Hydrogenaudio Forums > iPod manager

Windy

May 30 2007, 07:23

Hi there,

Firstly forgive me for I am a noob. Love foo dop looks like a cracking component, not had an ipod long and am fed up with itunes already.

Wondered if foo dop could support cue sheets? I have a lot of live sets, which I have created cue sheets for and foobar is great for, but when I come to sync my files with the ipod I get:-

"Reason: Files with chapters are not currently supported by foo_dop"

-jk

May 30 2007, 07:47

Joined these board just beacause of you musicmusic

Your hard work is really appreciated by manys.

Thank you for developing and for constantly updating this plugin. Album Art feature is brilliant. The automatic conversion of Replaygain, too.

However there is one thing which is really annoying me: I've foo_count (think it's the unofficial one) installed and everytime i snychronise my iPod the updated files a sent to the iPod anew, It'd be handy if you could make foo_pod ignoring those tags.
best regards

clunesy

May 30 2007, 08:28

This thing is really coming on in leaps and bounds now. Big kudos on all your hard work, mm. I'm nearly ready to upgrade from foo_pod. Just one thing that isn't happening for me. The custom TAGZ strings that I use in 0.8.3 / foo_pod don't work properly in 0.9.x / foo_dop. I've copied and pasted them straight across They're shown here. First custom string is for title, 2nd for album

$if($stricmp($left(%_path%,7),g:\non-),[$if2(%title%,%_filename%)]!['('%__replaygain_track_gain%')'],[$if2(%title%,%_filename%)]['('%__replaygain_track_gain%')'])

$replace($if2(%album artist%,$if($stricmp($left(%artist%,4),The ),$substr(%artist%,5,17),$substr(%artist%,1,13))[[$right(%date%,2)]%album%]), ,)

It seems like foo_dop doesn't recognise tag fields that aren't directly used to fill the itunes database. Its happy with title / artist / album etc,

but not with 'album artist' 'path' 'replaygain' etc.

Would it be much of a chore to allow foo_pod to be compliant across all the available tag field types used in TAGZ ? Or have I misunderstood the situation.

musicmusic

May 30 2007, 08:58

QUOTE(copperblue @ May 23 2007, 15:24)

Works on early iPod Photo 60GB.
Brilliant stuff musicmusic, thank you!

Thanks for testing

QUOTE(Scheisen2000 @ May 23 2007, 15:50)

just checked new version with my nano 4GB and a few albums...
... works like a charm

a lot of thanks, musicmusic

Thanks for testing also

QUOTE(Samwise1130 @ May 23 2007, 20:50)

Anyone noticed anything weird with their Ipod screen after using this component. I haven't isolated it yet--but I think I've noticed something.

Today was the first time I tried the ipod component--and when I was finished, I noticed that there was about 3 pixels all the way around the display that weren't being "lit" even through the screen was on. I've never noticed this before.

I'm not saying it is this components problem/fault...I will certainly try to track it down further--just seemed curious. Anyone else noticed this?

Well, iPods can do strange things. If you restart it (menu + middle button usually) it will probably clear up.

QUOTE(elishnevsky @ May 25 2007, 06:48)

musicmusic, AlbumArt works fine with Nano 2G! Thank you soooooo much

Again thanks for testing and you're welcome

QUOTE(PokéParadox @ May 26 2007, 13:02)

hmmm I am a bit confused about lyrics support... Does the iPod have to have a certain version firmware? (I have an iPod video)

Do the lyrics have to be formatted in a certain way? I have many songs with lyrics in the %lyrics% tag, but I can't seem to get any lyrics onto the iPod itself...

It depends on file format (MP3 vs MP4). Its explained on Notes page on wiki.

QUOTE(Windy @ May 30 2007, 14:23)

Hi there,

Firstly forgive me for I am a noob. Love foo dop looks like a cracking component, not had an ipod long and am fed up with itunes already.

Wondered if foo dop could support cue sheets? I have a lot of live sets, which I have created cue sheets for and foobar is great for, but when I come to sync my files with the ipod I get:-

"Reason: Files with chapters are not currently supported by foo_dop"

The reason is its quite complicated to actually handle. For single files split by a a cue sheet, I could send the file to the iPod and add chapters in the iPod's DB, but AFAIK they won't appear as separate tracks in the track lists as they would in foobar2000. Also this can't be done on older iPods. Other option is to find some way to send them as separate tracks. I don't know of a way they works partiulary great however.

QUOTE(-jk @ May 30 2007, 14:47)

Joined these board just beacause of you musicmusic

Your hard work is really appreciated by manys.

Thank you for developing and for constantly updating this plugin. Album Art feature is brilliant. The automatic conversion of Replaygain, too.

However there is one thing which is really annoying me: I've foo_count (think it's the unofficial one) installed and everytime i snychronise my iPod the updated files a sent to the iPod anew, It'd be handy if you could make foo_pod ignoring those tags.
best regards

The problem is that the tag write modifies the file, so foo_dop can't match it to any of the tracks on the iPod so it gets resent.

When you send a track to the iPod foo_dop does also store the original location of the track but this information is not currently used. When I do enable the use of it I could add a "less strict" option for syncing so that files modified locally aren't transferred again (provided that the files haven't been moved etc.) This would help with your problem.

QUOTE(clunesy @ May 30 2007, 15:28)

This thing is really coming on in leaps and bounds now. Big kudos on all your hard work, mm. I'm nearly ready to upgrade from foo_pod. Just one thing that isn't happening for me. The custom TAGZ strings that I use in 0.8.3 / foo_pod don't work properly in 0.9.x / foo_dop. I've copied and pasted them straight across They're shown here. First custom string is for title, 2nd for album

$if($stricmp($left(%_path%,7),g:\non-),[$if2(%title%,%_filename%)]!['('%__replaygain_track_gain%')'],[$if2(%title%,%_filename%)]['('%__replaygain_track_gain%')'])

$replace($if2(%album artist%,$if($stricmp($left(%artist%,4),The ),$substr(%artist%,5,17),$substr(%artist%,1,13))[[$right(%date%,2)]%album%]), ,)

It seems like foo_dop doesn't recognise tag fields that aren't directly used to fill the itunes database. Its happy with title / artist / album etc,

but not with 'album artist' 'path' 'replaygain' etc.

Would it be much of a chore to allow foo_pod to be compliant across all the available tag field types used in TAGZ ? Or have I misunderstood the situation.

I think you have just fallen to the title formatting changes in 0.9. It added remapped fields amongst other changes.

Also i don't see it as relevant to your problem, but it formats the titles directly though the titleformat api so any funny components that add fields won't work here.

ChinStrap

May 30 2007, 10:31

I've noticed that some songs that I add to my 80gb Video iPod don't get the specified field renamings I give them. It is most noticable with the simple

%tracknumber% - %title%

rule I have for the "title" field. Any idea why that might happen, and is there a way to make foo_dop refresh the field renamings without deleting and recopying my songs?

clunesy

May 30 2007, 14:27

It seems like chinstrap's problem is related. So is it possible to create a TAGZ string to achieve the same results ?

Title field - Title followed by ! if the file is from a particular path followed by replaytrack gain level.

The album I like to use a few characters from the artist (stripping 'The') then the last two digits of the year, and then as much of the album name as will fit. Since I listen to multiple albums I'm unfamiliar with I like to look up all the info in one field (artist/year/album). I find it easier to browse this way.

any ideas ?

