1256 Failure of WMA Lossless settings dialog [#5965]

[chrisjj]

In the WMA Settings dialog (from Rip CD, Convert, device Auto-conversion etc.) selecting Audio codec: WMA Lossless fails to initialise the settings lists.

E.g. click Tools | Convert Audio Format, click Format: WMA, click Settings, click Audio codec: WMA Lossless. See that the Type of bitrate, Bitrate, Sample rate, and Channels lists are unpopulated.



Hence the user is unable to make WMA Lossless settings.

Audio codec: WMA Lossless can shows left-over values from Audio codec: WMA but it does not use them upon the rip/conversion.

Type of bitrate should be fixed (VBR), Bitrate should be disabled, and 'Sample rate' and Channels should offer choices. Here are the choices of WMA Lossless on this machine (Win XP SP2 + Windows Media Format 11

WMA 9.2 Lossless, VBR Quality 100, 44 kHz, 2 channel 16 bit VBR
WMA 9.2 Lossless, VBR Quality 100, 44 kHz, 2 channel 24 bit VBR
WMA 9.2 Lossless, VBR Quality 100, 48 kHz, 2 channel 24 bit VBR
WMA 9.2 Lossless, VBR Quality 100, 88 kHz, 2 channel 24 bit VBR
WMA 9.2 Lossless, VBR Quality 100, 96 kHz, 2 channel 24 bit VBR

EDIT: originally 1173, reproduced on 1256

Tracked at http://www.ventismedia.com/mantis/view.php?id=5965

[Teknojnky]

lossless does not modify the audio, so I am not sure why you think you should be able to modify bit rate, sampling etc.

if you look at flac, the only option is to adjust compression, which simply increases the time spent to get slightly smaller file.

If you look at wmp, does it give options for wma lossless?

[chrisjj]

lossless does not modify the audio

Actually, WMA Lossless coding sometimes has to. WMA is not FLAC! :)

I am not sure why you think you should be able to modify bit rate, sampling etc.

Because the WMA Lossless coding does accept variables for sampling rate, number of channels etc. If the user is converting from say 11025KHz SR MP3 to WMA Lossess (which doesn't support that SR) something has to specify the new SR.

If you look at wmp, does it give options for wma lossless?

No, but it doesn't do conversion and if I look at apps that do do conversion, e.g. Goldwave, they do give such options.

If MM conversion uses defined preset settings, depending on what they are that might be fine. But if it uses goodness-knows-what settings scraped from this evidently faulty dialog box, that's not fine. I've experienced too much undefined behaviour from MM to want to risk more on conversions.

[jiri]

There are very few WMA Lossless profiles provided by WM, there's actually only one usable for most tracks and it's 44.1kHz, Stereo, 16 bits. Others are specifically targetted for higher resolution audio (24 bits or >44.1kHz). So, in some sense you are right, there could be some configuration. However, until we add better support for high resolution audio to other parts of MM, it doesn't make much sense.

Jiri

[chrisjj]

There are very few WMA Lossless profiles provided by WM

Five is very few?? ;)

there could be some configuration. However, until we add better support for high resolution audio to other parts of MM, it doesn't make much sense.

Fair enough! So meanwhile perhaps all that's needed is a fix to the Settings dialog box - to make it show the settings that MM /is/ using, rather than empty lists as currently.

[Teknojnky]

resampling is not lossless, so I don't see how it could even possibly be an option

[chrisjj]

resampling is not lossless, so I don't see how it could even possibly be an option

Well, it is. The option says the target format is called "WMA Lossless"... but this doesn't actually mean the encoding process is lossless. Let's blame MS for that! ;)