Thanks, Mike McMahon (or: I need to keep up with plugins + a [Archive]

Mastiff

October 13th, 2002, 12:55 PM

As some of you might remember, I asked if it was possible to use the "play wave file" command on other cards than the default. What I should have done was to look at the plugin download section! The "Set Wave Device" by Mike McMahon works exactly like I wanted! I've just put that before the command that plays each of the wave files I need to play and then a final command to reset the wave device to the original default. So thanks, Mike! :smile:

Addendum (I've been waiting for an excuse to use that word!);
If anybody's interested, I use two copies of the playlist opener:
No. 1 starts a playlist on my Media Jukebox, which is on the Audigy EX and plays mainly to my living room and kitchen via the digital connection
No. 2 starts a playlist on a Winamp that's using a Sound Blaster Live! connected to the stereo in the bedroom. By using a different set of registers for each device they remember what the last used playlist was, so I can use the next playlist and previous playlist buttons that SouthyPar helped me with.

When I press one of the buttons 0-9 on the Marantz RC2000 programmable remote in my living room, it goes into the registers of Playlist opener 1 that starts playlists on the Media Jukebox, and at the same time I hear my own distorted voice (I made it sound like a mad robot with the help of CoolEdit) saying out loud the number I have pressed. That helps me knowing that it has caught the right number without having to turn on the TV in my living room (the HTPC/MP3-player is in a storage room downstairs).
When I use the remote in my bedroom (actually the original remote that came with the Creative Audigy EX) it will do the same, except for that the command goes to the Live! card and the voice wavs are routed through that card to the bedroom.

So when I need it (probably in the next year or so) I can add more sound cards (probably Extigys or another USB sound card since all my slots are busy now) for the kids' room and perhaps even one for outdoors use.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I use an IRMan that's in the computer room and several sets of IR repeaters (I found a brand that costs about 60 dollars here in Norway, which is cheaper than any other sets I can buy here) in the rooms I want to control the pc from.

So what I have is a multi zone multi room sound playback system with instant access to more than 15 000 tracks without the need for a monitor or a computer in each room. Neat, huh? And I owe it all to Ron (you all know why!), MpegErnie (for the perfection of the Playlist opener that Ron started as a register demonstration), SouthyPar for the next and previous playlist buttons and Mike for the final touch (the plugin that is routing the voice wave files to the right room). Thanks, guys! The best thing about it is that it's so versatile and easy to expand whenever I need it.

I also use the computer as an HTPC with Zoom Player. For that use I have a button on the remote in my home theater that starts a script wich changes the automatic logon name into DVD and reboots the machine (a nice guy on the AVS forum helped me with that VB script, the only problem is that XP does not support logoff and instant automatic logon, I need to reboot the computer). When the DVD profile is started, I get Zoom Player in the startup group, the theater lights are turned on and dimmed, the Barco 808 is fired up and everything is ready. All I have to do is to put in a DVD and start watching. My six year old son uses it as well, without any problems! When the movie is over, another button on the remote will restore everyting to the MP3 profile, with WinAmp and Media Jukebox started, and turn off the Barco, the lights (after five minutes so I can put the DVD back in place and get out of the room) and the subwoofer (I forgot to mention that it's on the same X-10 system as the Barco and the lights).

My next project might be to automate the ripping, coding and tagging process. I use Exact audio copier for ripping, Lame's HQ VBR profile for coding and MP3 Tag Studio for tagging, and I'd like to use the plugin that tells Girder that a cd is inserted to get the info from CDDB, start the ripping and then code and tag the files after my specifications. This is possible because I use one drive exclusively for ripping. But now it's almost 00.30, and I need to work tomorrow morning, so that will have to wait. :smile:

_________________
Tor - managing director of the Cinema Inferno home theater

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: mastiff on 2002-03-21 00:40 ]</font>

Mastiff

October 13th, 2002, 12:55 PM

Thank you, thank you. :smile:
I forgot to mention the hardware: AMD 1.4 gig, two external boxes with Pioneer slot in DVD's (so I can have the dvd player in the theater and the pc in the storage room), one SCSI interal CD burner, one internal IDE DVD, one internal IDE CD ROM (the ripper), extra IDE-ports, in all five IDE discs (a total of about 200 gigs) a PCTV Rave card and an infrared keyboard/mouse. The graphics is handled by a Radeon VE wich in the MP3 mode uses my 34" TV in the living room (and also the bedroom TV, but that's kind of small (21")) as the main monitor and in the DVD mode uses the Barco as the main monitor. I might spring for an LCD display some day to display the playlist number, artist and track, but I don't know if one of those can have the cable extended as much as it has to (about 20 meters). And they're kind of expensive, right?

I'm getting more and more satisified, and the main thing is that it's wife friendly! She just checks the printout of albums to find her favourite girlie artists and play them via Playlist opener. I love convergence! :smile:

_________________
Tor - managing director of the Cinema Inferno home theater

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: mastiff on 2002-03-21 08:42 ]</font>