Hello all

Any word on when v1.1 maybe near release? I am currently ripping all my music into Windows Media Audio (160kb). In my opinon, it is better quality sound (now I opened a can of whoop-ass!) I am eagerly anticipating .wma support soon so I can start enjoying the tunes.....J

Technoweenie
12 GB Blue / Red MK2

can you tell me what program you are using to rip your music to wma

thanks

Hey there....

I originally used the software that came with my RIO portable but I guess that wouldn't help. I recently came into a copy of Music Match Jukebox v5. I am very pleased with the results so far. My copy of the software seems a little buggy but it does a great job of ripping the tracks into .wma and their ID tag feature works well too (if you don't have access to CDDB like me). Hope this helps....John

Technoweenie
12 GB Blue / Red MK2

I've been very bad and haven't yet finalised the logistics of getting 1.1 to the Alpha group. I will make this #1 priority next week. The development team have been given notice to build an Alpha release, so hopefully the code will coincide with the paperwork.

Rob

Is there any (Windows) software that will batch recode a directory structure of MP3s into an equivalent directory structure of WMA files? Preferably converting the MP3 IDv1 or v2 tag into whatever WMA uses too, so that the file info is not lost?

I have a directory structure of 3500+ mostly 192kbit/s MP3s on my desktop computer (that just fit onto my 18GB empeg) that I'd be interested in recoding into WMA at a lower bitrate for use on the empeg. i.e., I'd like to preserve the MP3s as a high-quality original source, and have room for more WMAs on the empeg once 1.1 comes out.

Also, any ideas on the equivalent sweet spot bitate for WMA to 192 for MP3? 128?

I have a directory structure of 3500+ mostly 192kbit/s MP3s on my desktop computer (that just fit onto my 18GB empeg) that I'd be interested in recoding into WMA at a lower bitrate for use on the empeg

I wouldn't take this as absolute guaranteed truth... but I think you would not be happy with WMA files created from MP3 files. You have already given up quite a bit of the original information by going from the original .wav files to MP3. I doubt that you could take these "reduced" files and further shrink them to WMA format and retain any semblance of quality. I'm just guessing, but at the very least I think you would introduce some unpleasant artifacts into the finished product.

A better idea would be to buy a second hard drive and make yourself a 38 GB empeg and keep the high quality MP3s you already have. Even if you made your living flipping hamburgers for minimum wage at McDonalds the time savings alone would pay for the new drive. :-)

tanstaafl.


"There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch"

Hmm.. the reason for ripping all my CDs at 192 in the first place was so that I'd be able to reconvert into a new format at a later time without introducing too many new artifacts. My understanding was that 192 is pretty close to the original source... of course who knows if there are particular artifact problems from MP3->WMA in general because of the different coding schemes used.

I'd agree with you if they were at 128, but does anyone have any knowledge of what would actually happen (i.e. how bad 192 MP3->WMA is vs. WAV->WMA at the same ending bitrate)?

Try this out...

http://www.x-filez.com/wmaencoder.htm

It does batch stuff and keeps ID3 tags. Works pretty sweet, and easy to use. I just tested out some 128kbps mp3 files converted to 64k WMA and i couldn't tell the difference with Sony Studio headphones... so i'd imagine 192 kbps mp3's would do you right. Given you are going from lossy to lossy compression, so i'd guess you are loosing something, but not being up on exactly how the compression works in WMA, i have no definite answer on how much you are loosing. Definately a rough test, you might just want to take some reference files and encode them at a bunch of different rates and see who it sounds.


|| loren.cox
|| 080000446

Just some news...and call me crazy but until I have the tools to do it right, I have decided (much to my chagrin) to re-rip my entire archive into MP3. I have had so much trouble trying to get the sound I want from the tools I have available here in Bosnia that I gave up...I am now ripping my tunes at 192 kb and should have them all done by the time my player arrives. Some of you out there may feel that 192 kb is overkill but I have (in my opinion) a high-end sound system and I don't want to hear any garbage through my speakers with such a capable head unit. When .wma is better supported with the current encoding software and fully implemented into empeg, I will concider my next step....I still think the sound is sweeter from .wma...

Technoweenie
12 GB Blue / Red MK2