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Author Topic: Memory playback  (Read 2197 times)

Alex Peychev

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Memory playback
« on: December 05, 2013, 03:43:32 am »

I am obviously not a programmer but here is the question:

Is there any possibility for a "memory playback" that uses the Windows page file only, not the RAM?

The idea is to load the audio file into the SSD (not RAM) and play from there.

Thanks!
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JimH

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Re: Memory playback
« Reply #1 on: December 05, 2013, 07:28:37 am »

That would be no different than playing it from the SSD directly.  Any supposed advantage of memory playback would be lost.
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Alex Peychev

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Re: Memory playback
« Reply #2 on: December 08, 2013, 09:27:53 am »

Agreed, but now much a 4TB SSD costs? :-)

Idea is to use HDDs for audio files storage, and only buffer to SSD, similar to "Memory playback".

Thanks!
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6233638

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Re: Memory playback
« Reply #3 on: December 08, 2013, 09:34:08 am »

But why not just use Memory Playback which plays from ram rather than the storage device at all?
 
 
(though it is susceptible to disk performance when seeking through large files or changing tracks)
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Alex Peychev

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Re: Memory playback
« Reply #4 on: December 08, 2013, 11:13:50 am »

I have built an audio PC that runs entirely on linear power. However, the processor and RAM are still powered by the charge pumps on the MoBo, so playing from RAM is ear-pearcing compared to playing from linear-powered SSD, and obviously the HDD is lacking against the SSD.

So this is the reason for my initial question.

Thanks!
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6233638

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Re: Memory playback
« Reply #5 on: December 08, 2013, 11:37:09 am »

I have built an audio PC that runs entirely on linear power. However, the processor and RAM are still powered by the charge pumps on the MoBo, so playing from RAM is ear-pearcing compared to playing from linear-powered SSD, and obviously the HDD is lacking against the SSD.
I don't believe it's possible for a player to send audio from the SSD to your audio hardware without going through the RAM.
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Alex Peychev

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Re: Memory playback
« Reply #6 on: December 08, 2013, 11:49:48 am »

I don't believe it's possible for a player to send audio from the SSD to your audio hardware without going through the RAM.

But then why such notable difference in the sound quality?
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Matt

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Re: Memory playback
« Reply #7 on: December 08, 2013, 11:51:43 am »

But then why such notable difference in the sound quality?

6233638 is right.  All playback flows through system / driver memory.  That's how computers work.

If two things that are the same give different results, you may need to check the test procedure and equipment.
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kstuart

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Re: Memory playback
« Reply #8 on: December 09, 2013, 11:39:49 am »

I am obviously not a programmer but here is the question:

Is there any possibility for a "memory playback" that uses the Windows page file only, not the RAM?

The idea is to load the audio file into the SSD (not RAM) and play from there.

Thanks!
A page file is a temporary holding place for something that was in RAM.

It is not possible for a computer to do anything without involving RAM.

Imagine your dining room table is covered with books because you are researching something.  Then you need to eat dinner, so you find a box to hold the books temporarily.  After dinner, the books can return from the box to the table.

The table is RAM, and the box is the Page File.

So, everything in a PC goes through RAM.  (Early PCs only had a processor and RAM.)

glynor

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Re: Memory playback
« Reply #9 on: December 09, 2013, 12:24:12 pm »

Imagine your dining room table is covered with books because you are researching something.  Then you need to eat dinner, so you find a box to hold the books temporarily.  After dinner, the books can return from the box to the table.

The table is RAM, and the box is the Page File.

That's pretty good, but a better analogy might be...

The RAM is like the table.  That's where you do the "work" on documents and items.
The filesystem on disk is like the filing cabinet you have next to the table.  Inside, you have a variety of files inside folders, all nicely sorted (with an index pasted to the outside).  But, you can't really "use" the files while they're in the filing cabinet.  You have to pull them out (open the file) to use it.

The Page File is a "junk folder" in the front of that filing cabinet.  It is for the stuff you're still working on (they're still "open") but for which you've run out of room on the table.  You can't really work on them from inside the folder, but it is a place to stick stuff when you run out of table-top space, without having to "file it away" (close the files) into the full filing system.
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