 
|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
|
|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
207.237.19.47
In Reply to: RE: cMP - the open source high-end Memory Player posted by cics on December 30, 2007 at 05:42:01
I am considering building a cMP system, but am hesitant to do just a dedicated system. Is it possible and advisable to do a dual boot system using XP and Vista (or Windows 7)? Do the bios adjustments or something else make this impossible? If so what mother board and processor would you recommend? Could a mini-itx work? Thanks.
Follow Ups:
I am in the category of a person with only some basic computer knowledge. While I am not afraid to experiment, it sounds to me that, at least for now, it is too daunting a project to try to get cMP2 to work smoothly with JRiver, at least for me. The link below shows my custom scheme in JRiver. If I could not use it now in cMP2 I will have to wait. As you can see, it took a lot of work to set up. I could not navigate my music very well without it.
Lastly, I take it that streaming files to cMP from another computer where I would be running JRiver doesn't work or is not advisable.
You are getting some good advice here - now this compromise occurred to me and you might like to try it:
Use JRiver in Vista without cMP in one partition so you can use wasapi playback, and set up cMP on a separate partition with XP. In the Vista system, you can set up batch files, devised by cics, to run JRiver and shut down explorer at the same time automatically. I was doing this with Winamp before cMP came along, and found that the sound quality was improved, about at the same level as the "XP-mode" of cMP. I've taken the liberty of adapting the .bat files for J River and copying them as text below. You could try this on your current computer first.
1. download process203 from http://www.beyondlogic.org/consulting/processutil/processutil.htm Unzip into your system directory (e.g. C:\)
2. make a new text document in the same directory and copy the first set of instructions (below)into it. Save the file as "MC13.bat"
3. make another new text document on your desktop and copy the second set of instructions into it. Save it as "JRiverMC13.bat"
4. Double-clicking on the "JRiverMC13.bat" file on your desktop runs Media Center and shuts down Explorer - when you close Media Center, the desktop reappears. You can prepare your playlist in advance by opening Media Center normally, drag & drop files, close, and then run the .bat file.
I just used these files on a Vista system and it worked properly. Good luck! Take this as a tiny initiation into the trials of cMP implementation!
Note: the root directory (e.g. C:\) must be correct in the instructions - if your system directory is different, such as E:\ or another letter, then first edit the instructions - all instances of C: would have to change to E:
You should also do as much optimization of the operating system as possible, and in particular:
a. Detune Windows Explorer UI.
Control Panel > Folder Options > View TAB > Uncheck as many items as you can. In Vista I would keep "Hide protected operating system files", "Remember each folders view settings", "Show drive letters", "Use Sharing Wizard"
b. Right-click on Start > Properties > Start Menu TAB > Customize >
Advanced TAB > Uncheck and Disable as many 'Start menu items' as you can do without - keep Run, Control Panel and My Computer, unless you have desktop shortcuts for them.
MC13.bat instructions:
@echo off
rem #1 Start Media Center 13 in RealTime
start /wait /RealTime c:\progra~1\"J River"\"Media Center 13"\"Media Center 13.exe"
rem #2 Resume Windows, Restore affinities & priorities, and Start UI
start /b /wait c:\process.exe -r winlogon.exe
start /b /wait c:\process.exe -r smss.exe
rem start /b /wait c:\process.exe -r hdsp32.exe
start /b /wait c:\process.exe -p smss.exe AboveNormal
start /b /wait c:\process.exe -p winlogon.exe High
start /b /wait c:\process.exe -p system Normal
start /b /wait c:\process.exe -p csrss.exe High
start /b /wait c:\process.exe -p services.exe Normal
start /b /wait c:\process.exe -p svchost.exe Normal
start /b /wait c:\process.exe -p lsass.exe Normal
start /b /wait c:\process.exe -a smss.exe 11
start /b /wait c:\process.exe -a winlogon.exe 11
start /b /wait c:\process.exe -a system 11
start /b /wait c:\process.exe -a csrss.exe 11
start /b /wait c:\process.exe -a services.exe 11
start /b /wait c:\process.exe -a svchost.exe 11
start /b /wait c:\process.exe -a lsass.exe 11
start /b /wait c:\process.exe -a cmd.exe 11
start /b c:\windows\explorer.exe
exit
JRiverMC13.bat instructions:
@echo off
rem #1 Kill UI
start /b /wait c:\process.exe -k explorer.exe
