File Source (async.) Output Media Player Classic
Janne Evers
Example with AME: When I open the program, the UI displays, but soon after I navigate to a location where a video file is present and it start the preview, it crashes. If I add the file in the queue before the crash and click on the file format to edit the export setting, the preview panel shows "preview" with a black background and crashes soon after.
Instead of shortening your video, try rendering it wil less bitrate or convert it to something else that .mp4 (use vlc).
are you having this issue with just one specific file? if so, the file might be corrupted: Media player will play it but hangs on the corrupted part, premiere will just crash.
Most of the source files I work with are MP4 and I tried with multiple source files and the result is the same. Tried downloading a random 3 minutes 25Mb YouTube video 720p source file and I have the same issue, unable to display any preview in the render configuration window, can't event start the rendering. Cleaned the media cache as well with no avail.
Guys, I didn't want to pollute Elberoth's thread with my thoughts as they are not so much about the gear as the differences in approach between the two camps. I appreciate that some of this won't sit well with some of the regulars here, but such is life.
If I can make an observation on the Elberoth thread - -dac-digital-analog-conversion/state-art-cd-transports-vs-universal-serial-bus-industry-standard-cables-connectors-and-communications-protocols-between-computers-and-electronic-devices-spdif-converter-shootout-15193/ - it's that the discussion quickly devolved into varying opinions re the BADA vs other USB-SPDIF converters - the core issue of whether a CD transport offers any advantages over the latter seemed to vanish. i'm hopeful that we can keep this discussion on track.
The motivation for my own experiments came from a poster on Head-Fi - he trotted out the old 'even a basic CD transport into your Hugo will sound better than any computer'. Armed with nothing more than a few recent CD purchases and their EAC-ripped copies, I set out to determine if I could hear a difference between the CD transport into various DACs and from my laptop source.
(Please note that I haven't mentioned the ability to upsample to hi-res/DSD - I felt that would only drag us away from a discussion of 'rebook vs rebook' playback. I know folk here are passionate about JRMC's capabilities, but I'm hopeful that we can restrict this discussion to redbook playback and the practical issues around CD playback)
In the previously mentioned listening session mentioned in the other thread, David L used a laptop that was better than average, and ran it off battery. Despite running it off battery, it sounded markedly superior with the Corsair Voyager first plugged into the external +5V Linear PSU, than it did plugged in directly. In fact, it then sounded better than the Corsair +5V Linear PSU, Oppo 105D , coax SPDIF Out route, which was a surprise to all, as Laptops rarely match a well optimised Desktop PC for SQ, let alone a better than average "transport". We also used an external non USB powered HDD which had a large amount of music stored. This HDD also sounded better when it was plugged into the external +5V Linear PSU with it's modified USB cable with the +5V wire not connected. We all agreed that it seemed highly likely that there would be a further improvement if the external HDD had used a quiet linear PSU instead.
How a Digital Audio file sounds, or a Digital Video file looks, is governed to a large extent by the Power Supply area. All that Identical Checksums gives is the possibility of REGENERATING the file to close to that of the original file.
I have no problem with any of that, but the question I asked myself was 'is basic playback from my laptop good enough that I can now IGNORE the CD transport question ?' and the answer was a definite yes. Tweakers like yourself will always want to push the envelope - fine - but my question was not 'is my laptop the best possible computer platform it could be ?'. I'm not here to debate desktop vs laptop - Gordon Rankin made that mistake here and I don't think he has been back since that particular 'discussion' .....
I am presently listening to my antique Cd player as I have not yet achieved anything close to that sound quality via a computer. You may find the sound of my computer good enough but I don't. I tried to find computer based systems which fulfill the promise of high res but I have note heard them yet even at audio shows.
Computer Audio is fairly to very sensitive to the electrical noise being passed through the USB cable's 5 volt power supply. Take care of this aspect, then you can get very good sonic results especially with the SOTA software players such as HQ Player, Audiovarna etc some of which do excellent upsampling and format conversion of Redbook and other PCM to DSD 128/256 with breathtaking results
Lukasz Fikus spent years pulling apart every CD player he could get his hands on and he was usually dismissive of the parts quality in many of the more expensive offerings - it's all there on the Lampizator website - but when he finally stopped modifying CDPs he settled on a Squeezebox Duet as the basis for his own transport. He also came to the conclusion that there is no advantage in building a separate CDT for use with your DAC if CD playback is your primary objective - again, it's all there on his site. As I type this, I'm happily listening to a CD on the Marantz and I'll probably give my DSOTM SACD a spin when this finishes - I'm not completely ready to throw the baby out with the bathwater but I stand by what I said earlier re the utility of maintaining a large CD collection. I also take solace in the knowledge that the discs I do own will stay 'new' for a very long time - there are few things more irritating than having a CD or record skip mid-track.
And this is why I specifically asked that we restrict this discussion to 'redbook vs redbook' and avoid further discussion of specific playback software - just as elberoth's thread lost it's way, I had a feeling this one would go off on a tangent. Those who favour the CDP usually have limited options - they can choose the filter for their DAC and that's about it : the rest is down to the quality of the recording and the remainder of their playback chain. If the digital transports from the likes of Bryston and Naim have one thing in their favour it's that they do invite direct comparison with similarly priced CD transports - I have yet to read a review where either of the Bryston players has come up short in such a comparison.
A CD transport has to feed the DAC via SPDIF in real time and the DAC depends on it to give it a well timed signal. A USB SPDIF converter would be similar with both using some sort of clock and low noise circuit.
Using asynchronous USB the DAC is in charge of the timing and in theory would have no input jitter. It no longer depends on the clocks of the convertor or CD transport and times itself. As long as the async USB DAC had the same quality clocks and circuit as the CD transport it would be superior from lack of input jitter.
Also, I don't see any difference between a USB SPDIF convertor and a CD Transport. Both are timing a digital signal and sending it to the DAC via SPDIF, just that one does mechanically by spinning a disk (the disk has already been spun and stored in case of the SPDIF converter).
No apologies for bringing the thread back on topic. A couple of handful of posts have gone by and nobody's mentioned the obvious. Why has the OP not mentioned comparing the SQ of his Oppo being used as a mechanical disc player and as a computer music file player, as it can do both? After all, isn't that what the argument is really about? Also a better chance of being a bit more objective with both 'transports' passing their sound through most of the same electronics.
What IMHO is wrong with the whole pose is that you indirectly state that comparison between a $75 video player which can also play audio with a laptop and it's built in speakers is the thing to compare.
You won't hear me say that a 5K transport is needed to get the job done, but what I do say is that when you are used to a 10K CD transport (I left out the DAC now) that no laptop without explicit attention for audio is going to cut it. With the $75 video player as the reference you have a fair chance though.
Of course what we could also say is that all people like SandyK are fools and that really nothing is needed for the better SQ and that they are completely wasting their money. Sadly then I would be a fool too but I know better. And my conclusion ? you possibly are no "audiophile" as such at all ? (don't feel bashed at when you are, but then I just did not get it, OK ?)
After a year of attention computer playback is easily better regarding SQ than the CDP. However, you will find that half of your collection went backwards. It now takes 5 years more to get those working again.
I tend to say that the CDP player is more easy to get right, especially assumed the D/A converter to be inside. Think like LP being hard to go wrong. However, PC playback can achieve way way more for the ultimate best SQ, but not with a laptop and not when we don't allow ourselves some necessary tweaks in the first place.