How is that EAC thing better than iTunes? Just asking. I don't use the PCs at my disposal for any of that stuff.
Just wondering how those apps are better than iTunes. iTunes seems to do everything I need just fine - and for free. Are those apps free? Again, just asking. I don't like using these PCs so I don't know (and probably won't spend time finding out on my own).
I went to Circuit City a couple weeks ago just to see if they had any macs on clearance (they did, an old iBook) but while there I used a Sony Vaio MX Desktop.
This is the first PC I have ever used that really makes me jealous. It's the first one that has really been desirable to me.
The design is awesome. I had seen it before and read about it in ads and on the web but never saw it in person. It's built extremely well and looks pretty damn good. The case is also functional with all the controls on the front. Apple just basically wastes away the face of the tower.
The whole system was great, the speakers, LCD, etc. Windows XP worked very well on it and was snappy. The system is what Apple SHOULD be doing. It's a multimedia powerhouse that can display and record TV, import video, burn DVDs, edit DV, import photos and transfer to minidisk, record minidisks, and then act as a pretty damn good all around PC as well.
And it's not a cheap PC. It's quite expensive actually but it is just a beautiful all around package.
Ugh. The interesting thing is that the more technically educated I get, the more I realize how much Windows is a piece of junk. I used to tolerate it, but I don't anymore.
[quote]Just wondering how those apps are better than iTunes. iTunes seems to do everything I need just fine - and for free.<hr></blockquote>
Bingo. iTunes is so easy to use compared to anything for the PC it's unreal. I used EAC (with LAME) for a while tonight, and I couldn't stand it. Like most PC stuff, I can't see why they have to make simple things so difficult. I had a hell of a time ripping CDs at the rate I wanted, and the app froze my system twice.
You spend 2 minutes with iTunes, and you just know how it works. Rip a CD to MP3 , make a few playlists, burn a CD... compared with some of these Windows apps - it wins hands down.
Bingo. iTunes is so easy to use compared to anything for the PC it's unreal. I used EAC (with LAME) for a while tonight, and I couldn't stand it. Like most PC stuff, I can't see why they have to make simple things so difficult. I had a hell of a time ripping CDs at the rate I wanted, and the app froze my system twice.
You spend 2 minutes with iTunes, and you just know how it works. Rip a CD to MP3 , make a few playlists, burn a CD... compared with some of these Windows apps - it wins hands down.
I'll take my Mac, thanks.</strong><hr></blockquote>
You must really be doing something wrong to make XP freeze. In the past 2 years I have never had either Windows 2000 or XP freeze on me. At the very worst you might have to use Ctrl-Alt-Delete to bring up Task Manager to log out. When you log back in everything is fine.
Addressing the apps, they are just small time companies or individuals making these apps you are using for free or for a small shareware fee. You cannot compare them to a giant company like Apple that spends millions to develop applications like iTunes, which they then give out for free to help sell their machines. That is no different than Microsoft does with Internet Explorer. They spend millions on that, which is why it is the best browser out there. These premiere applications help Apple and Microsoft sell their other products.
I went to Circuit City a couple weeks ago just to see if they had any macs on clearance (they did, an old iBook) but while there I used a Sony Vaio MX Desktop.
This is the first PC I have ever used that really makes me jealous. It's the first one that has really been desirable to me.
The design is awesome. I had seen it before and read about it in ads and on the web but never saw it in person. It's built extremely well and looks pretty damn good. The case is also functional with all the controls on the front. Apple just basically wastes away the face of the tower.
The whole system was great, the speakers, LCD, etc. Windows XP worked very well on it and was snappy. The system is what Apple SHOULD be doing. It's a multimedia powerhouse that can display and record TV, import video, burn DVDs, edit DV, import photos and transfer to minidisk, record minidisks, and then act as a pretty damn good all around PC as well.
And it's not a cheap PC. It's quite expensive actually but it is just a beautiful all around package.
Come on Apple. Do something. Make changes.</strong><hr></blockquote>
I thought it was nice at first, until I saw it in person. The photos make it look beter than it really is...It looks like B&O in the photo, but it looks like plasticky-plastic in real life.
