Hardware MP3 decoder?

[HammerD]

Hi...does anyone know of or can anyone recommend a hardware MP3 decoder/player for Amiga?

Preferably a zorro card or parallel port solution that has AHI drivers and will work with OS 3.9 and/or OS4 classic.  I don't like how playing MP3's takes up so much CPU time thru Paula or even through sound cards that I have connected to my Mediator...

Anyone know of any? Thanx!

[Oli_hd]

The hardware mp3 players skip the Amigas sound system so they dont use ahi drivers. (they use mpeg.library)

Now if you have a clockport available (say on a Zorro card) then Amigakit sells a clockport mp3 decoder which you could connect to the audio input on your PCI soundcard. Thats probably best. You could use a parallel port one like the MAS player but it wouldnt be as good CPU resource wise as a clockport unit I wouldnt think.

Zorro wise the only card is the Delfina sound card but as you have a PCI sound card I would stick with that and use one of the above cards tbh.

[motorollin]

MASPlayer for the parallel port (if you can find one), or MP3@64 connected to a clock port if you have one.

Edit-
Oli beat me to it ;-)

--
moto

[sandpiper]

I have a Delfina Flipper. It works very well connected to the clockport of an X-Surf. MP3s play at very low cpu load using AmigaAMP (mhi driver). The latest delfina drivers have solved the lock-up/freeeze problems that many had experienced - at least for me. You can still buy new ones.

[sandpiper]

@Oli_hd

The hardware mp3 players skip the Amigas sound system so they dont use ahi drivers. (they use mpeg.library)

This may be true for players like MASplayer or MP3@64 but a Delfina is a sound card with hardware mp3 decoding. AHI drivers exist for a Delfina and all sound, including Paula and mp3 player output is funneled through the Delfina.

[HammerD]

@ all

Thanks for the responses.

I have a Deneb card and I believe that has a clockport...so that would probably be the easiest solution?

I don't think you can buy the Delfina anymore?

[Oli_hd]

I have a Deneb card and I believe that has a clockport...so that would probably be the easiest solution?

Yep, I would say its the best solution.

a Delfina is a sound card with hardware mp3 decoding. AHI drivers exist for a Delfina and all sound, including Paula and mp3 player output is funneled through the Delfina

The Delfina has AHI drivers cause its a sound card, they dont do any MP3 decoding, for that you use the Delfina.library, which is basically treated like the mpeg.library.
It also "funnels" the paula sound only because you hook a wire to the line input from Paula, you can do the same to your PCI soundcard.

Your PCI soundcard will always be better than the Delfina so stick with that.

[AndyC]

Hi there...

I have a MAS player for sale on Amibay:

http://www.amibay.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=1018&p=7522&sid=5bdab6579d5e83d84bc4ac890a882e52#p7522

Great piece of kit!

AndyC

[redrumloa]

MP3@64

[HammerD]

@red

hi, does it come with software ? And do you know if it works with os 4.0 classic?  what audio programs will it work with? AmigaAMP, Amplifier, Aminetradio, etc. ?

thnx

[redrumloa]

HammerD wrote:
@red

hi, does it come with software ? And do you know if it works with os 4.0 classic?  what audio programs will it work with? AmigaAMP, Amplifier, Aminetradio, etc. ?

thnx

The driver is unofficial and I have not personal tried it yet. Hope this helps:

Short:    CBM compat. device for MP3@64 MP3 Player
Uploader: hodges@in.tum.de (Chris Hodges)
Author:   hodges@in.tum.de (Chris Hodges)
Type:     mus/play
Version:  V1.0 (17-Jun-06)
Requires: Individual Computer's MP3@64 Clockport MP3 Player

MP3At64MPegDevice V1.0
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Finally there is a commodore  standard  device  for  Individual  Computer's
MP3@64 Clockport MP3 Player (mpeg layer 2 and 3 hardware decoding using the
MP3At643507D  chip)  which  can  be  used  in  conjunction  with  AMPlifier
(www.katodev.de,  included with OS3.9) and other software that supports the
mpeg device class (Frogger, MPEGMovie, etc.).

