Yet Another Jukebox Program

[SalmonKing]

Introducing SK Jukebox!

I've been working on this program for a couple of months now, and have had some good comments from my friends, with whom I have shared this software.  So, I thought it was about time to put the program out there for anyone who wants it.

You can get it from here :
[romsite link redacted]

It's worth playing around with the all the options to find a mix that works for you.

Feel free to post any comments / suggestions in this tread!

Cheers,

SK.

[Cockney_Geezer]

Not true! This is NOT just another Jukebox program is is feature packed and runs great on my PC.  I don't bother using WinAmp or WMP any more. Hardened Mamers are switching to this prog and it is one not to be missed.. Pass it over and it will be your loss.

I especialy like the easy setup and playlist options.

Give this one a try you won't regret it..

I now have a dedicated SK Jukebox setup in my front room.. Just got to figure out how to get my guests to put cash in to run it  

Nice one SK..  

[MikeAlex]

I totally agree with Cockney_Geezer, this is a very nice JB software! Now on to some comments:

1. On the album full screen, when I select a song by double-clicking, the album changes to the next or previous album on the list. (e.g. for the album 184, when i double-click the song 02, the album changes to album 185 or 183).
2. When I try to remove from the queue list the song is playing, the software freezes.
3. On the song title screen, the first two characters of the song title don't always appear.
4. Try to match the appearance of the option screens (Queue list, find, ect...) with the jukebox main screen. (too windowy for my taste )    

And one question: Will you support the WMA format?

BTW, I' m using WINXP PRO

Keep up the good work!!!

[Chris]

Looks very sharp!  We're getting quite a jukebox family here at BYOAC, aren't we?

--Chris

[Space Fractal]

3 new difficent jukebox software in the while. Many people (like Me) got the same idea and develop thier own jukeboks.

This is just great, keep op the working.

Maybe, we should create a new list for all arcade style jukeboxes in a new tread?

[unclet]

Sounds good to me ..... lets list the ones which are FREE only  

[Chris]

Sounds good to me ..... lets list the ones which are FREE only  

Well, maybe list the free ones first...

What we really need is to go through them all and make a big features matrix that shows what they do and don't do, especially in regards to cabinets.  For example, remappable keys, remappable ESC key, gamepad input support (for those with hacked gamepads), support Windows shutdown request (for when the power button is hit while the jukebox is running), multiple resolution support, rotation support, etc.  Plus, of course, the obvious jukebox/media player features like accepting credits, playlists, file format support, visualizations, etc.  (Of course, that'll probably spur us back to the compilers to fill some of those checkboxes in... )

--Chris

[SalmonKing]

I totally agree with Cockney_Geezer, this is a very nice JB software! Now on to some comments:

1. On the album full screen, when I select a song by double-clicking, the album changes to the next or previous album on the list. (e.g. for the album 184, when i double-click the song 02, the album changes to album 185 or 183).
2. When I try to remove from the queue list the song is playing, the software freezes.
3. On the song title screen, the first two characters of the song title don't always appear.
4. Try to match the appearance of the option screens (Queue list, find, ect...) with the jukebox main screen. (too windowy for my taste )    

And one question: Will you support the WMA format?

BTW, I' m using WINXP PRO

Keep up the good work!!!

Thanks for the feedback!  It's much appreciated.

Now, some resonses :

1.  Yes, I can reproduce this, but I'm still to figure out WHY it's happening!    I'll find it, though.....

2.  Ah, that looks like a remnant of some code that didn't change when I added key remapping recently.  That's fixed!  Keep an eye out for 1.8.1!  

3.  The song titles are all read from the file name, so make sure they follow the format you have selected in the options screen.  If there are characters missing, chances are there is no 2 digit track number at the start of the file name.

4.  I figured that the main screen is the interface, but the setup screens are the 'back end' of sorts.  I can change that, of course.....    

As for WMA, unfortunatly, it's out of the question for now.  The original program was built around WMP 8, then rebuilt again around WMP 9 (8 had some serious flaws).  Now, I am using a different engine for the MP3 playing, but MP3 is all it does.  I would have liked to keep the WMA functionality, but the pro's of the new system far outweight the con's, IMO.

Again, thanks for the feedback!

SK.

[SalmonKing]

Well, maybe list the free ones first...