Let's see, they give you a 32 MB GeForce2 MX vs a 64 MB GeForce4 MX. That 120 GB HDD is most likely a Deskstar 120GXP...do you really want one of those? There's ONE open PCI slot...count 'em! One 6-pin FireWire. You'll need powered daisy-chainable devices or a hub to use more then one FireWire device. Even something usually standard like Office XP (Small Business) is optional. There's only one additional expansion bay...3.5". No built-in antenna or 802.11b...100Base-T ethernet...and Sony LCDs have bad rise/fall rates and horrible brightness/contrast.
This VAIO, as I have said before, is not following the "digital hub" strategy at all. It's following what I would call the "digital supercenter" or "digital Swiss Army" strategy. It's a Jack of all trades, master of none.
I prefer my computer as a hub...to pull TV stuff from the TV...to pull radio stuff from the radio...to pull DVR from the DVR...not to be all of that in one box. The hub strategy is going to take more time to develop as a result.
<strong>How is that EAC thing better than iTunes? Just asking. I don't use the PCs at my disposal for any of that stuff.
Just wondering how those apps are better than iTunes. iTunes seems to do everything I need just fine - and for free. Are those apps free? Again, just asking. I don't like using these PCs so I don't know (and probably won't spend time finding out on my own). </strong><hr></blockquote>
Both CDEX and EAC are free programs. Audiophiles (not me I'm clueless ) will tell you that EAC is superior to iTunes because it more accurately extracts all the audio data possible. LAME is superior they say because the algorithm it uses to encode MP3s is superior to the one in iTunes. Like I said I don't know one way or the other so I can't really comment.
You must really be doing something wrong to make XP freeze. In the past 2 years I have never had either Windows 2000 or XP freeze on me. At the very worst you might have to use Ctrl-Alt-Delete to bring up Task Manager to log out. When you log back in everything is fine.
Addressing the apps, they are just small time companies or individuals making these apps you are using for free or for a small shareware fee. You cannot compare them to a giant company like Apple that spends millions to develop applications like iTunes, which they then give out for free to help sell their machines. That is no different than Microsoft does with Internet Explorer. They spend millions on that, which is why it is the best browser out there. These premiere applications help Apple and Microsoft sell their other products.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Was I doing something wrong? I don't know. EAC was on song #6 of a CD and it started stuttering hard.... and wouldn't stop. CTR-ALT-DEL would do nothing. Thought I was just letting it do it's business like I was supposed to. ??? The system is only a couple days old, I really haven't even tinkered around with it all that much.
Can't remember iTunes ever crashing on me. Never had it rip an MP3 I didn't think sounded fantastic either...
Applenut, I really liked it both in person and the specs too. I put a side-by-side (well, sort of) comparison of specs on the first page of this thread. The only downside is really that it's so expensive. I don't really care about PCI slots (it's already using the only PCI cards I'd put it in, anyway), or graphics card (it's fast enough, and I can replace it with any one of myriad cards on the market if it isn't). At least with a Mac, it looks a million bucks. Sony is nice, but not quite the same.
It will be my next PC, though. My next Mac will probably be a PowerMac G5, once the next big rev comes out. I need both.
Some of you find the Sony to be expensive? I don't understand? The Sony MX VAIO is $3399 (with everything, including the LCD, 20w + 20w FM Stereo Receiver, Powered Speakers, Digital Audio, TV Tuner, built-in MD Recorder/Player).
A similarly configured Mac (with less power, components, and features) is MORE expensive at an astounding $3,657 (with no warranty, 40Gigs less storage, no A/V components, and I won't even touch on the processor, keyboard and mouse!)
In regards to Windows XP. I've ripped over 25Gigs of CDs in the past 7 months and neither the program (MusicMatch) or Windows XP have bombed once! In fact, Windows XP has YET to bomb on me at all. Anyway, I happen to love iTunes. I think it's very simple and it gets the job done. However, it's not the fastest ripper on the block. I can only achieve a 5.3x ripping speed - and that's every now and then. On average, it's about a 3.7x. I find MusicMatch must faster and it is also very easy to use. Those shareware apps mentioned above look a little shaky so I am not surprised if they bombed.
