Windows 7 Taskforce

informale wrote on February 7, 2009, 1:30pm

Why would MS support a rival (!) open-source codec? E.g. Apple does not in their iTunes app.

fender wrote on February 7, 2009, 1:45pm

I was voting "promote" but after reading informale's comment i changed my mind....

icecone wrote on February 7, 2009, 2:02pm

why does MS support H264, mp3, AAC?
they are "rival"'s codec anyway

billerr wrote on February 7, 2009, 5:54pm

WMP CAN play FLAC files, just install the right codec.
To rip a FLAC file, just get a CD ripper that does it.
I can't understand why Windows should support an obscure codec out of the box.

I can only see real use for the tagging system, which should be able to read tags for every kind of file a user might have.

logic_earth wrote on February 7, 2009, 7:55pm

Consumers have a higher chance of running into H.264, MP3/4 (AAC = MP4) then they do with FLAC. So that is where Microsoft puts there energy in common formats.

icecone wrote on February 7, 2009, 8:27pm

FLAC is a very common lossless codec, and Windows support none of them except WMA lossless which no one uses
Installing the right codec doesn't work perfectly, it doesn't read the tags, the timeline doesn't work and there are some more problems as well
Even if you're not using FLAC, how does it bother you?

logic_earth wrote on February 7, 2009, 9:49pm

No, FLAC is not a very common codec. The consumer market is hardly even aware of what an MP3 files is let alone FLAC.

It doesn't bother me, but Microsoft has more important things to focus on then having native support for an obscure codec. The tools and APIs exists in Windows for third-party developers to integrate FLAC support into Windows with full feature support. However, FOSS developers always seem to be dragging there feet with these things.

Arayta wrote on February 7, 2009, 10:26pm

@logic_earth: Most people know what an MP3 is.

I believe FLAC isn't something that we actually see at the end of a file name, correct? For example, we won't see michael_jackson.flac right? Is it like a technique used to encode videos, rather than a file type? Kind of like xvid? I'm not sure how these things work, but I imagine that's how it is, since I've never actually seen a .flac file.

I have had some songs that act very strange though, like I can't seek or the meta data is incorrect, or I can't burn it to CD because Windows can't determine how long it is (which sounds like bullshit to me, but whatever). So maybe supporting FLAC would help?

I really have no idea what I'm talking about here, I'm just babbling.

But +1 anyway, because more codec support, no matter how obscure, would only help.

dabski wrote on February 7, 2009, 11:46pm

+1 Not really sure why its getting demoted, I mean even if you don't use the format it would be nice if they supported it for those who do.

dabski wrote on February 8, 2009, 8:53am

.Chris writes:
"Children settile down, stop bitching and learn to move on"

@.Chris Learn to spell and please stop spamming these pointless comments everywhere.

.Chris wrote on February 8, 2009, 9:32am

You sure your talking to the right person there?

You shouldnt be telling people what to do.

dabski wrote on February 8, 2009, 10:26am

@.Chris Yes I am since I quoted you. You can delete your comment but I had a backup :P As for telling people what to do lol I'll leave that to you .Chris your the pro when it comes to telling people what to do.

Tihiy wrote on February 8, 2009, 10:41am

FLAC is for open-source fanatics only.

icecone wrote on February 8, 2009, 11:09am

@Tihiy: Which lossless compression do you use?
From Monkey audio to Apple lossless, none of them is supported by Windows

billerr wrote on February 8, 2009, 6:32pm

Sorry, off topic, but kudos to dabski! :P That's some wit!

mikefarinha wrote on February 8, 2009, 6:39pm

I support this move. If they can add ODF support to WordPad then they can add FLAC and WavPack support to Windows too. The more open standards they support the better it is for everyone.

mikefarinha wrote on February 8, 2009, 6:42pm

@Arayta

Yes, the file extension is .flac. You would see michael_jackson.flac.

A competing open standard format, WavPack has the extension .wv... I believe.

Arayta wrote on February 8, 2009, 11:16pm

Oh, well I don't believe that this format would be very useful to me then since I've never seen that. Anyway, +1 because the more formats, the better.

Roj wrote on January 4, 2010, 8:32pm

I just love love responses from the MS apologists and the "such and such isn't a common format". rubbish. And yes, it is rubbish and I will now qualify my statement:

One flavor of this claim is that no hardware vendors support these common formats. Really now. Cowon and Sandisk both support FLAC and ogg. Cowon goes even further with ape and other format support; the list is long and distinguished. We're not speaking about an open source initiative here such as Rockbox. These are bona fide large hardware vendors who have this support built into their players (at least three models for each vendor) and who table products easily superior in quality and feature set to either Zune or iPod.

If WMP wants to actually BE a media center and stop pretending to be one, then it had better get with the program and exapand its format support to include these VERY common internet formats. After all, the world is NOT MS centric but IS Internet centric now with a user base growing with every passing day.

I personal;ly prefer to use Media Player Classic - Homecinema. It supports all of these formats, has remote control support, is small, lightweight, blindingly fast and free. When WMP can match up to that daunting prowess, I'll be inclined to consider it. Until then, I'll consign it to the "more corporate fodder pushing formats on users that no one really cares about" rubbish bin (can you say Apple with ALAC and WMP with WMA lossless?).

Come on Microsoft, get a grip - this is 2010 and regardless of what you might wish,, the world doesn't revolve around you.

It revolves around US, the users.

Didn't you learn anything from Vista?

Comment edited on January 4, 2010, 9:34pm

seoman wrote on January 17, 2010, 1:46pm

@Roj

I love your comment!

