Re: Found it! - MP3 hardware add-on

["Brown, Andy [Infrastructure]" <AndyB@xxxxxxx>]

Found this review in the mp3 newsgroup.  Think I'll try and get one!

Andy

---------------

it arrived last week.  but without linux drivers so it sat here, unused,
waiting patiently.

today I finally received an email from the lp3 folks with the driver
sourcecode attached.  it didn't build successfully out-of-the-box on the
latest redhat 6.1 linux - but it only took 15minutes of hacking to fix
things up.  I can provide the patches to the 1.0 driver dist for those who
are interested.

after the build, you end up with an actual kernel loadable module and a
device (/dev/lp3-0).  you had to have configured the lp.o device properly,
first (parport and lp devices, etc).

there's a client interface to this device.  it takes commands like:

-------------------------------------------------------------
% ./lp3client 0 -h
Usage: lp3client portnum [options]
portnum is the parport number to use.
[options] are one or more of:
-vol <x>      -bal <x>      -bass <x>    -treb <x> 
 -play <file>  -stop
-pause        -resume
-seek <x>    -id          -kill        -help

"-id" prints the lp3 ID string.
"-kill" kills the daemon process.

All options may be abbreviated.
-------------------------------------------------------------

so to play a file, you'd do something like:

% ./lp3client 0 -play
/mp3/Rock/Grateful_Dead/GD/First_Album/Morning_Dew.mp3


like they say on their web page, this seems to incur next to zero load on
the host cpu - the hardware device handles all the real work of mp3
decoding.  in case it wasn't clear, this is ONLY a decoder.  it assumes you
already have an mp3 encoder of your own and/or a bunch of .mp3 files.

according to the manuf., 192k is the highest bitrate they can handle. I
tried a 256k file and it played for a few seconds then started skipping ;-(
so I'll trust that they're right and that 192k is the highest they'll
handle.  but the sound quality at 192 with this device is simply stunning.

the audio quality is the best I've heard to-date.  no noise/hum to speak
of,
very clean and crisp treble range with ultra low distortion all around.
without doing more quantitative testing, I would assume the only way to
better the sound would be to use a digital audio interconnect/soundcard and
an outboard hi-end DAC.  and for $99 for this little lp3 unit, you can't
beat the sound quality.  I think that 192k via BLADE encoder and this
little
dongle will keep me happy for quite a while.

the only system requirement that is hard and fast is that you need a
parallel printer port to connect this thing to and a spare AC outlet to
connect its pwr supply to.

I predict this little box will be the engine of many hobbiest mp3 systems.
the pricepoint is a bit high but considering its somewhat of a specialty
item (not mass-market focused like a Rio player) its not too unreasonable.
if they ever get the price point down to $49 or so, I bet they'll make a
serious dent in the mp3 decoder market share.


(ob disc: I am not connected with the company; just a customer.)

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Paul Gordon [SMTP:paul_gordon@xxxxxxx]
> Sent:	Tuesday, January 25, 2000 9:58 AM
> To:	ukha_d@xxxxxxx
> Subject:	[ukha_d] Found it! - MP3 hardware add-on
>
> This is what I was talking about earlier:
>
>   <http://software.mp3.com/software/individual/other/plugin/2334.html>
>
> Review:
>
>
> Company Hype:
> lp3 is an add-on for your PC that allows you to play your favorite MP3
> music files while running other programs, without the slowdown,
skipping
> or stuttering of a software-only player. Any PC can now play MP3s
without
> slowing down.
>
> Since lp3 does the complex MP3 audio decoding on a dedicated
processor,
> your computer can do other things faster, like browse the Internet,
> display documents, calculate spreadsheets, resize images and compile
code.
>
>
> How It Works
>
> lp3 works as a Winamp plug-in so you can keep using your favorite
> playlists and familiar Winamp controls as before. lp3 also works with
> Linux and DOS.
>
> In addition, lp3 has a built-in buffer to keep your music playing when
> your computer slows down. No more dropouts or skipping when running
> complex tasks.
>
> lp3 connects to your parallel port and has a convenient pass-through
port
> for your printer or Zip drive. No sound card is required. It's easy to
> install. Just plug it in!
>
> Price: $99
>
>
>
>   _____
>
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