Also, the Windows XP Power Toys comes with a few cool programs and a converter/ripper is one of them. I've never used it, so I couldn't comment.
The only trouble I've had is with EAC. No troubles using Music Match Jukebox or WinAmp... other than the fact that I hate them.
Overall though, I have to admit XP isn't the terrible piece of crap most Mac users would think. It's actually useable!
Of course I'm forced to have a PC at work here, but as long as I'm stuck in PC land, might as well be in XP. A very welcome change from 98/ME land. (OK, the Athlon XP1800 vs my old PII 300 makes a little difference too)
Most people don't use all-in-one apps unless they're also aol subscribers. Try EAC(Exact Audio Copy) for ripping and winamp for playing.</strong><hr></blockquote>
I agree, In my PC experience I use more or less that combo. but it's also intresting to think that if you're trying to play music with the system as it was given (granting that you're somehow unable to aquire any kind of any software because aliens kidnapped your visa, chained you to your chair and cut the phone line)(and try typing mp3 player at downlaod.com, you'll probably end downloading an mpg123 variant or something), I think the Mac has an edge. And mainly because of the iApps.
Granted, iTunes sucks 10-15%CPU for playing, but it's one of the better players out there in any platform available.
And thus you can take this situation to other areas ... DV, Digital Photography, you name it ...
And it's stuff like that that makes a computer nicer to use.
Was I doing something wrong? I don't know. EAC was on song #6 of a CD and it started stuttering hard.... and wouldn't stop. CTR-ALT-DEL would do nothing. Thought I was just letting it do it's business like I was supposed to. ??? The system is only a couple days old, I really haven't even tinkered around with it all that much.
</strong><hr></blockquote>
What sound card do you have? Might look for an updated sound driver if it freezes during audio applications.
EAC is extremely powerful and flexible. You can import audio in a ton of different formats, lossless, ogg vorbis, whatever.
If you approach it comparing it to iTunes then of course it's not the same. It's a lot more than iTunes is in that it has 1 goal, audio extraction and is a hell of a lot better then iTunes in that regard. And then WinAmp has one goal, audio playback, and is a hell of a lot better than iTunes in that regard.
Now, you may be used to the 1-for-all approach and that's fine, but don't just brush it off because you're not used to it.
I hear the same things from both sides, "Macs/ura½are stupid, they don't work right."
EAC is basically used just for DAE to WAV in most cases, so there's no reason to compare it to iTunes. Unless your CD is scratched or otherwise messed up, iTunes can extract a WAV or AIF every bit as good as the original CD recording.
As for mp3 encoding, Encode With Lame 1.0.2 AppleScript for iTunes...'nuff said.
And for playback...what? iTunes plays mp3s...so does WinAMP. I don't really see how WinAMP is better in that regard.
I think some people really like to whine about visualizations. I don't get it. If I play a few tracks to listen to while working/surfing, I hardly want to stare zombie-like at a screen full of abstract visualizations. Even if I have nothing better to do while listening to the music, why on earth would I want to stare a screen of visualizations??? I don't get it?
<strong>I think some people really like to whine about visualizations. I don't get it. If I play a few tracks to listen to while working/surfing, I hardly want to stare zombie-like at a screen full of abstract visualizations. Even if I have nothing better to do while listening to the music, why on earth would I want to stare a screen of visualizations??? I don't get it?</strong><hr></blockquote>I don't understand?
You're asking why others want visualizations based on an example of how you listen to your music files?! Obviously people who only listen to a few tracks in the background have no use for visualizations and won't want them and wouldn't ask for them.
Having realized that, I think it's safe to assume that people who use their computers to listen to music long-term while doing other things in the room might want to look at visualizations on the screen to coincide with the music instead of a screen saver.
Nothing wrong with a little fun now is there? And I would hardly consider asking for more than ONE bundled visualization to be whining!
