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»AmigaAMP V2.6b - the best MPEG-Player for AMIGA?
We got AmigaAMP revision 2.6 beta. As it looks like this is the best MPEG1&2 player for the Amiga. But how is the quality? And what load has the computer to do? Can you continue to work on the Workbench when listening to a MPEG file? What skins (GUI graphics) are there? Why doesn't AmigaAMP run on my computer? I'm going to tell you all that. All das verrate ich Ihnen.
Installation:But first: How do I install AmigaAMP? Well, it's quite easy, just copy the drawer to one of your system partitions and make sure that these libraries are present on your system:
Now, there should OS3.0 installed on your system, but OS3.1 & CGFX V4.1 would be better, because they are needed for the internal spectrum analyzer. This could be a problem, because it is 1999 and any Amiga user should have OS3.1 and CGFX. Absolutely necessary is to have the AHI system installed, because AmigaAMP uses it. So you have to configure AHI correctly.
Depending on the sound card installed in your Amiga you have to set a >Fast 16bit Stereo++< mode and set 2 channels. But just use unit 0. Even if other units can be used, unit 0 is the better solution. If there are e.g. sound problems with the game >Myst< or the sound output of AmigaAMP is quite low, they are gone.
Best is to load the desired AHI prefs from the homepage of AmigaAMP. These prefs can be found under >Faq<. If everything has been installed, AmigaAMP should work without problems. Well, after AmigaAMP was started just the necessary settings have to be made, so we enter >Config...<, there you can set the quality of the MPEG files as well as the compression rate and the sampling frequency. This should be set to 22050 Hz for (020-040 processors) for layer 1-3 and 48000 Hz (for 060-PPC or better) for layer 1-3. 68k users need the mpega.library, PPC users can use an internal program, that supports PowerUP. Users of the Prelude sound card expansion >MPEGit< can choose it from the menu.
In the AmigaAMP settings you should set LoadBuf: to File and set the PlayBuf: 1/s. The TaskPri hasn't to be changed.
These points should also be selected (in this order) Folgende Punkte sollten dann noch angewaehlt sein und zwar (in Reihenfolge)
68k users should watch out, which mpega.library they use.
You should not use the mpegaFPU libraries, because the unneccessarily slow down the system. On an 68060 processor you can set anything with the normal mpega060.library to maximum, but you have the set layer3 to 38000 Hz, when using the FPU version of the 060 library. Because, if you want to go higher the sound output begins stuttering.
IMPORTANT!
The performance of the system depends on the power of the mpega.library and on the speed of the AHI driver and the used sound card.
A small tip:
Unfortunately the installation of the AHI system is quite buggy, so it doesn't allow an installation on hard disk. But there is a solution for this problem (so I got AHI on hard disk without problems). Just get the (German) AmigaFuture-CDs, where the demo of Genetic Species is included and you should use this for AHI and there are no longer problems with AHI.
Thomas Wenzel says, NOT to use graphics patches to speed up some routines or to re-direct calls to CyberGraphX. Instead of this you should use AmigaOS 3.1 or the OS3.5 update, which will be available soon, and a graphics board. GFXPatch irritated AmigaAMP, so it completely switched into the OS3.1 mode. The consequence was, that some functions didn't work as expected. PatchWPA8 led to hard crashes, because AmigaAMP accessed the patched function with various processes at the same time. Get a sound card, get a graphics board, get AmigaOS 3.1 - and he is right.
Which GUI would you like?
The interface, also called skins, has its source in WinAMP. You can put these skins on a program, which >has to support them< and you got your individual player. There are various skins in the Aminet from StarTrek to Titanic, everything is there. A big collection of skins can be found on the homepage of WinAMP.
Especially the fans of StarTrek and StarWars can be happy, Babylon5 fans don't get anything, unfortunately.
In any case you should take a look. Choose a skin and put it into the subdirectory of AmigaAMP named &qt;skins<, there is also an Amiga skin present as you can see on the picture.
Now you select &gq;Skin...< in the program and a requester opens, where you can select your skin. Then AmigaAMP loads it. IMPORTANT! You can also use WinAMP skins, if these datatypes are on your system:
Now, that's it. Now you can listen to MPEG files.
At last, listen to MPEG files!
If you made it up to here you just have to get some MPEG files from the Aminet or from magazine-CDs and load them. Due to the power of the PPC processor you are able to set anything to maximum, which isn't possible with a 68k processor. This can be noticed in the sound quality, that is much better with PPC systems.
Of course, a 68030 processor would do to start the program, but if you really want to work, you need a 68060 - a PPC would be better, anyway.
So, surfing the web and listening to some MPEG files in the background is just possible with a PPC.
But how can I load these files? Either you keep the right mouse button pressed and select >Open< from the menu or you press the button >PL&llt; on the right hand side of AmigaAMP, which is next to the button >EQ<. Now a requester with the files you can choose from appears. If you click on the desire file it apperas in the AmigaAMP-Playlist window, where are 6 commands available:
The desired MPEG file is in the playlist, where you can start it with a double click. Either you keep the playlist window opened or you close it.
There are additional programs?
Many of you know it from the Playstation, these graphics, which move in the rhythm of the music. This is also true for the Amiga due to AmigaAMP. These plugins can be downloaded from the homepage:
You should take a close look to the >Neon Bars<, because this plugin supports Warp3D and the Rave3D library. It's a wonderful experience as our screenshot shows.
These plugins can be loaded while listening to an MPEG file. This is done with >Plugin...< in the menu. You choose a plugin and it starts instantly.
IMPORTANT!
Neon Bars has some problems. Either the plugin didn't start or it aborted. This can lead to system crashes. This could be to a buggy cooperation of the plugin and Warp3D or Warp3D hasn't been fully developed.
What changes are there compared with the previous version?
A positive point for AmigaAMP is the newly added >graphical equalizer<. But you can watch it only with a PPC board! It looks also great due to the graphical interface and makes you wanting more.
But this isn't all, see for yourself:
AmigaAMP v2.6b is >the< MPEG-Player for PPC-Amigas.
If you don't own a 060 you shouldn't get AmigaAMP. Anyway, due to the fact that this program is freeware you could take a look.
But you can notice, that AmigaAMP is still in beta state.
To mention is the support of skins, because they put nice graphics to the player, the newly added graphical equalizer does its best to expand AmigaAMP the leadership under the MPEG players for the Amiga. And then there are the plugins, that make fun when listening music.
Let's hope, that Thomas Wenzel continues to develop this player and will make it available for the G3/G4 as well as for the NG-Amiga systems.
Where can I get it?
Internet:
http://amigaamp.amiga-software.com
http://winamp.com
Aminet:
ftp://ftp.uni-paderborn.de/pub/aminet/mus/play
additional data are in the Aminet under
Contacting Thomas Wenzel per eMail:
Thorsten Schoelzel
