Preview of a MP3 file truncated when format is VBR?

Post by **j_c_hallgren** » 02 Dec 2006 05:59

I've been doing some conversions of MP3 files (that I'd ripped months ago into 192Kbs fmt) to a smaller file size to allow storing more on my thumb drive...I've been using RazorLAME (a GUI front-end to LAME encoder) to try various options to see how they affect file size...and previewing them via XY...well...I started with a short song, of 1:26 duration, to test with...

However, when I preview one output from conversion in XY, it stops after 58 seconds!

It plays all 86 sec's via ITunes using same file!

The only thing that seems to confuse XY is that it was formatted as a VBR instead of CBR...as any CBR vers of file previews for entire/correct time.

I tried preview on another file of 3:31 length...similar issue...seem that the higher the VBR, the closer to actual length is previewed...

Because, using second file (that I've got in various bitrates), and positioning the up-arrow preview position marker directly above the "V" in VOL, I get a time value of anywhere from 1:57 with a 124Kbs VBR to 1:16 with a 81Kbs VBR...

When I use WMP to play this file, it shows as 138Kbs and when attempting to position file approx halfway, it shows me at around 1:40-1:50, which is correct range...while XY at approx halfway, shows as 1:12 or so..wrong!

So IF Itunes and WMP can tell true length and get positioning reasonably correct, I'd hope XY could do same..

Post by **admin** » 02 Dec 2006 09:30

j_c_hallgren wrote:So IF Itunes and WMP can tell true length and get positioning reasonably correct, I'd hope XY could do same..

Sure enough! Send me one of those files and I'll teach it...

Post by **j_c_hallgren** » 02 Dec 2006 16:24

Just sent via Yahoo the smaller of the two MP3 that are having "issues"..
And used another service to try and send the other bigger one...

Post by **admin** » 03 Dec 2006 09:44

j_c_hallgren wrote:Just sent via Yahoo the smaller of the two MP3 that are having "issues"..
And used another service to try and send the other bigger one...

Got it. Works perfectly here...

Post by **j_c_hallgren** » 03 Dec 2006 16:15

Well...phooey!

Cause even after a cold system reboot (for another issue), it still doesn't work here!

Still won't play more than 56 seconds...

Post by **j_c_hallgren** » 03 Dec 2006 19:39

I've uploaded a smaller vers of problem file to a sharing site...this one only plays for 48 seconds!

http://www.gigasize.com/get.php/211105/ ... g72vbr.mp3

Can someone else download this and see how long it plays in XY preview on your system? It's supposed to play for 86 seconds (1:26)...as that is the true length of song.

jacky · Post by **jacky** » 03 Dec 2006 20:42

Yes, XY only does a preview up to 00:48 787ms of that song here, allthough it states "Length: 01:26 000ms"

I do have some VBR MP3s on my own aswell and I can play them fully with no problem in XY, so I did a few test.
Well actually, just tried one: it's 01:39 long (as says XY) yet its "scroll position" bar can go up to 01:50 !
If I play the song in XY from start, it plays the song fine till the end, song ends at 1:39 obviously and then XY simply jumps to 1:50 (its scroll end position)
If I start to play at 1:12 XY starts playing at "his" 1:12, but it is not at 1:12 in the song, since its scroll if borked, but more around 1:04/1:05 actually. XY will announce 1:12 and go play up to his 1:46 then jump to 1:50 as the song ended.
FYI, if any usefull: 142 kBit/s (VBR), 44 100 Hz, Joint stereo

Lucky me, all my VBRs go that way, scroll goes way after the real length (got one of 2:54 yet XY scrolls upto 5:46 !!) so I can always play them fully. Still buggy, but better than having the end "cropped"

Post by **j_c_hallgren** » 04 Dec 2006 00:18

Jacky, I'm really happy to see that you also are having issues with this!

Here's a link to a slightly less compressed one..the file I described in original post...it plays for 56-58 sec or so...
http://www.gigasize.com/get.php/211569/ ... g84vbr.mp3

And here's a link to a reduced size from original, but in CBR format, so one can see how it differs...especially at the end of the song...it fades out like it should, and not just stop with a bang!
http://www.gigasize.com/get.php/211577/ ... 112C32.mp3

surrender · Post by **surrender** » 04 Dec 2006 09:24

No problems with any of those here.

