HJohnson
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Random play on CD or DVD
how does randomness actually work on a player? ie: do they use a sample of the AC current for those types? Is there an oscilator chip of some sort at work? How would the player get the initial seed? Do most CD/DVD players have a clock, if so, does the seed come from that, even though most people never set their clock?
cheers
cheers
ASKER
Sorry, I didn't mean a PC, but an actual standalone player.
ASKER
In order to get the first "random" track, you've got to get a seed of some sort. Normally, this seed would be from a time stamp.
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There's no randomness anywhere. Everything has a definite next step, there's only uncertainty :)
"If you want to know how actually the Randomize function work it another story" I think thats exactly what we're looking at. As you said there is no such thing as purely random in a computer chip, but usually a seed timer, like a clock, is used to generate seed values to which psudeo randomization is applied. In a CD player the question is, what device sets the seed for the psuedo randomization, which I am guessing would probably apply to many calculators as well...and i'm sure other devices use randomization without a clock seed.
ASKER
Lots of personal comments, but where's the proof? (Where's the Beef!!)
I don't think we can prove it, unless someone has the circuit diagram & source code for a specific model, and only then can we be certain it applies to that specific model.
Maybe you could contact the engineering division of Sony or something :|
Maybe you could contact the engineering division of Sony or something :|
ASKER
thnx guys, I have a feeling that an internal chip of some sort is responsible.
i.e. windows media player would be coded to randomize the track, and then order the CD drive to play that track. In fact I think from experience windows media player selects randomly from the list of tracks that haven't been played yet.