What we really need is to go through them all and make a big features matrix that shows what they do and don't do, especially in regards to cabinets.  For example, remappable keys, remappable ESC key, gamepad input support (for those with hacked gamepads), support Windows shutdown request (for when the power button is hit while the jukebox is running), multiple resolution support, rotation support, etc.  Plus, of course, the obvious jukebox/media player features like accepting credits, playlists, file format support, visualizations, etc.  (Of course, that'll probably spur us back to the compilers to fill some of those checkboxes in... )

--Chris

heh, you'll give all us jukebox software writers breakdowns!  

[SalmonKing]

1. On the album full screen, when I select a song by double-clicking, the album changes to the next or previous album on the list. (e.g. for the album 184, when i double-click the song 02, the album changes to album 185 or 183).
2. When I try to remove from the queue list the song is playing, the software freezes.

OK, these 2 are now fixed.  Version 1.8.1 now available!!  

[namdlo]

Great job on this!!!  It works and looks great.

I only have 2 suggestions:
      first, can the back and minimize be seperated into 2 keys?  
          -- in a dedicated jukebox you don't want the user to
              have the ability to exit to windows

      second, can the art search be changed to find the first .jpg
      (or   possibly .bmp) in the directory?

Thanks and keep up the good work!

[SalmonKing]

Great job on this!!!  It works and looks great.

I only have 2 suggestions:
      first, can the back and minimize be seperated into 2 keys?  
          -- in a dedicated jukebox you don't want the user to
              have the ability to exit to windows

      second, can the art search be changed to find the first .jpg
      (or   possibly .bmp) in the directory?

Thanks and keep up the good work!

heh...both of these changes took all of 5 minutes, I just can't access my site account to update it with the new version!  

Here's the new list of files it will look for before moving up a level / giving up :

         folder.jpg
         folder.bmp
         *front*.jpg
         *front*.bmp
         * f.jpg
         * f.bmp
         cover.jpg
         cover.bmp
         *.jpg
         *.bmp

There will be a new version up there in the next day or 2, whenever I can remember the password I setup......    

[MikeAlex]

OK, let's try this:

1. Down Left is the song code list. What about instead of  the code only, the whole song title could appear e.g:

  1. The Troooper
  2. The Fight of Icarus
  3. ect...

Or it could switch from the current view to the list?

2. In the spectrum analyzer / album art section, what about adding "Next: Next song Title"?

3. What about being able to change the font size and the font type? The font size is for touchscreens, the current font is too small for a finder selection. The font type is for different languages e.g. greek. The current font doesn't support international characters (ok, greek characters   , I cannot verify other character sets) .

4. Maybe background support?  

5. One last thing: It would be nice if we could intervene in the song timeline bar.

Thanks SK.

[SalmonKing]

OK, let's try this:

1. Down Left is the song code list. What about instead of  the code only, the whole song title could appear e.g:

  1. The Troooper
  2. The Fight of Icarus
  3. ect...

Or it could switch from the current view to the list?

2. In the spectrum analyzer / album art section, what about adding "Next: Next song Title"?

3. What about being able to change the font size and the font type? The font size is for touchscreens, the current font is too small for a finder selection. The font type is for different languages e.g. greek. The current font doesn't support international characters (ok, greek characters   , I cannot verify other character sets) .

4. Maybe background support?  

5. One last thing: It would be nice if we could intervene in the song timeline bar.

Thanks SK.

1 & 5.  I might put in an option for these

2.  Hmmm...a little squeezy, but perhaps I could find a way...  

3 & 4.  As you can see in the WIP section of the readme.txt, font / color customization is on the list, but not currently a priority (i.e. it's not going to be fun to do at all!)  

[MikeAlex]

May the force be with you!  

[Space Fractal]

Sounds good to me ..... lets list the ones which are FREE only

[Lilwolf]

btw, I LOVE your jukebox program!  GREAT start!

I have a few comments.

Have you considered making it skinable?

1) works GREAT at 1024x768... but my touch screen monitor can only do 640x480 (and almost 800x600).  It almost works.. but needs a few changes.  Most are obvious if you try.

  a)  The fonts on the songs themself don't scale right.  Would be GREAT if this was configurable.
  b)  I would love to see the ability to remove the scroller in 4 albums mode.   If you want to see the rest, you pull up the 1 album view and makes it look non-windows all in one.
  c)  The percent view doesn't scale at all.


