Is there a way to prevent a playlist from repeating?

[tempo]

In unattended mode, with the OS minimized, whenever a playlist ends there is a 50% chance that it will repeat automatically. Before it does, the music plays through the list, stops at the end, and the desktop and XXHE interface reappear, as one would expect.

When the interface reappears, sometimes the Stop button is engaged and at other times it is not and the playlist repeats from the beginning. This happens on a completely random basis. Has anyone else had this issue and is there a way to ensure that the playlist will not repeat?

Thanks!
Joseph

[PeterSt]

Hi there Joseph,

For sure this is unexpected behavior;

It is not so that the [ A ] and/or [ B ] buttons at the bottom are engaged ? (they should not)

The only thing I do know is that there's an officialy function that can start the next Playlist from Unattended. But for that one would have to bring up XXHighEnd during playback, select more or different tracks in the Playlist Area and then cross away. Can it be so that you are doing such a thing (some times) ?

Regards,
Peter

[acg]

I don't have the "playlist repeating automatically" problem, but sometimes the "Play" button is still activated after the playlist is finished and XXHE has come back up from unattended.  I just click the "Stop" button even though no music is still playing.

XXHE has been doing this for a couple of years and I have never seen it as a problem in itself even though it usually happens after XXHE fails to play the entire playlist and finishes early, but sometimes it happens after playing the entire playlist as well.

[tempo]

It is not so that the [ A ] and/or [ B ] buttons at the bottom are engaged ? (they should not)

Hi, Peter,

No, they are not engaged.

The only thing I do know is that there's an officialy function that can start the next Playlist from Unattended. But for that one would have to bring up XXHighEnd during playback, select more or different tracks in the Playlist Area and then cross away. Can it be so that you are doing such a thing (some times) ?

No, I always listen to a single playlist from beginning to end and wait for XXHE to come back by itself. Then I clear the playlist and create a new one.

I don't have the "playlist repeating automatically" problem, but sometimes the "Play" button is still activated after the playlist is finished and XXHE has come back up from unattended.  I just click the "Stop" button even though no music is still playing.

That is similar what I am experiencing. At the end of a playlist, sometimes the [ Play ] button is still active and sometimes the [ Stop ] button is active and [ Play ] is off. When the [ Play ] button is active, then the list starts to play again from the beginning.

This is not a major problem, but I am curious to know if I missed something in the instructions that may have caused it.

Cheers,
Joseph

[PeterSt]

I don't have the "playlist repeating automatically" problem, but sometimes the "Play" button is still activated after the playlist is finished and XXHE has come back up from unattended.  I just click the "Stop" button even though no music is still playing.

Interesting, because this kind of explicitly happens when you bring up XXHighEnd yourself before playback really finished. So, could be right in the middle of a song, but can also be when you think the song finished and use Alt-x (etc.). In that case the song is still (silently playing) OR you are in the gap of 2 seconds or so that the Sound Engine waits for a new track "to be handed", and during that period of time too, it officially still plays. Hence the lit Play button.

If this really happens automatically after a Playlist has finished and you do nothing, then something is "strange".
Anthony, does this happen with you too (the Play button being active by itself) ?

Besides, if then *also* playback restarts, something is even more strange BUT I'd say that this is then a complete different situation from what I just described.
IOW I really have no idea ...

Joseph, can it be that you have a relative very slow PC (or heavily underclocked perhaps) ?
(this is all about synchronisation and it could go "off" when things are too slow)

What do you have Q3, Q4 and Q5 at ?

I have the idea that another Processor Appointment Scheme can help ...

Regards,
Peter

[tempo]

Interesting, because this kind of explicitly happens when you bring up XXHighEnd yourself before playback really finished...

This happens when the playlist runs to the end on its own, without interruption, and XXHE comes back as one would normally expect it to. I should mention, again, that it is a random issue that occurs perhaps 50% of the time. It seems to occur more often with long playlists (10 songs, 30-60 minutes) and less often with short playlists (3 songs, 10 minutes or so total length).

If this really happens automatically after a Playlist has finished and you do nothing, then something is "strange".

That is exactly what's happening.

Joseph, can it be that you have a relative very slow PC (or heavily underclocked perhaps) ?

What do you have Q3, Q4 and Q5 at ?

I am using an i7-2600S that runs between 1.6 GHz and 2.8 GHz. There is a separate video card, so the graphics section is not being used.

