an open source class assignment

Tuesday, September 15

WMP Disadvantages 8:03 PM

by Gee Jay Coleco


WMP 11 is a great improvement compared to its predecessors. In the market, VLC is not it's major competition, but Apple's iTunes used by millions of iPod owners worldwide, as opposed to WMP's WMA-based online music stores. And because of this, Microsoft has worked really hard to improve WMP's latest version, from its interface to its playlist, etc.

But we're not comparing iTunes and WMP. So going back, I have listed down below some issues concerning WMP:
  1. WMP is only available on Windows OS and Windows Mobile. Talk about exclusivity.
  2. Some users are still experiencing the usual crashing when playing media files.
  3. WMP does not read some types of media file as oppose to VLC's massive range of file compatibility.
  4. The usual codec error because of media file limited compatibility.
  5. Large memory requirement compared to VLC.
  6. Video quality is not as good as VLC's.

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VLC Disadvantages 7:26 PM

by Gee Jay Coleco


VLC, as with any other software programs, has its own share of drawbacks. I made a research on this and found some people who wants VLC to have some improvements on its features and functionalities. Here's what they said about VLC:
  1. VLC does not support Real format.
  2. Interface needs some improvement. It may easy to use, but not nice to look at. Some people say the skins are not very likable.
  3. VLC should provide the ability to manage your playlist, such as tagging and rating features. Also the playlist is not integrated well with the main area.
  4. Does not burn CD since VLC is just a media player.
  5. Does not rip CD.
Other than that, because VLC is very light and easy to use, it is still one of the leading media players available for everyone's enjoyment. Especially great for movies and videos.


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WMP Key Features 7:00 PM

by Gee Jay Coleco
(This article was lifted from the Microsoft Website)

WMP 11 [claims that it] offers unmatched choice and flexibility in managing and enjoying your digital media. With a new look and great features that make it easier to use, Windows Media Player 11 is built to handle music and video collections of nearly any size. Explore a new world of music and connect with mobile devices so you can have your music, pictures, and video wherever you want it.
  • Updated design and interface. When designing the new Windows Media Player, Microsoft considered the needs of a wide range of users—from people just getting started with digital media to discriminating audiophiles with very large collections on their PCs.
  • Streamlined interface. For a sleeker and more functional appearance, the "classic" Windows Media Player menus are now turned off by default and are accessible by right-clicking anywhere on the Player frame. (You can choose to re-enable the menus at any time.) Instead of navigating through menus, you can now quickly access common settings by clicking the arrow below each activity tab, such as Rip, Burn, or Sync. Integrated Back and Forward buttons help you zip between screens or retrace your steps if you get lost.
  • Revamped playback controls. New playback controls are easier to find and use, are laid out more intuitively, and feature improved repeat, shuffle, and full-screen options.
  • Simplified Media Library. Music now has its own focused media category view, with a simpler list in the Navigation Pane that shows artists, albums, songs, genres, years, and ratings. By right-clicking Library and selecting Show More Views, you can customize the look of your collection any way you like.
  • Album art. Windows Media Player 11 brings album art to the center of your experience, with thumbnail views that appear when you browse your collection, as well as intuitive visual "stacks" of albums when you browse by genre or through playlists. If you’re missing album art, Windows Media Player can find it for you, or you can replace it with your own images.
  • Optimized for large music collections. As people build larger digital music collections by "ripping" CDs, buying from online stores, and downloading from the web, it's more important than ever to be able to quickly organize and explore all of your music. Windows Media Player 11 is optimized to handle massive collections of music—literally millions of tracks—so you can scroll, flip, and browse through your entire library without skipping a beat.
  • Instant Search. Search has been streamlined to simplify access to your library. If you know exactly what you want (or even if you can remember only part of a song or album title), the Instant Search feature in Windows Media Player 11 can scan across your entire library and return exactly what you're after—fast.
  • Rip CDs. You can now rip songs from CDs into two new audio formats: Windows Media Audio Pro and lossless WAV. And if your computer has multiple CD drives, you can load them up and start ripping them all at once, so you can digitize your entire CD collection faster.
  • Powerful playlists. You can still create custom playlists by dragging songs and albums into the List Pane, and a new Shuffle Playlist feature makes it easier to create new playlists out of your favorite tracks with just a single click.
  • Better media information. With large digital music libraries, it’s often hard to make sure songs match the media information (or metadata) that describes them. In addition to automated metadata tools that run in the background, Windows Media Player 11 now includes audio waveform matching that better pinpoints the exact album information that goes with your tracks.
  • Discover new music. Windows Media Player 11 features a completely new way to add music to your existing collection. Many online stores are accessible in Windows Media Player 11. You can find a complete list of partners who have created plug-ins for Windows Media Player. You can then choose a different store to appear by default. You can also discover a world of entertainment, including Internet radio, movie trailers, and more, by clicking Media Guide.
  • All of your entertainment in one place. Beyond music, Windows Media Player 11 offers great new ways to enjoy video, pictures, and recorded TV. A number of new features help you get the most out of all of your media.
  • Simplified media views. Windows Media Player 11 is designed to be simple and uniform, but each media type now has its own specialized view in the Navigation Pane. For example, you can explore video by actor or genre just as easily as you can sort albums by artist. You can sort pictures by the date they were taken. And you can organize recorded TV by series.
  • A better video experience. Video playback in Windows Media Player 11 features several enhancements for enjoying DVDs, including smoother playback and automatic full-screen viewing. The Home Premium and Ultimate editions of Windows Vista are equipped to play DVDs right out of the box—there's no need to purchase an additional plug-in.
  • Enjoy your media everywhere. There are many benefits to storing your entire digital media collection in Windows Media Player 11, including the ability to stay connected with your library wherever you go.
  • Share your library. If you're running Windows Vista on a home network, you can use Windows Media Player 11 to share the contents of your library with other computers, or digital media devices such as Xbox 360, and access all of your media from anywhere in the home.
  • Simple device setup. It is easier than ever to synchronize portable devices with Windows Media Player 11. A wizard helps you quickly set up your new device the first time it's connected.
  • New sync features. You can still sync your device automatically or manually. But Windows Media Player 11 also offers a few cool new features, including Multi-PC Sync, which is great for managing home and work libraries and Shuffle Sync, which fills your device with a random sampling of your library.In addition, you can automatically convert many types of media to a format your devices understand—even for protected music and video purchased from Windows Media online stores.
  • Burn your own CDs and data DVDs. One of the great things about having a large digital media library is the ability to burn custom CDs with your favorite tracks. The Burn tab in Windows Media Player 11 has been enhanced to make this even better.