2) Touchscreen... Almost works...  I would love to see good touchscreen ability.   I don't know if its something you would be using at home in the future, but it shouldn't be that hard (but you would have to say so).  What I noticed was this.  Not all controls have a click.  Can't undo a selection, Volume, ect.  Anyway, its pretty easy to check by running it without a keyboard and just a mouse for a few minutes and youll see.


I wasn't expecting to be so impressed!  GREAT JOB!

[SalmonKing]

btw, I LOVE your jukebox program! GREAT start!

I have a few comments.

Have you considered making it skinable?

1) works GREAT at 1024x768... but my touch screen monitor can only do 640x480 (and almost 800x600). It almost works.. but needs a few changes. Most are obvious if you try.

 a) The fonts on the songs themself don't scale right. Would be GREAT if this was configurable.
 b) I would love to see the ability to remove the scroller in 4 albums mode. If you want to see the rest, you pull up the 1 album view and makes it look non-windows all in one.
 c) The percent view doesn't scale at all.


2) Touchscreen... Almost works... I would love to see good touchscreen ability. I don't know if its something you would be using at home in the future, but it shouldn't be that hard (but you would have to say so). What I noticed was this. Not all controls have a click. Can't undo a selection, Volume, ect. Anyway, its pretty easy to check by running it without a keyboard and just a mouse for a few minutes and youll see.


I wasn't expecting to be so impressed! GREAT JOB!

Thanks for the feedback!!

What I was thinking of doing for lower resolutions is to have just the 2 albums displaying side-by-side, but that's a HECK of alot of work.

1a) Yes, this is something I will be working towards in the near-ish future.  I was hoping to have had more time to implement some other features, but have been waaaaay too busy over the last week or so.

1b)  I'll see what I can do about that 

1c)  Not sure what you mean by 'percent view'?  Do you mean the red progress bar that fills white as the song progresses?

2)  I did start working on the Keypad, which appears in the bottom right.  Ideally, it would have a couple more controls for volume, then be able to click / touch the song in the queue to remove it.

SK.

[lemieux66c]

Looks pretty good.

[Dermbrian]

Salmonking,

Awesome, awesome application!  I was up for hours last night trying to find album art !  I'm still discovering all the things that you've thought of (like 00 All Tracks.....) that make this program super!  I

A question, though....

I use the format "01 Songname" as the filename and ID3 tag track name.  I have the option set correctly for the jukebox to know that, but the tracks don't show up in the correct order.  I do NOT use the track field of the ID3 tag.

The order is always the same when I reload, but isn't alphabetical, by size, or by date created.  Any idea what does set the track order that's shown on the screen?


Brian

[bigle]

2)

[Dermbrian]

Regarding my earlier post about my song order being wrong using SK Jukebox, I've discovered that is only true on compilation albums.  The album's song list apparently is sorted by Artist when you have various entries in the artist field of the ID3 tag.  It just so happens that my first lp is a compilation Christmas album, so it was obvious.   Single artist album tracks are shown in the order expected from my track number 'xx songname' where xx = 2 digit tracknumber.

Winamp does the same thing when you add that same album's directory.

It does seem that it would be better if compilation albums track order matched the track order users desired.   Would you consider changing that?  Or adding it to your '0%' list?

[Dermbrian]

I spoke too soon on the compilation album sort order.  It's not exactly in Artist Name order, either! 

I now think that the tracks in SK Jukebox are showing in 'date created' order.    Here's a partial listing of an lp where the songs are not in the proper order.  I'm listing the 'date created' and the 'date modified' properties of the files, in addition to the artist and songname (same as filename.mp3)


01 Star Carol    Anna Maria Alberghetti - 06 Star Carol
Created 10:23:38 AM
Modified 11:36:44 AM

02 It Came Upon A Midnight Clear   Andre Kostelanetz - 02 It Came Upon A Midnight Cle
Created 10:25:16 AM
Modified 11:35:18 AM

03 Caroling, Caroling   Anna Maria Alberghetti - 03 Caroling, Caroling
Created 10:26:35 AM
Modified 11:35:36 AM

04 Jolly Old St Nicholas    Maurice Chevallier - 04 Jolly Old St Nicholas
Created 10:27:46 AM
Modified 11:35:50 AM

05 Little Drummer Boy    Philadelphia Orchestra - 05 Little Drummer Boy
Created 10:29:21 AM
Modified 11:36:32 AM

06 O Holy Night     Andy Williams - 01 O Holy Night
Created 10:31:04 AM
Modified 11:35:02 AM

07 We Three Kings Of Orient Ar    Philadelphia Ordchestra - 07 We Three Kings Of Orient Ar
Created 10:33:45 AM
Modified 11:36:32 AM



...etc....too much to type right now. 

