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[Brent]

I'm new to Media Center.  I just installed v10.0.143 trial, and pointed it at a folder tree with a couple of dozen MP3's in it.

After playing with it for awhile, I noticed that the words "Media Center" and "10.0.143" were appearing in some of my ID3 v2 Comment tags.

These phrases did not show up in the Media Center tag details display, but appeared in WinAmps tag display (alt-3).

What's gives?  

Thanks

Brent

[bobrock]

Same happens to me

[Brent]

Replying to my own message in order to bump this up in the message list.

I can see that over 70 people have viewed this topic at this point, yet I've had only one reply.

Users: Please reply and let me know if you have had similar problems to the one I am describing.  I'd like to know if this is just me, or if this is a "feature" that the software inflicts on everyone.

Forum Moderators: How about a little attention from the folks who develop Media Center??  As it appears right now, the problem I'm describing is a bug, and more than a bug: it appears to be an intentional effect that messes up the user's records of their mp3's!  
Now, I find it hard to believe that this would have been done intentionally by the developers.  But I'm also at a loss for any other way to explain it.  So please, enlighten me.  What the heck is going on with the tags???

[Matt]

Extended fields are stored as extra comments.  This is normal.  Media Center shows a full tag dump in the "File Type Info" Action Window page.

Storing the tagger is done to aid fixing problems a certain program or version may have had.

You can disable tagging in Options, although it's not recommended.

[GHammer]

Users: Please reply and let me know if you have had similar problems to the one I am describing.  I'd like to know if this is just me, or if this is a "feature" that the software inflicts on everyone.

What software do you have that displays the extra comment tags?
I've taken a look at a few mp3s with two tools and one shows the MC info, one does not.

[antolod]

Not only does the comment field store the program name and version information, it also stores replay gain and intensity if you have run audio analysis on the files.  I can't comment on other programs "branding" of mp3's since I have analyzed all of my mp3's which caused Media Center to put that information in the comment fields.  In fact, any tag editing will cause MC to update the comment field.  Given the outstanding features MC has to offer I'm not sure why any of this would be a problem, since it has no effect on the playability/portabliity of the files.

[Brent]

In answer to GHammer: The MC branding in the comment tags shows up in WinAmp's tag information window (alt-3).  It does NOT show up in Tag&Rename, which is a little odd.

In answer to Administrator and Jr. Woodchuck: I have carefully tagged my collection, and some of my comment tags contain information that I wish to save.  I don't want MC to overwrite that information with it's own stuff.
More fundementally: When I use an editing program to make changes to a file, it should make the changes that I specify, and no others.  It should not take it upon itself to "brand" my media, or to store information that I did not ask it to store.

I am not going to use it so long as it takes these sorts of liberties with my files.  I hope that the developers will consider removing this "feature" in future versions.

[webtree]

Nothing like a user taking a rational and objective approach to a problem before resorting to threats and accusations...  Now theres a way to get your concerns addressed.

Not to mention having a go on a sunday and expecting a response from the company... ?

[Brent]

"threats and accusations"? Say what?!

I'm just kind of amazed that I'm the first person to discover this little feature (or at least the first to post to the forums about it).

[Hugo_Elbuho]

I think user's ability to decide what should be written in any of their mp3's ID3 tags should be kept.  Any automated way to put information on it seems to me just like mail spam.  Media Center sells by itself because it's a great program, i don't think you need any other kind of publicity.

I understand Brent's point of his information is being overwritten, he could have spent a lot of time "commenting" his files.  I know it's just one of many ID3 tags, but in my case i personally i use the comments field as a copy of the "year" tag because this is one of the few tags my car stereo shows on the display and i'd like to keep control of that.  

Please leave this as an option.

Thank you guys.

[CASELOGIC]

I cant say ive experieced this, but i believe this is due to the fact that everytime ive installed MC ive immediately disabled automatic tagging. Ive also never analyzed any of my music.