HeavensBlade23

May 30 2007, 15:54

Album art support appears to work correctly on a 2g nano. Only tested one album though.

yourtallness

May 30 2007, 16:24

Only one file transfer to my iPod Nano 2G 2GB via foo_dop was enough to get me to uninstall i-Tunes.

Thank you for freeing us from corporate lock-in musicmusic! Great tool!

inverse

Jun 1 2007, 08:54

I found foo_dop won't check the duplication properly, if I send the tracks already on ipod, I get two same tracks on my ipod after.
Isn't that normal, or because I miss something here?

musicmusic

Jun 1 2007, 09:16

QUOTE(clunesy @ May 30 2007, 21:27)

It seems like chinstrap's problem is related. So is it possible to create a TAGZ string to achieve the same results ?

Title field - Title followed by ! if the file is from a particular path followed by replaytrack gain level.

The album I like to use a few characters from the artist (stripping 'The') then the last two digits of the year, and then as much of the album name as will fit. Since I listen to multiple albums I'm unfamiliar with I like to look up all the info in one field (artist/year/album). I find it easier to browse this way.

any ideas ?

Well looking at your string there are some problems.

In the first:
* %path% is not reliable here. It could be source path or path on the iPod.
* $if2(%title%,%_filename%) doesn't make sense. Look at the mapping of %title%.

In the second:
* It doesn't do what you say if %album artist% is present.
* The mapping of %album artist% again means it makes no sense.

I tried both strings and got expected results (the second string had to be modified though). If you are not then maybe check what version of foo_dop you are using and update. And check the replaygain tags are actually showing up in foobar (0.9).

QUOTE(ChinStrap @ May 30 2007, 17:31)

I've noticed that some songs that I add to my 80gb Video iPod don't get the specified field renamings I give them. It is most noticable with the simple

%tracknumber% - %title%

rule I have for the "title" field. Any idea why that might happen

Seems ok here. Anything differentiating those files (were they transcoded by foo_dop?).

QUOTE(ChinStrap @ May 30 2007, 17:31)

is there a way to make foo_dop refresh the field renamings without deleting and recopying my songs?

Yes, there is some kind of 'reload metadata' command in the main menu that will do it.

QUOTE(inverse @ Jun 1 2007, 15:54)

I found foo_dop won't check the duplication properly, if I send the tracks already on ipod, I get two same tracks on my ipod after.
Isn't that normal, or because I miss something here?

Depends on command you are using. See notes page on wiki.

zmur

Jun 1 2007, 10:44

great plugin, thanks for your hard work

Thelonious Monk

Jun 1 2007, 22:03

looks like a great plugin; having problems though. using 0.9.4.3 and 0.3.9 with a 4gb ipod nano, 1st generation.

basically, when i click "browse ipod" i get this:

QUOTE

Error reading iTunesDB : Generic win32 I/O error

on windows xp home. should i just get a newer version?

musicmusic

Jun 2 2007, 01:31

QUOTE(Thelonious Monk @ Jun 2 2007, 05:03)

looks like a great plugin; having problems though. using 0.9.4.3 and 0.3.9 with a 4gb ipod nano, 1st generation.

basically, when i click "browse ipod" i get this:

QUOTE

Error reading iTunesDB : Generic win32 I/O error

on windows xp home. should i just get a newer version?

Well being generic, the error could mean a lot of things. New version won't make any difference. Check the Event Viewer to see if there is any matching message there.

Something else you can try is copying the iTunesDB file of the iPod yourself (using windows explorer), if it fails there would probably be a more specific error.

Murmur2k

Jun 3 2007, 03:18

MusicMusic - I'd just like to say thanks very much for your excellent plugin here. It has really enabled me to drop the junk that is iTunes! Seems to all work very well - album art included on 60gb 5G Ipod.

Just need to work out how to deal with podcasts in the new system.. can anyone help me with this? Say I download the MP3 or whatever from the podcast feed.. how would I tag it to have it identified as a podcast on the ipod? Thanks!

Also - say if I had a HDD full of FLAC and I wanted them as AAC on the iPod - is it possible to convert during SYNC without having to keep AAC on the PC? Then when I resync it wouldn't create dupes and know that this AAC file is linked to this FLAC file on the PC?

musicmusic

Jun 3 2007, 12:10

QUOTE(Murmur2k @ Jun 3 2007, 10:18)

Just need to work out how to deal with podcasts in the new system.. can anyone help me with this? Say I download the MP3 or whatever from the podcast feed.. how would I tag it to have it identified as a podcast on the ipod? Thanks!

Itis not really possible using foo_dop

QUOTE(Murmur2k @ Jun 3 2007, 10:18)

Also - say if I had a HDD full of FLAC and I wanted them as AAC on the iPod - is it possible to convert during SYNC without having to keep AAC on the PC? Then when I resync it wouldn't create dupes and know that this AAC file is linked to this FLAC file on the PC?

Yes, you just need to download a CLI encoder (e.g. the nero one) and set it up in prefs. See wiki for more info. Yes it will remember what the source file was provided you don't move it, so it shouldn't be encoded again when you sync again.

Murmur2k

Jun 3 2007, 16:20

QUOTE(musicmusic @ Jun 3 2007, 19:10)

Itis not really possible using foo_dop

Too bad - I can survive by just putting them all in the same folder for now.

QUOTE(musicmusic @ Jun 3 2007, 19:10)

Yes, you just need to download a CLI encoder (e.g. the nero one) and set it up in prefs. See wiki for more info. Yes it will remember what the source file was provided you don't move it, so it shouldn't be encoded again when you sync again.

Thats cool - I don't see anything in the wiki regarding the CLI stuff, or maybe I am not looking properly! Anyone able to point me in the right direction?
EDIT: Ignore that - I found this:

Configuration:

*The command to execute must be entered in the “Command” field. Use %d for the destination file parameter E.g. LAME - %d
*Enter the file extension of the target file format in the “Extension” field. E.g. MP3, MP4

Does this mean that it handles the conversion itself or do I define quality etc?

Thanks again!

musicmusic

Jun 3 2007, 16:51

Well, let me sum up what you need to do:

* Download the Nero AAC encoder (or one of your choice)
* Fill in the command (stdin as encoder input, %d output) e.g.

CODE

neroAacEnc -if - -of %d

If neroAacEnc.exe isn't on the path, you can use a full path but be sure to enclose it in quotes.
* Fill in the extension e.g. MP4

You can run neroAacEnc -help from a command prompt to see the full options available (i.e. for quality). So yes, you control the quality through the command you specify.

Murmur2k

Jun 4 2007, 10:52

QUOTE(musicmusic @ Jun 3 2007, 23:51)

Well, let me sum up what you need to do:

* Download the Nero AAC encoder (or one of your choice)
* Fill in the command (stdin as encoder input, %d output) e.g.

CODE

neroAacEnc -if - -of %d

If neroAacEnc.exe isn't on the path, you can use a full path but be sure to enclose it in quotes.
* Fill in the extension e.g. MP4

You can run neroAacEnc -help from a command prompt to see the full options available (i.e. for quality). So yes, you control the quality through the command you specify.

Thanks for your time & the excellent DLL!

Slotos

Jun 7 2007, 03:28

Feature request: option to disable file info read, using only iTunesDB data.

I have 80Gb iPod Video with 3000-8000 songs on it. During file info read it warms up quite enough to make me worry about HDD integrity. I think "Update DB from files tags" will be enough for me.

