foobar2000 + Plugins = Awesomeness

foobar2000 is a lightweight audio player known for its extensive SDK. That means it has loads of plugins that pretty much makes it a popular choice among pedophiles audiophiles. The default interface might not be as pretty as MediaMonkey, Winamp, or even Windows Media Player, but it is no short of features.

Trust me, this is the best audio player for Windows. And it's free.

First off, you can grab a copy here: http://www.foobar2000.org/download

So it plays music. Nothing much special eh? Time to grab the plugins.

• Noise Sharpening -  Improves the clarity of the sound. The main reason why foobar2000 rocks. Hard.
• ALAC Decoder - Support for M4A files, which is usually downloaded from iTunes.
• ASIO Output - Allows foobar2000 to directly use the sound card, allowing bit-exact output. The sound card must support ASIO though.
• WASAPI Output - Allows bit-exact output and mutes other sounds. Only works on Vista SP1 and above.
• Audioscrobbler - Tells Last.fm the song you're playing in foobar2000. This will allow Last.fm to generate a web radio designed specifically for you.
• Last.fm Radio - Allows you to play your generated Last.fm radio in foobar2000.
• Soft Playlists - Also allows you to play Last.fm playlists.
• Win 7 Shell Integration - Adds Windows 7 taskbar features, such as progress indicators, player controls, jumplists, etc.
• CUE Playlist Filter - Prevents duplicate songs from showing up, caused by playlists. Also removes lost references.

These are my recommended plugins. If you want more, you can check out these websites:

http://www.foobar2000.org/components

http://foosion.foobar2000.org/components/

Oh, and if you're a bit clueless on how to install:

http://wiki.hydrogenaudio.org/index.php?title=Foobar2000:How_to_install_a_component

These plugins generally must be configured before use, so check the preference page first. For example, Noise Sharpening must be activated in the DSP preference.

If you can't live with that interface, well there is an alternate interface called Columns UI. Much more customizable, although it can be quite tricky. Some of them might even require older versions of foobar2000, since some components are outdated. You can take a stroll here:

http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=63984

http://browse.deviantart.com/customization/skins/?q=foobar2000

So that's about it. Have fun customizing.

Unboxing the Samsung SyncMaster BX2231 LED Monitor

My ol' CRT monitor blew up some time ago (like a month already?) prompting me to to get a replacement. Well, it's kinda sad since I loved that monitor despite being huge, have a standard aspect ratio (4:3), and needs some kind of workaround every time I shut it down. On the bright side, color reproduction is excellent, doesn't struggle in bright light, minimal reflections, no dead pixels, no ghosting, looks great even on low resolutions, and a far better viewing angle. But all of that would be useless if you can't really turn it on anymore.

So after a week or so of surveying, I put my prime target on Samsung SyncMaster EX2220X LED Monitor. However, as I arrived at Plaza Low Yat, I can't find it anymore (except for one last shop). Taking a look at the current pricelists, I found a model with almost similar yet better specifications, but pricier: the Samsung SyncMaster BX2231 LED Monitor.

I've set a few criteria for the new monitor:

• It must have good color reproduction (since I do graphics and photo editing)
• Should be at least as high as my old 17" monitor
• Have a resolution of at least 1920 x 1080 (higher than 1024 pixels high)
• Have DVI or HDMI inputs (D-Sub is muddy for LCDs)
• No speakers (that would add up costs and I already have a good pair)
• A response time of at least 5ms (to prevent ghosting)
• LED display (so that the contrast would be higher)

Having said that, the BX2231 meets and even exceeds these criteria. It's a 21.5" LED monitor, have a resolution of 1920 x 1080, have two HDMI inputs, no speakers, and a response time of 2ms. I've seen the demo model in the store and color reproduction seems good, just like most Samsung monitors I found.

Now the unboxing.

The box

Contents inside the box. You can see cables and the monitor itself in their wrappings.

D-Sub cable

DVI to HDMI cable

Manual, warranty, microfiber cloth, driver CD, power cable

DC adapter

The monitor outside the white wrappings

Monitor inputs. Note the two HDMI slots and an audio out jack.

Monitor stand

Monitor base with installation manual

Monitor base with stand

The assembled monitor

Uh, something missing? Yep, a HDMI cable. If you're planning on using that, ask your dealer whether it includes it or not before you go home. The manual indicates the optional parts are: a HDMI cable, a DVI cable, a HDMI to DVI cable, and a microfiber cleaning cloth.

So how does it work? Colors seem well done, contrast was superb, viewing angles are good enough and there is no ghosting whatsoever. The monitor can also adjust the aspect ratio automatically, so you won't get stretched displays. 

But I do have some gripes about it. The stand is not adjustable. But even worse is the touch sensitive panels. I'm not a fan of it for being too sensitive or not sensitive enough, and this monitor is no exception. Even the power button is touch sensitive. It doesn't work well enough for me, even though the menu is easy to use. Thankfully the bundled software allows you to adjust the monitor settings from within Windows, using your mouse and keyboard. Dynamic Contrast is pretty good, but you'll notice that whenever the monitor displays a lot of blacks, the brightness will go down automatically. I just use custom settings instead.

Overall, its a good monitor (until I find any more issues about it) and I'd be happy to recommend it. Just watch out for that touch sensitive panels.