The MP3At64mpeg.device is based on the framework of  the  melodympeg.device
by Thorsten Hansen. This software is Freeware. Comments appreciated though.


Requirements
~~~~~~~~~~~~
You will need the MP3@64 Player, connected to a clockport of the following
Zorro cards (or internal clockports of your A1200):

- Highway USB
- Unity Prototype
- X-Surf
- ISDN-Surfer
- VarIO
- Buddha flash
- Kickflash


Installation
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just copy the mp3at64mpeg.device file into your  DEVS:  drawer.  Give  this
device  name for AMPlifier etc. Multiple units are supported in theory, but
this has not been tested.


Included Extra Stuff
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MP3At64Play by Thorsten Hansen:
  Simple CLI tool to play back an MP3 file. Slightly modified for MP3At64.


Tech Bits
~~~~~~~~~
The device does not allocate a CIA timer for its interrupt. It does all its
transfers  during  a  soft interrupt. This means that you should be able to
use your internal  serial  port  in  case  you  connected  the  power  plug
somewhere  else. Moreover, all hardware resources are allocated in a system
friendly way, so there should not be any interferences with  other  conform
software trying to use the parallel port in any other way.


Known Problems
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Sometimes the sound is interrupted for a short period. Seems to be a  bug
  in  the  timer.device  that  sometimes causes interrupts to be delayed. I
  tried very small intervals, but it still remained, so I guess it's either
  a bug in timer, or the system interrupt load causes high latencies.
- Volume control is not possible yet.

History
~~~~~~~
V1.0 (24-Jan-01):
  - Initial public release.


Contact address
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Any mail, comments or donations welcome:

Chris Hodges                    Account: 359 68 63
Motorstr. 34a                   Bank   : Sparkasse FFB (700 530 70)
80809 München                   IBAN   : DE61 7005 3070 0003 5968 63
Germany                         SWIFT  : BYLADEM1FFB
Tel.: +49-89/54843054           WWW: http://www.platon42.de/
Email: chrisly@platon42.de      IRC: platon42 on EfNet/Arcnet

Driver page

[redrumloa]

BTW I think I am getting a few Delfina (zorro) cards next week, but they won't be cheap... Delfina has a hardware decoder also.

[HammerD]

Delfina's? sweet I will have to wait and check them out!!

[Bodie_CI5]

Sorry for necrothreading.

Very recently, we reassembled my A4000D and am still a little confused over the types of hardware mp3 decoders. I have an Apollo 040 processor installed in my A4000 with the Zorro cards only (I have a Mediator, but do not want to use it -- want to keep it as native as possible) (plus 128megs of RAM IIRC). Trying to play mp3's is for all intents and purposes a no-no, so I would like to beef this baby up a little with an mp3 hardware decoder (so I can begin using the A4000 more).

What would be recommended for my set up? The MAS (even though it is VERY difficult to find now) or the Delfina? And will the Delfina allow me to listen to mp3's out of the box without slowing down my Amiga? Please note, I am not one of the most technical of users, so please keep it simple for the simpleton that I am :-D

Thanks all

[Tenacious]

Sorry for necrothreading. ...

...What would be recommended for my set up? The MAS (even though it is VERY difficult to find now) or the Delfina? And will the Delfina allow me to listen to mp3's out of the box without slowing down my Amiga? Please note, I am not one of the most technical of users, so please keep it simple for the simpleton that I am :-D

Thanks all

I have a MasPlayer and Delfina Flipper.  

MasPlayer does an excellent job and has never caused a crash.  It will work with a 7 Mhz 68000 Amiga!  It plays well with AmigaAmp, Amplifier and AminetRadio.

I've owned the Delfina for years and have never got it to work (it crashed my system as soon as executed), stopped trying after a few months.  Individual Computers did offer to buy it back from me.  The hardware appears to be OK.  It seems the software (not by IC) still has not been debugged for most common Amiga configurations.  Eventually, I'll try it with a 1200 clock port.

I would be more interested in trying a Mp3@64 if I knew it did not suffer the same software oversight as the Delfina.