Music playback on M500

[Guest exeweb]

Guys,

Just wondered whether any of you with an M500/Jam/MDA Compact could let me know what sound reproduction is like on this little bad boy?

I was really disappointed with the sound from the C500 but I briefly owned an HP iPaq a while ago and seem to remember that sounding OK. I was considering getting myself a little 512MB MP3 player, but I could be due an upgrade soon and if the M500 will save me doing that, I'd be a very happy boy.

I am a little picky when it comes to audio products though...

[Guest chucky.egg]

TBH i may not be the best person to advise - i only listen on the train, so as long as i can make out the lyrics i'm happy enough.

i thought the C500 was OK, but the M500 sounded better even to me.

I've been using WMP10 and a cheapish retractable set of ear-bud type headphones, with better gear I would think it's pretty good.

Not stumbled across any Bass or Treble controls in WMP10 yet though.

[Guest Palindrome]

I think the biggest factor in sound repoduction when using a windows mobile device is the quality of the headphones. The ones that come with the phones are pretty bad and I'd only use them to listen to audiobooks. I got an adapter and a pretty decent pair of clip-on headphones and the sound vastly improved. With the more powerful devices, like the M500/Jam/MDA Compact you have a much better range of software with features like equalizers and extra bass. I use PocketMusic personally and I'm happy with the sound quality of my setup.

[Guest bretto]

Ive been playing around with this for some time now as an MP3 junky from way back.

Done heaps of testing on different devices, phones, mp3 players, computers, different headphones etc.

Now Im sold on the wma format as opposed to the mp3 format. wma files are about half the size with the same sound quality. At least to my ears and a few muso freinds.

Actually did a test with the help of a singer friend of mine to see what she would pick as the best format. 128 mp3 or 64 wma. She had heaps of trouble telling the difference but always went with the wma.

On the jam using the standard headset the sound is ok. I did a cut and shut on the headset and replaced the ear buds with a phillips over the ear set which made the sound better but that might just be because the new ones are way more comfortable.

I got a 2.5mm -> 3.5mm converter so I can use my sony DJ style headphones.

Also I personally think that tcpmp (aka betaplayer) has better sound than wmplayer10 and it also has an equaliser. When tcpmp add the ability to stop playing if a call comes in it will be the way I go.

Conclusion: Now I can listen to awesome music at half the storage size of mp3 and I would recommend the jam as a music player over any other portable Ive listened to thus far.

[Guest exeweb]

Guys,

Thanks for your advice. I use those strange little Sony headphones that go in your ears and block off your ear canals so you hear nothing except the music but even they didn't make my C500 sound reasonable.

I'll certainly give the M500 a go (if Orange will make it worth my while) and will spend what I was going to spend on an MP3 player on a big memory card. And I'll try using wma files. I had heard from the bods at What Hi Fi that they were better than MP3s and I usually take their word as law...

Thanks again, chaps.

[Guest Disco Stu]

I'm with Bretto on the headphones issue.

There are quite a few options for MP3 players for PPCs. I would recommend the freeware MortPlayer but you might want to check out the 40th Floor guy's creation linked in his sig in this thread :

http://www.modaco.com/index.php?showtopic=...=0entry657085

He talks the talk but I can't say he walks the walk. Certainly the software wouldn't install on my current C550 but he's a PPC user and might be worth a try.

Otherwise, Mortplayer's homepage is here

[Guest 40th Floor]

He talks the talk but I can't say he walks the walk. Certainly the software wouldn't install on my current C550 but he's a PPC user

Oooo! I asked you a couple or three questions but you never replied to those so I wasn't going to bother you any more. But, since I see this I may as well bother you, ay? Like I wrote back then, it's probably that you have/had a full drive.

At first that seemed unlikely, since only a newbie would be stopped by that, but I can't see what else it could be. The install needs about 700 KB to copy to the phone. Anyway, it does work on an smt5600 perfectly, even the demo. That is, if I have the space to install. Turn off your phone, then turn it back on. That should clean out the install location. True enough, it is a Pocket PC app, but it works just fine on a smartphone that is app-unlocked, and have 700 KB available to install (the cab is about 660 KB). Not that it will install on yours, but it does install and work fine here.

I have a sig?

[Guest Disco Stu]

I replied to all your emails, the last of which basically said "Dunno."

