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Listening to Music

M

Mehta23

Android Expert
So on my new computer I've yet to install iTunes cos I wanted to try out other things. ATm I have Winamp, and although I haven't begun to explore its features in detail, I was wondering what you guys use to listen to , or even if you use anything at all...

I was thinking that I could use Youtube and Grooveshark ( or even subscribe to Spotify) , but are there any real benefits to using an actual application?

I also like the idea of syncing my phone to my computer library , so if there's anything I should know about , please share....
 
I use Amarok, which used to require a *NIX type of operating system. There are versions for Windows, but I haven't tried them. Banshee is another good one.

One of my favorites that runs on almost everything is VLC. VLC does a lot more than is immediately apparent. There's a web interface, a command line interface, skins and all sorts of bells and whistles all in one single download. VLC might be the only media player that you'll need. I just don't care for it for playing music. My personal likes/dislikes.
 
The only media players on my pc is Widows (because it comes standard) and Spotify.

I spend 9.99 a month for spotify because I like the service and I can have my playlists on the go where ever I am. The only thing is, if you have your own music on your playlists at home that isn't on spotify, you have to also have it on your phone to listen to it.

Spotify offers 320kbps streaming music (to their premium subscribers) which is I believe the highest quality out today.

iTunes just gets worse and worse imo.
 
Oh yes! USD I usually try to put that on any amount anywhere I post.

Another thing about Spotify they say in their terms you can only listen to it from one source at a time. Most places / services that say this do not enforce it. Spotify does! When you try to play music from a second source on the same account it will pause the other one.
You also have the option of being able to save the playlists for offline play as well which is a nice feature.
If you're thinking about getting Spotify, I would suggest downloading it, they do have a free version it just has adverts in between every so many songs. Then they will also offer you a free 30 day trial most times.
I have it on all my computers and use it at work even.
 
I use VLC and Google Play. With VLC I can play anything local on my harddrive with no issue and with Google Play I can play on my computer, phone, and any other devices. Went to New Orleans earlier in the year to visit mom plugged my phone into the stereo and streamed from google play the entire trip never lost signal once.
 
+1 for VLC. It's my main Video and music player. Handles anything I throw at it and I have always found it safer than WMP (which always seems to want to let media files launch IE/active X stuff). I also use MediaMonkey for organizing artwork/ID3 stuff.

Been meaning to checkout if my local library has any way of lending audio.
 
alostpacket said:
+1 for VLC. It's my main Video and music player. Handles anything I throw at it and I have always found it safer than WMP (which always seems to want to let media files launch IE/active X stuff).
Click to expand...
The nice thing about VLC is that on most operating systems, it has all of the codecs and libraries built-in, so there's no need to run all over the Internet to get support for oddball file types, and it doesn't try to fight the OS by using the codec/library file locations. This quality makes it a great USB key program, BTW.
 
On Windows machines I prefer VLC, all I need to use. I like keeping stuff lean and clean. Heck, on Linux I use MOC (Music On Console) and VLC.
 
The main reason I liked Winamp was the desktop version was alright to use, and I thought I could sync my music with my phone... but my desktop doesn't have Wifi, so I can't.....

Anything that can?
 
Google Music and Amazon MP3 will sync with android devices, no need for WiFi on desktop, just good old ethernet.
 
Mehta23 said:
The main reason I liked Winamp was the desktop version was alright to use, and I thought I could sync my music with my phone... but my desktop doesn't have Wifi, so I can't.....

Anything that can?
Click to expand...
How about USB? Most computers have that. IJS

The desktop computer itself doesn't need Wi-Fi as long as there's Wi-Fi on your local area network. If you don't have a Wi-Fi "router" WAP or an Ethernet to Wi-Fi bridge, now may be a good time to invest in one. I never had a good reason to use Wi-Fi for an extended period of time until I got my first Android device. Now it's a must-have for me.

Rather than relying on a music player to have a built-in sync feature, I use my favorite, rsync, as a stand-alone application to keep all of my data files in sync. I especially like the `bandwidth=' argument when I'm uploading files over an asymmetrical Internet connection. I use rsync provided through Cygwin on my Windows boxes. On other peoples' Windows boxes, the XCOPY utility is still a good way to do it when there's nothing else.

