re: Gapless Playback

I've got an album that doesn't allow gapless playback. The new Dr. Atomic Symphony/ Guide to Strange Places album by the artist John Adams doesn't have gapless playback between the 2nd and 3rd tracks (which is a crucial part of the music). I am currently using a Zune 80GB. I have never been able to achieve gapless playback with this album, so there is always a gap.

Just wanted to share my information concerning gapless playback.

• I have the 80 GB Zune.  My problems occur with the device, not the software.
• I use the Zune software to rip my CDs  @ 192K using WMA.
• There are pauses between songs (I guess 1-2 secs) when the preceeding song is rather long. 
• Most noticeable on Grateful Dead live CDs (DP Series).
• Gaps occur if the preceeding song is  >12 mins +/-
• More popular CD...Dave Matthews Live in Central Park.  Gap occurs between Jimi Thing (16:39)>What Would You Say(5:27), but not into next song.
• Does not appear to happen on shorter songs.

I have followed some of the posts concerning this issue.  I was encouraged by a recent post concering length of song and decided check my own collection.  I am aware that we all rip differently with different file outputs, so your mileage may vary.  Just hoping this info may be helpful to someone else or the Zune team. 

I welcome any ?s that may help.

120GB

And which Zune device?

David Gilmour Live at Gdansk is a good example.  Can't specifically say where it will happen because it will be different everytime.  I am using PASS

Well, if it's a specific Marketplace album you experience the gapless problem with consistently...tell us which one.  (Purchased or Pass?)  That would be much easier to reproduce by Microsoft, since they won't need a specific CD rip/encode to test.  Tell use which Zune model you are using... and post the complete steps you do which triggers the problem, hopefully relatively consistently.  (i.e., "Start playing album on track 2... when album hits track 3 and track 5, there is a slight drop in audio when it transitions.")

I'd recommend a reboot of the Zune device first, so everything is fresh. 

My WMA's are 192KB primarily off of MarketPlace and Ripped cd's.

 derrellgore wrote:

Also after having a gap not work I can REWIND to before the gap and replay it and it works.

Just from my minimal testing It seems to NOT work most often on a song that is 5+ minutes long.(PINK FLOYD, DAVID GILMOUR,etc), therefore I think the buffer gets filled and and then the song gets ahead of what the buffer can handle...does that make sense.

Like I said for me if I just play a minute or so before the break it works for me.

Your theory could be right...If I were writing the code for the buffer, I'd figure out how long my buffer would last (how many seconds...) and fill it with whatever is queued up to play next (the rest of 'this' song, plus some of the next song, and so on...)  Then, I'd set a timer to remind me to refill the buffer when it's getting close to empty.  From your description, it sounds like you found a case they forgot (very long songs...)  It's easy to remember to set an interrupt to update the buffer though, when someone pushes fast-forward. 

I have been seeing more posts about gapless playback. Although on all 3 of my 30GB I cannot replicate a "non" gapless situation with any of my Floyd, Gilmour, Rush live...etc.

The only thing that comes to mind is originally the post said WMA files. It could be if the file is WMA lossless and it is a 20-40mb file it could hamper the gapless feature. But again, I tried this with some long WMA lossless Earth, Wind & Fire songs I have and the gapless works fine.....maybe 30GB process better...my black 30Gb is first gen device.

dunno??

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Zune is AWESOME!!...since Nov 2006 Black30GB and Pink30GB (my wifes'!!!)

Also after having a gap not work I can REWIND to before the gap and replay it and it works.

Just from my minimal testing It seems to NOT work most often on a song that is 5+ minutes long.(PINK FLOYD, DAVID GILMOUR,etc), therefore I think the buffer gets filled and anthen the song gets ahead of what the buffer can handle...does that make sense.

Like I said for me if I just play a minute or so before the break it works for me.

 

 

 derrellgore wrote:

Actually from my testing, if I FASTFORWARD to within a minute of the end of the song and let it play the rest of the way the gapless works.  Only seems to not work about three out of four songs.  Like I said one gap might work one time and the the same gap might not work the next time.

I am assuming there might be a buffer involved.  If so the buffer gets behind.  That would be the best way I could explain what I am seeing.

Derrell Gore

We're close to being on the same page...I saw this after I posted.  I do think a buffer is involved, but I think fast forwarding too close to the track ending would flush the buffer...and so could break gapless.

 gr0mmet wrote:

[snipped] Are you letting the track play 'staight-through', or are you skipping part of the track before it transitions to the next track? (I know in some of my previous tests, fast forwarding at all would break gapless for the next transition... with some formats.)

This may help the Zune folks.

HDD Zunes read a big chunk of data off the disk into RAM or Flash, and actually 'play' from the RAM or Flash.   This saves a ton of energy otherwise needed to keep the disk spinning (and it's why you get much better battery life when you avoid skipping from song to song...aka 'spinning up the disk.')  So, if you skip part of a track near the end, I wonder if you are flushing (all or part of?) this buffer and screwing up gapless... Doesn't solve the original posters issue, but might help explain one of yours...