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Topic: ez listening ??? |
Skip Cole
From:
North Mississippi
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Posted 6 Dec 2007 10:25 pm |
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I think this has been covered before but anyways ; how can i listen to a complete song without having to listen to it 5 seconds at a time with 10 second breaks in between phrasee ? I still have the
dial-up connection on my ISP. Thanks for any information.----Skip |
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Andy Sandoval
From:
Bakersfield, California, USA
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Posted 7 Dec 2007 12:30 am
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| If it's streaming audio you have to let it download completely before you try to play it or you can download it to your computer, then play it. Either way it has to download first because a slow dial up connection can't keep up with it. |
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Wiz Feinberg
From:
Mid-Michigan, USA
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Posted 7 Dec 2007 8:38 am
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While the file (music) is downloading there should be a horizontal bar that moves from left to right, indicating how much of the file has been downloaded. You can probably click on the Pause button ( || ) while the bits come in over the wires, until at least half of it has downloaded, or more, then press the Play arrow. Dial-up download rates range from 2.8 to 5.3 KB per second. A 1 MB mp3 file consists of about 1,000 KB and may take 4 to 6 minutes to fully download to your music player.
Since you are on dial-up you may want to test your connection to see what your actual "throughput" is. This figure is the amount of data that can be sent up from, or down to your computer, through your modem. It is fairly common to have modems connecting to the ISP (Internet Service Provider) at 50,000 bits per second (bps), but only be able to download large, non-compressible files at 28,800 bps, or less. The problem has to do with phone line wires or conditions, or poor wiring in the home, or mis-configured modem settings on the computer. I have a modem throughput test page on my web site, where you can test your download throughput. If it varies widely from what your initial connect speed indicated, you may benefit from a "modem tweak." There is more information about tweaking modems available on the above mentioned page and in the results pages. You can also use Google to search for "tweak+dialup+modem," or "improve+dialup+modem+throughput."
_________________
"Wiz" Feinberg, Moderator SGF Computers Forum
Security Consultant
Twitter: @Wizcrafts
Main web pages: Wiztunes Steel Guitar website | Wiz's Security Blog | My Webmaster Services | Wiz's Security Blog |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 8 Dec 2007 3:33 am
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To add to what Wiz says about the modem connect speed and the actual throughput.
When the modems (the PC's and the ISP's) initially connect (called "Handshake" or "training"), the speed that's displayed is only the "connect" speed and this can vary greatly from modem model to modem model. e.g. I've seen modems connect at a high connect speed but have a poor throughput and others that connect at a lower speed and have a higher consistent throughput. The throughput, as mentioned, can vary greatly from the connect speed. And, the modems are constantly "negotiating" the data rate based on the instantaneous conditon of the data (telco) line. You could test the throughput speed and go back and test it again and most likely it will be different. |
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Wiz Feinberg
From:
Mid-Michigan, USA
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Posted 8 Dec 2007 12:53 pm
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I concur with what Jack said about modems constantly re-training to adjust to line conditions. I went through this every time I used a dial-up ISP, which was just a month ago. I found that the modem was negotiating a connect rate (~44,000) that it could not sustain, so I lowered the maximum connect rate to about 40,000 and throughput improved. In a previous location my modem would connect at 44,000 bps, but it suffered from so many Block Errors (resulting in constant re-sends of those blocks of data), that I had to limit the connect rate to 33,600, to maintain decent throughput. This is actually what got me into tweaking modems in the first place. It is almost a forgotten art, thanks to DSL, Cable and Satellite ISPs.
The whole lesson here is that if you are on a dial-up ISP and your connect rate is much higher that your effective throughput (a.k.a. Baudrate), lowering the maximum initial connect rate will most likely improve your download times. This is a fact that I have proved with my own dial-up connections, and those of my customers.
_________________
"Wiz" Feinberg, Moderator SGF Computers Forum
Security Consultant
Twitter: @Wizcrafts
Main web pages: Wiztunes Steel Guitar website | Wiz's Security Blog | My Webmaster Services | Wiz's Security Blog |
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Skip Cole
From:
North Mississippi
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Posted 8 Dec 2007 5:57 pm
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I guess that I would be wise to install DSL if i had a budget that would allow it. Where i was working our computers ISP was changed from dial-up to Verizon DSL and the performance was so much quicker and compatible with our business. I'm beginning to think that dial-up is now stoneage tech , and so am I .  Thanks to all who contributed info,and advice--Skip |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 9 Dec 2007 3:30 am
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Some DSL offerings, depending on your location, are now very close to dial-up range in costs and even less than what AOL charges (or at least used to charge) for dial-up.
One drawback to DSL, you have to be within 3 miles of a Telco central office and the telco line from the central office to your residence must be "straight copper" - no repeaters, etc.
In another reference to the analog dial-up, one issue with speed, signal conditon, etc, is the distance from a Telco central office. Every time there is a "hop" (repeater) that can have (and usually does) an affect on the modem's connect speed and throughput. e.g. with several hops it could be that a connect speed of 28.8Kbs or even lower is all that can be done, even tho the PC's modem and the ISP's can operate at the maximum speed. |
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Wiz Feinberg
From:
Mid-Michigan, USA
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Posted 9 Dec 2007 8:31 am
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To add more to Jack's excellent description of telco wiring affecting dial-up modems; V90 and V92 modems are more sensitive to interference than the older modems that used V34. V90/92 modems are always trying to retrain to the highest rate as the signal conditions fluctuate, causing Blers and Resent Blocks, which can slow down your throughput to a snail's pace. If that happens to you (dial-up customer), you would want to read how to change your Init string to limit your maximum connect rate to the best speed with the fewest Blers and Resends.
You can see how many Blers and Resends you are experiencing by opening the "Phone and Modem Options" in Control Panel, then click on the "Modem" tab, highlight the modem you are using (if more than one is listed), then click the Properties button. Inside the Modem's properties there is a checkbox to keep a log of your connections and another to replace or append data; check it and choose the logging option to append sessions to the log. There is also a button there to read the modem log. When you read your log results look for the terms "Blers" and "Resends." High numbers indicate bad line conditions that are causing the modem to resend/re-receive blocks of data. Check it between dial-up sessions a few times to verify that you are regularly having line problems.
More to come later, if needed.
_________________
"Wiz" Feinberg, Moderator SGF Computers Forum
Security Consultant
Twitter: @Wizcrafts
Main web pages: Wiztunes Steel Guitar website | Wiz's Security Blog | My Webmaster Services | Wiz's Security Blog |
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Andy Sandoval
From:
Bakersfield, California, USA
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Posted 9 Dec 2007 1:47 pm
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Jack, it's your turn...  |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 9 Dec 2007 4:46 pm
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Nah, although we could go on for a long time talking about Telco lines and modems (that was one of my specialties when I was working) we've beat it to death for now.
We need a new subject to banter about now.  |
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Skip Cole
From:
North Mississippi
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Posted 10 Dec 2007 7:28 pm
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Thanks for the help guys, that's over my head somewhat , i'll have to study it some. 
Skip |
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