Preamble: Quite a few versions ago I started using MusicMatch Jukebox to rip CD’s and index my collection. Over time MMJB has turned into an intrusive memory hog. Not that I’m all that impressed with MediaPlayer. At any rate, down the road I need to pick something and WinAmp, MP or Itunes seem to be the vialble options. Let’s not get into that here.
What I wanted was a way to play MP3’s on the TR. However I wanted low memory and processor overhead. Enter WinAmp lite.
Using WinAmp-lite and a 2GB memory stick I have roughly 300 of my all-time favorite MP3 files available. On random play it’s like the worlds greatest radio station. The hard drive never comes on and the CPU idles along at 1-2% with occasional bursts of 8-15%.
Adding FMA and its WinAmp script I can turn off the display, I even made a special Power Panel configuration for WinAmp to blank display on lid close, short display timeout, etc.
From the phone I can launch and close WinAmp. Full play, stop and volume controls including repeat and random toggles. It can access the playlist or find songs by artist or title. While it’s nice if you want to play a specific song, it doesn’t queue your selection. It just plays it and continues doing whatever you’ve had it doing. On linear play, you could select the first song from an artist and let it continue playing from there. There is an option to load different playlists, but I’ve not been able to get it to work.
Here are the pieces:
WinAmp-lite requires only 7-8K processor memory. Depending on other preferences, it need not be given default priority for any media type.
You can point it at a drive or folder and it will load all the music files into its playlist. It can be set to recurse sub-folders so loading a collection is easy.. if possilbly time consuming. It stores this data as a default .M3U file making subsequent loads unnecessary unless you add files or want a different folder.
Float’s Mobil Agent, FMA, works only with Sony Ericsson cell phones. It will connect via Bluetooth. Beyond phone management and syncronization with Outlook it supports control scripts that are loaded to the phone. One of them provides WinAmp control.
I realize I’ve done nothing groundbreaking here, I just wanted to pass along my experience with the combination of WinAmp, FMA and memory stick. I really have no idea what the energy savings are, but it’s nice to not see the disk light flashing and the remote control, however limited, is convenient.
For anyone is interested you can get WinAmp-lite here:
http://www.winamp.com/player/free.php
Note: turn on hotkeys and read metadata on load. Also use options to tell winamp what file types you want it to be the default player for. If you have a regular favorite, don’t authorize anything. It will still work as described here.
FMA is available here:
http://fma.sourceforge.net/
Lots of information available in the FAQ and forum. You will need to edit a file path in the latest release. Info available in the FAQ. Full remote functionality only works with FMA restored (visible) if minimizeds some functions fail to work. Cut’em some slack.. it’s a free work in progress.