rem #2 Suspend Windows
start /b /wait c:\process.exe -p smss.exe Low
start /b /wait c:\process.exe -p winlogon.exe Low
start /b /wait c:\process.exe -a smss.exe 01
start /b /wait c:\process.exe -a winlogon.exe 01
start /b /wait c:\process.exe -s smss.exe
start /b /wait c:\process.exe -s winlogon.exe
rem start /b /wait c:\process.exe -s hdsp32.exe
rem #3 Start Media Center 13
start /b /wait c:\process.exe -a cmd.exe 01
start /Low /min c:\MC13.bat
rem #4 Adjust priorities, eg. High, RealTime, AboveNormal, BelowNormal, Low;
rem # and Set Affinities
start /b /wait c:\process.exe -p system Normal
start /b /wait c:\process.exe -p csrss.exe Low
start /b /wait c:\process.exe -p services.exe Low
start /b /wait c:\process.exe -p svchost.exe Low
start /b /wait c:\process.exe -p lsass.exe Low
start /b /wait c:\process.exe -a system 10
start /b /wait c:\process.exe -a csrss.exe 11
start /b /wait c:\process.exe -a services.exe 10
start /b /wait c:\process.exe -a svchost.exe 01
start /b /wait c:\process.exe -a lsass.exe 01
start /b /wait c:\process.exe -a Media Center 13.exe 11
rem #5 Start Task Manager (remove ‘rem ’ prefix of next 2 lines) or Process Explorer
rem start /b c:\WINDOWS\system32\taskmgr.exe
rem start /b /wait c:\process.exe -p taskmgr.exe Normal
rem start /b c:\progra~1\proces~1\procexp.exe /p:n
exit
You don't have to do it 100%.
Hell, I am raving about the improvements and don't even have the granite psus in yet (they should be here today).
I would do as much as you are comfy with and then maybe a bit more. If you HAVE to use Jriver then do so.
It might not be a full implementation as in my case with the hardware i am running, but the whole point is to get the most out of what you have. That is what I did and well man it is a whole different system.
cMP² is not an all or nothing proposition. In fact you can do all the hw, BIOS and windows changes without running cMP or cPlay. Nor do you need to have the exact same hw specs (dawnrazor uses completely different hw).
From the screen you've provided, you have some nasties:
- McCafee Virus protection
- Windows Messenger
- Hires Video settings
This is just the few things I can see. Your Lynx card is capable of delivering more. I suggest doing some of the Windows optimisations as per the documentation and test.
My Vista partition is also a cMP setup, but mainly it's a slave to the other 2 XP partitions where I do my listening. Occasionally I check up on XXHE and wasapi players, but they lag behind. I wonder if you plan very heavy use of the non-cMP Vista system, and whether heat would become a problem, necessitating fans? If you do try it, it will be a test of the robustness of the BIOS saving/reloading functions of the motherboard - I use it a bit, but nothing like the way you would have to.
P.S. If you decide to try it, install XP first, then Vista. The other way around is a minor nightmare, requiring reconstruction of boot records.
I thought a dual boot would allow me to stay connected with advancements in Vista/Windows 7, like wasapi. Also if I understand cMP correctly I am stuck with a very simple interface. Since I am a classical fan with a large file library, JRiver is the only GUI I find acceptable. As far as I can tell cics does not recommend streaming to cMP from a computer with another interface. If that's correct I may have to skip it. Am I wrong about this?
I tried my JRiver trial on a fresh install, and I get another 30 days!
Bad news: multiple-file cuesheets don't work properly. Single file (CDImage) are fine. This seemed familiar, so I looked in my notes, and found that I had recorded the same thing when I last tried JRiver. I'm not expert with JRiver, so maybe someone else can pitch in if there's a plugin or a workaround. Since cMP depends on cuesheets, you would have to decide whether this is a limitation for you. Deal-breaker for me!
Ryelands has given good arguments for giving cMP a try. JRiver works fine, and its wasapi playback is one of the best - I found it slightly too lush for my taste and let the trial period end. Using it in cMP, you are looking at the JRiver GUI. If you want to open tags in JRiver, within cMP, I believe you can. Or tell us, what features you find absolutely necessary.
I kill cicsremote.exe when using non-cPlay players, and then have fairly good functionality. For memory playback you need to load music from the cMP library, not from within JRiver.
Setting up Vista cMP is a bit different - I posted some details a while ago, and if you decide to go ahead let me know and I'll try to find the link.
Mini-ITX would definitely work (I have one) but BIOS options are very limited. Rather go with the recommended Gigabyte mobo (GA-G31M-S2C).