Thanks in advance,
Slotos.

copperblue

Jun 7 2007, 04:04

I am now experiencing severe [start of track skipping] buffering issues on my early iPod Photo 60GB since enabling album art.
Some of the mp3 files have the album art embedded, and some of the mp3 files have the album art imported by foo_dop from ...\album folder\cover.jpg, size generally 300-300 pixels ie not huge.

Anyone else experiencing this?

musicmusic

Jun 7 2007, 05:44

QUOTE(Slotos @ Jun 7 2007, 10:28)

Feature request: option to disable file info read, using only iTunesDB data.

I have 80Gb iPod Video with 3000-8000 songs on it. During file info read it warms up quite enough to make me worry about HDD integrity. I think "Update DB from files tags" will be enough for me.

Thanks in advance,
Slotos.

Hi,
How it works is it keeps a cache of all metadata read on the iPod, and then loads the info from any new or changed files. So in theory it should be relatively fast if all files are in the cache, and it takes ~16 seconds on my 30GB iPod Video.

Now I can't just use the data in iTunesDB for a number of reasons. But what I have done is move the "have files changed" check onto foo_dop's side rather than foobar2000's side. This has reduced the time for scanning for me to ~7 seconds (again all files in cache). This also allows me to work around foobar's summer time problems.

So try the next version when it's released; it should be faster.

QUOTE(copperblue @ Jun 7 2007, 11:04)

I am now experiencing severe [start of track skipping] buffering issues on my early iPod Photo 60GB since enabling album art.
Some of the mp3 files have the album art embedded, and some of the mp3 files have the album art imported by foo_dop from ...\album folder\cover.jpg, size generally 300-300 pixels ie not huge.

Anyone else experiencing this?

Hi,
Im not sure how foo_dop would cause this but let me ask some questions:
-Is it files with embedded artwork that skip or files that foo_dop set artwork for that skip?
-If its the latter did you try adding artwork using e.g. iTunes to see if it made a difference?

Blankwire

Jun 8 2007, 15:49

I have a simple feature request. Wouldn't it be possible to add an option to enable "dual core support" when files are transcoded (using each core of a processor for a conversion instance) to increase the speed of transferring and syncing lossless music? That should make things quite a bit faster.

Woodenhead

Jun 8 2007, 16:28

Hey, musicmusic. I just wanted to thank you for this excellent plugin. Great work! I was tired of iTunes screwing everything up. This works flawlessly for me. I just upgraded my 60GB video iPod with a new 100GB hard drive and synced over 87GB with no problems; artwork & playlists included. Took quite awhile though, but that's to be expected with that much data. Can't thank you enough. Keep it up!

gob

Jun 8 2007, 22:06

QUOTE(Woodenhead @ Jun 8 2007, 18:28)

Hey, musicmusic. I just wanted to thank you for this excellent plugin. Great work! I was tired of iTunes screwing everything up. This works flawlessly for me. I just upgraded my 60GB video iPod with a new 100GB hard drive and synced over 87GB with no problems; artwork & playlists included. Took quite awhile though, but that's to be expected with that much data. Can't thank you enough. Keep it up!

Same here musicmusic, i don't have an ipod, but i have some friends that do and they absolutely love foo_dop. seems to work solidly for a few people that are complete noobs to foobar, but i set them up with a nice custom configuration that works well for their music needs and they have no complaints

copperblue

Jun 8 2007, 23:52

QUOTE(musicmusic @ Jun 7 2007, 12:44)

QUOTE(copperblue @ Jun 7 2007, 11:04)

I am now experiencing severe [start of track skipping] buffering issues on my early iPod Photo 60GB since enabling album art.
Some of the mp3 files have the album art embedded, and some of the mp3 files have the album art imported by foo_dop from ...\album folder\cover.jpg, size generally 300-300 pixels ie not huge.

Anyone else experiencing this?

Hi,
Im not sure how foo_dop would cause this but let me ask some questions:
-Is it files with embedded artwork that skip or files that foo_dop set artwork for that skip?
-If its the latter did you try adding artwork using e.g. iTunes to see if it made a difference?

Hmm. I have recently retagged my entire library in iTunes compatibility mode from Foobar, and it stripped out all the embedded album art (duh! I should have remembered that would happen :/ ), and my last backup was of the retagged files, so I have no way of knowing which of the files was what.

The good news is that following a restore and reload the iPod buffering issue is resolved.

Murmur2k

Jun 9 2007, 13:15

Hi MusicMusic - I'm using foo_dop to great effect now! Just a quick question or two for you...

- If I update a file's tag or replace some lossy format to flac on the source PC will foo_dop recognise this and retranscode/reupload upon syncing?

- Does foo_dop transfer all the files that require transcoding first before all the lossy ones?

- Are there any library files that the plugin stores on the source PC that I need to backup if I reinstall windows?

- Do you have a donation account setup on paypal?

Also has anyone noticed a slowdown in performance on the ipod itself? I think it may be artwork related (what resolution image is put onto the ipod?).. I also notice the track time lagging.

copperblue

Jun 10 2007, 03:05

QUOTE(copperblue @ Jun 9 2007, 06:52)

QUOTE(musicmusic @ Jun 7 2007, 12:44)

QUOTE(copperblue @ Jun 7 2007, 11:04)

I am now experiencing severe [start of track skipping] buffering issues on my early iPod Photo 60GB since enabling album art.
Some of the mp3 files have the album art embedded, and some of the mp3 files have the album art imported by foo_dop from ...\album folder\cover.jpg, size generally 300-300 pixels ie not huge.

Anyone else experiencing this?

Hi,
Im not sure how foo_dop would cause this but let me ask some questions:
-Is it files with embedded artwork that skip or files that foo_dop set artwork for that skip?
-If its the latter did you try adding artwork using e.g. iTunes to see if it made a difference?

Hmm. I have recently retagged my entire library in iTunes compatibility mode from Foobar, and it stripped out all the embedded album art (duh! I should have remembered that would happen :/ ), and my last backup was of the retagged files, so I have no way of knowing which of the files was what.

The good news is that following a restore and reload the iPod buffering issue is resolved.

I spoke too soon here, the buffering problem remains. When loading up a track the device becomes unresponsive and skips or pauses for the first few seconds whilst loading up the artwork.
None of my files have any embedded artwork now <g> and the cover.jpgs are typically 32kb in size.
The mp3 files themselves are typically max vbr or 320K CBR files, so on the large size.
I have removed all the files off my iPod, reverted to the previous version of foo_dop, reloaded all the files, and everything is fine for now.

Murmur2k

Jun 10 2007, 03:22

Just to confirm i am seeing this same behaviour on my 60gb 5th gen video ipod. All artwork was as folder.jpg files in each album directory and generally 500 x 500px. Does dop create thumbnails itself or move full res artwork across? Otherwise maybe they need more compression?

musicmusic

Jun 11 2007, 08:45

QUOTE(Blankwire @ Jun 8 2007, 22:49)

I have a simple feature request. Wouldn't it be possible to add an option to enable "dual core support" when files are transcoded (using each core of a processor for a conversion instance) to increase the speed of transferring and syncing lossless music? That should make things quite a bit faster.

The block of code dealing with sending files would need rewriting to accommodate that and its quite a large temperamental block so I don't plan on rewriting it at the moment. Also some surrounding issues (would have to encode to local temp file to avoid fragmentation on iPod etc.)

QUOTE(Murmur2k @ Jun 9 2007, 20:15)

Hi MusicMusic - I'm using foo_dop to great effect now! Just a quick question or two for you...

- If I update a file's tag or replace some lossy format to flac on the source PC will foo_dop recognise this and retranscode/reupload upon syncing?