Post by **admin** » 04 Dec 2006 10:09

Hmmm, how strange! All VBR mp3s play perfctly on my system. How can that be? Must be the Codecs... I'm currently using K-Lite Mega Codec Pack 1.59 and have deinstalled WMP 10 (rolled back to WMP 9 which apparently cannot be deinstalled?...

).

The "Length:" info is extracted/calculated by XYplorer directly (without Codec help) from the file bytes.
The progressbar length, however, is extracted/calculated by Quartz.dll based on the present codecs.
If you have the impression that XYplorer's calculation is always correct then I'll simply take it and skip the other...

RalphM · Post by **RalphM** » 04 Dec 2006 12:16

j_c_hallgren wrote:I've uploaded a smaller vers of problem file to a sharing site...this one only plays for 48 seconds!

http://www.gigasize.com/get.php/211105/ ... g72vbr.mp3

Can someone else download this and see how long it plays in XY preview on your system? It's supposed to play for 86 seconds (1:26)...as that is the true length of song.

Downloaded and it runs for only 48 secs on my sys as well, strange.

surrender · Post by **surrender** » 04 Dec 2006 14:23

admin wrote:Hmmm, how strange! All VBR mp3s play perfctly on my system. How can that be? Must be the Codecs... I'm currently using K-Lite Mega Codec Pack 1.59 and have deinstalled WMP 10 (rolled back to WMP 9 which apparently cannot be deinstalled?... ).

Just to inform that i am also on K-lite codec pack and it works perfectly fine. So i guess it should be a codec thing.

And Don! regarding uninstalling WMP9, i guess you have to do it from the add/remove windows component which is under add/remove program thing.

jacky · Post by **jacky** » 04 Dec 2006 16:09

Well, the other VBR jc posted only plays 56s in XY here aswell. But all songs plays perfectly fine on MPC (which uses Windows codecs) with no error on time/length/etc

And yeah I do not have any codecs packs, and no intention of changing that...

As for WMP I never installed v9 or above, the only one I have on my system is v6.4

Post by **j_c_hallgren** » 04 Dec 2006 17:09

So happy to see it's not just me!

Anyway, the last WMP that can be used on W2K is vers 9, AFAIK, which is what I'm using...
And I don't have any special codecs installed...the listing from AVIcodec is as follows:

Code: Select all

0x0001;PCM;4.0 .0;Microsoft IMA ADPCM;
0x0002;Microsoft ADPCM;4.0 .0;MS-ADPCM;
0x0006;CCITT A-Law;4.0 .0;Microsoft CCITT G.711;
0x0007;CCITT u-Law;4.0 .0;Microsoft CCITT G.711;
0x0011;IMA ADPCM;4.0 .0;Microsoft IMA ADPCM;
0x0022;DSP Group TrueSpeech(TM);1.0 .0;TrueSpeech(TM);
0x0031;GSM 6.10;4.0 .0;Microsoft GSM 6.10;
0x0042;Microsoft G.723.1;1.2 .1;Microsoft G.723.1;
0x0055;MPEG Layer-3;1.9 .305;MPEG Layer-3 Codec ;
0x0070;Lernout & Hauspie CELP 4.8kbit/s;1.0 .1;L&H Codecs;
0x0071;Lernout & Hauspie SBC 8kbit/s;1.0 .1;L&H Codecs;
0x0072;Lernout & Hauspie SBC 12kbit/s;1.0 .1;L&H Codecs;
0x0073;Lernout & Hauspie SBC 16kbit/s;1.0 .1;L&H Codecs;
0x0402;IAC2;2.5 .53;Indeo® audio software;

And the file shows as using 0x0055...

Post by **admin** » 05 Dec 2006 07:42

admin wrote:The "Length:" info is extracted/calculated by XYplorer directly (without Codec help) from the file bytes.
The progressbar length, however, is extracted/calculated by Quartz.dll based on the present codecs.
If you have the impression that XYplorer's calculation is always correct then I'll simply take it and skip the other...

Uhm, the last sentence was a hidden question...

... any answer out there?

XYplorer Beta Club

Preview of a MP3 file truncated when format is VBR?

Preview of a MP3 file truncated when format is VBR?

Re: Preview of a MP3 file truncated when format is VBR?