HOME -- FAQ -- NEWS -- BUGS -- DOWNLOADS -- LINKS
Planet Lyra- Your
unofficial
site for information about the Lyra Personal Digital Player!
This site is in no way affiliated
with RCA or Thompson, the manufacturers of the Lyra.
This site is an aid for geeks
to learn about this wonderful device, along with information about its
limitations.
I need your help!!!!
As you can see, the information on this site is rather limited at this time...
If you have any useful news, information, etc. about the Lyra that is not commonly known, please tell me about it, so that I can add it to this site!
ttscoa@yahoo.com
Some of the information on this FAQ is pure speculation on my part... please email me if you have more accurate information!
Please visit www.lyrazone.com for the *official* information on the Lyra...FAQ
Q: What bit rates are supported by the Lyra?NEWS
A: The Lyra has the ability to support new data formats in the future. Due to this fact, it appears that RCA is avoiding to give exact information on what formats are supported with the present RealJukebox software, so as to prevent information from becoming obsolete when new formats become available. With the current version of RealJukebox (1.0.0.488) the following bit rates are currently available:
If a RealAudio or MP3 file is in a different kbps, the software will automatically convert it (slowly...) to the bit rate specified by the user. When one attempts to transfer a .WAV file, it is successfully converted to one of these formats. Unfortunately, the software *does not* convert RealAudio 1.0/2.0 files. It is impossible to transfer these older formats to the Lyra. Many AudioBook files are still stored in this format, and hence are not playable.Format KBPSMP3 160(rumored...)
128
96
64
56
32(hidden)RealAudio G2 96
64
44
32(hidden)Note that the 32kbps speed is a monoaural format and is not listed as an option in the Lyra preferences window. However, RealAudio never converts a song to a higher bit-rate, even if told to do so in the Lyra preferences, which is a useful fact. If a song is already in the 32kbps G2 or MP3 format, no conversion takes place and the file is playable at 32kbps on the Lyra. Considering that RealAudio G2 supports a much larger number of bit rates, I wonder if there are any tricks in the Lyra for accessing the other bit-rates, since this format is inherently designed for them...
Q: How do the various bit rates sound?A: Overall, the quality of the sound is fantastic. At 128kbps the sound is crisp and, to my ears, CD quality. At the lowest supported rate, 44kbps RealAudio, the sound quality remains excellent. At 44kbps the degradation in quality is noticeable, to my ears, only if compared directly side-by-side to the 128kbps format in a listening test. At that point, the sound is noticeably more muddy, but remains quite good. Personally, I convert all my files to this lower format, allowing me to store 1.5 hours on a single 32MB card! (2 hours at 32kbps Mono!)
One noticeable fact about the Lyra, however, is that no matter what format you play at, there is distinct white background noise. All MP3 players will have such minor background noise, but it *seems* to be slightly more severe on the Lyra.
Q: How well does the car kit work?A: Since I did not purchase the car kit, I am not sure what the sound quality is like by using the tape adapter. Anybody have any info on this?
Q: How are the codecs (compression formats) for the Lyra upgraded?A: The CompactFlash card contains a directory called "Pmp" which contains several *.EXE files, one for each compression format. (only two right now...) When the Lyra initiates the playing of a song, it determines if the song is compressed in an identical format as the previous track. If not, a delay of several seconds occurs, during which the Lyra presumably accesses the appropriate EXE file to make playback possible. Presumably, RCA/Thompson will make new EXE files available over time. The official party line is that these files would have to be *purchased* when they are released. I, personally, fail to see what kind of business model RCA would have in mind where people would pay for each codec. More likely, they are just hedging their bets at this time, allowing free downloads of the codecs when they're completed.
Q: When will new codecs be released?A: not known (anybody have any ideas?)
Q: What's up with the encryption/copy protection on the Lyra?A: Any Lyra file, whether MP3 or G2, is encrypted by RealJukebox before being copied to the CompactFlash card. Any attempt to circumvent this process, i.e. copying files to the card without RealJukebox, leads to an unplayable file. The encrypted files are given a new extension by RealJukebox- MPX and RML, respectively. Only these files can be played. However, there is nothing to stop you from reading/writing an unencrypted MP3 to the card, you just won't be able to listen to it. Hence, there is nothing to interfere in the use of the CompactFlash as a file transfer medium.
