Kinoma Notes

Since Kinoma Player 4 EX is a breeze to use, there can be a tendency to think of it as simple under the hood too. But don’t let looks deceive — under that straightforward UI lies some sophisticated technology.

Take internet audio. Some Palm OS audio players can play files from a URL, but they’re really just downloading. “Play-while-downloading” works okay for short audio files like music, but it’s a pain-in-the-Palm for podcasts, audio books, concerts, and other interesting long-form audio.

Downloading requires the entire file to be downloaded — even if you don’t have time to listen to the whole thing in one sitting — so you need enough storage to keep the whole thing around. Also, downloading doesn’t allow you to skip ahead to parts that haven’t yet downloaded.

But with Kinoma Player, you can almost always stream those same files.

Streaming means that you don’t have to worry about how much free storage space you have, that you can stop and start listening whenever you like, and that you can jump around wherever you like at any time — great for auditioning the new podcasts we bring you in the Kinoma Media Guide.

Kinoma Player even remembers where you were in a stream so you can continue right where you left off.

Downloading is useful in some situations, and Kinoma Player supports that too. Check out this post for details on how to use Kinoma Player’s downloading capability to place-shift your media from the internet to your device, allowing you to enjoy your favorite podcasts and audio books even when you’re not connected.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 26th, 2007 at 12:00 am and is filed under Kinoma Player. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.