If all is right, this is the last version in the 0.9u sequence;
SQ is appreciated the best so far (by your reports) and all thinkable sample rates and bit depths are being supported now.
The 0.9u versions showed quite some problematics, mainly caused by the more heavy load on the system at track boundaries. The latter by itself being caused by as much pre-processingas possible (e.g. bit depth conversions) in order to offload the system as much as possible during playback itself. For that matter, the current state is that minor "hiccups" may be experienced in rare occasions, or not at all depending on various playback settings.
The following has been applied to this version (all Engine#3, and not tested for the other Engines which might have implications !) :
- Processor Appointment is temporarily set to a most optimized situation during Track Load.
Please note that this is the same application as has been posted in a separate XXEngine3.zip in this post : Re: 0.9u-12 --> Hiccups and Clicks. So, nothing has been changed / approved opposed to that version.
- As it appeared, during UnAttended Playback and bringing up XXHighEnd for pressing Next, this deleted the tracks in the Playlist Area above the track incurred for next Playback.
This was a left over from a before intended situation, and has been made consistent now with the current situation (of all Tracks in the Platlist Area just staying there unaccording the played tracks during UnAttended Playback).
- Similarly using Prev was not allowed at all after bringing up XXHighEnd during UnAttended Playback (in earlier versions no tracks in the Playlist Area could exist above the playing one). This has been made consistent with the current way of working as well.
- A few versions back the "low" Priority for the ThreadPrio (Settings Area) has been excluded from being able to produce sound. However, it was still offered as a choseable option, and when chosen indeed obviously there was no sound.
This option has been reoved now from the Thread Priority.
- It has been found that at the first start of the new 0.9u-14(a) version, some controls like the Volume were disabled;
If all is right this has been solved now, although it could not be tested (because of the development environment which acts differently to this respect).
- As you know, with UnAttended Plyaback, Engine#3 is a loose running train, completely separated from all control by XXHighEnd. This has been created to obtain a SQ which is not dependent from as few as possible, where XXHighEnd would be a SQ influencing matter;
This version improves on conveniency by - at bringing up XXHighEnd - setting the Time Cursor to the position where XXEngine3 currently is playing. This now allows for changing settings like the Volume Slider, followed by pressing Play. Playback obviously commences at the implied position by the Time Cursor.
Note that Playback will commence a few seconds earlier opposed to what you hear before pressing Play, which comprises of the lag between bringing up XXHighEnd, applying the changes, and press Play.
- In the nature of the above, the Time Cursor is now enabled for dragging it after bringing up XXHighEnd. In fact it just is when the UnAttented Checkbox is ticked. All 'n all dragging the cursor to the desired playback position will be appreciated.
- As a most difficult and (for development) time consuming operation, a once loaded Playlist that is subject to conversion (like FLAC, MP3), Anti Aliasing) and which is played UnAttendedly (the conversions being time consuming), is now "cached" for meant conversions. In other words, when - following above new features - XXHighEnd is brought up in order to change settings like Volume or SQ incurring changes, no again time consuming processes take place, and playback will commence almost instantly as were it a native .wav file.
Issue : At this moment this doesn't succeed for the first track to be played. Thus, currently the first track where playback must commence is subjective to conversion always (when applicable).
- When, with UnAttended Playback, playing came to an end, XXHighEnd was brought up automatically. This implied a lot of I/O, hence this lasted for a longer time.
Most of this I/O has been eliminated now.
Although much effort has been put in this version, it is not said that above mentioned features work in all situations as intended. For that matter, testing has become a job undoable;
Since your humble developer will be out for a near three week vacation, no amendments/updates will be uploaded during this time.
Might this version give problems, please revert to 0.9u-14a.
Edit :Firstly, in the above should have been mentioned that when you have the feeling that the "saved" converted tracks (like FLAC, MP3) got mixed up somehow, you can bring up XXHighEnd, Stop playback, and Quit the player. At that moment all will be reset.
Then, it occurred that situations exist that when XXHighEnd is brought up to clear the Playlist Area and load a new album etc., following by Play, playback will commence at the position where the previously running track was, hence not at the beginning as it obviously should;
This can be counter attacked by explicitly pressing Stop first (although it may happen that even that won't work). Dragging the Time Cursor to the very beginning for sure will work.
This is not exactly as intended, and will be solved in the next version.
When first an album has been loaded with e.g. 20 tracks (or anyway the Playlist Area contains e.g. 20 tracks) and Play is performed, while later XXHighEnd is brought up followed by Clear and the load of another album with less tracks opposed to the number before in the Playlist Area, e.g. 12, it will occur to you that after the 12th track has been played, playback continues with the 13th track from the earlier contents of the Playlist Area.
Although the Wallpaper will keep on showing which track is playing, the Playlist Area obviously does not justify for that, and it looks really strange.
Of course this is unattended, and will be solved.
Edit2 :Similar to the 2nd subject mentioned under Edit above, pressing Next (Prev) resumes the next track at the position the before playing track left off. Here too, pressing stop first is the temporary solution, until the next version is around.
As it occurs, the Invert checkbox cannot be ticked anymore. Will be solved in the next version.
