Just a question about UCIs and firmware

[Eumldeuml]

Hi there!

I don't know if this is the right forum, if not, just move it

My question: There are people programming UCIs wich I love very much btw, but I read very often in this forum, that something isn't possible because of firmware restrictions. I have absolutely no idea of programming, but why can't you just make a new firmware? As I said, I'm absolutely clueless about what it's like to create UCIs and firmware but isn't it possible to run maybe Android or something like that on the J3?

Greetz, Eumldeuml

[andrew_berge]

Someone else might be able to give you more details, but basically it's just because it's so much harder.

Way harder.

[Kizune]

I don't think anyone here has any knowledge and/or interest in creating a new firmware for the J3. That person would have to code drivers for each hardware component and do lots of other complicated things.
Modifying the current firmware is almost as hard because it is encrypted and it's very difficult to decrypt it.

About Android: That's absolutely impossible.

[el maco]

There has been an attempt to create a custom firmware for the S9 (which is very close to a J3), but I guess the rockbox project was quickly abandoned.

Without a firmware the J3 is just a dead lump of circuitry -- it takes serious work to implement even the most primitive functions (i.e. running any kind of program at all, turning on the display etc.) Also without complete schematics & datasheets of the hardware there is always a serious risk of doing something wrong and permanently damaging the device. I agree that a custom firmware would be really cool thing to have but honestly I don't think its ever going to happen.

[lupu_de_balta]

hm... it is not going to happen, and most because, nobody really has the time or the interest to do it. in fact, the original firmware, is the thing that permits you to use the so wonderfully bbe effects, and other enchatments.

let's say that somebody would try to make a different firmware, and the user, looses his/hers bbe effects. this would probably be for the worse. also, even changing a thing in the firmware, as long as we are not engineers at cowon, could probably make the j3 go crazy. i talk even about minor things, the uci's are done in flash scripting, as far as my knowledge goes, and are user editable. the base firmware, on the other hand, is not that user editable. i think that even missing a dot, in a line of 1500 lines of the firmware, could make the j3 do a short circuit or something similar.

i hope that this thing will help you understand better why the firmware is so restricted.

as i am in this forum, i would like to ask a thing that was bothering me. if a programmer, can do such things as decrypting a firmware, after days of work, isn't anyone able to make a pc version of bbe sound effects, taken directly from j3?... i mean decrypting it, and putting it in a simple file, that could be used on a computer?... or it is not really possible because of the absence of a wolfson audio chip in a computer?....

[Kizune]

Oh, there is BBE+ available for the computer... in JetAudio Pro.

[andrew_berge]

Which would you prefer:

Months of hard work decrypting, reading, researching and coding (and probably end up with a sub-par program that doesn't work very well).
Or spending $30.

[lupu_de_balta]

hm... i had that program, but it was not working all the way through. i mean that my pc, was not sounding like my j3. it was sounding even worse, than it was sounding before. so... i was curious if it is possible to actually make your pc sound like a j3.

eh i would like to make a little discussion around here, about this, if op or admis are ok.

what is the best sounding enchating program for pc?.... at leas few recomandations if there are any good ones.

[andrew_berge]

Well, it's not just the software that makes the sound. If your PC doesn't have a decent DAC/AMP, it's not going to sound good.

Clean power has some effect, too. My laptop for instance makes high pitch screeching sounds in the right channel. Putting the volume up to 100 for a few seconds makes it go away (music paused of course), after which i can turn it back down.
What specifically causes this, i don't know.

I'm not sure what you mean by "enchating program", google gives me nothing. Perhaps it's a typo?

[Adoby]

Get a good soundcard / DAC for your PC.

ASUS Xonar Essence STX is supposed have very nice SQ. Also some interesting effects to improve the sound. I have a friend that has one, and he is very pleased with it. And I like the sound. But he also has a very nice 7.1 amp and speaker system.

http://www.asus.com/Multimedia/Audio...r_Essence_STX/

A cheaper way could be WinAmp and some DSP-plugins, if your soundcard is OK.

[Kizune]

Originally Posted by andrew_berge

I'm not sure what you mean by "enchating program", google gives me nothing. Perhaps it's a typo?

I guess he means a program with sound effects / enhancements.

[JSWolf]

http://www.amazon.com/M-Audio-9900-6...dp_ob_title_ce

Give that a look.

[lupu_de_balta]

sorry, i never get this word right "enhancements".

as i said, i was curious only about software, as i have a pretty decent dac in my laptop. i was just curious, if there are any programs that are able to make the sound better

[Adoby]

There are plenty of tools to make the sound different. Eq or enhanced stereo or added overtones or sound compression or ReplayGain or a lot of other wierd and wonderful stuff. If it gets better may be debated.

I know WMP has some of these effects. As do WinAmp via plugins. As has already been said, many soundcards provide effects on a driver/hardware level.

My current favorite music player in Linux, "Guayadeque", has very nice eq.

I usually only use ReplayGain and a little eq to improve the "loudness" when listening via speakers at a moderate soundlevel. A little extra bass and treble. And perhaps a little stereoXL using my Squeezeboxes.

[lupu_de_balta]

hm... i got some speakers, logitech x530, they are pretty cheap in other countries, in my country they are pretty expensive... getting to the point, they sound very damn good, but i want to reduce the bass a little and get some more high sounds in them (acually, it is working with winamp very well, but it doesn't sound that natural. with my soundscard, even this 5.1 setup works like magic)... so this was why i was so eager to found something to make the sound better.