amf 0.6.8 review

amf is a front-end to mpg123, a UNIX MP3 player

License: GPL (GNU General Public License) File size: 0K Developer: Steve Grundell

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amf is a front-end to mpg123, a UNIX MP3 player. amf is now available for both Linux and Windows. amf is intended to be a home jukebox system, and since is uses mpeg technology, which compresses audio a lot, you dont have to keep changing CD. It also can work like an unattended DJ box, like they have in several clubs and bars.

I am not about to say "this will revolutionise the way we listen to music in our homes"... but hopefully it will make it better. I chose to use mpg123 to decode the mp3 because, from what I see, it's the most widely used player, the fastest (uses less cpu), and also it has the functionality needed by amf with very little change to the source. In the future, I may combine an mpg decoder in with the amf source.

Here are some key features of "amf":
Tunes can be mixed in from on to the next, making the transition between each tune virtually seamless. You fade in/out each tune, eliminating abrubt beginning and endings, and can also mixed tunes with in the previous and next.
Playlists can be more than a simple list of tunes to play (eg, "find -name *.mp3"). Each tune can be set whether or not to mix with the previous/next, and if the volume should fade in/out at the begging/end.
Each tune can be chosen to have more or less priority when picking what tune to play in 'random mode', so you can have all your favourite tunes be played more than others.
Provides a (hopefully) nice interface. You can also run amf without an interface so, for example, you want to just run it in the background or something, or even use your own front-end to it.
Uses gpm (optionally).
Allows you to create a separate sub-playlist that is treat like a single tune. With this you have the ability to edit and mix tunes.
Can now write to /dev/vcsa (direct to the screen) for the interface, instead of to stdout with ncurses. Speeds up display updating, and also lets you use stdout for piping things.
Modifys a few characters to make the ascii graphics look a bit better.