Nothing wrong with a little fun now is there? And I would hardly consider asking for more than ONE bundled visualization to be whining!</strong><hr></blockquote>
How is it fun?</strong><hr></blockquote>I think of it as the same way 'Aqua' is fun. It's cool to look at. Not the main reason for using OS X, put sort of a side perk. Same reason why we change our icons and wallpaper and such. Certainly cool effects here and there are good for the common aesthetic freak! If it's not your thing, that's cool. I just think it's silly to question others is all.
I like cool aesthetic things too, but I just don't see the point of looking at a Visualization as something that makes listening to a song inherently more enjoyable. If I were using the computer, I'd find it distracting; if I were doing something else, I wouldn't look at the computer anyway, and especially for the sake of my LCD's life, Id want that screen saver to snap into effect (Black screen) ASAP.
It just doesn't seem like that much fun to stare at a screen that isn't doing anything interesting besides produce a psuedo-psychedelia 'on screen.' Wouldn't you rather have some real psychedelia playing 'in brain'?
Comments
Just wondering how those apps are better than iTunes. iTunes seems to do everything I need just fine - and for free. Are those apps free? Again, just asking. I don't like using these PCs so I don't know (and probably won't spend time finding out on my own).
I went to Circuit City a couple weeks ago just to see if they had any macs on clearance (they did, an old iBook) but while there I used a Sony Vaio MX Desktop.
This is the first PC I have ever used that really makes me jealous. It's the first one that has really been desirable to me.
The design is awesome. I had seen it before and read about it in ads and on the web but never saw it in person. It's built extremely well and looks pretty damn good. The case is also functional with all the controls on the front. Apple just basically wastes away the face of the tower.
The whole system was great, the speakers, LCD, etc. Windows XP worked very well on it and was snappy. The system is what Apple SHOULD be doing. It's a multimedia powerhouse that can display and record TV, import video, burn DVDs, edit DV, import photos and transfer to minidisk, record minidisks, and then act as a pretty damn good all around PC as well.
And it's not a cheap PC. It's quite expensive actually but it is just a beautiful all around package.
Come on Apple. Do something. Make changes.
Bingo. iTunes is so easy to use compared to anything for the PC it's unreal. I used EAC (with LAME) for a while tonight, and I couldn't stand it. Like most PC stuff, I can't see why they have to make simple things so difficult. I had a hell of a time ripping CDs at the rate I wanted, and the app froze my system twice.
You spend 2 minutes with iTunes, and you just know how it works. Rip a CD to MP3 , make a few playlists, burn a CD... compared with some of these Windows apps - it wins hands down.
I'll take my Mac, thanks.
<strong>
Bingo. iTunes is so easy to use compared to anything for the PC it's unreal. I used EAC (with LAME) for a while tonight, and I couldn't stand it. Like most PC stuff, I can't see why they have to make simple things so difficult. I had a hell of a time ripping CDs at the rate I wanted, and the app froze my system twice.
You spend 2 minutes with iTunes, and you just know how it works. Rip a CD to MP3 , make a few playlists, burn a CD... compared with some of these Windows apps - it wins hands down.
I'll take my Mac, thanks.</strong><hr></blockquote>
You must really be doing something wrong to make XP freeze. In the past 2 years I have never had either Windows 2000 or XP freeze on me. At the very worst you might have to use Ctrl-Alt-Delete to bring up Task Manager to log out. When you log back in everything is fine.
Addressing the apps, they are just small time companies or individuals making these apps you are using for free or for a small shareware fee. You cannot compare them to a giant company like Apple that spends millions to develop applications like iTunes, which they then give out for free to help sell their machines. That is no different than Microsoft does with Internet Explorer. They spend millions on that, which is why it is the best browser out there. These premiere applications help Apple and Microsoft sell their other products.
<strong>sigh...
I went to Circuit City a couple weeks ago just to see if they had any macs on clearance (they did, an old iBook) but while there I used a Sony Vaio MX Desktop.
This is the first PC I have ever used that really makes me jealous. It's the first one that has really been desirable to me.
The design is awesome. I had seen it before and read about it in ads and on the web but never saw it in person. It's built extremely well and looks pretty damn good. The case is also functional with all the controls on the front. Apple just basically wastes away the face of the tower.
