Bug 3002 – Gaps in high-bitrate WMA VBR files

Bug 3002 - Gaps in high-bitrate WMA VBR files

Summary:

Gaps in high-bitrate WMA VBR files

Status:	RESOLVED FIXED

Product:	SB 2/3
Classification:	Unclassified
Component:	Audio
Version:	28
Platform:	PC Windows XP

Importance:	P2 major with 1 vote (vote)
Target Milestone:	---
Assigned To:	Chris Owens

URL:
Keywords:

Depends on:
Blocks:
	Show dependency tree / graph

Reported:	2006-02-15 10:36 UTC by Mike Cappella
Modified:	2008-12-18 11:38 UTC (History)
CC List:	2 users (show)

See Also:
Category:	---

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Description Mike Cappella 2006-02-15 10:36:51 UTC

Firmware 29 and 33 from the 6.5 trunk is causing higher bitrate VBR files to stutter horribly.  It sounds like a mangled cassette tape - the sound is continuous, just that it is all garbled, distored, and crunchy sounding.

I reverted to svn 5087, which contains firmware 27 - no stuttering.

Next I reverted to svn 5150 which contains firmware 28 - no stuttering.

So firmware version 29 (and not 33 as I'd reported in my forum post) seems to be the culprit of the WMA VBR encoded files stuttering.  It could be something changed in the server that is the cause, instead of the firmware, but I haven't tried anything to determine this, as I'm not sure of the firmware inter-dependencies.

Net setup is belkin pre-n, which does not have, nor has ever had, any dropout or connectivity issues.

As a workaround, forcing local wmadec transcoding via convert.conf allows normal playback.

Comment 1 Blackketter Dean 2006-02-21 11:10:30 UTC

I was able to reproduce this in fw 28 as well.

Comment 2 Chris Owens 2006-03-07 16:56:02 UTC

Mike, if you're still subscribed to this bug, just how high are your high-bitrate VBR files?

Comment 3 Mike Cappella 2006-03-07 17:04:10 UTC

Still subscribed.  I had previously ripped tracks with WMP, ripping settings at WMA-VBR max quality.  Although the dialog box for setting the ripping options says the tracks will range from 240-355Kbps, they seem to be much higher.  My tracks are more like 425-490+ Kbps.

I'd like to clarify that playback never had gaps (eg. areas of silence), rather the sound was simply terrible.  Someone changed the title of this bug report, which is fine, but I just wanted clarify the problem more precisely.

I'll send you a track if you want one - let me know.

Comment 4 Phil Wlazlo 2006-03-09 04:15:53 UTC

Note that this problem does not just just occur on WMA files. I am having the same problem with MP3 files. I will update with the exact bitrate, but it seems to be happening to ALL tracks in my library. I have no non-mp3 files. Please see bug 3125 as well.

Comment 5 Blackketter Dean 2006-04-21 16:48:59 UTC

Chris: I suspect that this is improved for high bitrate WMA files in the latest 6.2.2 with the changes in the latest firmware.  Can you verify?

Comment 6 Mike Cappella 2006-04-21 18:59:25 UTC

FYI - I tested w/43 and I no longer experience the problem. I'm using 6.5.

Comment 7 Blackketter Dean 2006-04-21 19:04:15 UTC

thanks, Mike!