More > JRiver Media Center 30 for Windows
Don't keep converted files for external devices
HPBEME:
--- Quote from: AlreadyFree on December 28, 2022, 03:16:46 pm ---Just to clarify, the problem wasn't that files were getting added to the auto import folders. The file locations were remaining the same but the flac files in the folder outside of the auto import folders were being added to MC's internal library after sending converted mp3 versions to the external device.
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I was not sure about that part, so I included it my reply just in case it applied.
--- Quote from: AlreadyFree on December 28, 2022, 03:16:46 pm ---However I didn't retest that after setting "Conversion Cache" to "None". After testing now, I can confirm that making that change fixes this problem as well.
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I'm glad to hear all is working now.
--- Quote from: AlreadyFree on December 28, 2022, 03:16:46 pm ---It still definitely doesn't seem like the correct intended behavior for this setting to control and is far from intuitive (maybe a developer can chime in or just finds it worthwhile enough to silently correct it)
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I think the nomenclature is the heart of the issue. As I stated in my first reply, MC referring to it as a conversion "cache" implies to me "temporary". Consequently, it is not intuitive or obvious that new/additional files will be added to the source folder (when choosing next to file). Maybe JRiver/Matt can update the File Locations/Conversion Cache wording as follows:
* change None (do not create cache) to: Create Converted Files in Destination Folder ONLY
* change Next to File to: Create Converted Files in Both Source & Destination FoldersSomewhat verbose, but I think that or something similar would make it completely clear - do you agree? or perhaps I'm missing your point altogether ::)?
AlreadyFree:
--- Quote from: HPBEME on December 28, 2022, 03:46:22 pm ---As I stated in my first reply, MC referring to it as a conversion "cache" implies to me "temporary".
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I completely agree. That's how I read it too. There are indeed temporary files created by most encoders but it's usually not anything that you'd want to save and they are usually automatically deleted after the encode is complete. But those are the files that I assumed were being referred to with this setting.
--- Quote from: HPBEME on December 28, 2022, 03:46:22 pm ---
* change None (do not create cache) to: Create Converted Files in Destination Folder ONLY
* change Next to File to: Create Converted Files in Both Source & Destination Folders
--- End quote ---
That's the way it's working now (plus choosing "Next to File" also adds source file to library if it isn't already in there) but what I'm wondering is if that's even the intended behavior or not? If so, then yes, the description of the setting needs to better reflect what it does. But if it's really just a setting for temporary encoder file location, like the current description implies, and these other actions are unintended, then that's really even a bigger problem and should be corrected. I personally don't see the benefit of either of these behaviors in this context whether it's intended or not. But there could be a reason I'm not seeing.
HPBEME:
My assumption is the current behavior is exactly as the developers intend, but the word "cache" confuses things. The wording I proposed above was simply to make the current behavior of each setting absolutely explicit and unambiguous (which I believe it does).
MC should also change the Conversion Cache "Header" name to Conversion Settings or maybe Convert File Types or whatever. The main point being to get rid of the word "cache".
--- Quote from: AlreadyFree on December 28, 2022, 04:28:47 pm ---I personally don't see the benefit of either of these behaviors in this context whether it's intended or not. But there could be a reason I'm not seeing.
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I am not sure I see a benefit of writing converted files to the source folder either, but I simply don't use this functionality myself. I guess it would alleviate you from having to rerun the conversion process for newly added portable drives or phones (you could just copy/paste the already converted files instead)? Perhaps somebody who does a lot of file converting/syncing to other devices can weigh in and explain why it's useful (or not).
AlreadyFree:
It just seems like a weird mix of behaviors tied to a single setting called "Conversion Cache". Especially automatically importing the source file into the library for a file not already in the library but exported to an external device. It doesn't import the extra converted file left in the "Conversion Cache" "Next to the file" into the library, just the source file. That behavior has nothing at all to do with "Conversion Cache" by either definition, it just seems like a mistake.
But even if given the benefit of the doubt, the "Conversion Cache" setting should be working the same way for all conversions, whether converting to another format to reside on the same hard drive as the source or to be sent to an external device. However, converting a file from flac in one folder to a mp3 in another folder on the same hard drive doesn't result in an extra mp3 in the source folder like it does when sending the converted file to an external device. So that would render your suggestion of a simple change of description inaccurate again:
--- Quote from: HPBEME on December 28, 2022, 03:46:22 pm ---
* change Next to File to: Create Converted Files in Both Source & Destination Folders
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HPBEME:
--- Quote from: AlreadyFree on December 28, 2022, 08:06:38 pm ---It just seems like a weird mix of behaviors tied to a single setting called "Conversion Cache". Especially automatically importing the source file into the library for a file not already in the library but exported to an external device. It doesn't import the extra converted file left in the "Conversion Cache" "Next to the file" into the library, just the source file.
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I simply do not get this behavior - as I noted in a previous post, the source files I converted are NOT added to my library.
--- Quote from: AlreadyFree on December 28, 2022, 08:06:38 pm ---That behavior has nothing at all to do with "Conversion Cache" by either definition, it just seems like a mistake.
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I agree, but since I'm just not seeing the behavior that you are, I recommend you check everything again - in two prior instances you found that what I said was correct after further investigation.
It is only an assumption on my part that the MC sync conversion is working the way it's supposed to. In my brief testing, I confirmed consistent behavior with what I would expect to see for those settings (IF I ignore my natural association of "cache" = temporary). I certainly have not tried every possible file conversion combination there is to determine what and where various file types are written (not even close… that would take forever), so perhaps that is the difference. For reference, all my source files are FLAC, and the MP3 settings I used for conversion are shown in the pic below. If yours do not match that exactly, maybe that's the problem.
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