The whole system was great, the speakers, LCD, etc. Windows XP worked very well on it and was snappy. The system is what Apple SHOULD be doing. It's a multimedia powerhouse that can display and record TV, import video, burn DVDs, edit DV, import photos and transfer to minidisk, record minidisks, and then act as a pretty damn good all around PC as well.
And it's not a cheap PC. It's quite expensive actually but it is just a beautiful all around package.
Come on Apple. Do something. Make changes.</strong><hr></blockquote>
I thought it was nice at first, until I saw it in person. The photos make it look beter than it really is...It looks like B&O in the photo, but it looks like plasticky-plastic in real life.
Let's see, they give you a 32 MB GeForce2 MX vs a 64 MB GeForce4 MX. That 120 GB HDD is most likely a Deskstar 120GXP...do you really want one of those? There's ONE open PCI slot...count 'em! One 6-pin FireWire. You'll need powered daisy-chainable devices or a hub to use more then one FireWire device. Even something usually standard like Office XP (Small Business) is optional. There's only one additional expansion bay...3.5". No built-in antenna or 802.11b...100Base-T ethernet...and Sony LCDs have bad rise/fall rates and horrible brightness/contrast.
This VAIO, as I have said before, is not following the "digital hub" strategy at all. It's following what I would call the "digital supercenter" or "digital Swiss Army" strategy. It's a Jack of all trades, master of none.
I prefer my computer as a hub...to pull TV stuff from the TV...to pull radio stuff from the radio...to pull DVR from the DVR...not to be all of that in one box. The hub strategy is going to take more time to develop as a result.
[ 04-12-2002: Message edited by: Eugene ]</p>
<strong>How is that EAC thing better than iTunes? Just asking. I don't use the PCs at my disposal for any of that stuff.
Just wondering how those apps are better than iTunes. iTunes seems to do everything I need just fine - and for free. Are those apps free? Again, just asking. I don't like using these PCs so I don't know (and probably won't spend time finding out on my own).
Both CDEX and EAC are free programs. Audiophiles (not me I'm clueless
<strong>
You must really be doing something wrong to make XP freeze. In the past 2 years I have never had either Windows 2000 or XP freeze on me. At the very worst you might have to use Ctrl-Alt-Delete to bring up Task Manager to log out. When you log back in everything is fine.
Addressing the apps, they are just small time companies or individuals making these apps you are using for free or for a small shareware fee. You cannot compare them to a giant company like Apple that spends millions to develop applications like iTunes, which they then give out for free to help sell their machines. That is no different than Microsoft does with Internet Explorer. They spend millions on that, which is why it is the best browser out there. These premiere applications help Apple and Microsoft sell their other products.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Was I doing something wrong? I don't know. EAC was on song #6 of a CD and it started stuttering hard.... and wouldn't stop. CTR-ALT-DEL would do nothing. Thought I was just letting it do it's business like I was supposed to. ??? The system is only a couple days old, I really haven't even tinkered around with it all that much.
Can't remember iTunes ever crashing on me. Never had it rip an MP3 I didn't think sounded fantastic either...
It will be my next PC, though. My next Mac will probably be a PowerMac G5, once the next big rev comes out.
A similarly configured Mac (with less power, components, and features) is MORE expensive at an astounding $3,657 (with no warranty, 40Gigs less storage, no A/V components, and I won't even touch on the processor, keyboard and mouse!)
<a href="http://www.sonystyle.com/vaio/mx/specs.shtml"; target="_blank">http://www.sonystyle.com/vaio/mx/specs.shtml</a>;
In regards to Windows XP. I've ripped over 25Gigs of CDs in the past 7 months and neither the program (MusicMatch) or Windows XP have bombed once! In fact, Windows XP has YET to bomb on me at all. Anyway, I happen to love iTunes. I think it's very simple and it gets the job done. However, it's not the fastest ripper on the block. I can only achieve a 5.3x ripping speed - and that's every now and then. On average, it's about a 3.7x. I find MusicMatch must faster and it is also very easy to use. Those shareware apps mentioned above look a little shaky so I am not surprised if they bombed.
