Windows Media Player 9 - Please Reveal Hidden Details!

[jclin4]

When copying from CD and encoding to WMA9 format, what are the settings the player is actually encoding at? For example the "medium" quality VBR setting encodes at a bit rates of 85 to 145Kbps, according to the help documentation. Is the VBR encoding average-based, or quality-based (e.g. Q75)? Is it single pass or 2-pass?

I'm trying to replicate the exact encoding settings in WMP with the Windows Media Encoder. Thanks!

[Cobra]

I would imagine that it's quality based. I read this for a Vorbis encoder - by making a quality setting, further and more advanced codecs will produce the same quality but with a lower filesize. The user knows the quality settings they know sound good, and the codec does the rest for them. It's the ideal scenario.

Audio is encoded in single-pass I believe. I am yet to see a two-pass encoder, so obviously it won't yield any gain in performance. I think video is just a whole different kettle of fish because data rates can vary wildly in seconds.

Cobra

[muskgrave]

are you actually encoding it from within wma9 or are you using a different program and the wma9 codecs? Either way you should be able to go and set the bitrate yourself.

If you are asking what the "lossless" mode encodes at you can do a cd and then go back and play it through media player or winamp and it should show the bitrate...i beleive when I did it with a cd i have it was up in the 700-800 range!

[jclin4]

are you actually encoding it from within wma9 or are you using a different program and the wma9 codecs?

I was doing both and I noticed a difference! Initially I had been encoding my CD's using dbPowerAmp with the wma9std codec, VBR at Q75 setting.

Then I decided to give Windows Media Player a try, and used their VBR Medium setting (85 to 145Kbps), because this seemed closest to my beginner's eyes to Q75.

Both methods produced files of very similar (but not exact) size. But the sound quality was noticeably better using WMP! This is when playing back on WMP and listening through headphones and the computers speakers. I also noticed the difference after transferring to my portable (iRiver iFP-390T), although not as distinct. I am trying to understand why the WMP encoding would produce better results?

[muskgrave]

Well it's hard to say when the actual information is masked by a code such as "Q75" .

is dbpoweramp a sony product? :P

I would say just use wma9's cd ripper and encode the files to a level that you are pleased with. Remember though that the higher quality the speakers you listen to them through the more noticeable the limitations will be..But if you're just listening through some headphones I would just find the bitrate you like...

dlv