Q: Can the Lyra be "programmed" outside of the provided utilities?A: The "Pmp" directory on the CompactFlash cards contain a couple of binary bitmap files which are used to display a couple of graphic screens when the Lyra is started up. RCA clearly did not go to any length protecting these from being edited. By performing a file dump, it is obvious that these can be modified easily. I, personally, will see if a utility can be created to let the user create a custom splash screen. (Maybe with personal information so that a lost Lyra can be returned!)
The EXE files, however, are completely incomprehensible to me. The official specs do not give any information as to what type of embedded microprocessor is in the Lyra. Hence, I am clueless as to how one could go about creating such a file. I would also expect that Thompson/RCA put considerable resources into place to prevent this line of inquiry, since they cannot guarantee SDMI compatibility in the future if any knowledgeable person can do this kind of stuff.
If somebody does figure out how to write code for the Lyra, however, amazing things could be possible in the future. Since the Lyra is essentially an independent computer with significant memory resources, it is conceivable that one could write an organizer, game, or other utility for this amazing device.
Q: Is there any way to download radio shows/news radio to the Lyra?A: There is a utility (I think it's called XFileGet...) that can be used to save RealAudio 1.0/2.0 streams to the hard drive, making it possible to transfer them to the Lyra. Unfortunately, conversion from these formats to a Lyra-readable format is not currently possible. Also, few internet radio stations use this format, since they were clearly not very secure for these reasons. Anyone know how this could be accomplished with current RealAudio G2 streams? Can something like this be done with WinAmp MP3 streams? Quicktime Streams?
Another device that would be useful is a VCR-like computer program for PCs: Program the time for a show you like into the program, then connect an ordinary tv or radio into your sound card. When the appointed show is on, a sound file is stored on the computer, even if your aren't home. Later, you can download it to your Lyra for listening. One program that can pretty much do this for free is available at http://www.config.de/LoopRecorder/
Q: Is there any way to listen to text files on the Lyra?A: Check out http://www.willowpond.com/ for free Text-To-Speech software that lets you save text files as a WAV file, which can then be imported onto the Lyra. Then go to the official Project Gutenberg web page- http://promo.net/pg/, a great resource for hundreds of classic books in text file format.
Notes: Make sure with the Willow Pond software that you adjust the settings for both speaker and file output: Setting it to file output alone didn't work for me. Also, since the Lyra only plays Stereo files, you will need a sound utility like Goldwave to do a conversion. (This whole process is a bit cumbersome- Why didn't RCA add support for Mono Files?!)
I have no news at this time-As you can see, the information on this site is rather limited at this time...
If you have any useful news, information, etc. about the Lyra that are not commonly known, please tell me about them, so that I can add them to this site!
ttscoa@yahoo.com
I have noticed a few minor bugs so far from using the Lyra-1. Popping sound when starting Lyra/ changing formats. This happens every time you switch between MP3 or G2 formatted-files or start up the player. It is quite loud, and independent of the current volume settings. RCA has stated that this is a defect that will be fixed on future versions of the Lyra. I would rate this as only a minor annoyance.
2. Cutting off of MP3 files mid-song. If an MP3 file was created using a shoddy encoder, it may have an improper time stamp which causes it to be cut off mid-stream during conversion to the Lyra. You may not notice this beforehand, since the desktop player for RealAudio is more forgiving and adjusts for such defects... Files encoded by RealJukebox itself cause no such problems.
3. Slightly inaccurate file sizes. Sometimes you may create a song list in RealJukebox, only to find at the end of the transfer process that the last file ends up not fitting, despite what RealJukebox reports. Not really a big deal.
4. If you shuffle quickly between files, the Lyra occasionally resets itself and reports a DSP error #1.
I plan to make available a utility for editing the startup graphics on the Lyra as soon as I finish writing it.
Please visit www.lyrazone.com for the *official* information on the Lyra...
Please email me at ttscoa@yahoo.com if you know of other Lyra websites!