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[msc3]

OK, I have been reporting problems with streaming errors (primarily with ASX files) and have found few if anybody able to reproduce the problem. So I did an extensive test as follows:

I used the following players:

Media Jukebox 8.0.399
Media Center   9.0.180
Media Center   9.1.229
Windows Media Player 9.00.00.3008
RealOne Player V2 Build 6.0.11.853

In the case of the J River products, I installed and tested them one at a time. In all cases, the player I was testing had control over all media types and the players that were not being tested had control over no media types.

Here are the system info dumps for the 3 J River players:

8.0.399:
======
Media Jukebox PLUS 8.0.399
Install Path: C:\Program Files\J River\Media Jukebox\

CPU: Intel Pentium 4 2793 MHz MMX
Memory: Total - 1048 MB, Free - 565 MB
OS: Microsoft Windows XP  Workstation 5.1 Service Pack 1 (Build 2600)

Internet Explorer: 6.0.2800.1106
ComCtl32.dll: 6.00.2800.1106
Shlwapi.dll: 6.00.2800.1106
Shell32.dll: 6.00.2800.1233
wnaspi32.dll: Internal ASPI Layer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

9.0.180:
======
Media Center Registered 9.0.180 -- C:\Program Files\J River\Media Center\

Microsoft Windows XP 5.1 Service Pack 1 (Build 2600)
Intel Pentium 4 2789 MHz MMX / Memory: Total - 1048 MB, Free - 597 MB

Internet Explorer: 6.0.2800.1106 / ComCtl32.dll: 5.82 (xpsp1.020828-1920) / Shlwapi.dll: 6.00.2800.1106 (xpsp1.020828-1920) / Shell32.dll: 6.00.2800.1233 (xpsp2.030604-1804) / wnaspi32.dll: N/A
Ripping /   Drive E:   Copy mode:ModeBurstBigBuffer   CD Type:Auto   Read speed:Max
 Digital playback: Yes /  Use YADB: Yes /  Get cover art: No /  Calc replay gain: Yes /  Copy volume: 32767
 Eject after ripping: No /  Play sound after ripping: No  

Burning /  Drive E: PIONEER  DVD-RW  DVR-105    Addr: 1:0:0  Speed:16  MaxSpeed:16  Use MJ Engine:Yes
 Test mode: No /  Eject after writing: Yes /  Direct decoding: Yes /  Write CD-Text: No
 Use playback settings: No /  Normalization: None

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

9.1.229:
======
Media Center Registered 9.1.229 -- C:\Program Files\J River\Media Center\

Microsoft Windows XP  Workstation 5.1 Service Pack 1 (Build 2600)
Intel Pentium 4 2768 MHz MMX / Memory: Total - 1048 MB, Free - 775 MB

Internet Explorer: 6.0.2800.1106 / ComCtl32.dll: 5.82 (xpsp1.020828-1920) / Shlwapi.dll: 6.00.2800.1106 (xpsp1.020828-1920) / Shell32.dll: 6.00.2800.1233 (xpsp2.030604-1804) / wnaspi32.dll: N/A
Ripping /   Drive E:   Copy mode:ModeBurstBigBuffer   CD Type:Auto   Read speed:Max
 Digital playback: Yes /  Use YADB: Yes /  Get cover art: No /  Calc replay gain: Yes /  Copy volume: 32767
 Eject after ripping: No /  Play sound after ripping: No  

Burning /  Drive E: PIONEER  DVD-RW  DVR-105    Addr: 1:0:0  Speed:16  MaxSpeed:16  BurnProof:Yes
 Test mode: No /  Eject after writing: Yes /  Direct decoding: Yes /  Write CD-Text: No
 Use playback settings: No /  Normalization: None
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here are the tests that I ran:

1. Play an ASX file from a web page link.
2. Play an ASX file from disk by using Open Media File option from the File menu.
3. Play an ASX file by double-clicking on it from Windows Explorer
4 - 6. Repeat above tests using a RealMedia file (.ram)

Here are the links I used for the test:

ASX format:
http://wwwhost.rbn.com/bonnevilledc/wtop/web/wtopnews.asx

RealMedia format:

http://play.rbn.com/?url=bonnevilledc/wtop/demand/wtopnews.smil&proto=rtsp

The actual files that these links point to are:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ASX format:
========
<ASX version = "3.0">
<ENTRY>
<TITLE>WTOP News</TITLE>
<AUTHOR>Bonneville DC Radio Group</AUTHOR>
<Copyright>2003</Copyright>
<Ref href = "http://play.rbn.com/play.asx?url=bonnevilledc/wtop/wmdemand/prerolls/wtop_gateway.asf&proto=mms?mswmext=.asx" />
<ENTRY>
  <BANNER HREF="http://wwwhost.rbn.com/bonnevilledc/wtop/web/prerolls/wtopnetwork_image.jpg">
      <ABSTRACT>Click here to visit our site!</ABSTRACT>
      <MOREINFO HREF="http://www.wtopnews.com" />
  </BANNER>
</ENTRY>

</ENTRY>



<ENTRY>
<TITLE>WTOP News</TITLE>
<AUTHOR>Bonneville DC Radio Group</AUTHOR>
<Copyright>© 2003</Copyright>
<Ref href = "http://play.rbn.com/play.asx?url=bonnevilledc/wtop/wmlive/wtoplive.asf&proto=mms&redund=2?mswmext=.asx "/>
<ENTRY>
  <BANNER HREF="http://wwwhost.rbn.com/bonnevilledc/wtop/web/prerolls/wtopnetwork_image.jpg">
      <ABSTRACT>Click here to visit our site!</ABSTRACT>
      <MOREINFO HREF="http://www.starpower.net" />
  </BANNER>
</ENTRY>
</ENTRY>



</ASX>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RealMedia format:
=============
rtsp://rx-wes-sea111.rbn.com/bonnevilledc/wtop/demand/wtopnews.smil

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OK, the easy ones. Both Windows Media Player and RealOne player played their respective formats flawelssly in all scenerios.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Media Jukebox 8.0.399:

Test 1 - Play ASX file from link:

Received the following error message:

"Windows Media Player: Cannot Open. Please verify that the path and filename are correct and try again."