I don't know if its the answer you wanted, but yes is the answer.

QUOTE(Murmur2k @ Jun 9 2007, 20:15)

- Does foo_dop transfer all the files that require transcoding first before all the lossy ones?

No. They are sent in arbitrary order.

QUOTE(Murmur2k @ Jun 9 2007, 20:15)

- Are there any library files that the plugin stores on the source PC that I need to backup if I reinstall windows?

No. It stores library files directly on iPod.

QUOTE(copperblue @ Jun 10 2007, 10:05)

I spoke too soon here, the buffering problem remains. When loading up a track the device becomes unresponsive and skips or pauses for the first few seconds whilst loading up the artwork.
None of my files have any embedded artwork now <g> and the cover.jpgs are typically 32kb in size.
The mp3 files themselves are typically max vbr or 320K CBR files, so on the large size.
I have removed all the files off my iPod, reverted to the previous version of foo_dop, reloaded all the files, and everything is fine for now.

Right, so questions:
-Does it only happen when lots of tracks have artwork?
-Does it happen on a file when you use iTunes to add artwork for it

Its difficult to work out the problem because I don't have an issue on my 5.5G iPod. Can you post the XML data from 'View iPod Device Information' in latest version so I can check I'm writing the right format for the artwork? (remove your serial number from the info)

copperblue

Jun 11 2007, 09:04

QUOTE(musicmusic @ Jun 11 2007, 15:45)

Right, so questions:
-Does it only happen when lots of tracks have artwork?

My hunch, after testing, is yes.

QUOTE(musicmusic @ Jun 11 2007, 15:45)

-Does it happen on a file when you use iTunes to add artwork for it

I don't use iTunes to add artwork to files.
Edit: possible misunderstanding - I only use iTunes to restore the iPod.
The last set of files didn't have any embedded art at all.

QUOTE(musicmusic @ Jun 11 2007, 15:45)

Its difficult to work out the problem because I don't have an issue on my 5.5G iPod. Can you post the XML data from 'View iPod Device Information' in latest version so I can check I'm writing the right format for the artwork? (remove your serial number from the info)

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple Computer//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
<key>AppleDRMVersion</key>
<dict>
<key>Minimum</key>
<integer>0</integer>
<key>Maximum</key>
<integer>4</integer>
</dict>
<key>AudioCodecs</key>
<dict>
<key>AIFF</key>
<dict>
<key>Mono</key>
<true/>
<key>Stereo</key>
<true/>
<key>Multichannel</key>
<false/>
<key>MaximumSampleRate</key>
<integer>48000</integer>
<key>MaximumBitDepth</key>
<integer>16</integer>
</dict>
<key>MP3</key>
<dict>
<key>Mono</key>
<true/>
<key>Stereo</key>
<true/>
<key>MaximumSampleRate</key>
<integer>48000</integer>
<key>MaximumDataRate</key>
<integer>320</integer>
</dict>
<key>WAV</key>
<dict>
<key>Mono</key>
<true/>
<key>Stereo</key>
<true/>
<key>Multichannel</key>
<false/>
<key>MaximumSampleRate</key>
<integer>48000</integer>
<key>MaximumBitDepth</key>
<integer>16</integer>
</dict>
<key>AAC</key>
<dict>
<key>AppleDRM</key>
<true/>
<key>MaximumSampleRate</key>
<integer>48000</integer>
<key>LC</key>
<dict>
<key>VariableBitRate</key>
<true/>
<key>PerceptualNoiseSubsitution</key>
<true/>
</dict>
</dict>
<key>AppleLossless</key>
<dict>
<key>Mono</key>
<true/>
<key>Stereo</key>
<true/>
<key>Multichannel</key>
<false/>
<key>MaximumBitDepth</key>
<integer>32</integer>
<key>MaximumBitDepthUntruncated</key>
<integer>16</integer>
<key>MaximumSampleRate</key>
<integer>48000</integer>
<key>AppleDRM</key>
<true/>
</dict>
<key>Audible</key>
<dict>
<key>Type1</key>
<false/>
<key>Type2</key>
<true/>
<key>Type3</key>
<true/>
<key>Type4</key>
<true/>
</dict>
</dict>
<key>BuildID</key>
<string>4.2.1</string>
<key>ConnectedBus</key>
<string>USB</string>
<key>MaxTransferSpeed</key>
<integer>61440</integer>
<key>FamilyID</key>
<integer>5</integer>
<key>FireWireGUID</key>
<string>000A270002BA203D</string>
<key>FireWireVersion</key>
<string>1.62</string>
<key>ImageSpecifications</key>
<array>
<key>1019</key>
<dict>
<key>FormatId</key>
<integer>1019</integer>
<key>DisplayWidth</key>
<integer>720</integer>
<key>RenderWidth</key>
<integer>640</integer>
<key>RenderHeight</key>
<integer>480</integer>
<key>PixelFormat</key>
<string>32767579</string>
<key>Interlaced</key>
<false/>
<key>ColorAdjustment</key>
<integer>1</integer>
<key>GammaAdjustment</key>
<real>2.2</real>
<key>Crop</key>
<false/>
<key>AlignRowBytes</key>
<false/>
</dict>
<key>1020</key>
<dict>
<key>FormatId</key>
<integer>1020</integer>
<key>RenderWidth</key>
<integer>176</integer>
<key>RenderHeight</key>
<integer>220</integer>
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<string>42353635</string>
<key>Interlaced</key>
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<real>2.2</real>
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<key>AlignRowBytes</key>
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<key>Rotation</key>
<integer>270</integer>
</dict>
<key>1009</key>
<dict>
<key>FormatId</key>
<integer>1009</integer>
<key>RenderWidth</key>
<integer>41</integer>
<key>RenderHeight</key>
<integer>30</integer>
<key>DisplayWidth</key>
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<string>4C353635</string>
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<false/>
<key>ColorAdjustment</key>
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<key>GammaAdjustment</key>
<real>2.2</real>
<key>Crop</key>
<true/>
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<true/>
</dict>
<key>1015</key>
<dict>
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<integer>1015</integer>
<key>RenderWidth</key>
<integer>130</integer>
<key>RenderHeight</key>
<integer>88</integer>
<key>DisplayWidth</key>
<integer>130</integer>
<key>PixelFormat</key>
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<key>Interlaced</key>
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<integer>0</integer>
<key>GammaAdjustment</key>
<real>2.2</real>
<key>Crop</key>
<false/>
<key>AlignRowBytes</key>
<true/>
</dict>
</array>
<key>AlbumArt</key>
<array>
<key>1016</key>
<dict>
<key>FormatId</key>
<integer>1016</integer>
<key>RenderWidth</key>
<integer>140</integer>
<key>RenderHeight</key>
<integer>140</integer>
<key>PixelFormat</key>
<string>4C353635</string>
<key>Interlaced</key>
<false/>
<key>ColorAdjustment</key>
<integer>0</integer>
<key>GammaAdjustment</key>
<real>2.2</real>
<key>Crop</key>
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<key>AlignRowBytes</key>
<true/>
<key>BackColor</key>
<string>FFFFFFFF</string>
</dict>
<key>1017</key>
<dict>
<key>FormatId</key>
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<key>RenderHeight</key>
<integer>56</integer>
<key>PixelFormat</key>
<string>4C353635</string>
<key>Interlaced</key>
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<key>ColorAdjustment</key>
<integer>0</integer>
<key>GammaAdjustment</key>
<real>2.2</real>
<key>Crop</key>
<false/>
<key>AlignRowBytes</key>
<true/>
<key>BackColor</key>
<string>FFFFFFFF</string>
</dict>
</array>
<key>PodcastsSupported</key>
<true/>
<key>ChapterImageSpecs</key>
<array>
<key>1016</key>
<dict>
<key>FormatId</key>
<integer>1016</integer>
<key>RenderWidth</key>
<integer>140</integer>
<key>RenderHeight</key>
<integer>140</integer>
<key>PixelFormat</key>
<string>4C353635</string>
<key>Interlaced</key>
<false/>
<key>ColorAdjustment</key>
<integer>0</integer>
<key>GammaAdjustment</key>
<real>2.2</real>
<key>Crop</key>
<false/>
<key>AlignRowBytes</key>
<true/>
<key>BackColor</key>
<string>FFFFFFFF</string>
</dict>
<key>1017</key>
<dict>
<key>FormatId</key>
<integer>1017</integer>
<key>RenderWidth</key>
<integer>56</integer>
<key>RenderHeight</key>
<integer>56</integer>
<key>PixelFormat</key>
<string>4C353635</string>
<key>Interlaced</key>
<false/>
<key>ColorAdjustment</key>
<integer>0</integer>
<key>GammaAdjustment</key>
<real>2.2</real>
<key>Crop</key>
<false/>
<key>AlignRowBytes</key>
<true/>
<key>BackColor</key>
<string>FFFFFFFF</string>
</dict>
</array>
<key>MinITVersion</key>
<string>4.7</string>
<key>SerialNumber</key>
<string>JQ44637XR5R</string>
<key>UpdaterFamilyID</key>
<integer>5</integer>
<key>VisibleBuildID</key>
<string>1.2.1</string>
<key>OEMID</key>
<integer>0</integer>
<key>OEMV</key>
<integer>5</integer>
<key>PowerInformation</key>
<dict>
<key>WillFlash</key>
<false/>
<key>USB</key>
<true/>
<key>FireWire</key>
<false/>
</dict>
<key>VoiceMemosSupported</key>
<true/>
<key>AutoRebootAfterFirmwareUpdate</key>
<true/>
<key>VolumeFormat</key>
<string>FAT32</string>
</dict>
</plist>

