TuneWiki is one of the most ambitious social music projects we've seen. It is part licensed lyrics spooler for your own songs and for streaming YouTube videos, and part network--you can see where else in the world other TuneWiki users are playing your track. What began as an Android app created for Google's Android Developer Challenge (and finished as one of 10 winners) grew into a Web site and is, as of Monday, a Windows Media Player plug-in.
TuneWiki for Windows Media Player has a few flubs and flaws, but on average, the lyrics and music maps add the utility and interest to make the free application a helpful addition to Windows Media Player.
Those familiar with TuneWiki's Web site will see the similarities right away. TuneWiki's interface reskins Windows Media Player's 'Now Playing' window. The top half of the screen displays either a music map of where else in the world songs are playing, a YouTube video, album art, or top songs nearby, depending on if you're playing a song from your library, watching a YouTube video through TuneWiki, or browsing the map.
The bottom half of the screen, below the ad space, is where you'll see the available lyrics stream, plus commands to translate into other languages, help TuneWiki resync the song, and expose the scroll bar for manual lyrics perusal.
The unskinned Windows Media Player playlist forms the right side bar unless you banish it. We suggest you don't--you may have a harder time queuing songs if you do.
(Credit:
CNET/Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt)
TuneWiki has its share of rough edges. Some tools aren't immediately intuitive, like the resyncing button. Instead of clicking it to have the song resync itself, you click it, then click each line of the song as it plays to help TuneWiki time the lyrics more accurately. Unless you're an approved editor, your version of the time-synced lyrics will be stored locally, but may not make it into TuneWiki's larger database.
Also not obvious is the fact that only approved editors can edit existing lyrics. A text notice on the editor-only area would wipe away potential confusion and frustration. Anyone, however, can add lyrics to TuneWiki's wiki if there aren't any to begin with. (You can apply to be an editor at forums.tunewiki.com. TuneWiki currently tallies abut 1,500 editors.)
Some other issues we encountered were performance-based or preference-related. We'd like the size of the YouTube video to be adjustable, for instance. If the YouTube video stops, as it did once during testing, we want to refresh it without closing and reopening the app. When searching for songs, we'd like a more elegant display of the artist and album information returned in the results. TuneWiki's plug-in is good enough to use on its own, but in a few iterations from now, after a scrub-up, it should be even more promising.
(Credit:
RIM)
Not everyone uses iTunes' MP3 library. Really. BlackBerry maker RIM has acknowledged the batch of people who use Windows Media Player to organize their music with Wednesday's release of RIM's updated music-syncing application, BlackBerry Media Sync 2.0. The latest version of BlackBerry Media Sync will let you synchronize songs and playlists from the Windows Media Player's library to your BlackBerry, in addition to syncing music from iTunes. You'll be able to download BlackBerry Media Sync 2.0 to your PC for free from RIM's site when the software becomes available today (there's a preview version available for Macs). If you've already got a previous version installed on your BlackBerry, you'll automatically be notified about the upgrade.
Unless we hear otherwise, we assume that version 2.0 of BlackBerry Media Sync will retain the same requirements as the previous version--version 4.2 and higher of RIM's operating system and mass storage capability. We also expect it to remain compatible with the BlackBerry Storm, Bold, Pearl Flip, Pearl, Curve 8900, Curve 8300, and BlackBerry 8800 Series smartphones.
Like what you see? Review BlackBerry Media Sync 2.0.
The Filter is a multijukebox plug-in for Windows and Mac that uses artificial intelligence and the All Music Guide database to create custom iTunes, Winamp, and Windows Media Player playlists based on a variety of user inputs, such as a few songs of your choice, specific artists, or music genres. It also works for video, including movies, TV shows, and Web-only videos.
Upon start-up, The Filter scans your entire music library, which takes considerable time if you have more than 10,000 tracks. It compares the metadata for those files against the All Media Guide database, as well as your own playing history to compose new playlists based around various parameters. A lot of its success will depend on your library, of course, and how well your tracks are tagged. You'll need a username and password to access The Filter service, and, in fact, you can't finish the registration process without rating at least three musicians and three movies.
The interface has been improved so it's no longer buggy, although there is a bit of a delay--one or two seconds--while it coughs up a new playlist. Its icon lives on the Quick Launch bar. Right-clicking accesses a context menu, and from there users can jump to Preferences, thefilter.com, or change the default playlist generation from being based on the song to the genre. Double-click on the icon and it automatically generates a playlist, as long as a track is currently playing. Playlists are generated from Bayesian mathematics algorithms and evidence models, and you can configure how much your playlists are influenced by album sales.
The Filter offers a strong alternative to iTunes' Genius playlist, as well as giving recommended playlists to jukeboxes that otherwise would have none.
