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FLAC2WAV and WAV2FLAC; MP3 decoder [XT][8088][286]

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First post, by Tronix

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I recently partially ported libFLAC to 16-bit open watcom compiler. Don't ask me why -)
So, there:

FLAC2WAV <input.FLAC> <output.WAV>
Minimal system spec: 8088 XT 512Kb RAM. Two versions in archive - for XT and 286/NEC_V20 computers. The presence or absence of a 80x87 coprocessor does not affect the speed.

WAV2FLAC <input.WAV> <output.FLAC> [N]
where N is compression level. Default compression is 5.
Minimal system spec: 80286 with 2Mb RAM. The encoder requires significantly more memory for internal structures and buffers than the decoder, so I had to switch to protected mode using an Phar Lap's 286 DOS extender. Mathematics with float numbers is intensively used for encoding, so the presence of a 80287 coprocessor significantly affects the speed. Three versions in archive - 80287 FPU, integer only math (FLAC__INTEGER_ONLY_LIBRARY define) and without FPU (emulation, very slow) .

Just for lulz, nothing more.

Attachments

  • Filename
    WAV2FLAC.ZIP
    File size
    738.13 KiB
    Downloads
    82 downloads
    File license
    Public domain
  • Filename
    FLAC2WAV.zip
    File size
    173.21 KiB
    Downloads
    92 downloads
    File license
    Public domain
Last edited by Tronix on 2022-10-13, 11:32. Edited 1 time in total.

https://github.com/Tronix286/

Reply 2 of 7, by Grzyb

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I'm wondering how long it takes to decode 1 minute of FLAC sound on an 8088@4.77...
...but no, I don't want spoilers, some day I'm going to revamp my Turbo XT, set it to de-turbo, and see for myself 🤣

Kiełbasa smakuje najlepiej, gdy przysmażysz ją laserem!

Reply 3 of 7, by Gustavo

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Grzyb wrote on 2022-10-11, 02:01:

I'm wondering how long it takes to decode 1 minute of FLAC sound on an 8088@4.77...
...but no, I don't want spoilers, some day I'm going to revamp my Turbo XT, set it to de-turbo, and see for myself 🤣

I´m curious too. I bet it will be more than an hour, but sometimes the little Intel surprises me.

Reply 4 of 7, by Tronix

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And now MP3 to WAV simple decoder for [XT][8088].
I used Helix mp3 decoder from RealNetworks. I made changes to the assembly.h file (rewrite MULSHIFT32(), MADD64(), SAR64() in 8088 assembler). Source code: https://github.com/Tronix286/HELIXMP3

So, actual version here: https://github.com/Tronix286/HELIXMP3/blob/main/real/mp3.exe
MP3 <input.MP3> <output.WAV>

https://github.com/Tronix286/

Reply 5 of 7, by Bob Dog

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Based on the comments here, can we definitely say that an 8088 ~can~ play MP3 files?

Are there any (or which) 8bit or 16bit replica ISA sound cards are known to output MP3 on an 8088? And in an 8bit slot?

I've seen these and others on various sites, but all of them (and the videos about them) only discuss 1980s 8bit sound and midi.

https://www.tindie.com/products/denjhang/hp-m … isa-sound-card/
https://texelec.com/product/radlib-opl2-sound … sa-adlib-clone/
https://texelec.com/product/saaym/
https://texelec.com/product/resound-2-opl3-8- … ble-sound-card/

I can live without MP3s and just play MIDI and SND files, but it would be nice to have.

I just bought and am waiting for delivery of a NuXT (NEC v20, 8087) plus a PicoMEM, but the latter is only designed for Tandy/8bit audio. I'm also ordering the ISA 8bit ethernet card. This is going to be fun.

https://www.tindie.com/products/weird/isa-8-b … net-controller/

Reply 6 of 7, by Grzyb

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Bob Dog wrote on 2025-01-13, 20:31:

Based on the comments here, can we definitely say that an 8088 ~can~ play MP3 files?

Not in real-time.

Are there any (or which) 8bit or 16bit replica ISA sound cards are known to output MP3 on an 8088? And in an 8bit slot?

I think not, but some are close - MP3 hardware decoding ISA cards

Kiełbasa smakuje najlepiej, gdy przysmażysz ją laserem!

Reply 7 of 7, by Bob Dog

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Grzyb wrote on 2025-01-14, 00:39:

I think not, but some are close - MP3 hardware decoding ISA cards

But all slim ebay pickings instead of modern replicas, hoping it works and that I'm not buying a pig in a poke.

Oh well. It was a "would be nice", not a "must have".

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