typical movie (120mins?), tell us how long it takes on your PC, from start to finish, to get it into a format suitable for loading onto the H320. Then halcyon et al can decide whether it's a geek feature or not.

Dvd decrypter rips the dvd in about 2mins max. It obviously take longer if it is scratched. Using the iriver user created app iriverter the vob dvd files are converted and it took me aobut around 18.5 mins to convert them and this is on a celeron 2.4 laptop with 512mb ram and running proccess while this works in the background. If they are already avi files it take next to no time.

edit: Both video playback and flac are both geek features. But the majority of dap users don't care about flac or audio fedlitly it is converting those mp3 files to 128 acc/mp3/wma and sticking them on the player. My friend made fun of me when I told him I had a archive in flac. He didn't even no what flac stood for. I bet you everyone knows and can see video. Do you know how entertaining it is to watch family guy during calculus.

edit2: THe majority of vhs tapes have 250 line resolutions are drawn at 12 f and most cartoons 12fps

I need to read all the thread

 

[Richteralan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by necropimp not too interested in FLAC (or other lossless format) support... not enough HD space for me to really feel comfortable with it... but what i would love to see is musepack support...

indeed.
my iaudio has flac+ogg+wav
it will be top notch if they add musepack support.

 

[bangraman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wanderman Dvd decrypter rips the dvd in about 2mins max. It obviously take longer if it is scratched. Using the iriver user created app iriverter the vob dvd files are converted and it took me aobut around 18.5 mins to convert them and this is on a celeron 2.4 laptop with 512mb ram and running proccess while this works in the background. If they are already avi files it take next to no time.

You'll have to post us a picture of your liquid nitrogen cooled overclocked rig some time

 

[halcyon]

First of all, thanks for the original poster for the heads up. Truly appreciated. It's not your fault that iRiver engineers don't get it

Good point wanderman.

I could argue about the resolution of normal quality vhs tapes (250+ lines) and the amount of work one has to do in order to transfer files to a format that is displayable by H3x0 (without losing a lot of space for unneccessary data it can't display), but I digress...

I guess it boils down to what I think is important.

I think there is a significantly bigger market for lossless audio formats on a player that is sold/advertised/bought mainly as an audio player and which has capabilities designed for it.

Now, of course, I could also look movies in ASCII on a Fossil watch, but to me that is more of a sign of masochism than actual attempt to enjoy/respect the movies in question.

Hence my stance.

But I do of course understand that if one already has an iRiver H3x0 series and one happens to have lots of old 15fps animation in proper format for 160x120 viewing, then perhaps this is a blessing.

But comparing this to amount of people using FLAC alone (not to mention all other lossless audio formats) on their computers / DAP, I think you understand why I feel it's a novelty

Had this been a message about Toshiba Gigabeat with it's lustrous QVGA screen I would perhaps been of slightly different opinion, but even then I would have preferred FLAC support

friendly regards,
Halcyon

PS Yes, I have iRive H340 myself. And no, I'm not even going to try the video playback, as I know what it is like (been to digital video since '90 so have seen & done a lot of 160x120/10fps video in my life

 

[gloco]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjcha Heh, you're talking to someone who's got a spare (new in box) iHP140 sitting in his closet - just in case. These things are so darn convienent as transports... Best, -Jason

Bingo! It's a damn shame that companies have a tendency to remove the good things and build basic mp3 players (with useless additions) as time passes.

 

[curtain]

The WAV playback on the firmware returns the musical density I was missing on my favourite tracks encoded in oggs.
I will keep most of my oggs, they do the job for the tracks that can live with it.

I question DAPs marketed as lossless will take off at all though.

1. They need to be fed with restricted fee-based internet/personal CD libraries versus Mp3 - a free, enormous and insanely distributable format.

and 2. By the time HD's get big enough to store all your personal lossless music the "extra" musical features will and are leaving lossless by the wayside.

You guys mention WAV as it's already checkbox feature, FLAC is only slightly less so.

They aren't marketing it because multi-functionality on a portable device is what sells - photo/camera/video/radio/microphone..you name it and then phone and internet. Once convergence happens we will no longer be required to carry more than one gadget, we download /upload what we want, when we want.