Murmur2k

Jun 11 2007, 11:19

QUOTE(musicmusic @ Jun 11 2007, 15:45)

QUOTE(Murmur2k @ Jun 9 2007, 20:15)

Hi MusicMusic - I'm using foo_dop to great effect now! Just a quick question or two for you...

- If I update a file's tag or replace some lossy format to flac on the source PC will foo_dop recognise this and retranscode/reupload upon syncing?

I don't know if its the answer you wanted, but yes is the answer.

Thats what I wanted - great!

Here is my XML without serial if of additional use...

CODE

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple Computer//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
<key>AppleDRMVersion</key>
<dict>
<key>Minimum</key>
<integer>0</integer>
<key>Maximum</key>
<integer>4</integer>
<key>Format</key>
<integer>2</integer>
</dict>
<key>AudioCodecs</key>
<dict>
<key>AIFF</key>
<dict>
<key>Mono</key>
<true/>
<key>Stereo</key>
<true/>
<key>Multichannel</key>
<false/>
<key>MaximumSampleRate</key>
<integer>48000</integer>
<key>MaximumBitDepth</key>
<integer>16</integer>
</dict>
<key>MP3</key>
<dict>
<key>Mono</key>
<true/>
<key>Stereo</key>
<true/>
<key>MaximumSampleRate</key>
<integer>48000</integer>
<key>MaximumDataRate</key>
<integer>320</integer>
</dict>
<key>WAV</key>
<dict>
<key>Mono</key>
<true/>
<key>Stereo</key>
<true/>
<key>Multichannel</key>
<false/>
<key>MaximumSampleRate</key>
<integer>48000</integer>
<key>MaximumBitDepth</key>
<integer>16</integer>
</dict>
<key>AAC</key>
<dict>
<key>AppleDRM</key>
<true/>
<key>MaximumSampleRate</key>
<integer>48000</integer>
<key>LC</key>
<dict>
<key>VariableBitRate</key>
<true/>
<key>PerceptualNoiseSubsitution</key>
<true/>
</dict>
</dict>
<key>AppleLossless</key>
<dict>
<key>Mono</key>
<true/>
<key>Stereo</key>
<true/>
<key>Multichannel</key>
<false/>
<key>MaximumBitDepth</key>
<integer>32</integer>
<key>MaximumBitDepthUntruncated</key>
<integer>16</integer>
<key>MaximumSampleRate</key>
<integer>48000</integer>
<key>AppleDRM</key>
<true/>
</dict>
<key>Audible</key>
<dict>
<key>Type1</key>
<false/>
<key>Type2</key>
<true/>
<key>Type3</key>
<true/>
<key>Type4</key>
<true/>
</dict>
</dict>
<key>BuildID</key>
<string>6.2.1</string>
<key>ConnectedBus</key>
<string>USB</string>
<key>MaxTransferSpeed</key>
<integer>61440</integer>
<key>FamilyID</key>
<integer>6</integer>
<key>FireWireGUID</key>
<string>000A270014AEFE55</string>
<key>FireWireVersion</key>
<string>1.62</string>
<key>ImageSpecifications</key>
<array>
<key>1019</key>
<dict>
<key>FormatId</key>
<integer>1019</integer>
<key>DisplayWidth</key>
<integer>720</integer>
<key>RenderWidth</key>
<integer>640</integer>
<key>RenderHeight</key>
<integer>480</integer>
<key>PixelFormat</key>
<string>32767579</string>
<key>Interlaced</key>
<false/>
<key>ColorAdjustment</key>
<integer>1</integer>
<key>GammaAdjustment</key>
<real>2.2</real>
<key>Crop</key>
<false/>
<key>AlignRowBytes</key>
<false/>
</dict>
<key>1015</key>
<dict>
<key>FormatId</key>
<integer>1015</integer>
<key>RenderWidth</key>
<integer>130</integer>
<key>RenderHeight</key>
<integer>88</integer>
<key>PixelFormat</key>
<string>4C353635</string>
<key>Interlaced</key>
<false/>
<key>ColorAdjustment</key>
<integer>0</integer>
<key>GammaAdjustment</key>
<real>2.2</real>
<key>Crop</key>
<false/>
<key>AlignRowBytes</key>
<true/>
<key>BackColor</key>
<string>00000000</string>
</dict>
<key>1024</key>
<dict>
<key>FormatId</key>
<integer>1024</integer>
<key>RenderWidth</key>
<integer>320</integer>
<key>RenderHeight</key>
<integer>240</integer>
<key>PixelFormat</key>
<string>4C353635</string>
<key>Interlaced</key>
<false/>
<key>ColorAdjustment</key>
<integer>0</integer>
<key>GammaAdjustment</key>
<real>2.2</real>
<key>Crop</key>
<false/>
<key>AlignRowBytes</key>
<true/>
<key>Rotation</key>
<integer>0</integer>
</dict>
<key>1036</key>
<dict>
<key>FormatId</key>
<integer>1036</integer>
<key>RenderWidth</key>
<integer>50</integer>
<key>RenderHeight</key>
<integer>41</integer>
<key>PixelFormat</key>
<string>4C353635</string>
<key>Interlaced</key>
<false/>
<key>ColorAdjustment</key>
<integer>0</integer>
<key>GammaAdjustment</key>
<real>2.2</real>
<key>Crop</key>
<true/>
<key>AlignRowBytes</key>
<true/>
<key>BackColor</key>
<string>00000000</string>
</dict>
</array>
<key>AlbumArt</key>
<array>
<key>1028</key>
<dict>
<key>FormatId</key>
<integer>1028</integer>
<key>RenderWidth</key>
<integer>100</integer>
<key>RenderHeight</key>
<integer>100</integer>
<key>PixelFormat</key>
<string>4C353635</string>
<key>Interlaced</key>
<false/>
<key>ColorAdjustment</key>
<integer>0</integer>
<key>GammaAdjustment</key>
<real>2.2</real>
<key>Crop</key>
<false/>
<key>AlignRowBytes</key>
<true/>
<key>BackColor</key>
<string>FFFFFFFF</string>
</dict>
<key>1029</key>
<dict>
<key>FormatId</key>
<integer>1029</integer>
<key>RenderWidth</key>
<integer>200</integer>
<key>RenderHeight</key>
<integer>200</integer>
<key>PixelFormat</key>
<string>4C353635</string>
<key>Interlaced</key>
<false/>
<key>ColorAdjustment</key>
<integer>0</integer>
<key>GammaAdjustment</key>
<real>2.2</real>
<key>Crop</key>
<false/>
<key>AlignRowBytes</key>
<true/>
<key>BackColor</key>
<string>FFFFFFFF</string>
</dict>
</array>
<key>PodcastsSupported</key>
<true/>
<key>ChapterImageSpecs</key>
<array>
<key>1028</key>
<dict>
<key>FormatId</key>
<integer>1028</integer>
<key>RenderWidth</key>
<integer>100</integer>
<key>RenderHeight</key>
