TMediaPlayer, MP3 and Codecs
GB Blanchard
understanding of the .mp3 world is that there are various codecs which
enable the reproduction of certain files.
What I want to do is use .mp3 files of recorded speech instead of the
wav files I'm now using. Since I will only be using my own files and
won't have to worry about playing .mp3 files from different sources,
can I supply a codec so that it will work on all computers? Is it even
necessary to do so?
As you can see, these are newbie questions - just trying to get my
toes wet before I dive in.
--
Brad Blanchard
http://www.braser.com
Email accepted from the website
alang...@aol.com
description of "Fraunhofer IIS MPEG Layer-3 Codec (advanced)" is
included in a standard XP OS. If you want higher than that I believe
one has to get a licence from Frauenhofer for a reputed big bucks.
OTOH I have seen an MP3 codec in file I3codecp.exe (initial letter
India for I) on the internet which goes higher (to 112 Kbits/sec).
Whether this is a pirated codec or a "good enough" hack I don't know.
I would have thought 56Kb/s would be good enough for speech. I have
writtem programs using GSM for speech quite satisfactorily using
MediaPlayer for playback and waveIn???() for recording with playback.
Works very well at 11.025KHz 16 bit sampling rate and gives about 2239
bytes/sec for the GSM files. But that's only mono - GSM does not do
stereo. Again the GSM codec comes standard with the OS (Win 95, 98 &
XP).
Alan Lloyd
GB Blanchard
> description of "Fraunhofer IIS MPEG Layer-3 Codec (advanced)" is
{...}
> I would have thought 56Kb/s would be good enough for speech.
Those are the two bits of knowledge I needed to go ahead and plunge in.
In short, most if not all people using XP will be able to play such
files. Thanks ever so much again, Alan.
Nicholas Sherlock
> I've just learned that MediaPlayer can play .mp3 files. My very feeble
> understanding of the .mp3 world is that there are various codecs which
> enable the reproduction of certain files.
Very limited control and it requires a codec to be installed (which it
isn't on all operating systems), I'd go for BASS:
Or FMOD:
Cheers,
Nicholas Sherlock
alang...@aol.com
are install but I have a small app which displays the ACM (Audio
Compression Manager) PCM converter and all installed codecs together
with details of every format handled. I'll send it to you if you email
me.
You may also find that TMediaPlayer is somewhat limited in its
capability and decide to use waveOut???() & waveIn???() functions. The
WaveFormatExEx record for MP3 you will then need is not easily
available but I have a copy if you need it.
Alan Lloyd
GB Blanchard
> Very limited control and it requires a codec to be installed (which it
> isn't on all operating systems), I'd go for BASS:
Is there a way to install the codec without using the component? The
reason I ask (and I'm open to suggestions) is that I can normalize the
volume and control the general quality of the original .wav files by
using, for example, GoldWave. So the only step left would be to convert
them to .mp3. This is only for spoken words and short sentences, nothing
more.
Thanks for the tip about Bass. It appears to be a very complete
component. I haven't looked at fmod yet.
GB Blanchard
> are install but I have a small app which displays the ACM (Audio
> Compression Manager) PCM converter and all installed codecs together
> with details of every format handled. I'll send it to you if you email
> me.
Thank you for the kind offer, but I think that all I need is either to
find out - without doing massive beta-testing - is if most Windows users
have a codec already installed which will allow them to hear .mp3 files
run through MediPlayer, and if not, to supply one in the program.
Nicholas may have solved the second scenario, although the Bass component
may be overkill for what I want to do.
> You may also find that TMediaPlayer is somewhat limited in its
> capability and decide to use waveOut???() & waveIn???() functions. The
> WaveFormatExEx record for MP3 you will then need is not easily
> available but I have a copy if you need it.
In this particular program, the user is trying to mimic the native
speaker (that's the .mp3 file) and the recording is only held in memory
so that they can listen on the spot - they have no need of saving the
file. Therefore, if I can get the .mp3 playing side working, I'll
continue using the .wavin .wavout functions I already have for the
recording part. I'm just looking at MediaPlayer as an easy way to play
the files. But once again, thank you for offer.