Re: Version 0.9y-1 feedback

[Calibrator]

Russ, if you can copy this behaviour, it would be the most helpful if you could try 0.9y again. If you switch On the OSD Running Time it just works (that must be how Johan got the old version working). Don't show Coverart will let it work too I guess (might be needed for Attended).

I have the HTPC running the 0.9y-a version , and just played a 24/96 album of Zoot Sims & Al Cohn, in unattended mode.

I unticked all the CoverArt boxes and have ticks in all the Services and OSD boxes, together with unticked Start Engine3 during conversion.
Needless to say no coverart appeared but it did start.

It has just played the complete album from start to finish, however, a few times throughout, maybe 3 or 4 , there was a brief pause in sound .. something around 1/4 to 1/2 second at a guess.

I shall continue testing.

Russ

[JohanZ]

After starting XX and selecting the last track of a album in unattended mode, then every new album starts with that first track.Closing and starting XX then all plays OK! Same behaviour in attended mode.

[Calibrator]

Next album: Ahmad Jamal ~ It's Magic.

Same settings as above, though this time I put a tick in show wallpaper.

When the GUI disappeared the coverart appeared but NO sound forthcoming. I let it sit like that for a minute or so, then ALT-X to get GUI back and the slider progress bar had advanced to halfway thru the track, which suggests Engine3 is doing something at least. I closed the GUI without doing anything else and after what i thought should have been enough time for the first track to complete, brought up the GUI again. The progress slider was now at the start but track one on the playlist was still highlighted in blue.

Time for some logging Peter ??

Russ

[AUDIODIDAKT]

Roy, can it be so that when you expect things to play, XXEngine3.exe is running indeed with just very low memory ? (check TaskManager);
This is what I saw myself yesterday at the attempt I reverted (and just talked about). If so, I'll have a small clue to start with ...

Did a clean install of xx
Nop, XXEngine3.exe is not running,
And when pressing play it takes about 10-12 sec to see the unicode file in the xx folder
also coverart appears very slow (in the right black field of xx)

[Calibrator]

Next album: Ahmad Jamal ~ It's Magic.

Same settings as above, though this time I put a tick in show wallpaper.

When the GUI disappeared the coverart appeared but NO sound forthcoming. I let it sit like that for a minute or so, then ALT-X to get GUI back and the slider progress bar had advanced to halfway thru the track, which suggests Engine3 is doing something at least. I closed the GUI without doing anything else and after what i thought should have been enough time for the first track to complete, brought up the GUI again. The progress slider was now at the start but track one on the playlist was still highlighted in blue.

Time for some logging Peter ??

Russ

Still seems a bit of hit and miss getting the Ahmad Jamal tracks to start. Stopping and starting XXHE and requesting , say track 3, might be successful. Another attempt might be greeted with silence.

I think there needs to be some structured testing to all of this.

Peter ??? Let us know what you want done specifically ( ie. which boxes to tick and which not ) if that helps.

Russ

[PeterSt]

After starting XX and selecting the last track of a album in unattended mode, then every new album starts with that first track.Closing and starting XX then all plays OK! Same behaviour in attended mode.

Hey Johan, for you too, much appreciated.

I assume you are using the Copy to XX-Drive setting, right ? if so, that was to be expected (not intended of course, but I knew). If not ... then I don't understand, so far.

[PeterSt]

Russ, I have no clues. One thing though slips my mind :
For 0.9y(a) I yesterday found a bug that indeed won't let start XXEngine3 when a Selection is played (highlight the tracks wanted in the Playlist Area) in the situation that "Start Engine3 during conversion" is unticked. This is solved for 0.9y-1 but maybe not good ?

Anyway, all my own testing has always been with that checkbox ticked, so maybe if you all have it unticked - the problem lays there somewhere. So, to exclude that as a potential problem, please have that box ticked.

then ALT-X to get GUI back and the slider progress bar had advanced to halfway thru the track, which suggests Engine3 is doing something at least

It only tells that Engine3 at least started (and not that it played through the track). Btw, this would be contradictionary to what I just said, because then XXEngine won't start at all (which would be more compliant to what Roy experiences).


Allright, a long shot which would explain everything in one go :

I am using Vista SP1, which might be important here. Roy is using W7 (thus, different);
Maybe two weeks ago I found a bug in Vista (could be SP1 only) regarding the priorities of threads (a thread is a process started from another process and it runs in parallel to the process which started it). The bug in brief explained : if the thread's priority is changed, the priority of the calling process went along with it. This is only half of the truth, because the priority of the calling process just went idle. This can not be seen in TaskManager, but the program can capture it. Uhhm worse, the capturing of this already was in the program, because I use it to determine statuses. Now :

Summarized, this calling process is the audio engine itself, and that is the one receiving the idle status. This will not say it won't move anymore, but I use that to "know" other things can be done ect., and "worse" I stop the processing explicitly in the audio engine (think of : "you say you do nothing, allright, then I make you do some other stuff in between").