<integer>100</integer>
<key>PixelFormat</key>
<string>4C353635</string>
<key>Interlaced</key>
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<key>ColorAdjustment</key>
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<key>GammaAdjustment</key>
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<key>Crop</key>
<false/>
<key>AlignRowBytes</key>
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<key>BackColor</key>
<string>FFFFFFFF</string>
</dict>
<key>1029</key>
<dict>
<key>FormatId</key>
<integer>1029</integer>
<key>RenderWidth</key>
<integer>200</integer>
<key>RenderHeight</key>
<integer>200</integer>
<key>PixelFormat</key>
<string>4C353635</string>
<key>Interlaced</key>
<false/>
<key>ColorAdjustment</key>
<integer>0</integer>
<key>GammaAdjustment</key>
<real>2.2</real>
<key>Crop</key>
<false/>
<key>AlignRowBytes</key>
<true/>
<key>BackColor</key>
<string>FFFFFFFF</string>
</dict>
</array>
<key>MinITunesVersion</key>
<string>6.0</string>
<key>UpdaterFamilyID</key>
<integer>13</integer>
<key>VisibleBuildID</key>
<string>1.2.1</string>
<key>64Bit</key>
<integer>3</integer>
<key>OEMID</key>
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<key>OEMV</key>
<integer>8</integer>
<key>PowerInformation</key>
<dict>
<key>WillFlash</key>
<true/>
<key>USB</key>
<true/>
<key>FireWire</key>
<false/>
</dict>
<key>VoiceMemosSupported</key>
<true/>
<key>VoiceMemoFormats</key>
<dict>
<key>WAV</key>
<dict>
<key>MaximumSampleRate</key>
<integer>44100</integer>
</dict>
</dict>
<key>AutoRebootAfterFirmwareUpdate</key>
<true/>
<key>VolumeFormat</key>
<string>FAT32</string>
<key>VolumeInformation</key>
<dict>
<key>HFSPLUS</key>
<dict>
<key>SupportedFormat</key>
<true/>
<key>ConversionSupported</key>
<true/>
<key>CurrentFormat</key>
<false/>
</dict>
<key>FAT32</key>
<dict>
<key>SupportedFormat</key>
<true/>
<key>ConversionSupported</key>
<false/>
<key>CurrentFormat</key>
<true/>
</dict>
</dict>
<key>ForcedDiskMode</key>
<false/>
<key>BangFolder</key>
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<key>CorruptDataPartition</key>
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<key>CorruptFirmwarePartition</key>
<false/>
<key>CanFlashBacklight</key>
<true/>
<key>CanHibernate</key>
<true/>
<key>RAM</key>
<integer>64</integer>
<key>HotPlugState</key>
<integer>0</integer>
<key>vCardWithJPEGSupported</key>
<true/>
<key>MaxFileSizeInGB</key>
<integer>4</integer>
<key>GamesPlatformID</key>
<integer>1</integer>
<key>GamesPlatformVersion</key>
<integer>1</integer>
<key>VideoCodecs</key>
<dict>
<key>H.264</key>
<dict>
<key>AppleVideoDRM</key>
<dict>
<key>MaximumEncryptionPercentage</key>
<real>12.5</real>
</dict>
<key>AAC</key>
<dict>
<key>AppleDRM</key>
<true/>
<key>MaximumSampleRate</key>
<integer>48000</integer>
<key>MaximumBitRate</key>
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<key>LC</key>
<dict>
<key>VariableBitRate</key>
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<key>Multichannel</key>
<false/>
</dict>
</dict>
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<key>Level</key>
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<key>MaximumPeakBitRate</key>
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<key>MaximumResolution</key>
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<key>MinimumHeight</key>
<integer>16</integer>
<key>MaximumWidth</key>
<integer>4800</integer>
<key>MaximumHeight</key>
<integer>4800</integer>
</dict>
<key>H.264LC</key>
<dict>
<key>AppleVideoDRM</key>
<dict>
<key>MaximumEncryptionPercentage</key>
<real>6.25</real>
</dict>
<key>AAC</key>
<dict>
<key>AppleDRM</key>
<true/>
<key>MaximumSampleRate</key>
<integer>48000</integer>
<key>MaximumBitRate</key>
<integer>160</integer>
<key>LC</key>
<dict>
<key>VariableBitRate</key>
<true/>
<key>Multichannel</key>
<false/>
</dict>
</dict>
<key>Profile</key>
<string>B</string>
<key>Level</key>
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<key>ComplexityLevel</key>
<integer>1</integer>
<key>MaximumPeakBitRate</key>
<integer>0</integer>
<key>MaximumResolution</key>
<integer>307200</integer>
<key>MinimumWidth</key>
<integer>16</integer>
<key>MinimumHeight</key>
<integer>16</integer>
<key>MaximumWidth</key>
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<key>MaximumHeight</key>
<integer>480</integer>
</dict>
<key>MPEG4</key>
<dict>
<key>AppleVideoDRM</key>
<dict>
<key>MaximumEncryptionPercentage</key>
<real>12.5</real>
</dict>
<key>AAC</key>
<dict>
<key>AppleDRM</key>
<true/>
<key>MaximumSampleRate</key>
<integer>48000</integer>
<key>MaximumBitRate</key>
<integer>160</integer>
<key>LC</key>
<dict>
<key>VariableBitRate</key>
<true/>
<key>Multichannel</key>
<false/>
</dict>
</dict>
<key>Profile-Level-ID</key>
<integer>3</integer>
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<key>MaximumPeakBitRate</key>
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<integer>307200</integer>
<key>MinimumWidth</key>
<integer>16</integer>
<key>MinimumHeight</key>
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<key>MaximumWidth</key>
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<key>MaximumHeight</key>
<integer>19200</integer>
</dict>
</dict>
</dict>
</plist>

musicmusic

Jun 11 2007, 17:10

QUOTE(copperblue @ Jun 11 2007, 16:04)

QUOTE(musicmusic @ Jun 11 2007, 15:45)

Right, so questions:
-Does it only happen when lots of tracks have artwork?

