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Cog - an alternative to iTunes?
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Mac Elite
Join Date: Mar 2005
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http://cogosx.sourceforge.net/
This is a music player app in alpha. It is small and has limited features compared to iTunes. Then again it is only in version 0.0.4c or something, so expecting anything but the basics wouldn't be fair.
I realize that today, this app is no iTunes replacement - but it does *one* thing even in version 0.0.4 that outshines iTunes. There is no obvious "pause" or a short stop between songs. It is almost gapless.
I have not really looked into the open source music players or shareware music players, but now that I've tried Cog, I'll keep an eye on its development and the development of other music players. I am getting pretty fed up on iTunes' lack of polish as a music player.
Does anyone know of more iTunes alternatives worth trying?
cheers
W-Y
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“Building Better Worlds”
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Professional Poster
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: brooklyn ny
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i check these things out from time to time as well.
but, what is it about itunes that you don't like, or where does it fail?
(just wondering)...
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"At first, there was Nothing. Then Nothing inverted itself and became Something.
And that is what you all are: inverted Nothings...with potential" (Sun Ra)
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Banned
Join Date: Jun 2003
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Originally Posted by fisherKing
i check these things out from time to time as well.
but, what is it about itunes that you don't like, or where does it fail?
(just wondering)...
Well Weyland has brought up at least one huge failing. Gapless playback. And the fact that it's been requested by many since iTunes 2 or 3 leads me to believe the code is so old and crusty that the iTunes team is incapable of adding it without breaking something...which would explain why we still don't have this feature in iTunes 6.
I think it's time for a rewrite but I know some people disagree with that idea.
I stand by it though...iTunes (for Mac) could gain a lot from a rewrite. Even a rebrand. I wouldn't mind having two apps or even three separate apps. One for music and one for movies/short films/clips and another for podcasts. iTunes could focus on music and iTheater (or whatever name) could focus on movie clips and iCast on podcasts. All three would offer access to the iTMS but to access movies, you'd have to use iTheater and for podcasts you'd have to use iCast.
This would simplify the iTMS greatly. Instead of jam packing music, podcasts, movies, TV shows, music videos and short films into one interface, they'd all have their separate interfaces.
The app and iTMS interface clutter would be greatly reduced. Apple could add things like CoreData and Spotlight to the three apps, instead of the custom code they have now. They could also add CoreAudio for audio effects in iTunes and QuartzComposer and CoreVideo for the visualizer.
The iPhoto team did it...why can't the iTunes team do it? Oh, I forgot, they want to keep the look and feel identical across platforms. If Apple doesn't shape up, this weakness will be iTunes' downfall...some competitor will come along with a player that is focused entirely on music and offer a much better interface than iTunes and possibly a better store and Apple will lose its biggest market.
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Fresh-Faced Recruit
Join Date: Jun 2003
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People keep complaining about iTunes not having gap-less playback. For me, on a PowerBook streaming over Airport Express, iTunes has faultless playback when moving from one track to another.
Crossfade and Sound Enhancer are both turned off in the Playback preference pane.
Mike
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Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Yokohama, Japan
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No gapless playback? BFD. I don't get why people are still getting their panties in a bunch over it.
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Mac Elite
Join Date: Mar 2005
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Originally Posted by mikelauder
People keep complaining about iTunes not having gap-less playback. For me, on a PowerBook streaming over Airport Express, iTunes has faultless playback when moving from one track to another.
I'm sure the playback is faultless 
That's not what gapless playback is. That is being able to go from song 1 to song 2 without any pause in between. On many CDs there is no pause between tracks, but a non-stop audio track.
Such CDs include Tubular Bells II by Mike Oldfield, O by Damien Rice and many many others.
Being able to listen to these CDs in iTunes just like in the CD player would be very nice..
@wataru
Firefox? BFD. I don't get why people are still using it.
cheers
W-Y
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“Building Better Worlds”
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Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
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It would be neat to have a lightweight mp3 player that I can just drop some songs onto a playlist and have it run through, without all the extra burden of managing a library and having a music store. Kinda like how SoundApp was for OS 9.
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Fresh-Faced Recruit
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I'm aware of what is meant by gap-less playback and I do get that currently on iTunes. I own plenty of albums that are continuous across tracks and they all play back without gaps!
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Mac Elite
Join Date: Mar 2005
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Originally Posted by mikelauder
I'm aware of what is meant by gap-less playback and I do get that currently on iTunes. I own plenty of albums that are continuous across tracks and they all play back without gaps!
Who are you trying to kid? 
Crossfade on 0 secs gives *near* gapless playback, just like in Cog.
Gapless playback is not a feature of iTunes. Simple as that.
cheers
W-Y
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“Building Better Worlds”
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It seams like Airport Express is using some kind of trick to hide the gap.
If I play the transition through the built-in speakers on my powerbook a very small gap is evident. Through Airport there is no gap in the sound.
Don't poke me with that stick!
Mike
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Mac Elite
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: LV-426
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Originally Posted by mikelauder
It seams like Airport Express is using some kind of trick to hide the gap.
If I play the transition through the built-in speakers on my powerbook a very small gap is evident. Through Airport there is no gap in the sound.
Don't poke me with that stick!
Mike
Mmm perhaps AirPort Express hides the gap, I don't have speakers connected to mine so I can't check. I'll take your word for it.
That does not mean iTunes is capable of gapless playback, that means APX is capable of such. I'm not trying to be stubborn here, I just have (along with many others) requested a gapless playback as a feature in iTunes and the only way to currently fake an almost gapless playback is by using the crossfade effect - while some 0.0.4 version freeware player manages this bettar than iTunes' fancy effects using no effects.
I also wonder how APX manages gapless playback. I'll have to hook my APX to some speakers and check it out.
cheers
W-Y
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