headset on PC

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Terry Parker - 16 Dec 2005 03:11 GMT

Though this is a PC issue, I coudln't fine a "bluetooth pc" group (please
point me in the right direction if I missed it), I thought I'd give it a try
here:

I've tried a couple of headsets to use on my laptop with built-in Bluetooth
(Dell Inspiron 9300). Both have worked, but the way they work (using XP
Pro) is driving me a bit nuts.

Let's say I have some mp3 playing in realplayer (or musicmatch jukebox, or
windows media player, the app doesn't seem to matter) and I turn on my
bluetooth headset. It synch's up just fine every quickly, but the player
will "pause". If I hit "start", it still plays to the PC speakers. If I
STOP the player, then hit PLAY, the audio will then start going to my
bluetooth headset. Similarly, if I'm listening via the bluetooth headset
and press its button to turn if off and/or disconnect it, the audio player
will stop and if I start it, the sound does not come out of the PC speakers.
I have to STOP the player, then hit play (and forward to where I was at when
I was listening) to get back to the laptop speakers.

I have noticed that when the bluetooth headset is engaged, there is a
different PC software mixer enabled (Toshiba Bluetooth), which is only
visible/present when the headset is connected. I'm suspecting this changing
of the mixer's is causing the problem, but I'm baffled as to how to resolve
it.

I was wanting to use the bluetooth headset simply as a headset to use while
my wife was sleeping or while I didn't want to disturb others and be able to
turn it on/off just like I'd plug in/out a wired headset in the phono jack.

Any ideas what's going on here and if there's a solution or where I might
look for one? TIA,

Terry

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Henryk Plötz - 18 Dec 2005 03:12 GMT

Moin,

Am Fri, 16 Dec 2005 03:11:49 GMT schrieb Terry Parker:

> Though this is a PC issue, I coudln't fine a "bluetooth pc" group
> (please point me in the right direction if I missed it)

As far as I know there isn't any other Bluetooth group, so you're quite
right here. (That is also the reason why I am here.)

> I have noticed that when the bluetooth headset is engaged, there is a
> different PC software mixer enabled (Toshiba Bluetooth), which is
> only visible/present when the headset is connected. I'm suspecting
> this changing of the mixer's is causing the problem, but I'm baffled
> as to how to resolve it.

Hmm, this is not a Bluetooth problem, actually I wouldn't even say it's
a problem per se. This is working as designed. What happens when you
connect the headset with the PC (it really doesn't matter if you
connect it via Bluetooth, or if you'd be using an USB headset) is that
an additional sound device is created in Windows that can be used to
play back audio, and that this device is made the current default
device.

But when the media player started, it was told to use a different
device (the current default device at that time) and so created some
sort of connection to that device. Pausing the player doesn't really
cut this connection, it's just paused.

You'll probably not be able to completely resolve the issue, but I've
been using some sort of workaround for a similar problem: Use an audio
recorder to record the sound that is going out of the normal speakers
(somehow mute them) and play back this recording through the headset.
Ok, that's barely practical, but the best I can think of.

Signature

Henryk Plötz
Grüße aus Berlin
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Bob the Printer - 18 Dec 2005 04:43 GMT

That's how it's supposed to work, get used to it..:-)

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Terry Parker - 19 Dec 2005 15:11 GMT

I understand what everyone's saying in terms of "this is how it's supposed
to work", but I'm not sure that it SHOULD work this way.

I mean, if Bluetooth is supposed to simply provide a headset without wires,
then it should behave the same way. When I plug in my headset into my
laptop, the speakers cut out (via physical cutoff) and I listen through the
headphones. When I pull them out, the speakers come right back on.
Invisible to the software because it's all happening via the hardware.

I see no reason why a bluetooth headset shouldn't be able to work this way.
It seems to me that what is needed is a PC sound mixer which supports and
integrates multiple sources and allows you to switch between them without
the software (reading from the "wave" mixer source) getting screwed up just
because you switched listening modes.

Amazes me that all this work went into Bluetooth and something this simple
can't be done. Talk about over-engineering.

> That's how it's supposed to work, get used to it..:-)

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J. Clarke - 19 Dec 2005 16:57 GMT

> I understand what everyone's saying in terms of "this is how it's supposed
> to work", but I'm not sure that it SHOULD work this way.
[quoted text clipped - 15 lines]
> Amazes me that all this work went into Bluetooth and something this simple
> can't be done. Talk about over-engineering.

I don't think that the Bluetooth committee has any say in the manner in
which Microsoft implements Media Player.

>> That's how it's supposed to work, get used to it..:-)

Signature

--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

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wkearney99 - 19 Dec 2005 23:02 GMT

> I understand what everyone's saying in terms of "this is how it's supposed
> to work", but I'm not sure that it SHOULD work this way.

Compiler tools can be had for free. Feel free to exercise your right to
create the code that does it the way you'd like.

> I mean, if Bluetooth is supposed to simply provide a headset without wires,
> then it should behave the same way.

That's not all it does. A headset is just an audio route for mic/speakers.
A Bt headset can do quite a lot more. I'd daresay those with intelligent Bt
headsets would greatly resent have their functionality limited to that of a
mere analog headset.

> When I plug in my headset into my
> laptop, the speakers cut out (via physical cutoff) and I listen through the
> headphones. When I pull them out, the speakers come right back on.
> Invisible to the software because it's all happening via the hardware.

That's because it's NOT SOFTWARE. When you use an analog headset jack
you're physically breaking the connection the laptop makes with the
speakers.

> I see no reason why a bluetooth headset shouldn't be able to work this way.

I specifically would NOT want it to work that way. I prefer leaving
computer sounds from the computer's speakers. I do not want the various
bings, bleeps and other noises a PC is likely to make coming out to my
headset. That's one of the VERY nice things about windows is it's ability
to handle system sounds independently of other audio outputs.

> It seems to me that what is needed is a PC sound mixer which supports and
> integrates multiple sources and allows you to switch between them without
> the software (reading from the "wave" mixer source) getting screwed up just
> because you switched listening modes.

See earlier compiler comment. Go forth and code.

Did you try the J.River product I suggested? Did it work?

> Amazes me that all this work went into Bluetooth and something this simple
> can't be done. Talk about over-engineering.

It's hardly over-engineered simply because it doesn't do the thing YOU want.

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wkearney99 - 18 Dec 2005 16:42 GMT

> I have noticed that when the bluetooth headset is engaged, there is a
> different PC software mixer enabled (Toshiba Bluetooth), which is only
> visible/present when the headset is connected. I'm suspecting this changing
> of the mixer's is causing the problem, but I'm baffled as to how to resolve
> it.

Unless the player program has the ability to remember an output device
there's not a lot you can do about this. The problem is the player program
is only asking for output devices when it starts. A headset is really not
any different than a whole other soundcard. The player isn't looking to see
if a new soundcard starts up after the player's already running, and why
would it? That's not how most software behaves. One could argue, however,
that it would be a good thing to have this sort of feature.

I use a program from J.River, Media Center 11. It has the ability to use
different soundcards on the PC as independent zones. I have the motherboard
sound as one zone and then two other USB devices also as zones. There's a
playlist for each device. You might be able to try their demo version to
see if it's capable of setting up a zone for your headset (when it's active)
and then reconnect to it when it comes/goes. That way you'd have one zone
using the PC audio and another using the headset. Try it.

http://www.jrmediacenter.com/

-Bill Kearney

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