We last took a look at the iTunes plug-in The Filter way back in 2006, so it's high time to see what this alternative to the Genius playlist is up to. Of course, when it first came out there was no Genius playlist, nor a Mac version--now that there's both, does it hold up?
Certainly the most obvious benefit is that although you do need to register to use the playlist, you don't need to hand over your credit card number to this Peter Gabriel-supported plug-in. These days many people probably don't care, but to me this is a strong vote in The Filter's favor.
Paranoia aside, The Filter seems to have made some serious, quality improvements. It still uses Bayesian mathematics algorithms and evidence models to make its suggestions, and it still takes what feels like forever and a day to scan large collections. That's not an improvement, of course, but it no longer lives on top of all other windows, either.
Instead, its icon lives on the Quick Launch bar. Right-clicking accesses a context menu, and from there users can jump to Preferences, thefilter.com, or change the default playlist generation from being based on the song to the genre. Double-click on the icon and it automatically generates a playlist, as long as a track is currently playing. Aside from scanning your collection I found The Filter to be reasonably responsive, if not zippy.
The Taste Profiler is a mandatory aspect of using The Filter. Before it can recommend playlists, and before you even finish installing it, The Filter requires that you rate at least three musicians and movies. In addition to music and movies, you can also rate TV shows and Web-only video.
The overall experience is slower than using Apple's Genius playlist, probably in no small part because it's a plug-in. However, The Filter now works with Windows Media Player and Winamp, although not MediaMonkey, on the PC, so non-iTunes lovers will probably be willing to suffer through the one- or two-second delay in getting their playlist kicked back to them. Rolling in all kinds of videos make this even more useful to today's mediascape.
(Credit:
CNET Networks)
When it comes to software media players, computer users understandably follow what I'll call the "path of least resistance" rule of life: they use what's available on their computer out of the box. If you're a Windows user, that means Windows Media Player. Mac users have iTunes. Once Windows users take the step of adding their iPod (if that's their chosen player) into the fray, they will likely download iTunes to make it easy. But what if you don't like iTunes or Windows Media Player?
Before companies tied their portable players to their software, there was a lot more MP3 software on the market. Though many have disappeared over the years with the big names taking up the spotlight, there are still a few great choices available if you're looking for a change. These alternative media players have upped the ante by making their software compatible with popular portable players and adding cool features to entice people away from the big name apps.
There are both paid and free software options here at Download.com, but in the interest of not spending your (or my) money, I decided to pick some great free alternatives.
If you're looking to buy music online, you can quickly switch to the Amazon MP3 store.
(Credit: CNET Networks)Media Jukebox has a somewhat generic name, but its feature list is anything but generic. iTunes users will immediately notice the layout of Media Jukebox is extremely similar to Apple's player, but it's the extra features that make Media Jukebox shine. You'll be able to burn and rip CDs, watch DVDs, sync with just about any portable (including iPod), tag your tracks, and convert your files to several popular formats. It has browser support letting you buy music from Amazon and plug-ins for several services including Last.fm so you can find new music based on your taste. You also have your choice of skins you can download to give your player a new look.
The Bento layout makes finding everything easy with all the modules in one place.
(Credit: CNET Networks)Winamp was once the king of Windows music players and continues to be an excellent all-in-one jukebox. It has support for multiple popular players including the iPod. Old-school Winamp users will like the Bento layout that joins the old modular interface together, and there are thousands of skins to choose from should you want a new look. Playlist creation with Winamp remains as one of the best in this category of software and when you're sick of your own music, you can always sample streaming audio and video content for something new. Though there have been a few bugs reported with video playback, Winamp still stands as one of the best in this category. You'll need to go pro ($19.95) to get high-speed CD burning, but overall Winamp is worthy of a look.
JetAudio's smaller tabbed interface lets you switch between the programs many functions quickly.
(Credit: CNET Networks)JetAudio Basic is a long-time favorite for many here at Download.com. This free all-in-one player is completely skinnable, plays and coverts audio and video to most major file formats, lets you burn and rip CDs, watch video, and much more. Like the others, you'll be able to listen to streaming music to find new stuff you like, and JetAudio Basic's tagging features help you whip your music library into shape. You can also enhance your music using included effects like reverb and wide sound, and make your transitions smooth as silk with the included cross-fader. You can even sing along using JetAudio's synchronized lyric tools or import lyrics using the supported MIDI-Karaoke (.kar format). One big missing feature: JetAudio won't sync with your iPod, but as a desktop or laptop player, this app is tough to beat.
If you're looking for a new way to organize and listen to your music, or if you're just tired of certain features in iTunes or Windows Media Player, check out one of these programs. As always, if you have a better alternative than the ones listed here, let us know in the comments!
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