Also, the Windows XP Power Toys comes with a few cool programs and a converter/ripper is one of them. I've never used it, so I couldn't comment.
[ 04-12-2002: Message edited by: Patchouli ]</p>
Overall though, I have to admit XP isn't the terrible piece of crap most Mac users would think. It's actually useable!
Of course I'm forced to have a PC at work here, but as long as I'm stuck in PC land, might as well be in XP. A very welcome change from 98/ME land. (OK, the Athlon XP1800 vs my old PII 300 makes a little difference too)
[ 04-12-2002: Message edited by: murbot ]</p>
<strong>
Most people don't use all-in-one apps unless they're also aol subscribers. Try EAC(Exact Audio Copy) for ripping and winamp for playing.</strong><hr></blockquote>
I agree, In my PC experience I use more or less that combo. but it's also intresting to think that if you're trying to play music with the system as it was given (granting that you're somehow unable to aquire any kind of any software because aliens kidnapped your visa, chained you to your chair and cut the phone line)(and try typing mp3 player at downlaod.com, you'll probably end downloading an mpg123 variant or something), I think the Mac has an edge. And mainly because of the iApps.
Granted, iTunes sucks 10-15%CPU for playing, but it's one of the better players out there in any platform available.
And thus you can take this situation to other areas ... DV, Digital Photography, you name it ...
And it's stuff like that that makes a computer nicer to use.
Sarc
<strong>
Was I doing something wrong? I don't know. EAC was on song #6 of a CD and it started stuttering hard.... and wouldn't stop. CTR-ALT-DEL would do nothing. Thought I was just letting it do it's business like I was supposed to. ??? The system is only a couple days old, I really haven't even tinkered around with it all that much.
</strong><hr></blockquote>
What sound card do you have? Might look for an updated sound driver if it freezes during audio applications.
If you approach it comparing it to iTunes then of course it's not the same. It's a lot more than iTunes is in that it has 1 goal, audio extraction and is a hell of a lot better then iTunes in that regard. And then WinAmp has one goal, audio playback, and is a hell of a lot better than iTunes in that regard.
Now, you may be used to the 1-for-all approach and that's fine, but don't just brush it off because you're not used to it.
I hear the same things from both sides, "Macs/ura½are stupid, they don't work right."
As for mp3 encoding, Encode With Lame 1.0.2 AppleScript for iTunes...'nuff said.
And for playback...what? iTunes plays mp3s...so does WinAMP. I don't really see how WinAMP is better in that regard.
<strong>I think some people really like to whine about visualizations. I don't get it. If I play a few tracks to listen to while working/surfing, I hardly want to stare zombie-like at a screen full of abstract visualizations. Even if I have nothing better to do while listening to the music, why on earth would I want to stare a screen of visualizations??? I don't get it?</strong><hr></blockquote>I don't understand?
You're asking why others want visualizations based on an example of how you listen to your music files?! Obviously people who only listen to a few tracks in the background have no use for visualizations and won't want them and wouldn't ask for them.
Having realized that, I think it's safe to assume that people who use their computers to listen to music long-term while doing other things in the room might want to look at visualizations on the screen to coincide with the music instead of a screen saver.
Nothing wrong with a little fun now is there? And I would hardly consider asking for more than ONE bundled visualization to be whining!
<strong>
Nothing wrong with a little fun now is there? And I would hardly consider asking for more than ONE bundled visualization to be whining!</strong><hr></blockquote>
How is it fun?
<strong>
How is it fun?</strong><hr></blockquote>I think of it as the same way 'Aqua' is fun. It's cool to look at. Not the main reason for using OS X, put sort of a side perk. Same reason why we change our icons and wallpaper and such. Certainly cool effects here and there are good for the common aesthetic freak!
[ 04-14-2002: Message edited by: Patchouli ]</p>
It just doesn't seem like that much fun to stare at a screen that isn't doing anything interesting besides produce a psuedo-psychedelia 'on screen.' Wouldn't you rather have some real psychedelia playing 'in brain'?