There is/was plenty of memory on both my PC and phone to have allowed installation.

I'd like to read confirmation from an independant source that it installed okay on an SMT5600 and was hoping another member here would have followed the same link that you have now removed from your sig.

I also tried to install on an i-Mate Jam but that failed too.

On your website you made a lot of claims / comments in a patronising tone. At the time I was fed up with software developers claiming the universal compatibility of their creations and releasing faulty installers. People - glasshouses - stones. I had my credit card poised for action when I visited the 40th Floor site.

My grumpy mood has lifted though now so perhaps you'd like to consider writing an announcement in our Submit News section and share your media player with the community at large. Believe me, if we can get this to work on Smartphones generally, I'll be singing your praises from the rooftops.

[Guest sainthalo]

Ive been playing around with this for some time now as an MP3 junky from way back.

Done heaps of testing on different devices, phones, mp3 players, computers, different headphones etc.

Now Im sold on the wma format as opposed to the mp3 format. wma files are about half the size with the same sound quality. At least to my ears and a few muso freinds.

Actually did a test with the help of a singer friend of mine to see what she would pick as the best format. 128 mp3 or 64 wma. She had heaps of trouble telling the difference but always went with the wma.

On the jam using the standard headset the sound is ok. I did a cut and shut on the headset and replaced the ear buds with a phillips over the ear set which made the sound better but that might just be because the new ones are way more comfortable.

I got a 2.5mm -> 3.5mm converter so I can use my sony DJ style headphones.

Also I personally think that tcpmp (aka betaplayer) has better sound than wmplayer10 and it also has an equaliser. When tcpmp add the ability to stop playing if a call comes in it will be the way I go.

Conclusion: Now I can listen to awesome music at half the storage size of mp3 and I would recommend the jam as a music player over any other portable Ive listened to thus far.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks for these comments. Any chance of a picture of your modification and some advice to someone who would like to copy it carefully. Which model philips phones did you use and how did you do it - soldering points etc. A picture tells a thousand words! Am busy converting to 64 wma right now!

[Guest bretto]

Thanks for these comments. Any chance of a picture of your modification and some advice to someone who would like to copy it carefully. Which model philips phones did you use and how did you do it - soldering points etc. A picture tells a thousand words! Am busy converting to 64 wma right now!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No problems.

Read this article as it has great pictures and a step by step guide on how to replace your existing headphones. The best part is that your headset is still a headset with mic, sound volume, etc ;)

The soldering is a little tricking and I would recommend a very fine tipped iron and a good set of tweezers. A strong light and a good supply of bourbon also helped me a lot :)

I cant remember what model headphones the phillips ones are but they are the ones with the bass tubes. They were not an expensive set as I didnt want to throw too much cash away on the experiment. But the sound is great.

There are so many headphones out there that you can check out whatever ones will suite you and use them. Im sure any music store would be more than happy to talk hifi with you.

Edited September 2, 2005 by bretto

[Guest mindpath]

No problems.

Read this article as it has great pictures and a step by step guide on how to replace your existing headphones. The best part is that your headset is still a headset with mic, sound volume, etc  :(

The soldering is a little tricking and I would recommend a very fine tipped iron and a good set of tweezers. A strong light and a good supply of bourbon also helped me a lot  :o

I cant remember what model headphones the phillips ones are but they are the ones with the bass tubes. They were not an expensive set as I didnt want to throw too much cash away on the experiment. But the sound is great.

There are so many headphones out there that you can check out whatever ones will suite you and use them. Im sure any music store would be more than happy to talk hifi with you.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hi -- I would seriously recommend buying a 3.5mm solderable female jack which is easier to attach/solder and gives you obvious freedom in future headphones. Drawback is a little bit extra cord/wire from the headset you use. I have done this many times with all my previous phones and now with the imate jam. Actually the jam was the easist because the headphones (which I thought were bad) come apart easily and allow you to take the already 'tinned' soldered wires and resolder them.

[Guest zippy172]

Oooh, do like that Mortplayer :o Nice BIG touch screen buttons that don't need that pesky stylus to operate...Well handy...

[Guest 40th Floor]

And there we go. See, you thought you replied, but all you really did was talk about yourself. You never did answer any question that was important, or even really discuss anything but yourself. Funny that. As best as I can remember, anyway. I do not doubt that you think you did exactly what you say you did, as much as I don't doubt my version.