My hunch, after testing, is yes.

Ok - have you put artwork on a similar number of files on your iPod with another prog?

I added over 1000 tracks with artwork to my iPod, didn't have any problems (but again it's an iPod Video). Another theory: It could be related to non-square artwork since I used square artwork only. Is your album art square or do some have non-equal width and height?

Otherwise I am just going to put it down to firmware bugs and make it easier to disable album art support.

QUOTE(copperblue @ Jun 11 2007, 16:04)

QUOTE(musicmusic @ Jun 11 2007, 15:45)

-Does it happen on a file when you use iTunes to add artwork for it

I don't use iTunes to add artwork to files.
Edit: possible misunderstanding - I only use iTunes to restore the iPod.
The last set of files didn't have any embedded art at all.

I meant try using iTunes to add artwork to some file on your iPod and compare to something foo_dop did. But there maybe some issues doing this, I don't remember.

Murmur2k

Jun 12 2007, 02:28

QUOTE(musicmusic @ Jun 12 2007, 00:10)

Ok - have you put artwork on a similar number of files on your iPod with another prog?

I added over 1000 tracks with artwork to my iPod, didn't have any problems (but again it's an iPod Video). Another theory: It could be related to non-square artwork since I used square artwork only. Is your album art square or do some have non-equal width and height?

Otherwise I am just going to put it down to firmware bugs and make it easier to disable album art support.

Well - I am using Ipod Video (60gb), 3000 music tracks, most have 500x500 artwork but quite a few are non-square ratio e.g. 300x302 etc

Just did a test: 475*472 artwork track took about 5 seconds to stabilise and display artwork on ipod.
1423*1426 (source) artwork track was less than 1 second?!
500*500 was less than 1 second

Seems a little random! I never had any trouble with this lagging using iTunes alone.
Cheers

musicmusic

Jun 12 2007, 03:36

QUOTE(Murmur2k @ Jun 12 2007, 09:28)

Well - I am using Ipod Video (60gb), 3000 music tracks, most have 500x500 artwork but quite a few are non-square ratio e.g. 300x302 etc

Just did a test: 475*472 artwork track took about 5 seconds to stabilise and display artwork on ipod.
1423*1426 (source) artwork track was less than 1 second?!
500*500 was less than 1 second

Seems a little random! I never had any trouble with this lagging using iTunes alone.
Cheers

copperblue's problem was the track skipping whilst loading artwork - what exactly is yours? It sounds like its just the fact that artwork sometimes takes a few seconds to load (not affecting playback). I can see that, I would assume its just the hard drive seeking or something. Its nothing to do with image format since there is no flexibility in formats to use. But I'll check if there is much difference using iTunes.

Murmur2k

Jun 12 2007, 03:38

QUOTE(musicmusic @ Jun 12 2007, 10:36)

QUOTE(Murmur2k @ Jun 12 2007, 09:28)

Well - I am using Ipod Video (60gb), 3000 music tracks, most have 500x500 artwork but quite a few are non-square ratio e.g. 300x302 etc

Just did a test: 475*472 artwork track took about 5 seconds to stabilise and display artwork on ipod.
1423*1426 (source) artwork track was less than 1 second?!
500*500 was less than 1 second

Seems a little random! I never had any trouble with this lagging using iTunes alone.
Cheers

copperblue's problem was the track skipping whilst loading artwork - what exactly is yours? It sounds like its just the fact that artwork sometimes takes a few seconds to load (not affecting playback). I can see that, I would assume its just the hard drive seeking or something. Its nothing to do with image format since there is no flexibility in formats to use. But I'll check if there is much difference using iTunes.

Sorry if I wasn't clear, my problems are the same - interface unresponsive for excessive amounts of time, some track skipping at beginning of each song, artwork taking a long time to display. Thx

musicmusic

Jun 12 2007, 06:15

QUOTE(Murmur2k @ Jun 12 2007, 10:38)

Sorry if I wasn't clear, my problems are the same - interface unresponsive for excessive amounts of time, some track skipping at beginning of each song, artwork taking a long time to display. Thx

Ok. I did some looking around and didn't find much, but this does sound like your problems.

Now I did some monitoring of what iTunes is doing when sending two files with artwork to the iPod. It goes something like this:

-Write file to iPod
-Extend small artwork thumbnail file by 20MB
-Write small thumbnail at old end of file
-Do same for large thumbnail
-Write second file to iPod
-Write small thumbnail
-Truncate small thumbnail file to end of last thumbnail
-Do same for large thumbnail

So question is why it temporarily increases size of thumbnail files by 20MB - I would say probably to try and avoid fragmentation of the thumbnail files, I can't see any other reason. But how effective is that really going to be in practice?

So, I am maybe going to make some changes to artwork writer so it behaves something more like iTunes. You can try to defrag your iPod if you want also.

copperblue

Jun 12 2007, 09:17

QUOTE(musicmusic @ Jun 12 2007, 13:15)

So, I am maybe going to make some changes to artwork writer so it behaves something more like iTunes. You can try to defrag your iPod if you want also.

The fragmentation issue did occur to me, however I read somewhere on the Apple site that one should never attempt to defrag an iPod's internal drive, as this will shorten the lifespan of the drive. I am guessing heat issues, but my iPod gets plenty warm when copying a big chunk of files over anyway?

musicmusic

Jun 12 2007, 10:22

QUOTE(copperblue @ Jun 12 2007, 16:17)

The fragmentation issue did occur to me, however I read somewhere on the Apple site that one should never attempt to defrag an iPod's internal drive, as this will shorten the lifespan of the drive. I am guessing heat issues, but my iPod gets plenty warm when copying a big chunk of files over anyway?

Well yes I can imagine that excessive prolonged drive use may affect lifespan. But then restoring your iPod and transferring all your songs over again is not much different.

I don't know if any other apps have the same feature, but PerfectDisk has a single file defrag function. You have to enable an option in its prefs to allow the defrag of removable drives, but that doesn't seem to work on Vista.. You could try that however and defrag the .ithmb files if you can make the removable drive option work.

Murmur2k

Jun 14 2007, 12:34

QUOTE(musicmusic @ Jun 12 2007, 17:22)

I don't know if any other apps have the same feature, but PerfectDisk has a single file defrag function. You have to enable an option in its prefs to allow the defrag of removable drives, but that doesn't seem to work on Vista.. You could try that however and defrag the .ithmb files if you can make the removable drive option work.

Looks like fragmentation could indeed be the culprit - just analysed my Ipod's HDD and the .ithmb files are heavily fragmented and all over the place (red & pink spots) (see picture below).

Fragmented Drive

EDIT: After a quick defrag (during which I cooled the ipod on an ice block!!!) the lag has gone, artwork loads up very quickly now. Looking foward to your next update!

ChinStrap

Jun 16 2007, 09:39

It seems that whenever Itunes scans a song for gapless information, the custom tag remappings that foo_dop does goes away. Is there a way to stop this from happening? I only use iTunes for podcast subscriptions, so if there is either a way to fix the information being messed up or just disabling gapless scanning in iTunes would be great. This also happens if I change any tags from within iTunes but that is much less rare (only if I ever try to mark something to say "remember this position" or "gapless album". I've given up on that for now though).

