play vs. start

[Phil Davis]

I still need the info, so...

I maintain an application that sometimes plays 100's of external digital audio
files during a single usage session. Currently the app uses 'start player'
method of playing them. Sometimes the app will freeze up, and I think it's
related to audio processing.

I want to improve the app's stability. Has anyone found the 'play [filepath]'
form to be more stable or less stable than 'start player'?

Also, does anyone have extra info about the two approaches to audio playing that
shed light on differences between the two? Are they doing the exact same thing
under the hood?

Many thanks -
Phil Davis