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Topic: Why is there no FLAC plugin for iTunes? (Read 12886 times) previous topic - next topic
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Why is there no FLAC plugin for iTunes?

Hi everybody,

I am a Mac user -- so far I haven't found a decent alternative to iTunes as a music player on the Mac. There is only one problem for me: it forces me to use ALAC as my main format.

I would rather like to use FLAC because
a) it is an open (non-proprietary) format and
b) I also have a SlimDevices Squeezebox and FLAC files have some advantages there (mainly being able to fast-forward and rewind within a song)

The perfect solution would be if I was able to play FLAC files from iTunes. As far as I understand, there is the possibility to write plugins for iTunes. So the question is: Why is there still no FLAC plugin for iTunes? Is it too difficult to program? Am I the only one interested in such a thing (I guess not...)? Or is Apple somehwo preventing it to promote their own format (ALAC)?

Thanks for your replies...

Andreas

Why is there no FLAC plugin for iTunes?

Reply #1 –
Quote from: AndreasG on
The perfect solution would be if I was able to play FLAC files from iTunes. As far as I understand, there is the possibility to write plugins for iTunes. So the question is: Why is there still no FLAC plugin for iTunes? Is it too difficult to program? Am I the only one interested in such a thing (I guess not...)? Or is Apple somehwo preventing it to promote their own format (ALAC)?


There is it's called XiphQT and available from

http://www.xiph.org/quicktime/

XiphQT can only currently play Ogg-FLAC (FLAC compressed data wrapped in an Ogg container). FLAC in the native format can be converted to Ogg-FLAC using Max

http://sbooth.org/Max/

However it's all completely irrelevant since while iTunes can be pursuaded to play other formats by writing Quicktime plugins it is impossible to get metadata out of the files and into the iTunes library. This is because iTunes does not use Quicktime for reading metadata and uses code built into iTunes itself.

The only reason for using iTunes is to use the library and search facilities since it has numerous problems as an audio player such as being unable to do proper gapless playback. Since you can't drive this functionality from plugins no one has tried very hard to write any to extend iTunes format capabilties.

Why is there no FLAC plugin for iTunes?

Reply #2 –
Quote
The perfect solution would be if I was able to play FLAC files from iTunes. As far as I understand, there is the possibility to write plugins for iTunes.


Yes, but why would anybody want to waste their time doing so? Apple will never support open-source standards, because it undermines the purity of what they are trying to accomplish from a business perspective. It's very to easy to understand I mean there is an IPod on every corner. 
budding I.T professional

Why is there no FLAC plugin for iTunes?

Reply #3 –
I also think it's a waste of time hoping for iTunes support of free formats. If you need to play these files on OS X you better use a designated player, or install a free OS on your Mac. I know this isn't what you asked for, but it's obvious that Apple are trying to shut their users into a closed world of products, formats and services - all provided by themselves....
"ONLY THOSE WHO ATTEMPT THE IMPOSSIBLE WILL ACHIEVE THE ABSURD"
        - Oceania Association of Autonomous Astronauts

Why is there no FLAC plugin for iTunes?

Reply #4 –
Quote from: AndreasG on
Hi everybody,

I am a Mac user -- so far I haven't found a decent alternative to iTunes as a music player on the Mac. There is only one problem for me: it forces me to use ALAC as my main format.

I would rather like to use FLAC because
a) it is an open (non-proprietary) format and
b) I also have a SlimDevices Squeezebox and FLAC files have some advantages there (mainly being able to fast-forward and rewind within a song)

The perfect solution would be if I was able to play FLAC files from iTunes. As far as I understand, there is the possibility to write plugins for iTunes. So the question is: Why is there still no FLAC plugin for iTunes? Is it too difficult to program? Am I the only one interested in such a thing (I guess not...)? Or is Apple somehwo preventing it to promote their own format (ALAC)?

Thanks for your replies...

Andreas


If you have a compatible iPod, go install Rockbox and dump ALAC forever. Then you'll be able to play FLAC files natively on your iPod.

Why is there no FLAC plugin for iTunes?

Reply #5 –
Quote from: chelgrian on
The only reason for using iTunes is to use the library and search facilities since it has numerous problems as an audio player such as being unable to do proper gapless playback.


Gapless playback is possible in iTunes if you enable crossfade playback and set it to 0 seconds. I would agree that this is not the "cleanest" solution but it works perfectly well. I have many albums in my collection where gapless playback is essential and could not use a player without it! (On the iPod it's a pain in the behind, though...)

What other numerous problems are there?

What player would you recommend on a Mac???

Andreas

Why is there no FLAC plugin for iTunes?

Reply #6 –
Quote from: AndreasG on
Quote from: chelgrian on

The only reason for using iTunes is to use the library and search facilities since it has numerous problems as an audio player such as being unable to do proper gapless playback.


Gapless playback is possible in iTunes if you enable crossfade playback and set it to 0 seconds. I would agree that this is not the "cleanest" solution but it works perfectly well.
Cross-fade with 0 is flawed in iTunes and often will overlap samples. I guess some might call it "gapless".. but not perfect playback.  Since iTunes doesn't even have the ability to rip to Lossy formats that have true gapless playback ability, I don't expect Apple to fix this anytime soon.

Why is there no FLAC plugin for iTunes?

Reply #7 –
Quote from: grommet on
Cross-fade with 0 is flawed in iTunes and often will overlap samples. I guess some might call it "gapless".. but not perfect playback.  Since iTunes doesn't even have the ability to rip to Lossy formats that have true gapless playback ability, I don't expect Apple to fix this anytime soon.


I don't expect Apple to fix it ever. As far as I can tell neither the iPod firmware development team nor the iTunes developers understand what the problems is. The official Apple solution (which is actually in the iTunes documentation) is to rip the entire album to a single file.

I suspect that if anyone in either of the development teams listened to music where it was important it would have been fixed years ago.

Why is there no FLAC plugin for iTunes?

Reply #8 –
Quote from: HotshotGG on
Quote
The perfect solution would be if I was able to play FLAC files from iTunes. As far as I understand, there is the possibility to write plugins for iTunes.


Yes, but why would anybody want to waste their time doing so? Apple will never support open-source standards, because it undermines the purity of what they are trying to accomplish from a business perspective. It's very to easy to understand I mean there is an IPod on every corner. 


And how many more ipods would there be if they played EVERY audio file format? They could add that to their advertising.
"Microsoft plays for sure. But ipods and itunes play EVERYTHING"
They could knock Microsoft's upcoming player flat on its ass without even trying.

Why is there no FLAC plugin for iTunes?

Reply #9 –
According to an AAC developer, there is currently built-in FLAC audio support at the API audio layer in the new Mac OS X Leopard developer release. This new OS is expected to be released for the Mac in the Spring (Mac OS X 10.5). So any application should be able to read/playback FLAC files. This includes Quicktime, iTunes or any other audio app for the Mac.

For more info about MAC OS X's native FLAC audio support see: http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index....c=47526&hl=