The actual CPU speed is set in the BIOS to vary automatically with the processing load. However, it can also be set to run at fixed speeds of either 1.6 GHz or 2.8 GHz. I will try setting it to a fixed 2.8 GHz and see if anything changes.

Currently, Q3=0, Q4=1, Q5=2

This still happens with the default settings of Q3=0, Q4=0, Q5=0, but the SQ improved quite a bit with the current settings.

Core Scheme = 3-5

Back to you, Peter!
Joseph

[PeterSt]

Joseph,

I would try Q3,4,5 = 1 (things will be quite differently in there for "control").
And try that other Appointment Scheme (maybe this first) ...

Peter

[tempo]

I would try Q3,4,5 = 1 (things will be quite differently in there for "control").
And try that other Appointment Scheme (maybe this first) ...

Peter,

First, I set the CPU to a constant (native) speed of 2.8 GHz. Out of three playlists, one stopped when XXHE reappeared, but two immediately played again.

Then I changed Q3, 4, and 5 to = 1, as you suggested. On two long playlists, one stopped as it should, but one repeated itself immediately.

In all cases, the OS was minimized, play was unattended, and I waited until XXHE reappeared on its own.

That's as much as I have time for today, but next I'll try different Appointment Schemes and report back in a few days.

Thanks!
Joseph

[PeterSt]

[tempo]

And try that other Appointment Scheme (maybe this first) ...

Peter,

Today I tried every possible Appointment Scheme, but they all repeated the playlists. Core 3-4 had the fewest repeats (25%),as opposed to 3-5 which had 50% repeats. All of the other schemes repeated the playlists even more (up to 100% of the time).

I will just have to live with it and keep trying different combinations whenever I feel like experimenting. Perhaps version 2.06 will have the cure.

Best,
Joseph

[PeterSt]

Hi again Joseph,

Perhaps version 2.06 will have the cure.

But not automatically.

Let's try to deal with this by email from here on ...
(sending one to the address you use for the forum)

Regards,
Peter

[tempo]

On 4/30/2016 6:51 AM, Phasure (Peter) wrote (in a private eMail):
When I saw your settings I got the hunch that it could be this one :
Start Playback during Conversion
which you have active.

Hi, Peter,

Yes, turning off  [Start Playback During Conversion]  cured the repeating playlist problem. I played at least 12 or 15 lists and none of them repeated.

The reason it was engaged is that when I first started using XXHE in Demo mode, the OS could not be minimized and it was taking forever for the music to start. After I bought a license, it never occurred to me that I no longer needed that setting, so I left it on.

Thanks for all of your help!

Cheers,
Joseph

[PeterSt]

Hi Joseph - thank you for the feedback.

So, solved. Good ! (but apparently I need to solve something in the program).

Btw, the "waiting forever" is indeed correct because then it dynamically shuts down everything and that really can take a minute. After that first time, a next goes quicker for the boot session (because not all will restart again because there's no reason for that).
Anyway that indeed is in Normal OS Mode.

Kind regards,
Peter

[tempo]

...the "waiting forever" is indeed correct because then it dynamically shuts down everything and that really can take a minute...

In my case, I began using XXHE with a Windows 7 PC that had an Athlon 64 CPU with a low thermal factor and "forever" was much longer than that. It soon became clear that to hear the benefits of the XXHE program that Forum members were talking about, I would need something more modern, so I did a complete upgrade and rebuild.

Before being introduced to XXHE, the Athlon 64 worked perfectly well as a dedicated server for music playback with a LynxONE soundcard (under XP) and the Windows Media Player. The music always started immediately. So, when XXHE playlists took "forever" to load, I thought something was wrong with the program settings.

With an i7 CPU and Win10, the SQ is so good that I got rid of my CD player. I have a very high-end system for playing LPs and finally have a digital playback system that can match it.

Peter, thanks for your time in solving the one setting issue that eluded me.

All the best,
Joseph

[PeterSt]

Thank you for your kind words, Joseph.

One small addition for clarity :

The wait (longer or shorter) is because of the setting "Stop Remaining Services"; In Normal OS Mode they are shut down one by one and because many are in there, this takes some time. When in MinOS they have been taken out of the system in the first place and only a few remain to be shut down in dynamical fashion.

Happy listening !
Peter