welcome to the forums....
1. Is there a way to change a filename's spaces into underscores _ when ripping in a new CD? I cannot find this option anywhere. This option is in Easy CD DA Convertor and other encoders but not MC that I can find. My host provider does not allow spaces when using FTP so this will be somewhat of a pain. I do not want underscores in the mp3 tags, just the actual file/folder names
Use the "find and replace" tool: select the files with names you wish to change, right click on selected files, go to, library tools > find and replace...
In the list on the left, click select none, the scroll down to "filename (name)" and tick it. (this choice is remembered across sessions).
find space and replace with underscore.
2. I have also been playing with Google's free Picasa photo app. Has anybody here compared the two? Picasa seems to have a ton more printing options from first glance. The ability to have music, photos, etc. in one place is also an attractive option.
I have picassa installed, and yes, it has some interesting things going for it, but I find it lacking in the "file management and presentation" department, and so, rarely use it.
I had hoped for some image handling enhancements in v11.1 but now its gone into "release candidate" phase, it doesn't look too promising.
I'm hoping that v12 will bring the likes of thumbnail size sliders, preservation, creation and edit of EXIF data. I find it harsh that after editing a file using MC's image editor, all tags are lost, including the files date. It's harsh because MC, by design, uses the files date to fill the [album] field. this is a very neat feature that allows us to quickly search for groups of files based around their [album] tags. Editing files using MC's internal editor causes the album tag to be changed to the date the file was saved, which in turn orphans that file from the rest of its group. At the moment, I find MC a competant image organiser, but use other software for editing to safeguard original file and tags.
3. I love the album art options. Is there to change the action of double-clicking an album image to go to the song list instead of playing the album? Or a way to toggle that option based on a custom view?
this has been added to the soon-to-be-released v11.1. Near the top of these forums, you will find the current build thread (
Media Center 11.1.89 Release Candidate).
I've been using this build since its release and have had no issues with it. v11.1 sports a new, merged media library/library browser that allows views that show album thumbs up the top, with the tracks of selected albums accessible in a list below:
4. I like the quick tag info option on the left side but is there a way to open a new window to show all of the ID3v2 tags (extended, etc.)? When you're changing a lot of fields it's hard to navigate the small list.
No.
If you look in the very top left corner of the tag info window, you will see an arrow facing down. if you click there, you will find some options that may help, "hide read-only fields" for example. You are also able to edit any visible field in your current fileist by giving it a slow-double-click. select multiple files then right click in the field you wish to edit and choose "edit selected item" to batch tag all selected files. There are many ways to access and change a file's tags, the key is to find a way that suits you best. feel free to open "how do you do yours" type of threads if your interested in comparing differing solutions to common problems (how do you handle multi-artist cd's? fx)
5. What are the cons to store the image with the file? Bigger filesize?
as far as I'm aware, that's about it (the filesize).
need more, just ask.
Seasons best to you,
-marko.