I would like to go even furter.
MS and apple both try to monopolize the market and they do so by deniing media containers / codecs in their players.
The hardware manufacturers go even furter by blocking direct acces to the flash disk and force the users to use their mediamanegment tools like itunes.
This is absolutly not done! But they somehow get away with it.
And thats to blame on the 'apologists' of apple and MS etc etc. Wich do belief all the false reasons why it's done that way.

"You are free to do as we tell you"

Well if i wanna be f*cked i would have bought me an ipod and a mac.
Then all would be nice and simple.

mikefarinha wrote on January 17, 2010, 6:33pm

@Roj and @seoman,

Do you guy's think your snide comments are constructive? Do you honestly think someone from Microsoft is going to read your comments and then feel sympathy for you and rush to win your praise?

Grow up.

Indrek wrote on January 18, 2010, 12:37am

The fact that some media players support FLAC doesn't mean it's widespread. MS Office (at least 2010) supports OpenOffice formats, but I can't remember the last time I came across one.

The de facto audio format right now is MP3. Support that, and you've covered about 95% of the market, which is what MS has done. Support for the more obscure codecs is, and always will be, a non-priority. Especially seeing as the moment you implement support for one, someone will immediately find another one and bitch about MS not supporting that.

Headlight wrote on April 11, 2010, 2:48pm

FLAC is a codec that has become a standard for lossless release of commercial music. The Beatles, for instance, have released their box set on 24-bit FLAC (http://www.thebeatles.com/#/news/Last_Apple_USBs_available_in). Bands like Phish and Widespread Panic release FLAC soundboard recordings of all their live shows. I think when the most popular band of all time and some of the biggest touring bands of the present are using a format, it would simply be a service to consumers to make FLAC support available.

Look at Word or other MS products -- there are dozens of specialized form letters and business forms produced, available out of the box or with minimal installation required, that will be used by a small fraction of the consumers. FLAC is certainly not as obscure as these. And since it's open sourced, it would cost nothing in licensing to add it.

It's absolutely true that Apple doesn't support alternative codecs in its product line. Is MS now building their business model around what Apple does? Do you think that people who stick with PCs do so despite the broader array of options, or because of it?

All that being said -- what I really came here for it to say that there needs to be support for alternative file format tagging in Windows directories. If Windows doesn't want to provide FLAC in its media player, they're not interested in my using their media player, but Winamp apparently does want my business. But it's not as easy to choose an alternative file program. What's frustrating is that making these changes would seem pretty simple and inexpensive.

Step666 wrote on April 11, 2010, 4:52pm

+1
For those of us who use FLAC, this would be a great help - even just being able to read the tags in Explorer (after all, if you care about your music enough to be using FLAC, why would you use WMP to rip your CDs?).

The level of ignorance shown in some of these comments is astounding.
If you don't know what you're talking about, why criticise?

philippemorin123 wrote on June 1, 2010, 9:30pm

I think the most important issue would be the support of FLAC files in Files Explorer. About ripping and playing, there are many other way to do that. FLAC is an audiophile format, but I really think that File Explorer should support the tags.

Andytk wrote on December 27, 2010, 1:51am

I agree that FLAC is probably an audiophile format, but why wouldn’t you want to support a format that is loved by audiophiles in an audio player? I mean, it’s the audiophiles that create blogs that talk about this kind of stuff. It’s the audiophiles that populate message boards on this topic. Why wouldn’t you want these people raving about your stuff?
Let me explain why I want to rip to FLAC: I have already ripped my CD collection to mp3 and to iTunes. I’ve done this because mp3 is what was used on my first mp3 player eight years ago. Then I got an iPod Touch and I ripped the files to whatever format iTunes wanted. Now I have a stereo in my living room that is able to network with my PC and a Droid X when I’m out of the house. I’d like to rip to FLAC for two reasons; one, I have 3TB of disk space so I see no need for a lossy music format especially when I’m playing the music on big ass speakers. Two, I’m hoping that this is the last time I have to rip from CD ever again. In the future if a newer, better format comes along I want to be able to run a batch process and convert straight from my FLAC files to whatever I want to use. The first case will be to a high resolution lossy format, probably mp3 using LAME or other high quality converter. If I use a Microsoft specific format, or an Apple specific format, then I feel like I might be stuck with that vendor and I’ll have to be feeding my machine a stack of CD’s again one day, which I’d like to avoid doing.
So please, make FLAC a native format for both playing and ripping in your media player/center.

Shvonder wrote on May 15, 2011, 11:57am

http://castlemadeofsand.wordpress.com/downloads/

FLAC support in Explorer, both x86 and x64 available :)

philippemorin123 wrote on May 15, 2011, 3:09pm

Whoa! That's cool! However, I'm a Mac now... :P

Step666 wrote on May 15, 2011, 7:04pm

@Shvonder: works like a charm, thanks :D

Shvonder wrote on August 5, 2011, 8:06pm

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=Y2P6CTU1

another link if needed :)

factus50 wrote on January 4, 2012, 3:24pm

Can this still be had elsewhere? The links are both dead.

Step666 wrote on January 4, 2012, 8:49pm

I have the x64 version on my HDD.
I could upload it if that'd help.

factus50 wrote on January 5, 2012, 2:33pm

That would be great. Do I need to provide the space or do you have a place to upload to?

Shvonder wrote on January 7, 2012, 4:41pm

both x64 and x86
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=G2EGWEUN

Shvonder wrote on January 7, 2012, 4:46pm

It's kinda strange that developers blog is deleted, and there is no another place where this files could have been held.
Maybe this thing is breaking the law or something like this?))

factus50 wrote on January 18, 2012, 8:07pm

Finally remembered to come back and get it. I'll post my "review" after trying it out.

Shvonder wrote on July 3, 2012, 8:54pm

http://depositfiles.com/files/5ipxy6d0v new link, both x64 and x86 (1.6mb)