Video Player Converter

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Earleen Statham

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Aug 4, 2024, 12:54:54 PM8/4/24

to reheabeca

Thebig 'however' is that the CD player may have a poor transport that generates a high error rate and there may also be significant levels of clock jitter, which will degrade the signal, specifically affecting the noise floor and stereo imaging. Nevertheless, I'd be very surprised if the better converters didn't bring about some audible improvement.

Being practical, however, unless you already have the converters or are buying them primarily for some other purpose, it probably isn't worth buying anything too fancy to hang on the end of an indifferent CD player. A pragmatically chosen mid-price converter might sound just as good, or you could consider a professional-grade CD player or player/recorder.

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Pinch wheels can often be successfully rejuvenated by cleaning with isopropyl alcohol, though take care to avoid spilling on plastic parts.

Drive belts can often be replaced if you can find somewhere that repairs cassette decks (it can be quite a tricky job in some cases).

Buying a second hand refurbished cassette player locally (so that you have some guarantee) may be an option.

The Behringer UCA-202 interface is cheap and reliable, but it has no input level control. If the cassette deck has a particularly high output, it could overload the inputs of a UCA-202, so you would need some way to reduce the signal level (such as a simple resistor network, or via a mixer). If you have any experience with DIY electronics, then a simple resistor network is very easy to make, otherwise an interface with input level control would probably be a better option.

Have you followed these instructions.

Tip on Mac computer to save you some time.

Once you connect the cassette via USB, click apple symbol on computer left hand side, system preference, click sound and on drop down box set it to USB input. Load Audacity, and do the same setting up the settings from inline microphone to USB. Otherwise the Audacity will not recognize the cassette when you press play and record on Audacity even though you have it connected to computer via USB port.

I've been a Format Factory user for over a year now but the latest version has some major bugs and I'm trying to find a replacement now I know about AnyVideoConverter and I see the latest version has fixed/improved a lot of the issues it had about a two years ago, so then came across Freemake and it looks really promising and I would like to try Freemake video converter but I read some reviews on Cnet that claims it installs adware against your consent, so I looked into this a little further and sure enough some of the reviews on Web Of Trust mentioned this as well then I decided to upload the Freemake installer to Virustotal and here's what it had to say:

Also I would like try the Miro player but I've heard that it has some security issues namely when viewing/streaming web videos, because apparently there's no script blocking options available plus it suppose be a little bit of a resource hog.

Freeware is now often bundled with crapware. One just has to be extra cautious in installing "freeware" that non-intended crap doesn't get installed. Detections such as "InstallCore" and "OpenCandy" are clues to this being the case and they are are the wrapper software for the non-intended crapware.

Yeah I hear that peole make the same claim about FormatFactory I mean as long as your in rushing during the installation then you have little to worry about. But at least there's some free tools for removing adware like AWD Cleaner SAS or even 'MBAM'

Yeah I agree VLC FTW But I guess if someone wants to filter/block adscripts and trackers they could use Spotflux Premium I've been using the free Android version for a while now and it works very well just no adblocking or other filters, and then there's 'Disocnnect' for Kids and while it's not available for desktop yet much like Spoflux it offers a high speed VPN with some script blocking features which could help prevent malware from infesting your system. Here's a link to Disconnect Oh and if you want almost a %100 guarantee then use a good sandbox program when viewing web content in media players like Sandboxie nothings getting through that. Right on CWB OpenSouce is fantastic, and its primarily community powered much like this forum not to mention "typically" full of friendly people as well.

If you receive an email with a link to a Webex recording, just click on the link to watch it. There's no player required. Or if you've downloaded a file, get the Webex Player below (file types are .ARF or .WRF) for your operating system.

I have an old USB cassette player ( looks a bit like an old walkman). I plug it into my Macbook Pro (running Catalina 10.15.3), go into System Preferences/Sound and I select the USB audio device and the Input Level is showing the Mac receiving the audio and it playing through. However I can't hear any audio through my Mac through it's speakers or through my headphones. Everything else works fine (playing any other music in Spotify, Itunes, Youtube). I open Audacity and there's no signal or any music playing through that either. So weird, I can see the signal that goes up and down with the music (on my Macbook) but can't hear any sound.

A significant troubleshooting step for an issue involving a device connected via a USB port is an SMC reset. The System Management Control (SMC) manages a few of the Mac's processes related to power, fans, displays, and general functionality. Resetting it is quick, easy and should not affect your data. How to reset the System Management Controller (SMC) on your Mac

Focussing more on your device, is there any software that may have come with the player that may need to be installed? For instance, any drivers or plug-ins that might be missing? You might look on the device's web page if nothing was in the box.

I personally thought that it is a big no-no to convert analog sources such as LP/records to digital then convert digital to Analog via external DAC. It sounds gimmicky and it might lose analog magic after all.

Doing this extra process might be better to go for CD playback altogether. However, DAC and DSP technology has been improved drastically and also noted some analog playback fans recently using ADC to convert to digital in order to tweak the sound as they wish using DSP then convert back to analog.

Yes, I use an A2D converter on the output of my (ss) 'Muse' phono stage - so as to be able to feed it directly into my all-digital miniDSP nanoDIGI unit. Using this (instead of the miniDSP 10x10HD which I had before) delivers:

Of course ... purists would condemn the use of a digital unit to provide XOs for my active spkrs. But, when I added subs to my system, I needed to time-align them with my mains; this required me to apply delay to the mains ... as the subs are about 1.2m further away from my ears than the mains. So a digital unit was essential - and this gives me room-EQ as well as the active XOs.

i think there are phono stages that do this, I recall seeing discussion & comparisons on the site here a few years back between owners of these devices. hopefully they'll come out of the wood work and join the conversation here.

while not something I set out do to my audio chain does a similar A to D to A journey courtesy of the Classe integrated amp I have. it even starts with a tube phono stage. I'm no golden eat but it sounds good to me . Characteristics of various components in the vinyl chain still come thru when I change carts, tubes, phono stage, etc. and the play back has a distinct feel and experience to the digital inputs.

I went this route because I decided to employ DIRAC live via a NAD C658 to employ DSP to fix some rather horrid bass modes in a small listening room. Originally I just plugged my MOFI Studio Phono in to the analogue inputs of the NAD unit but, after some googling & advice from another SNA'er I felt I could do better on the A to D path so a Puffin was duly purchased.

I don't believe I have lost any of the dynamics from the London Super Gold, it's still as lively & 'present' as it was before however, the employment of DSP in my room has improved the sound quality no end.

I did struggle with the 'heresy' of converting analogue to digital for DSP & then back to analogue for amplification but, I doubt I'd go back to be honest... I've turned DIRAC off a few times & I don't like what I hear...