PTunes 3.1.4 update

[SoS]

havent tried it (I guess deluxe only anyway) but I noticed this way down the list of changes

Bug fix: Workaround hard disk buffer problem on LifeDrive devices that was causing skipping and excessive hard disk usage (#2815)

!! Ill have atry and report back.. :cool:


Edit: apologies to Normsoft - this fix is in the regular version which is a free update for LD users (deluxe obviously needs xtra $$$)

[SoS]

At present, I am in the unusual situation of having ~3Mb continuous block of dynamic heap so I cant testify as to whether the HD-access/caching issue (which only seems to reveal itself when the DH is fragmented) is solved. I can say that it still skips badly when PT is in background and one is changing apps etc (unless everything is already dbcached etc). Somone with a compromised DH needs to try it. Also, there is a problem on my machine with the PT control panel popup launch when in other apps - dia just bobs up and down but repeated attempts eventually get the PT popup to stick (this could be a conflict with mykbd, ill need to do some further investigaTION)...If the caching isnt cured when DH is fragemented, ill probably delete it (and maybe ttry some other player or just stick with TCPMP, as limited as it is for mp3 playback at the moment..).

[planetjag]

... it doesn't fix the problems, for me anyway.

The hard drive light still flashes away like nothing else. Doing any other work on the LD (like opening an application) with PT playing in the background causes skips.

Jonathan
I'd sell it & buy a Treo, except they seem to have some of the same problems!

[twinsdad]

Same here...there is still a ton of skipping while listening to streaming radio and switching apps and the hard drive light blinks like a constant beacon.

[SoS]

I actually think they have made some progress here. If I now start up a playlist, I get 5-10s of HD madness but subsequently, HD only accesses every so often (as it must do to refresh the cache). I now have only 2Mb of contiguous DH after a Zlink-induced reset last night - previously, this size of single-block DH would cause constant HD access while music was playing (and ridiculous battery drain as a result). Now, at screen off, I just see the green LED flash briefly to tell me PT is on. It is still pretty much useless for doing anything else with PT playing in the background - much skipping etc. Nonetheless, Ill keep it on for the moment (even at a cost of ~1Mb RAM...).

ps it may be worth somone with UDMH installed to give this new version a try and report back at some stage!!

[SoS]

update: I give up - seems as if largest DH block is <2Mb, the HD access problem is still there...what a bore! PT3.1.4 deleted - back to the bundled 3.09

[SoS]

update: I have been in touch with the developers at NormSoft. They seem to think that they have finally nailed down the caching issue on the LD so hopefully this problem will be finally fixed in the next release - fingers crossed!! :) :)