Captain's log......5 am......another test night is over.

My second impressions (after Doug's first) are very similar

1.  Install process
           
Install  upgrade with postgresql went relatively safe, only I had to
erase the complete database I made last time, so that the system could
work. After that, the system opened flawlessly and not once  it didn't
stop or confuse.
         - First impressions   I am really pleased that this
version is functioning 
much better that the pre- previous one, because the previous one didn't
work properly at all.


2.  Testing process -  I used various files with 
different kind
of extensions  (mp3, ogg...), very long files, very big playlists with
complicated stupid cross fades of 1-5sec, even when some jingles were
shorter
than that.     ( sound card  Realtek, SbLive, Mackie )
 

Remarks and comments :
- Scheduled playlists (with total time of 20-40min) started on time and
far better than ever, except mini playlist inside playlist, that
doesn't work at all (see my bug report in Mantis) and I don't know why.

- Also, starting the playlist itself and its respond (start access ) 
had about 1-1,5sec of delay (delayed start time- like Doug noticed).
Yes we can live with this, but for radio professionals this sounds
unexplainable and irritating .  However, I have noticed that station
time in LS Studio and HTML UI are
not synchronized and the difference between them is about 1 - 1,5 sec (
that expanded the longer I tested LS ~ up to 18 sec ?? ). 
  Could this time difference be
the problem that gives us this 1sec delay and makes us all cry and weep
?

- Transition and fade time   I defined in advance when
I created
playlists from HTML UI  went smoothly. Crossfades sound good and calm
:)  but only when we program it in playlist !
   In studio mode-  It is almost impossible to
"mix"  items in Live Mode ( we still dont have mixing option here ) but
we should have very clean transition between items, without 1 sec.
silence.
   This sounds pretty mechanical and "shabby" .

 - The big problem I feel (or better to say, hear) we
have in LS, is
that  its engine player, the 'sound heart of the system' doesn't seem
to work
well, i.e. it makes mistakes when we press pause and then start playing
again.  This happens in Live Mode option, when we try to use Live mode
playlist as an assistant during the broadcast.  Identical problem
appears on both souncards ( broadcast and cue ) - pause is 'slipping',
it takes effect after
0,5sec delay ( we can live with that )  ,but  when pressing it again,
audio file starts playing,
then mutes for a moment and starts playing again.
This sounds pretty discontinuously, and I would call this false (or
falsch) start, or double start .  I'm not sure what we can do, because
this false start sounds really amateur ( not good, if  we want LS to be
used like program assistent- and we can`t live with that ) .
I suppose this is the problem with player , and that we should wait for
its
recovery , but this hurts even more when I hear the same
sound played by XMMS player (I don't know what engine it uses, but it
sounds like every broadcasting professional's "dream"  ).

These were my most important impressions. The rest of it is pure
cosmetics or in  mantis  for now .

This is the best I can come up with tonight. More from me later.

Robert