Seger runs a dual boot setup with Vista (and would also work with 7). If you plan to run a normal system and cMP, it would require manually setting BIOS between boots which is never a good idea.
Cics, part of my goal is to continue to use the JRiver interface. As I said above, if I understand cMP correctly I am stuck with a very simple interface. Since I am a classical fan with a large file library, JRiver is the only GUI I find acceptable. As far as I can tell you do not recommend streaming to cMP from another computer with another interface either wirelessly or via an Ethernet connection. Is that right? I did see an earlier post in which you said, in response to my question, that JRiver can be used, but I later read a post(by Dawnrazor?) that said cMP must use the cPlay interface and JRiver would only be used as a player. Am I confused? If I can use JRiver without cPlay, do I lose a lot of the benefit of cMP?
Edits: 03/31/09
DBB wrote:
Since I am a classical fan with a large file library, JRiver is the only GUI I find acceptable.
I can't comment on the JRiver GUI but I can assure you that cPlay can be made to work pretty well with the largest of classical libraries and all the folders and sub-folders that these entail.
On my cMP2 box, I have music nested up to six folders deep on a three-disk JBOD array.
When an album has finished playing, you "quit" cPlay to select the next (equivalent to File > Open in a conventional player), highlight the album just played, click "Remove" then "Add", navigate to your next album and select it. Click "Select" and click again on the title and you're away.
Compared to, say, Foobar, it's two or maybe three extra clicks per selected album which, if each album lasts about an hour, is scarcely onerous and well worth tolerating given the superior SQ.
The chief snags with cPlay's GUI used to be:
a) the need to create cue sheets but this has been elegantly overcome with aljordan's "Recursive Cuesheet Creator" which now (as of this morning) works a treat with very large libraries;
b) the lack of a playlist facility. As I do not use playlists, this doesn't bother me but I seem to recall an inmate posting a method of creating them;
c) its ability to work with only one (small) display size. This is slightly irritating but will (hopefully . . .) change in the future.
In short, I think cPlay's GUI is quite a lot better than it's sometimes made out to be even though it was designed for different listening habits to mine (and, I suspect, yours).
So, while there's nothing to stop you using JRiver in a cMP box, by the same token having a large classical library does not stop you giving cPlay a shot either, especially as changing from one to the other is no big deal.
Hope that helps,
Dave
My scheme for classical uses more tags than most (or all?) players have except JRiver. Work, performing artists, composers etc. Some are custom. "artist" and "album" tags are not that useful to me. After months of tinkering, I have JRiver set up just the way I want it. I can't see switching at this point. Do you know if it works to use only JRiver with cMP? Hf so, how much do I give up by not using cPlay?
DBB wrote:I can't see switching at this point. Do you know if it works to use only JRiver with cMP? If so, how much do I give up by not using cPlay?
If you install cMP, you will see in its program folder a file called cicsMemoryPlayer.pth. If you edit the second line of that file to point to the .exe of your chosen player, then cMP should launch it in preference to cPlay. That's all you need to do though, of course, there is always more on the ground than on the map. (It is known to work for Foobar.)
It is not necessary to perform all, or even any, of the optimisations recommended for a full cMP2 system to test whether cMP will drive your JRiver player.
Why not just install cMP into a computer on which you have JRiver installed, edit the *.pth file and try it? If it works (as I'm pretty sure it will), go on to perform as many or as few of the recommended optimisations as you wish.
JRiver is held in high regard by many and it would be rash to say if it will sound better than, poorer than or merely different to cPlay without a comparative trial. Give it a whirl.
The points I was trying to make were that a large classical library is not, in and of itself, an impediment to using cPlay (as implied) and that if all you want to do is to pick an album and, well, play it, it's fine.
If, for whatever reason, you use extensive bespoke tagging, I accept that that's a different matter.
Looking forward to hearing how you get on,
Dave
Edits: 03/31/09
cics wrote:
If you plan to run a normal system and cMP, it would require manually setting BIOS between boots which is never a good idea.
True, but given the Gigabyte motherboard's useful ability to store and quickly load different BIOS configurations, it would be viable at least as a trial if the longer-term intent was to acquire a dedicated machine.
Of course, you would need to remember to go into the BIOS every time you reset to change "mode". The system would also be sub-optimal for cMP2 with more memory than it needs and so on - but it would IMHO be better than not doing it at all.
Dave
Post a Followup:
| FAQ |
Post a Message! |
Forgot Password? |
|
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
Top of Page ]
[ Contact Us ]
[ Support/Wish List ]
[ Copyright © 2025, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
