Skip to main content ↑ ↓

Notice

Please note that most of the software linked on this forum is likely to be safe to use. If you are unsure, feel free to ask in the relevant topics, or send a private message to an administrator or moderator. To help curb the problems of false positives, or in the event that you do find actual malware, you can contribute through the article linked here.
Topic: Can compression levels affect playback? (Read 4222 times) previous topic - next topic
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Can compression levels affect playback?

I've been having a lot of problems with level 8 compressed FLAC files on portable media players lately. I updated my sansa players many times before but after they still skip and studder on those FLAC files, I think it's a problem with the player not being able to play them properly?

How could the compression level affect playback though? I thought it just reduces the file size and doesn't do anything to the audio data. Maybe I'm thinking wrong but I don't want to have to go through thousands of FLAC files just to re-encode them and re-embed a crapload of album art 

Can compression levels affect playback?

Reply #1 –
Bug in the firmware.

Can compression levels affect playback?

Reply #2 –
That's what I'm thinking too but I also have a question about playing FLAC files. When they are decoded by a media player, do the files take time unpack the audio data and that's what might by causing the studders? Due to the hardware of the sansa player not being able to decode it fast enough or something?

Can compression levels affect playback?

Reply #3 –
Can compression level (complexity) affect the amount of work required to decode?  Sure.
Can compression level of FLAC significantly affect the amount of work required to decode?  Not on modern hardware.

A relatively slow ARM processor (as used in the earlier Sansas) should be capable of ~6x realtime decoding of a FLAC level 8, with only a couple of percentage points faster decoding for level 5.  With anything faster the decode rate is ludicrous. 

The compression level itself is not a plausible reason for the problems you're seeing.
Creature of habit.
 

Can compression levels affect playback?

Reply #4 –
Quote from: d_headshot on
When they are decoded by a media player, do the files take time unpack the audio data



Yes, computers take a finite amount of time to do things because they are not infinitely fast.

Quote from: d_headshot on
and that's what might by causing the studders? Due to the hardware of the sansa player not being able to decode it fast enough or something?


No, its just a bug.