For those who are afraid of text interfaces (or have faulty keyboards ;)), utilities like the Folder Synchronizer in Powerdesk do basic file sync with a nice GUI interface. There used to be a free, older version of Powerdesk...
 
I have a Rhapsody subscription, $9.99/month, and use its Android app on my smartphones. On my computers--which are all Linux--I use my browser, SeaMonkey. Regardless, my playlists and other things are always accessible.

Since so many people have mentioned VLC, I will, too! :) I love it. It's my go-to media player for actual files (as opposed to streaming, as with Rhapsody). It plays just about anything you can throw at it. It just works. :D
 
Speed Daemon said:
How about USB? Most computers have that. IJS
Click to expand...

Yeah, I have USB. USB 3 even. But I'd prefer to do it over wifi, that way I don't have to be stuck at my desk.
It's why I love Airdroid so much.
And I don't know what IJS is...

The desktop computer itself doesn't need Wi-Fi as long as there's Wi-Fi on your local area network.
Click to expand...

I have wifi,but my PC is connected with an Ethernet cable. I thought this meant Winamp wouldn't work...
must-have for me.

Thanks for the links, I'll try them out soon!
 
Mehta23 said:
Yeah, I have USB. USB 3 even. But I'd prefer to do it over wifi, that way I don't have to be stuck at my desk.
It's why I love Airdroid so much.
Click to expand...
Yes, I agree! These hand-held devices running Android are meant to roam free.

And I don't know what IJS is...
Click to expand...
Sorry 'bout that. IJS == "I'm just saying".

I have wifi,but my PC is connected with an Ethernet cable. I thought this meant Winamp wouldn't work...
must-have for me.
Click to expand...
Is your physical Wi-Fi network interconnected with your physical Ethernet network? Most Wi-Fi hubs have Ethernet ports, making it easy to bridge your physical networks together. The protocols that Wi-Fi uses are compatible with Ethernet networking, so it's simple to make the physical connection, just plug it in.

If you have a physical connection, then how about the logical network(s)? If you're using a so-called "Wi-Fi router" (which is actually an Internet gateway/firewall that may or may not have any routing capabilities, with a wireless access point built-in) you should have the capability to seamlessly communicate between the Wi-Fi segment(s) and the Ethernet segment(s). Sometimes the "router" has a setting that keeps the wireless segment in a state where it can't see or talk with the Ethernet segment for security purposes. Check to see if this is the case.

Although there are other network protocols, the only one that matters now is the Internet Protocol (a.k.a. "TCP/IP" or jist "IP"). Specifically, are your Ethernet computers using a different set of IP addresses than the Wi-Fi devices? Finding the IP address for the various network connected devices will give you your answer. Most home networks will have IP addresses that start with 192.168. and end with two more octets that can be numbers between 0 and 254 (1-254 for the last octet) in base-10 notation.

If your Ethernet segment uses its own DHCP server, you'll need to disable it in order to bridge the two into one. Only one DHCP service at a time can work on a single logical network. You may have static IP addresses on your Ethernet segment (static IP is possible, but rarely done with Wi-Fi), but you'd probably know that because you configured them by hand. If the computer(s) on Ethernet and the wireless devices connected through your wireless access point (WAP) have identical first three octets and different last octets, you should be in business. For example, if your computer has an IP address of 192.168.0.2 and your phone is 192.168.0.130, you should be on the same network.

All for now...
 
*mind explodes*

If it helps :

Modem is connected to wifi router.
From router, there is an Ethernet cable to my PC.
 
Mehta23 said:
*mind explodes*

If it helps :

Modem is connected to wifi router.
From router, there is an Ethernet cable to my PC.
Click to expand...
Yes, that does help! That means that you have a physical connection, and as long as your computer is getting its IP address from the router, it should be on the same logical IP network (e.g. 192.168.0.0/255.255.255.0). So far, so good.

Do you have the Winamp Android client app on your phone? If so, see if you can sync with your computer. You may need Winamp for Windows running on your PC, and sync enabled; I not a Winamp user, so I don't know much beyond that.

If you can't see your computer by name, you may need to have its IP address. You can find it in your Network control panel, or from a command prompt: Start, Run..., enter "CMD" (and enter), at the Command Prompt enter "IPCONFIG /ALL" and look for something like "Ethernet LAN Adapter" and below that "IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . :". The 4-octet address on the right will be your computer's IP address.

Good luck!
 
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