I replied to all your emails, the last of which basically said "Dunno."

There is/was plenty of memory on both my PC and phone to have allowed installation.

YOu did read the iplay_on_sp.html page, right? I'll be lazy and post it, messed up maybe, here: (In case it's not mentioned below, I don't charge anything extra for this SP version.)

iPlay Client on a Smartphone

The iPlay client can be installed on a Smartphone running SP2003. For example, iPlay plays well on an Audiovox SMT5600. The client was not designed with the smartphone UI limitations in mind but it still plays and sounds better than anything else, so why not use it then, especially if you already have the client for your PPC.

Because of this, using iPlay client on a Smartphone is not supported. If it works, great, if not, there's always your father's Olds, and WMP.

Only basic features are available when run on a Smartphone. There is no file system (FS) on SP. Instead, all files found (mp3, mp4, m4a, ogg, flac) are loaded to the main list (as usual) and from there played. This is the same EXE file that goes on your Pocket PC.

Before installing, I recommend that you first turn your phone off, then back on. The reason is to ensure that you have enough RAM drive space. The installer copies the install bits to the RAM (root) drive. About 700 KB is needed for the initial install. Typically, 1.5 MB is available, though that will vary.

The main list files can be ordered in a half-dozen ways, same as the client, by using the "3 Order by" menu select. The menu, activated by softkey #2, is mainly used to position to a control. For example, "1 Volume" sets focus so that the volume is controlled by the joypad's up/down movement. "2 Tools..." opens the Tools menu (as seen in the picture below). "3 Order" by brings up the menu to select how to order the files. "4 List" sets the focus to the main list, so that the joypad up/down scrolls through the list, and left toggles the sequence number, and pressing in immediately starts play of that file. "5 F/X..." brings up the F/X menu. Select the F/X to adjust. "6 EQ..." selects the EQ (also see 40eqid.txt for precisely setting EQ for particular files automatically). 7, 8, and 9 are previous track, stop, and next track. "0 Exit" stops play and closes the client.

Any album art embedded in the file is displayed automatically. The keypad-1 is used to toggle the art display on and off. Some menu functions also turn off the cover art. Keypad-7, -8, and -9 are alternate ways to do a previous track, stop, and a next track.

The play/pause key is softkey #1. You can also start a play by selecting a name in the main list and pressing in on the joypad.

Since this is not made for Smartphones, many of the features of the client are not available. As mentioned, the FS is not available, nor is it required since all files are already in the main list, and it's very easy to order by artist/album/trk#/title, among others (see 40renamer20.zip for more on that). No FS also means no playlists. Again, see 40renamer20.zip for a naming convention that makes creating and using playlists tedious and unnecessary. The video screen does not blank, but the SP already blanks as soon as it can anyway, so that's not needed. "Check for updates" is also not needed since this is not a regular product release (use your PPC). No network, no tone generators, no clock/alarm, and no built-in help, among other things not available (they are there, but are not easily dealt with using a keypad so I've kept them out of the way).

Even with all those NOs, there is still the full complement of effects, including the very fine, studio-quality reverb, the headphone crossfeed circuit, and the great sounding EQ. VU bar-segment LEDs are there to show blown levels, too. Even the SMT5600 (tzzzz), with it's detuned, 170 MHz OMAP 730 CPU, can handle all the effects going, as should any device that meets the hardware requirements.

In rare cases on a low power SmartPhone, play may stutter when starting particular tunes when nothing was previously playing (it happens on only one of my m4a files, and then only when album art is enabled; very weird). If this happens you can hit any of the controls, for example the joypad, and the stutter immediately stops.

|Upon further review, this does appear to be related to artwork...|

Update: 3-July-2005: The cause of this, and why it happens only on some album art but not all, has been identified and cured in .531. While it can still happen, it won't happen from starting a new file that has a large album cover image embedded, and should not happen any more often than a blue moon.