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VLC Key Features 5:20 PM


by Gee Jay Coleco


VLC boasts of several unique features that would make other proprietary media players, such as WMP, bow down and run for their money. The following are some of the key features of VLC Media Player:
  • Operating System Compatibility. VLC is compatible with OSs such as Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Solaris and BeOS.
  • Play whatever. Be it any format or any codec, they got to play in VLC.
  • Simplicity. If you know how to use your DVD player at home, this would be a breeze.
  • Network Streaming. It can stream internet video over HTTP, UTP protocol more over it support IPv6.
  • Streaming Server. You can broadcast video using unicast or multicast in high bandwidth network.
  • Filters. Have some fun on your video. Use the filter options to change color, add waves, etc.
  • Highly Portable. VLC is also available as a portable application for Windows. In that way, you can take your audio/video files and VLC with you (saved on your USB drive) and play them on a computer without installation and without leaving any personal information behind.
  • Volume Control. I am not sure if anyone has noticed this, but an amazing feature of VLC is it exceed its own volume limit. On its interface, the maximum volume is only 200, but when you use your mouse control to adjust the volume, it doubles the number to 400! I compared the volume of VLC and WMP and there is a big difference between the two. Very useful for those users who's using a poor set of speakers.
  • Customizable Controls. VLC has the option for you to customize the interface controls and buttons as you wish.


Sources:


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Skin Choosers 10:08 AM

by Gee Jay Coleco


According to Wikipedia's definition, skins are custom graphical appearances (GUIs) that can be applied to certain software and websites to suit its the purpose or topic, or the tastes of different users. Applying a skin changes a piece of software's look and feel...[to] make the program more aesthetically pleasing. [One] can rearrange elements of the interface, potentially making the program easier to use.




In short, end-users apply skins to make their application programs more personalized, usable and nice to look at depending on their personal preference.

Both VLC and WMP offer a gazillion of skin choices to download: from serious and professional to wacky and playful. And the best part -- most of them, if not all, are free! :-)

WMP on a Ducky skin



VLC on a WinampModern skin



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OS Compatibility 9:28 AM

by Gee Jay M. Coleco

One of the greatest advantages of VLC over WMP is its compatibility with a wide array of operating systems. However, its features vary from one OS to another.

The following is a list of OS where VLC can be downloaded:

Binaries
  • Windows
  • MAC OS X
  • BeOS
  • Syllable
GNU/Linux
  • Debian GNU/Linux
  • Ubuntu
  • Mandriva Linux
  • Fedora
  • openSUSE
  • Familiar Linux
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux
  • Slackware Linux
  • ALT Linux
  • Arch Linux
  • YOPY/Linupy
  • Zaurus
Source and other operating systems

For the other operating systems supported, there are no precompiled binaries. You will have to get the source code for VLC and its required libraries and build them yourself:
  • NetBSD
  • OpenBSD
  • FreeBSD
  • Solaris
  • QNX
  • Gentoo Linux
  • Crux Linux
For the complete list of features and OS comparison, please click here, or copy this url to your web browser:



-oOo-


Windows Media Player meanwhile is only available for a certain number of operating systems. Only two brand names, in fact -- Windows and Mac OS X. An older version of WMP is available for Solaris which is a UNIX-based OS.

The advantage of WMP, unlike VLC, is that there is a version available for Windows Mobile users. Although there was a proposal project before to create a mobile version of VLC, it was discontinued due to the lack of interest of the developers.

For the complete list of WMP versions available on Windows, Windows Mobile and Mac OS X, please click here, or copy this url to your web browser:



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