Look out for I-"Can Be Anything You Bloody Well Want"-Pod coming to a theatre near you.

 

[halcyon]

curtain ,

I've been waiting for gadgets like that before anybody could spell convergence, telecome still meant the old land line and head-fi didn't exists.

The products still aren't here and there's a good reason for it. It's called profits.

Good luck in waiting for the ultimate in convergence.

I'd be happy just to get a DAP audio player that is developed like a DAP audio player and not like a one-legged video player that limps along, just because everybody else is coming out with a video player...

Marketing guys should be shot

And tortured after that

cheers,
halcyon

PS I guess I could point this all out to iRiver and not to readers of this forum

 

[wanderman]

until I can record to flac. It is a novelty feature in my mind. It is desgined for archiving and I use it for archiving. PLaying flac on a portable device drains battery life and significantly limits the storage capcity. Wav is the only lossless recording format for daps. Flac is pretty much useless when one can't a-b the difference between a maxed mp3 or any lossless codec. What benefits does flac have other then the fact that it is lossless.

 

[Vashin]

Using the same method as wanderman, from DVD to h300 specs, it took around the same time.

 

[Big D]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wanderman until I can record to flac. It is a novelty feature in my mind. It is desgined for archiving and I use it for archiving. PLaying flac on a portable device drains battery life and significantly limits the storage capcity. Wav is the only lossless recording format for daps. Flac is pretty much useless when one can't a-b the difference between a maxed mp3 or any lossless codec. What benefits does flac have other then the fact that it is lossless.

My understanding is that FLAC uses even less processor power to decode than mp3. I can A->B the difference between LAME --alt-fast-extreme and FLAC and also 320CBR mp3. There are usually certain passages in music which are too complex and lead to compressed music clipping.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bangraman wanderman, yes I've seen the video playback. I'm posting based on that. I have a question for you. Taking a standard MPEG-2 rip of a DVD... let's say a typical movie (120mins?), tell us how long it takes on your PC, from start to finish, to get it into a format suitable for loading onto the H320. Then halcyon et al can decide whether it's a geek feature or not.

What was the video bitrate and frame rate quality that you saw? Your statement is like saying "I listened to mp3 and it was awful", without quantifying the bitrate and source. DVDs can be encoded in just under real time using iRiverter. This means a 90 minute film takes about 75 minutes to encode. The program is simple to use and you just select the device you use, the video and audio bitrates. It even splits the file as necessary and allows conversion of wide to full screen using pan & scan.

There are so few options even an iTunes user could manage it.

 

[curtain]

Now I can watch the music video of my mp3, who would have thought?

Iriverter is a great little program, its made my DAP versatile.

Its fun to see Darth beat up Luke and I can watch cartoons on my way home.

Very enjoyable feature.

 

[wanderman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big D My understanding is that FLAC uses even less processor power to decode than mp3. I can A->B the difference between LAME --alt-fast-extreme and FLAC and also 320CBR mp3. There are usually certain passages in music which are too complex and lead to compressed music clipping.

Fast presets aren't as tuned as their not fast standrads and flac files are larger so the harddrive has to spin more so it dosent matter if it uses less processor power. If you can't stick the thing in the buffer. The fact is it is clear that it uses less processor power because it is less compressesed.

I guess I messed up my encoding thing maybe I am thinking avi files. I am going to have to rip another dvd to make sure my memory isn't failing me.

But seriously my system pwn all. lol. I need to figure out how to water cool a laptop. Maybe I can get some plastic wrap and an a block of ice.

 

[zaguar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Curtain They need to be fed with restricted fee-based internet/personal CD libraries versus Mp3 - a free, enormous and insanely distributable format.

Actually, Mp3 is not free for iriver, and flac is. Fraunhoffer (sp?) liscense the mp3 tech, and it costs like $2 per device IIRC. Flac is all good, but mpc or monkeys would be even better.

What do you mean with Quote:

They need to be fed with restricted fee-based internet/personal CD libraries

I have 10gbs of FLAC on my comp, all from CD's. I also have a couple of GB's of mp3's on my comp, from cd's. Whats your point?