[webtree]

From my experience MC adds additional Comment tags for the replay / gain etc, and doesn't affect existing tags, comments or otherwise.  Hence bizarrely I have MC comments for version 9 and version 10 since they added their own comments.

You can turn it off in options I believe, so that should solve your problems.  Don't analyse and turn off auto tags.

Has it actually changed your own defined comments?

[edbro]

I'm just kind of amazed that I'm the first person to discover this little feature

No, you're just the only one that thinks it is the end of the world. What is the harm? I've noticed them when viewing my files in MP3Tag, I've just never lost any sleep over it.

[GHammer]

Does it overwrite the user comments?
Not in my experience. They are still there. The problem is that some apps show the first comment, some the last, some show all. And, I agree with the original poster, it should not be done in comment fields. You want to use the tag for replaygain, then use existing fields.
ID3V2 has them defined I think.

RVA- Relative Volume Adjustment
TBP- Beats Per Minute
And the ever popular::
User defined...   "TXX"
     Frame size        $xx xx xx
     Text encoding     $xx
     Description       <textstring> $00 (00)
     Value             <textstring>
For any other info. Like Media Center version info.

[GHammer]

In answer to GHammer: The MC branding in the comment tags shows up in WinAmp's tag information window (alt-3).  It does NOT show up in Tag&Rename, which is a little odd.

Using WinAmp 5.03a I do not see any but my original comment. The MC comments are in the files I looked at, I used The Godfather to verify this.

[RhinoBanga]

Why can't MC store the replay gain info, etc, in it's database (or a separate one) instead of the files?

[webtree]

AFAIK it does, everything is stored iin its db, but then the analysis isn't portable across devices, isn't saved between system re-installs, can't be shared etc.  So to make all the effort worth while it saves to the file where it can be used by any system.  Thats my understanding anyway

[RhinoBanga]

AFAIK it does, everything is stored iin its db, but then the analysis isn't portable across devices

What devices reads this proprietary MC information?

isn't saved between system re-installs

It would be if you saved your database as you would your other important documents.

can't be shared etc.

The database can be shared.

So to make all the effort worth while it saves to the file where it can be used by any system

But if nothing except MC uses it what are you gaining, especially when it has the information already.

[webtree]

What devices reads this proprietary MC information?

Incorrect Terms: I meant machines, I have 5 machines in 2 locations which have access to some of the centrally stored files I use.  

isn't saved between system re-installs

It would be if you saved your database as you would your other important documents.

True, but having it in two places is always safer than one.  

can't be shared etc.

The database can be shared.

locally yes, but its easy for the files to be emailed, moved on CD etc to other people and systems with MC on which don't have your database, without having to re-analyse / re-tag them

So to make all the effort worth while it saves to the file where it can be used by any system

But if nothing except MC uses it what are you gaining, especially when it has the information already.

The ability to move files around and allow MC to read the files without having to re-check.   The ability to move between machines without the same database.  The knowledge that if you analyze 1000 files and lose the DB somehow that time isn't wasted.  

At the end of the day it should be optional, however, its not exactly a crisis that it stores it in tags.  Is it??

[RhinoBanga]

Brent seems to think so and I can understand where he is coming from as I had a similar problem not so long ago.

I went thru my entire MP3 collection (7000+ files) making sure I had consistent track and cd numbers, e.g. track 1/10 and cd 1/2, etc.

After a while I noticed that MC re-wrote the track number field when setting things like the rating which effectively wiped out my hard work in 1000+ tracks.

I eventually persuaded Matt to not overwrite the track number field if the field hadn't changed.

[Matt]

Storing extra fields as additional comments like MC does is correct.  It does not disrupt the original comment field.

Tagger and version are stored for technical reasons like bug fixing -- not for branding.

Insinuating that we're doing something shady is insulting.  We make every effort to make MC a great tagger.  Complete tag dumps are plainly visible in the Action Window > File Type Info page.