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@Prodatron: Would it be possible to make a small modification to the mp3 cart to make it work in CPC, or are the architectures too different?

Unfortunately I am not a hardware specialist at all.
A MP3 player has already been produced for the CPC some years ago, but as it was (1) only connected via the printer port and (2) there wasn't any IDE interfaces/devices available at this time. So it didnt make much sense because of 100% CPU usage and limitation to 20seconds music or so.
I hope, that a useful version will come for the CPC, too, but now I am very very happy, that I already can try it on the MSX soon! My dream is to use a OCM + MP3 card + CF-Interface/Card + SymbOS as Multimedia station in my living room

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My dream is to use a OCM + MP3 card + CF-Interface/Card + SymbOS as Multimedia station in my living room

Yeah, that sounds like a really cool setup Even cooler is the same setup but instead of CF, have obsonet + a wifi card in the CF slot

so that means you need a HD or Cf card in your msx in order to store mp3s ?

I guessed the msx would send a signal to the cart, and have an output of some kind..
or the msx'es one

Yes, or Obsonet to play endless internet radio But in this case it's your turn, Dvik, to implement the MP3 card in BlueMSX, as Obsonet unfortunately isn't available in real hardware yet Of course I would appreciate this for development reasons a lot!
@Poke-1,170: Without a HD you would only be able to load small MP3s from floppy disc, I guess.

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But in this case it's your turn, Dvik, to implement the MP3 card in BlueMSX

This should be very easy to implement. Yobi, if you want it emulated, send me an email with specifications and I'll start right away. Having the device emulated will make it easier for people to develop sw using the cart and most likely increase popularity.

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Quote: But in this case it's your turn, Dvik, to implement the MP3 card in BlueMSX This should be very easy to implement. Yobi, if you want it emulated, send me an email with specifications and I'll start right away. Having the device emulated will make it easier for people to develop sw using the cart and most likely increase popularity.

Emulating the device is a nice thing.
If we have the final, you will get more specs.
Here is the spec for the MP3 decoder www.walrus.com/~raphael/mp3/MMC_version/vs1011b.pdf
IO &h21 for resetting the VS1011b
IO &h22 for Audio data. (raw MP3)
IO &h23 for Status/Control etc

Here the spec for the I2C proc.
www.standardics.nxp.com/products/pca/pdf/pca9564.pdf
IO &h24 for I2C Timeout/Status
IO &h25 for I2C Data
IO &h26 for I2C Own address
IO &h27 for I2C Control

Gr, Yobi

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so that means you need a HD or Cf card in your msx in order to store mp3s ? I guessed the msx would send a signal to the cart, and have an output of some kind.. or the msx'es one

Yes, you need a HD of CF for storing the MP3's.
Maybe Obsonet will give you MP3 radio, but i think it's speed is to slow for it.
But i am not sure.

Oi! This is cool. Please include connectors for the internal sound of the MSX too.

Wow, that's a LOT of I/O ports, Yobi! Couldn't it be multplexed a bit?

Thanx for the documents. So the FIFO-Buffer has a size of 2KB (16384bits), which is ok IMHO. After transfering 32bytes you have to check the buffer status again, which slows down the data transfer rate only a little bit. Looks everything fine and easy-to-handle so far!
@Manuel: Are 8 ports really a problem? The user port area has a size of 64 ports.
@Dvik: Great, that you will support it!

When the price is good i certenly will buy one.

The more ports you use, the bigger the chance that it will conflict with other cartridges/hardware in the machine.

There are 2 more pics on www.umf.be/viewtopic.php?t=2850

Ah, BTW, there is another fantastic operational area for the MP3 card: Movies with high quality music!
You have to load and send less bytes for the sound, but have still a higher quality, and there is more CPU time left for the video itself. NYYRIKKI dragons lair video is already very impressive, but the MP3 card could improve it a lot. Or think about special TurboR + GFX9000 + MP3 movies

Prodatron: Dragon's Lair, tho impressive, has a few creative issues to keep in mind:
- it's moving at a fast pace, fast enough to hide the color-spill artifacts
- it's pretty 'zoomed-in' all the way, big objects etc. This too helps to mask the color-spill artifacts
- it's made by professionals in their field

To go with the latter argument: I wouldn't know someone in our scene capable of rendering a movie like that. So, while the idea might technically be possible, from a creative point I don't think we should ever expect a similar movie to pop up. I see more future in classic animations like we see in game intros (like Microcabin games), copying pieces o' screen according to a script. Not because movies are impossible, but because our current crop o' artists won't reach that level. We're already short on capable (or active) graphicians.

sc2/4 isn't the only way one can playback a movie at a decent framerate, I've seen g9k movies on msd's msxpod (^_^), but yet again: those are all random converted videos, I just don't see it happen that some unknown artist we've been overlooking all these years comes up with a really orginal video, which is also suitable for a game.. heck, how many high-end/spec games have been released in the past 4 years anyway?

It's the sad truth of today. There are two solutions: [1] find graphicians and/or animators, [2] make a tool that provides a GUI which is understandable for non-graphicians/animators which allows non-graphicians/animators to make gfx/animations. Kinda like Bob Ross providing a bridging method to non-painters in order to enable them to make paintings. The latter option would be a mammoth project on its own already..

From all of us here: happy painting and RNFF, my friend!