Test 2 - Select ASX file from File menu in MJ:

Plays first stream in media file which is a 3 second blurb. Doesn't play any streams after that.

Test 3 - Double-click on ASX file from Windows Explr:

Same result as in test 2.

Test 4 - Play RAM file from link:

Media Jukebox doesn't launch to handle media file, RealOne player does.

Test 5 and Test 6 - Media Jukebox plays the RAM file correctly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Media Center 9.0.180 and MC 9.1.229:

Test 1 - Play ASX file from link:

Receive the following error message:

Directshow: The specified protocol is not supported.

Test 2 - Select ASX file from File menu in MC:

Receive the following error message:

Directshow: The specified protocol is not supported.

Test 3 - Double-click on ASX file from Windows Explr:

Receive the following error message:

Directshow: The specified protocol is not supported.

Test 4 - Play RAM file from link:

Media Center doesn't launch to handle media file, RealOne player does.

Test 5 and Test 6 - Media Center plays the RAM file correctly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I really like this product, but my primary use for it is for streaming media. While this may be a minor annoyance for some, for me it is a major pain. I hope this information I presented here will expidite a solution to the problems I have been experiencing. Cheers!

[JimH]

> http://wwwhost.rbn.com/bonnevilledc/wtop/web/wtopnews.asx

That link works for me with 9.1.241.  It gives an error and then works.

We'll take a look.  Thanks for all the details.

[RMB]

Media Streaming -

I do not get the same errors as msc3, but over the last few releases MC has (for me) become almost unusable for Media streaming.....

I regularly listen to a selection of 5 Radio-streams, they all have the same problem -

When they first start they usually play for only about 2 seconds (definitely less than the 5 seconds buffering I have specified in the options)

Then they play for maybe 10-15 seconds, and then stutter for about 2 seconds.

Then I may have anything up to almost a minute before the next stutter, which may (or may not) last longer than 5 seconds.

This may repeat itself several times, and then I get a dialog box saying -


Windows Media error
Unknown error (0xC00D2F06)

In an attempt to fix this I have checked that the TCP/IP settings are optimised for my cable modem connecton - no change.

I have also tried listening to the same stations using the MS Media Player - this does not have a problem, they start fine and keep going.

If you want to try it - http://www.jazzfm.com/JazzLive/JazzFMStreamAnnounce.asx

I have also noticed that if I have Media Player playing and then start MC at the same time, I hear both playing the station with MC being a little behind (presumably due to buffering).  MC does not have any problem while MP is playing - but when MP is stopped MC returns to 'normal' and keeps stuttering the playback.

System Information -

Media Center Registered 9.1.242 -- C:\Program Files\J River\Media Center\

Microsoft Windows 2000 5.0 Service Pack 4 (Build 2195)
AMD Athlon 1094 MHz MMX / Memory: Total - 245 MB, Free - 125 MB

Internet Explorer: 6.0.2800.1106 / ComCtl32.dll: 5.81 / Shlwapi.dll: 6.00.2800.1226 / Shell32.dll: 5.00.3700.6705 / wnaspi32.dll: N/A
Ripping /   Drive G:   Copy mode:ModeBurstBigBuffer   CD Type:Auto   Read speed:Max
 Digital playback: Yes /  Use YADB: Yes /  Get cover art: Yes /  Calc replay gain: Yes /  Copy volume: 32767
 Eject after ripping: Yes /  Play sound after ripping: No  

Burning /  No burners found.
 Test mode: No /  Eject after writing: Yes /  Direct decoding: Yes /  Write CD-Text: No
 Use playback settings: No /  Normalization: None

[JimH]

Internet bandwidth has been severely reduced for a week or so in a lot of places by the worm called sobig.f.  The problem you describe could be just that.  The bottleneck could be on your end or the station's end or anywhere in between.

[RMB]

If the problem was with the Internet it would also affect Media Player, which (as I said) is working fine!

Also, this is not that new - this has been going on for several weeks.

I am sure that Sobig has not helped the problem - but I do not believe that it is the problem

[msc3]

> http://wwwhost.rbn.com/bonnevilledc/wtop/web/wtopnews.asx

That link works for me with 9.1.241.  It gives an error and then works.

We'll take a look.  Thanks for all the details.

If there is anything else you can think of for me to try, let me know and I'll give it a shot.

[nameless]

I can reproduce the "Directshow: The specified protocol is not supported." error when trying to open http://wwwhost.rbn.com/bonnevilledc/wtop/web/wtopnews.asx with MC 9.1.248.  This problem happened with me because my wish was to not use Windows Media Player at all.  (Ah, dream on...)

The solution is to open Windows Media Player and associate ASX files to it (which can be found hiding behind "Windows Media file (asf)".

[msc3]

I can reproduce the "Directshow: The specified protocol is not supported." error when trying to open http://wwwhost.rbn.com/bonnevilledc/wtop/web/wtopnews.asx with MC 9.1.248.  This problem happened with me because my wish was to not use Windows Media Player at all.  (Ah, dream on...)

The solution is to open Windows Media Player and associate ASX files to it (which can be found hiding behind "Windows Media file (asf)".

Thank you nameless, your suggestion solved my problem with asx/asf files.