I'm a little confused by the behavior.   I do batch conversions of .wav files to .mp3 files after I record an album.    Most of my album's appear to have the correct track order.  But some, like this one, do not.

Brian

[soroth]

Ok, this is *THE*  jukebox I was looking for. Great stuff!
Only I've one question, is it possible to make the keysettings-config in the ini-file a bit 'user-friendly'? I want  to change some settings to mame-default settings (to use with my I-pac) but those numbers (like KeySet1=49) are Chinese to me 

[SalmonKing]

Ok, this is *THE* jukebox I was looking for. Great stuff!
Only I've one question, is it possible to make the keysettings-config in the ini-file a bit 'user-friendly'? I want to change some settings to mame-default settings (to use with my I-pac) but those numbers (like KeySet1=49) are Chinese to me

um....did you try hitting O to bring up the options screen?   

As it says in the readme.txt file :

N.B. The addition of the Options screen means this section obselete (meaning the section describing the .ini file), but you can still edit the .ini manually, if you wish

[SalmonKing]

Salmonking,

Awesome, awesome application! I was up for hours last night trying to find album art ! I'm still discovering all the things that you've thought of (like 00 All Tracks.....) that make this program super! I

A question, though....

I use the format "01 Songname" as the filename and ID3 tag track name. I have the option set correctly for the jukebox to know that, but the tracks don't show up in the correct order. I do NOT use the track field of the ID3 tag.

The order is always the same when I reload, but isn't alphabetical, by size, or by date created. Any idea what does set the track order that's shown on the screen?


Brian

What OS are you using?  I use Windows XP, but I have a feeling that FAT32 does not find the files in the same order as in NTFS.  In XP, if you have them named as 'xx Track Name', that's the order in which they come up.  In FAT32, the files come up in all sorts of order, IIRC.

It does seem that it would be better if compilation albums track order matched the track order users desired. Would you consider changing that? Or adding it to your '0%' list?

I do not use tags, and don't plan on adding it.   

[SalmonKing]

great work so far.

if you are still working on the keypad, any chance of making it customizable/resizable?  i want to use a touchscreen but the keypad is way too small.

hmmmm...not a hell of alot of room for it, as you can see.  I can't really think of a nice way to make it bigger, unless I take alot more horizontal room away from the section directly to the left of it, which I don't really want to do.

[SalmonKing]

BTW, forgot to mention, an update is now available at these 3 places :

[romsite link redacted]
http://salmonking.emuchrist.org/
http://www.mameworld.net/skjukebox/

[Dermbrian]

Salmonking,


What OS are you using?  I use Windows XP, but I have a feeling that FAT32 does not find the files in the same order as in NTFS.  In XP, if you have them named as 'xx Track Name', that's the order in which they come up.  In FAT32, the files come up in all sorts of order, IIRC.

I'm sure that's what's causing the occasional scrambled track order.  I use WindowsME on the PC that I use for converting my LP's to .mp3's.   

I'm fine now that I understand the issues and I  have learned some tricks from the WinAMP forums about how to best fix individual directories.   As I'm adding album covers to each directory, I'm having a chance to look at every one I've converted and can deal with it.

Still, if you do have a way to fix this through yet another option (what would that make...89 options?) like 'display album tracks in alphabetical order' it might be worth doing.   

Thanks again.  It's a great piece of work.

Brian

[bigle]

hmmmm...not a hell of alot of room for it, as you can see.

[SalmonKing]

hmmmm...not a hell of alot of room for it, as you can see.  I can't really think of a nice way to make it bigger, unless I take alot more horizontal room away from the section directly to the left of it, which I don't really want to do.

i was thinking maybe something along the lines of moving the left/right tray arrows to the bottom middle.  then move the bs and enter buttons to where the arrows currently are.  this would allow for a 25% increase in the button height.  then maybe the ability to have volume up down arrows to the left of the keypad.  this would eat up some of the current track section but not a whole lot.  maybe even have it so you could hide them if you would rather have the full current track section.  there is also some additional space along the bottom that could have other customizable buttons (not sure how feasible this would be from a programming perspective, just wishful thinking).  i've attached a pic to help explain what i am thinking.

anyway, just a thought that would help out the touchscreen users.

thanks again for the great work

OK, that's not a bad idea.  I'll have a play!  Thanks for the explaination.   

