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[LeoH]

iTunes downloaded tracks load and play fine in MC9 (since .28x). BTW-CD's ripped in Nero Ultra 6 to AAC format do not play on my system.

In the many postings since AAC was added, all have commented on the tagging issue (the lack thereof). Poleez excuse me if this has been answered but I did not see it:

Are there plans to support AAC tags in MC9?

Thanks

[kiwi]

I believe the difficulty is in actually reading the tags from the Apple files.  I think that the tags are either quite obfuscated or protected.

I'm sure as soon as they get them working, they will let us know.

And if anyone figures it out and lets them know how, they'd probably be psyched.

kiwi

[LeoH]

Does anyone know what tagging scheme Nero uses for their AAC encoder, if any?

[SteveG]

Are there plans to support AAC tags in MC9?

Not at this time. The costs associated with this are prohibitive.

[Thunderbird1]

Steve:

Out if curiosity, is the cost associated involved around the time to figure out the code, or licensing issues? The reason I'm asking is that last week over on the lounge, Anapod claims they can import/export/read the AAC tags. I'm not aware if Red Chair (ok, pardon the rhyme) pays fees to Dolby, Apple, whoever.

T1

[SteveG]

Licensing issues.

[JimH]

Apple's AAC is not the same as Nero's or other comanies' AAC.  Apple's AAC is encrypted (DRM).

We play Apple's files by using the Apple QuickTime playback engine.

Dolby licenses AAC and it is expensive.

[kiwi]

And I take it, that in order to read the tag information (legally) one has to license the format AAC from Dolby?

I really don't don't think that I like the DMCA.  (But that's really a different story, just don't feel that companies should hide behind it when their products aren't well designed.)

And besides, the tag information shouldn't really be encoded in the first place.  

I guess that I just have to hope that someone writes a program (or plugin's to a program) that read the Apple Tag info and write tag info that can be read by other programs.

Too bad one can't use Quicktime to gain access to the tag info.

If I create tags in MC, are they stored in the file?  Or are they only stored in the library?  (Btw, it would be really nice to have the ability to know what tag information is being stored in the file v. only in the library.  The only option appears to be "If possible store field in file tags", but it's hard to know when that's possible... or I'm just looking in the wrong place)

I do find it interesting that AAC has so many different "formats" for the standard "container."  I'm correct in understanding that AAC is really a container around MPeg4?  or at least something along those lines.  (I hope that they get a standard format sooner rather than later.)

btw, are things like reading tags from files an action that could be performed by a plug-in? (i.e. could someone create a wrapper that went around the quicktime input for the files and read in the appropriate tag information?)

kiwi

(please feel free to edit out anything that should be edited out.)

[Thunderbird1]

Steve & Jim:

This may be a stupid question because I've been using MC for the last 5 mos and have never had the need for this suggestion, but is it possible?

Is there a way that MC can import a tab-delimited text file (similar to a playlist)? Instead of using tags from a backed up database file, etc., is there a way to have a "map to field" function in MC, similar to transfer dialogs in MS Excel or other databases when you are converting files. The reason I'm mentioning this is that I clicked "Export Song List" in iTunes with some selected songs and the resulting file was a tab delimited .txt file that had the all of the needed data. I can then import those data-filled fields and overlay them on the blank ID3 tag in MC. The onus is on the user to map the correct field in the .txt to the correct field in MC. I seems this would get JRiver off the hook for licensing, and provide users with a workaround that's not too onerous.

To my ears at least, AAC sounds superior to an equal bit rate MP3 file and I'd like to have my library in this format. I would entertain any idea that would prevent me from copying, pasting and importing the data by hand! Thanks for listening.

T1, F.A.B.

[Veldrin]

Having looked a bit at the apple m4p files, it does appear that in some cases the tagging information is stored inside of the file in such a way that it would be found without going through the official API... but I don't know if thats legal or not.  Unfortunately, sometimes the tag info isn't there at all.

However, it does appear that all of the tag info for songs in the iTunes library is stored in a very easy to read .xml file located in %USERPROFILE%\My Documents\My Music\iTunes\ called "iTunes Music Library.xml".  Someone with a bit of programming knowledge and some experience with XML should theoretically be able to write an Interface plugin for MC that could parse that file, match the filenames listed inside with files inside of media center, and set the tags in MC based on that information.  

I started writing something like this myself, but I really don't have time to do as good a job as I'd like to.  If anyone does feel like tackling this project, I'll say that based on what I've seen of the MC API it should be possible, and perhaps not that difficult.

[SteveG]

Thunederbird, Veldrin and all,

There will be a way for us to get the iTunes tag information for files. We will get it going. The first priority is trying to get dynamic playlist support for iPod and that will take a little time.

Steve

[LeoH]

Just for the record, the tagging utility "Tag&Rename" in their current beta 3 reads and writes iTunes encrypted files. I am sure the J River team will have no trouble when time permits.

Interestingly, when one looks at an iTunes file in a hex dump, the only plain text visible is the name of the owner of the track (mine in the case of the files I bought and examined).

And finally, the solution of MC9 playing iTunes encrypted tracks through QT6.4+ is just fine. It takes care of the rights issues and brings AAC into the fold (as soon as tags become visible).

Another fine move by a great software team...