Rockbox
| Rockbox
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| Basic data
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| developer | Rockbox Developer Team |
| Publishing year | June 12, 2002 |
| Current version |
3.15 ( November 15, 2019 ) |
| programming language | Assembler , c |
| category | Audio player , firmware |
| License | GPL ( Free Software ) |
| German speaking | Yes |
| www.rockbox.org | |
Rockbox is a free operating system for MP3 players released under the GPL . The project was brought into being at the end of 2001 by the Swede Linus Nielsen Feltzing, because the users did not want to live with the limitations of the original operating system of the “Archos Jukebox”. Rockbox should provide the entire functionality of the device. The first version of the alternative operating system was therefore developed for Archos MP3 players . Rockbox now supports other MP3 players from various manufacturers, including the Apple iPod and some series from iriver .
Rockbox can be installed on the supported players parallel to the original firmware and offers the possibility of turning the player into a multi-boot system .
Range of functions
Rockbox extends the range of playable audio codecs so that restrictions only have to be accepted due to the given hardware. The file formats MP3 , Ogg Vorbis , WMA , WAV (or AIFF ), FLAC , AC3 ( DVD audio), the ATRAC3 format known from the MiniDisc and AAC are supported , although the AAC decoder is not yet completed. With MP2 , MP1 , Musepack , WavPack , Shorten , Apple Lossless , MOD , SPC and NSF , less common file formats are also supported.
On the older Archos jukeboxes, only MP2 and MP3 files can be played ex works, as the MP3 decoding and encoding (on the recorders) is taken over by an additional Micronas chip that is difficult to program . In Rockbox, however, you can also play files in WAV format using a plug-in. However, this function is not yet fully integrated.
The operating system offers uninterrupted playback and volume compensation ( replay gain ) for all codecs. A 5-band equalizer is also offered on devices with a software codec . Usual functions such as random playback, stereo recording (in 16 bit, 44.1 kHz WAV or in MP3 with bit rates between 64 and 320 kBit / s) and "on the fly" playlists are supported as well as FM radio with recording, remote controls and digital Inputs / outputs ( S / PDIF , if available).
Rockbox's user interface is customizable. Users provide "themes" which change the fonts and sizes used, the background and the arrangement and design of various elements of the surface.
The optional voice-supported user interface means that MP3 players with Rockbox are suitable for use by the visually impaired and the blind .
In addition to the music database, Rockbox also has a file browser that can a. Allows you to create, rename, copy and delete folders and files directly on the device in order to create space for new recordings and to organize files. An MP3 recorder with Rockbox can therefore be used effectively without having to use a computer, for example when on the move.
Plug-ins
Rockbox supports the expansion and customization of the system via plug-ins . The following is a selection of popular plug-ins:
- JPEG Viewer enables the display of JPEG graphics in any resolution ( zoom function)
- Various benchmarks
- Graphical demos (including the Rockbox logo, a rotating cube, a clone of the Windows 3.x screen saver "Starfield" and much more)
- Mpegplayer allows you to play videos in MPEG-2 format
- Picture Flow , a virtual 3D environment similar to view the album cover the cover flow from Apple
- Rockboy , a port of the Game Boy - emulator gnuboy
- Games: Doom (port of the GPL Doom engine), Bubbles, Chess , Snake , Solitaire , Sudoku , Tetris , Minesweeper , Pong and others
- stopwatch
- Pocket calculator, euro converter
- Text editor
- WAV to MP3 encoder
- WAV to WavPack encoder
- dictionary
- calendar
- Alarm clock
Lack of functionality
Functions that Rockbox users may be missing compared to the original operating systems (status 2/2009):
- Digital rights management
- " USB On-the-go " ("USB OTG")
Data transfer via Rockbox directly and not via the firmware of the respective manufacturer has now been added.
Patches
Due to the open source status, many developers and users take part in the development of Rockbox. A patch system was established for the rapid expansion of functionality . This makes it possible to use features that are available as standard in a future official version of Rockbox without having to wait.
Interested parties can provide patches in the patch system, change the functions of the official Rockbox (SVN) or add new ones. These patches can apply to all, individual or groups of devices (e.g. devices with a scroll wheel). For example, some patches improve the implementation of radio receivers or change the assignment of buttons (button map). Patches can also represent additional plug-ins (see above), for example other games.
Rockbox versions ( builds ) are also offered that have already integrated a few patches in advance so that everyone has the opportunity to get the build that suits them without needing programming knowledge.
Builds that have been patched are not officially supported by the Rockbox development team. Errors that occur in such builds must either also appear in the official build, or the creator of the patch causing the error must provide support. However, the Rockbox development team looks at the patches and integrates them into the original Rockbox version, provided that they meet your requirements for clean programming, low resource consumption and meaningfulness. They also reject workarounds that circumvent problems instead of solving them.
Supported devices
Rockbox is still in development for each supported model at all times. It will be between
- "Supported"
- "Unstable" and
- "Unusable" differentiated.
In order for a model to achieve the "Supported" status, Rockbox must work without problems on the player. Operating instructions and installation by an automatic installation program must be available. “Unstable” models are in a state suitable for experienced users. "Unusable" is the name given to the models for which work on Rockbox has already started, but which are still at an early stage to the "unstable" status. Unusable models are mainly of interest to developers.
In principle, Rockbox could be developed for all portable MP3 players that have a GNU CC port .
Archos
iriver
Cowon
Olympus
Samsung
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Apple
SanDisk
Toshiba
Packard Bell
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future
Since the advent of smartphones , which usually offer extensive options for playing music, the market for MP3 players has been shrinking steadily. The developers are therefore already working Rockbox as a mobile app to port , thus allowing a continuation of the project. An early test version already exists with “Rockbox as an Application” (“RaaA” for short) for Android or Maemo .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ www.rockbox.org .
- ↑ https://www.rockbox.org/wiki/SoundCodecs Supported audio codecs (English)
- ↑ Themes categorized by player
- ↑ https://www.rockbox.org/wiki/PluginMpegplayer Videos with Rockbox (English)
- ↑ http://forums.rockbox.org/index.php?topic=20752.0 Announcement of the USB function (English)
- ↑ "MP3 players are hardly in demand anymore: The boom is long over" - article on heise.de
- ↑ "The Rockbox Future is an App"
- ↑ AndroidPort
- ↑ https://www.rockbox.org/wiki/MaemoPort MaemoPort (English)
- ↑ https://wiki.maemo.org/Rockbox Rockbox in the Maemo.org Wiki (English)