SK.

[SalmonKing]

I'm sure that's what's causing the occasional scrambled track order.  I use WindowsME on the PC that I use for converting my LP's to .mp3's.   

I'm fine now that I understand the issues and I  have learned some tricks from the WinAMP forums about how to best fix individual directories.   As I'm adding album covers to each directory, I'm having a chance to look at every one I've converted and can deal with it.

Still, if you do have a way to fix this through yet another option (what would that make...89 options?) like 'display album tracks in alphabetical order' it might be worth doing.   

Thanks again.  It's a great piece of work.

Brian

I'll just add it in as a standard.  As I said, it's something I didn't think about, as XP just does it right.  Won't need an option for it, I'll just add it in after I've sorted the albums, to sort the tracks by alpha order.  It won't change anything, really, it'll just fix it for anyone who uses ME or 98.

SK.

[Random24]

Thank You!!!  This is exactly what I have been looking for.  I have been looking for an app for my touch screen jukebox for a while.

I do have a couple of requests though.  First I would like to say that this is so far the best jukebox from a technical standpoint that seems like it will work in my machine.

Now for the requests.

I am using a touch screen only for input and I have over one thousand albums.   These two things are causing me some problems with this program.

First the paging buttons.  Is there any way you could set them to automatically repeat.  So that you can multi-page by just clicking on them and holding.  It is difficult to page through a large list of albums if you have to tap the screen for each page.

Second is the size of the text in the track selection area.  Even if I set the album to "zoom in" when clicked, the text is still too small and invariably I will ocasionally click on the wrong track.

Something else that I have noticed is even when I have set the "Automatically Accept Song Selections"  I still have to click on enter to select the songs.  This may be because with the touch screen I am only clicking once.  If this is the case would it be possible to add a "Touch Screen" Option that would allow a selection with a single click?

Again I would like to thank you for your time and effort in creating this program.  I am looking forward to seeing where you take it and what additional features you add in the future.

[Dermbrian]

I am using a touch screen only for input and I have over one thousand albums.   These two things are causing me some problems with this program.

First the paging buttons.  Is there any way you could set them to automatically repeat.  So that you can multi-page by just clicking on them and holding.  It is difficult to page through a large list of albums if you have to tap the screen for each page.

Second is the size of the text in the track selection area.  Even if I set the album to "zoom in" when clicked, the text is still too small and invariably I will occasionally click on the wrong track.

Random24, just a couple of observations.....

You can easily jump to any album number using the keypad.  Typing '100' for example immediately would open album 100.  If you hit the ENTER key at that point, the display goes back to 4 album mode.  So it seems to me that if SalmonKing does find a way to increase the keypad size or pop up a larger keypad as needed, changes to that one device should give touchscreen users the ability to navigate pretty easily. 

I'm impressed by the visual appeal of the cd/album covers and the layout.  I think he did a fantastic job on the proportions, fonts, etc.....and so I hope the layout stays fairly close to the way it is now.  But someday I may own a touchscreen......

Brian

[SalmonKing]

Thank You!!!  This is exactly what I have been looking for.  I have been looking for an app for my touch screen jukebox for a while.

I do have a couple of requests though.  First I would like to say that this is so far the best jukebox from a technical standpoint that seems like it will work in my machine.

Now for the requests.

I am using a touch screen only for input and I have over one thousand albums.   These two things are causing me some problems with this program.

First the paging buttons.  Is there any way you could set them to automatically repeat.  So that you can multi-page by just clicking on them and holding.  It is difficult to page through a large list of albums if you have to tap the screen for each page.

Second is the size of the text in the track selection area.  Even if I set the album to "zoom in" when clicked, the text is still too small and invariably I will ocasionally click on the wrong track.

Something else that I have noticed is even when I have set the "Automatically Accept Song Selections"  I still have to click on enter to select the songs.  This may be because with the touch screen I am only clicking once.  If this is the case would it be possible to add a "Touch Screen" Option that would allow a selection with a single click?