As said, at finding this I could tweak it, but this tweaking may a. anticipate too much on situations I found myself by accident (think of pressing alt-u coincidentally when a track was about to change), b. appeared not to be of the most importance because it actually goes unnoticed ... until you change the color of the OSD in some stage and *then* you say "this can't be right" (like it turns green and stays like that forever (see Release Notes), BUT c. ... the fact that it goes unnoticed is very much depending on the system, further load *and* the priority settings themselves.

I use idle (or lowest) for PlayerPrio and real time for ThreadPrio, and I see Roy using a kind of opposite (and counterproductive, but that is his choice).

Since this is a bug in the OS, it is very dangerous to work with. The bug may be in all OS versions, it may be worse in W7, or ... (and I expect something like that really) it is the higher intelligence of Bill Gates and a functional mechanism to arrange for thread switching at appropriate times. On this matter, the fact that Roy has High for PlayerPrio, might incur *earlier* for other threads to go idle. And keep in mind : this won't harm much if you can't hear it anyway (no dropouts, whatever), but I use the state ... (your'e idle, go somewhere else) and *that* means death.

As I said, it is a long shot, but would be an explanation for things I just can't explain otherwise at this time. For 0.9y-1 yes, anything can happen because it really requires more testing with the changes I put through yesterday, although the things not working for Roy just should because I tested at least that, but the 0.9ya things ... they are beyond me.


Anyway, in this stage it sure can't harm to provide log files where possible. Btw, if it is indeed about my long shot, the log files will not help particularly much. It is in the coding though (especially for this), but inactive (because it is in the middle of the audio engine). So if necessary I can make a version which has that active (not to use for listening).

Lastly, for those who want to help, explicitly or implicitly, please do NOT use 0.9y-1 because that version is expected to s*ck anyway, and it can't/won't stay. Only with 0.9ya (attached a few posts back) I can judge well. Please read the instructions in that post on how to operate it, and additionally switch "Start Engine3 during conversion" On.
(http://www.phasure.com/index.php?topic=872.msg6764#msg6764)

[AUDIODIDAKT]

Just installed 0.9ya,

same problem (won't start)
But maybe I keep out of the way for now,
because using W7.

[Calibrator]

Anyway, in this stage it sure can't harm to provide log files where possible.

I shall continue my quest in the morning. Have been up since 5am this morning and my eyes are hanging out of my head.

 

Russ

[PeterSt]

The stupid thing is ... I don't even know what to do on my side ...

And Roy, thank you too. Btw, I never said you should stop because you're on W7, because that should work just the same. BUT WHY DOES IT NOT ??
It may sound (oops) strange, but the most decent part should be the "filtering", or IOW, tick Quattro, Upsample and AA (not Double !! there's no code behind that yet). With 0.9ya that is. Not 0.9y-1.


For others ... I don't hear much from you, but is there anyone *without* problems ? ... this is as important to know !

Thank you all,
Peter

[AUDIODIDAKT]

Did as you asked,

But again nothing,

But there are now 3 files in xx folder nl. UnicodeTrack0001.wav, UnicodeTrack0001a.wav and HelperFile0001.wav.
Is this normal (never used this combo)?

Still enjoying previous version:

I was listening music for a while and thought something was wrong with it.
And checked.
And yes, processor core scheme was on "no appointment"
(on 0.9x-7 version, that is)

Is there anyone else, that can check on W7, Please! or Vista, to help Peter to help us!

Still have to do a new install of W7, because it was installed on corrupted RAM.
Hardware and BIOS settings are now 100%.(Yes I found the culpit)
Did hard labour and stressing for a week.

Don't have any problems, but just to be sure

[PeterSt]

Hey Roy. Thanks.

Ok, Below there's a 0.9y-1a, containing XXHighend.exe only. Please install this over either 0.9y-1 or 0.9ya. This is the latest version again, but some 50 log lines have been added around the area where it stops for you. If possible use the same settings as the last time, although it is not crucial. Grab the log file in the same situation/status as the previous one. Do you want to do this ?

I'm sure something will come from it ...
But what.

[AUDIODIDAKT]

Again Nothing,

But no logs either

[PeterSt]

No, nothing will change for results. Just new log lines ... after you switched that on (it's default off )

[AUDIODIDAKT]

Yes,

Got it.

2 logs same settings same cd - different xxhighend.exe

So forget previous logs in this matter.