[munky-head]

Hello guys!
For years I've been perferring the MPC format over MP3, for being the highest-quality lossy compression format. All my CD collection is made out of MPC files.
Recently I bought a Nokia 6630, and I'm very happy with it.
My problem is that I want to be able to use the excellent built-in music player for playing MPC files. Basically, adding the support of Musepack files to my phone.
I noticed that there's a folder, c:system\codecs in which there's a file (created when installing the XviD codec) called codec_xvid.dll. Is there a way to do the same with Musepack's libraries and have my phone to play those files without having to convert them into MP3?
The format is obviously free and the codec is availible online. Many PC programs with plugin support can be "taught" to play those files by placing and registering the correct DLL into them.

Please help me with that!

[petrib]

You can download the appropriate Symbian/S60 C++ SDK for the 6630 through http://forum.nokia.com/6630 and use it to port/develop additional codecs (search the SDK documentation for MMF, MultiMedia Framework, for starters).

Another high-quality, lossy compression format that seems relatively popular is Ogg Vorbis. If you find that acceptable, then there's already support for it: http://symbianoggplay.sourceforge.net/index.html

[munky-head]

Thanks!

So I take it there's no "easy" way of making 6630 play MPC files by default. Only thing that is possible is to start out fresh and code a program that reads it?

[petrib]

No "easy" way until someone writes an S60 MultiMedia Framework compatible MPC codec. As far as I know, I don't know anyone who has written one. (Actually, this place is the first time I recall ever hearing/reading of Musepac/MPC.)

[munky-head]

My point is that I'd really like to use the built-in player, which is excellent IMHO, and my goal is to "teach" the 6630 that it can play MPC files just the same as MP3s, but it has to use a dll library in order to do so.
I thought of trying to implement MPC support into some other open-source program, but that's not really what I'm aiming for.

As for you never hearing of MPC, it's your own loss ;) MPC format is much better than MP3, and considered the highest-quality lossy compression format. Every CD I rip by myself, I rip into MPC. The problem is that nothing supports it: WinAmp is able to play MPC if you place the codec library into the plugin directory, and so do many "sophisticated" players as well. I wish to rid myself of the need to decode my files back into MP3 in order to enjoy them from my cellphone. I believe that Symbian OS 8.0 is bit more "smart" than your basic WinAmp, so I hope there's a way of making it play more formats either by default or with certain tweaking.

[petrib]

If MPC is so good, how come nothing supports it? ;)

How, exactly, is it better than MP3, AAC, AAC+, AMR, AWB, OGG, ATRAC, ATRAC+, WMA, or any other compressed audio format?

Can you quantify it somehow?

Unbiased/independent test results/comparisons?

I know I could search the Internet for such info, but as you seem so convinced that it is the best codec/format, you must already have some sort of data at hand that makes you say so.

In any case, all it should take for the built-in player to support it, is that someone writes an MMF codec for it.

[munky-head]

OK, I could look for a "proof" of some kind, some comparison or something, but apparently my provider's DNS server has crashed, so most of the sites I try to reach are unavailible.
I did find http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musepack though.

As I have come to understand, Musepack stores more of the audio information for a small difference in the file size. In my opinion, MPC Q8 (the highest quality MPC files) files sound way better than same quality OGGs and MP3s, thus, I've decided to keep as much as I can of my own self-ripped music in that format. I've seen comparisons back in the day, so I've decided to lose less of the musical information as possible. Many people I know also use that format, and I have come to realize it's also famous among the file-sharing networks, which indicates a certain quality. My perferred format, and I'm happy with it. Hope I'll be able to find some hard evidence once the connection is back on track.

Basically, I wanna be able to play my music on my cellphone without the need of re-encoding it. I'm a beginner at coding, so I would need all the help I can get in that field. How does one write a MMF codec?