Is this happening because you aren't actually rewriting tags on the files themselves but instead just putting in the remapped info into the iPod database? If that is so, then what is probably happening is that when it scans a file, it reloads the tags from the file itself. Is there anyway to have as an option "Force rewrite of tag files"? Although, if you did that, then you would have to make sure to compare rewritten tags when syncing...

musicmusic

Jun 16 2007, 12:33

QUOTE(Murmur2k @ Jun 14 2007, 19:34)

Looks like fragmentation could indeed be the culprit - just analysed my Ipod's HDD and the .ithmb files are heavily fragmented and all over the place (red & pink spots) (see picture below).

Fragmented Drive

EDIT: After a quick defrag (during which I cooled the ipod on an ice block!!!) the lag has gone, artwork loads up very quickly now. Looking foward to your next update!

That's good news, although some fragmentation is always going to happen. I'm going to try similar tricks as iTunes so hopefully it will help.

QUOTE(ChinStrap @ Jun 16 2007, 16:39)

It seems that whenever Itunes scans a song for gapless information, the custom tag remappings that foo_dop does goes away. Is there a way to stop this from happening? I only use iTunes for podcast subscriptions, so if there is either a way to fix the information being messed up or just disabling gapless scanning in iTunes would be great. This also happens if I change any tags from within iTunes but that is much less rare (only if I ever try to mark something to say "remember this position" or "gapless album". I've given up on that for now though).

Is this happening because you aren't actually rewriting tags on the files themselves but instead just putting in the remapped info into the iPod database? If that is so, then what is probably happening is that when it scans a file, it reloads the tags from the file itself. Is there anyway to have as an option "Force rewrite of tag files"? Although, if you did that, then you would have to make sure to compare rewritten tags when syncing...

Yes, it happens because iTunes re-reads the metadata from the files. I can't change the tags on the files for lots of reasons (problems for sync, problem of double re-mappings, ..). You can use the 'reload ipod library metadata.." function to reset the metadata when you need to.

You can set 'remember track position' via foo_dop (browse ipod or metadata). I don't think 'gapless album' doesn't anything other than disable crossfading (etc.) in itunes.

olaola

Jun 17 2007, 08:08

this plugin is very cool, but i found after i used it, the movies names in ipod will disappear, all the files will use the meanless name such as AJKE instead.

GoWaN

Jun 21 2007, 05:35

First I want to thank you for this wonderful plugin that made iTunes obsolete.

Second I would like to know what I am doing wrong when I send my collection to the iPod. I have several lossless albums and some mp3 albums. I replaygain with track gain all of them and then I send them to iPod. When I listen to them it looks as if the lossless ones don't have soundchek info but the mp3 ones do have it. Is there a way to add the soundcheck info after you send it to the iPod the files? (Sending all that files is quite time consuming).

Apologies for my bad english and thanks in advance.

musicmusic

Jun 21 2007, 06:15

QUOTE(olaola @ Jun 17 2007, 15:08)

this plugin is very cool, but i found after i used it, the movies names in ipod will disappear, all the files will use the meanless name such as AJKE instead.

Hi, I think you must have used the 'reload ipod library metadata' command. It will replace the metadata in the iPod library with what's in the file. If your file does not have a TITLE tag, it would use the filename instead so the title field isn't empty. Now the command was supposed to ignore files which have no metadata at all but that wasn't happening for the TITLE field so I'll change that.

QUOTE(GoWaN @ Jun 21 2007, 12:35)

First I want to thank you for this wonderful plugin that made iTunes obsolete.

Second I would like to know what I am doing wrong when I send my collection to the iPod. I have several lossless albums and some mp3 albums. I replaygain with track gain all of them and then I send them to iPod. When I listen to them it looks as if the lossless ones don't have soundchek info but the mp3 ones do have it. Is there a way to add the soundcheck info after you send it to the iPod the files? (Sending all that files is quite time consuming).

Apologies for my bad english and thanks in advance.

Your not really doing anything wrong; when the files are converted the replaygain info is not copied to the converted files (because it would be different). So as a result no soundcheck data is set for those converted files because no replaygain info is available.

Now automating the replaygain scan of the converted files doesn't seem feasible, because there doesn't appear to be a way to do it without the intermediate dialogs. So you would have to 'load pod library', manually replaygain scan them and then run the 'reload ipod library metadata' command to update the soundcheck data in the database.

I think I will add a 'reload ipod library metadata' command to the context menu to the next version so you can leave the metadata of all the other files alone to avoid unexpected side-effects (like the problem above). And probably rename it to something that makes more sense.

GoWaN

Jun 21 2007, 07:31

QUOTE(musicmusic @ Jun 21 2007, 13:15)

Now automating the replaygain scan of the converted files doesn't seem feasible, because there doesn't appear to be a way to do it without the intermediate dialogs. So you would have to 'load pod library', manually replaygain scan them and then run the 'reload ipod library metadata' command to update the soundcheck data in the database.

I will try many thanks!!!

P.D.Forget this I am stupid

musicmusic

Jun 22 2007, 11:35

QUOTE(Murmur2k @ Jun 14 2007, 19:34)

EDIT: After a quick defrag (during which I cooled the ipod on an ice block!!!) the lag has gone, artwork loads up very quickly now. Looking foward to your next update!

foo_dop 0.4.4 TEST is now released. It is mostly clean-up and some improvements, see changelog for full details.

In regards to your artwork issue, I have not quite finished making changes to the artwork handling yet. The change in 0.4.4 is that it pre-allocates 20MB to the .ithmb files like iTunes seems to. But if you are sending several hundred files or so that buffer will get filled up and so some fragmentation will follow. I'll make some changes there for 0.4.5.

Murmur2k

Jun 22 2007, 11:48

QUOTE(musicmusic @ Jun 22 2007, 18:35)

QUOTE(Murmur2k @ Jun 14 2007, 19:34)

EDIT: After a quick defrag (during which I cooled the ipod on an ice block!!!) the lag has gone, artwork loads up very quickly now. Looking foward to your next update!

foo_dop 0.4.4 TEST is now released. It is mostly clean-up and some improvements, see changelog for full details.

In regards to your artwork issue, I have not quite finished making changes to the artwork handling yet. The change in 0.4.4 is that it pre-allocates 20MB to the .ithmb files like iTunes seems to. But if you are sending several hundred files or so that buffer will get filled up and so some fragmentation will follow. I'll make some changes there for 0.4.5.

Great work - thanks!

Moofar

Jun 23 2007, 16:19

answered my own question. I don't see a delete post button though.

nigel_29

Jun 25 2007, 18:18

sorry, noob question here.

When I select Load iPod Library I get hung on a 'Waiting for cache read to complete...' message in the status dialog at about 50%. I see a Reading iPod library message whiz by first. I searched through the thread and didn't see anything similar. Any ideas?

5G ipod
fb2k .94

I've never installed itunes on this machine, but the ipod is showing up in disk mode okay as a USB drive and the browse ipod function works.

musicmusic

Jun 26 2007, 02:16

QUOTE(nigel_29 @ Jun 26 2007, 01:18)

sorry, noob question here.

When I select Load iPod Library I get hung on a 'Waiting for cache read to complete...' message in the status dialog at about 50%. I see a Reading iPod library message whiz by first. I searched through the thread and didn't see anything similar. Any ideas?

5G ipod
fb2k .94

I've never installed itunes on this machine, but the ipod is showing up in disk mode okay as a USB drive and the browse ipod function works.

Hi, thanks for the report.

Its a bug in current version if the cache doesn't exist. I'll fix it for next build. In the mean time you can go back to 0.4.3, run the load library command once so it builds the cache and then install 0.4.4 again.

Edit: fixed in 0.4.5