Again I would like to thank you for your time and effort in creating this program.  I am looking forward to seeing where you take it and what additional features you add in the future.

OK, some responses! 

First, I was going to look at built-in key repeating, as when used with an IPac, there is none.  As such, you have to click left / right every time you need to move.  I'll include the left / right buttons on the keypad in that too, along with the volume up / down & backspace buttons on the keypad.

Font / Color customization is on the go!  I've done alot of work on it already, I just need to finish it off before I release it.  Once that's done, you will be able to up the font size & have more room to press!

The "Auto Accept" is a little tricky, as the 'Mouse Support' (which you are using in the touch-screen, obviously) will select the first song in the list when it goes to full view mode.  Or, it will select the song that was clicked in the list.  N.B. I'm talking about selecting in the list, not adding to the queue.  As such, your suggestion of a 'Touch Screen' option would simply automatically select the song when clicked on in full view, EXCEPT when first bringing up the full view.  Don't worry if you don't understand what I've said, I basically wrote it out as I was thinking about it 

So, Font / Color customization continues, auto repeating is back on the list (thanks for reminding me!  ) and a Touch Screen option will be added.   

SK.

[MikeAlex]

GO SALMON, GO SALMON, GO (...up the stream) !!!

[Ted_Striker]

I really like this program.  This would definately replace VMJ for me if you would add a few features.  Would you consider any of these?

1) skin-able.   I love how fluid your animations are and I like the layout.  But it does look a little plain.  I would love to make some graphics for this program.

2). Dual -Head Support.    I have built a dedicated Juke with 2 monitors around VMJ.  Is there any chance your program could have dual monitor support?

3. Video Support.   Any chance of playing music video's (mpgs) as well as mp3's?

4.) Hide the keypad.  For us dedicated cabinet users, there is no need for the number keypad to be shown on the screen.  Could we have the option to hide that?  This might fall under the first one.  Custom skins could hide this.

It seems now that I've read my requests, it seems like I'm asking for basically VMJ written by you.  Well, it seems you have the programming chops and the bugs in VMJ  have not been quashed in many months. 

This program is a great little app.  And it just plain works.  Thanks for the development work you have given to the group here.  If  I  use this program, I would definately use your donation link!

[SalmonKing]

I really like this program.  This would definately replace VMJ for me if you would add a few features.  Would you consider any of these?

1) skin-able.   I love how fluid your animations are and I like the layout.  But it does look a little plain.  I would love to make some graphics for this program.

2). Dual -Head Support.    I have built a dedicated Juke with 2 monitors around VMJ.  Is there any chance your program could have dual monitor support?

3. Video Support.   Any chance of playing music video's (mpgs) as well as mp3's?

4.) Hide the keypad.  For us dedicated cabinet users, there is no need for the number keypad to be shown on the screen.  Could we have the option to hide that?  This might fall under the first one.  Custom skins could hide this.

It seems now that I've read my requests, it seems like I'm asking for basically VMJ written by you.  Well, it seems you have the programming chops and the bugs in VMJ  have not been quashed in many months. 

This program is a great little app.  And it just plain works.  Thanks for the development work you have given to the group here.  If  I  use this program, I would definately use your donation link!

1)  Well, if someone comes up with a good enough starting point, I guess I could look into it.  It's not something I have thought about, really, as I wanted to keep the program as simple as possible.  However, at the same time I like to give the flexibilty to allow the user to feel as if they have the 'perfect' setup.

2 & 3)  Unfortunatly, I don't see either of these being added into the program.  It's not really the direction I want to take the program.

4)  There is already an option in the Options screen to hide the keypad (hit O to see all the options!).   

SK.

[Silver]

Hi,
Looks good so far.

I can't test it just at the moment, but could you tell me if it supports streaming files?

That is - if I have a mapped network drive with mp3 files on it, will it start playing the file as it comes in, or will it load the whole file locally first?

[SalmonKing]

Hi,
Looks good so far.

I can't test it just at the moment, but could you tell me if it supports streaming files?

That is - if I have a mapped network drive with mp3 files on it, will it start playing the file as it comes in, or will it load the whole file locally first?

hmmmm....good question!

To be honest, I have no idea.  The loading of the file is done by the MP3 component.  That being said, I have tested playing over a network, and didn't notice much drop in speed.  It's either 'streaming', or the delay is bearly noticable.