Here's a rough cut of the control layout. Not shown are the Gain hotkeys: the volume up/down buttons (hold down the volume-up key for another way to do a next track). The regular volume is controlled by the joypad up/down (when it is set to control the volume). The joypad also controls movement in the menus and the main list. Escape sequences are provided to access areas that are not generally necessary when iPlay is run on an SP. The fast-fastfwd and fast-rewind (the pound and star buttons) are active only when the regular fastfwd (the 6 button) is active; they jump about 60 seconds forward and back (available on mp3/aac/m4a/mp4). When going to the background (incoming call, pressing the Home button, etc.) any current play is paused; on return (e.g., using the Back key) press softkey #1 to resume play (when paused, holding down the Gain+ button also resumes instead of its normal action of doing a next track). The menus are gotten to either from the main menu button (softkey #2), from that main menu, or from the escape 3x3 button (press the #3 button 3 times within one second). The x3 esc button has different menus based on the context. For example, when editing EQ presets, x3 brings up the "To Q/CF", "To levels" menu. The joypad is used to move among the controls (up, down, left, and right). The #0 button brings up the quick help picture that you see below.

In practice, this layout is very easy to use.

(the images would be here)

|3 July 2005|

1 June 2005

iPlay C/S

I can't delete the duplicate picture. Kinda ruff deal. Anyway, this is a PPC/PE group sO it that picture set is more like you'd see. It's over a year old though, and it's not quite like that anymore, but mostly the same. Now, finally, this is the end of that.

Edited September 13, 2005 by 40th Floor

[Guest Disco Stu]

Yeah whatever.

:roll:

[Guest bretto]

Yeah whatever.

:roll:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

10...9...8...7.......

[Guest maxwell_hung]

Thanks for the link bretto. Got myself a nice pair of Sony earplugs yesterday and modded them although I did use a female jack to reduce the risk of trashing a £30 brand new pair of plugs.

Works great, sound is a lot better now than the original cans.

On another note, is there any software that will allow me to convert to WMA in bulk? I've tried WM Encoder but I have to do it track by track.

I know WMP will do it from CD but that's not ideal for me.

Thanks

[Guest slav1c]

Thanks for the link bretto. Got myself a nice pair of Sony earplugs yesterday and modded them although I did use a female jack to reduce the risk of trashing a £30 brand new pair of plugs.

Works great, sound is a lot better now than the original cans.

On another note, is there any software that will allow me to convert to WMA in bulk? I've tried WM Encoder but I have to do it track by track.

I know WMP will do it from CD but that's not ideal for me.

Thanks

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Just out of interest why are you using WMA as your format ?

you dont think its better do you :shock:

heh...

[Guest bretto]

Just out of interest why are you using WMA as your format ?

you dont think its better do you  :shock:

heh...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

better than mp3...yep as far as size of file on disk and quality :o

[Guest bretto]

Found some other mp3 payers for pocketpc.

Pocket Music is free and looks pretty good. Can use winamp skins and has an equalizer, etc.

WinamPAQ is also free and very similar.

Dont know if anyone else has seen these or can comment on their experience but thought Id mention them.

Actually PocketMusic is totally brilliant!!! a+

Edited September 17, 2005 by bretto

[Guest Disco Stu]

Pocket Music is good but I settled on the wonderful Mortplayer if only for the big button skins that are available. Thumb control rules on my world 8)

Prior to discovering that though I was very fond of Simple Tunes with its cheeky styling :o

It's 'horses for courses' really since there are so many alternatives. I was truthfully hoping that someone would report success with my 40th Floor buddy's monster creation. Did anyone else try it ?

[Guest bretto]

Just installed the 40th floor software on my Jam and I must say it is an extremely flash piece of software. Doesnt appear to support wma format though :( and I have settled on wma for its file size to sound quality ratio.

Hey 40th floor guy can your software be made to play wma?

Gonna check out mortplayer now since you recommend it :o

[Guest bretto]

DAMN!! the 40th floor software stole my hardware keys! even after I used remote display to close it and checked that it wasnt in the task list. Not cool since I use screenGuard which needs hardware keys to unlock the device.

[Guest maxwell_hung]

Must admit I was sceptical at first about WMA format but having compared a 64kbps wma file to mp3 there is a huge difference. Means I can have more music on my card at once.

Well I can if I can find an app to convert them in bulk from mp3 to wma. Anyone?

[Guest bretto]

Mortplayer looks like its a great app but it too doesnt support wma :cry:

[Guest bretto]

Well I can if I can find an app to convert them in bulk from mp3 to wma. Anyone?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This is your app I think :o

WMA workshop

Its got a batch convertion option so the blurb says.