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[ADDiCT]

I hate to write this, but i'm still having massive problems synching my iPod with 11.1.108.

As i reported before, as soon as i plugin the iPod and MC recognizes the device, MC's CPU usage goes up to 100% and MC "blocks" (no screen redraws, not reacting to mouse clicks). After about 5 minutes (!), CPU usage drops, and MC responds again. The long wait time occurs with nearly every iPod-related operation. For example, after changing settings in "Tools/Options/Handhelds", and then clicking "OK", MC will block again for at least 5 minutes.

Another effect i've noticed is that ratings are not synched back to MC's database correctly. This is difficult to explain, here's what i did: yesterday, synched with 11.1.92 (this build works perfectly for me). After that, changed some ratings in MC (no changes on the iPod). Installed 11.1.108, docked iPod, waited through the "block times". After that, all ratings i've changed inside MC between synching with 11.1.92 and docking the iPod with 11.1.108 are back to their previous values. Do i make sense here?

As i wrote before, i do not have any of these effects with 11.1.92. With this build, there are minimal "block times" (although the build "feels" a little bit slower than the newer ones). Btw, my iTunesDB is 6.793.238 bytes in size. Additional info can be found in the thread "iPod problem".

[Matt]

Again, please do testing in a library without 800+ smartlists.  We need to know if that is the issue.

Also, use the log to see what MC is working on when it's "stuck."  Other people aren't seeing this, so there's something special about your library or hardware.

Thanks.

[ADDiCT]

Thanks for the reply, Matt. I'll do my best to help identifying what might be the problem here. It's quite difficult to explain all that stuff, as english is not my native language.

OK, another test. This morning, quickly synched with 11.1.92 (after the unsuccessful test with 11.1.108). The sync went perfectly, i was listening to the tracks on my iPod until 5 minutes ago (meaning, the sync went ok).

Now, i've installed 11.1.108 "over" 11.1.92, and cloned the library again (library files on local hd, 90 files with ~ 27 MB, ). Btw, I'm trying to sync ~ 590 smart- and playlist (about 98% being smartlists with tracks in random order) out of the ~ 800 i have. One interesting thing might be that ~ 90% of the "iPod-smartlists" are referencing to one "master" playlist containing all tracks I want to have on the iPod.

After cloning the library, started MC, activated logging, expanded the "playlists" node in the tree, and clicked on the node where my "iPod-smartlists" are stored.  This is the first occurrance of "blocking" (MC uses 100% CPU, and is unresponsive to anything but "end task"). After ~ 7 minutes (!), MC becomes responsive again, allowing me to delete the "iPod-Smartlists". This is where MC "blocks" again, but only for ~ 60 seconds.

Now it gets interesting: docked the iPod (USB 2.0, no hub = full port speed), waited a few seconds until MC recognized the iPod, then MC "blocked" again for about 60 seconds. After that, MC became responsive again. This "blocking time" seems to be the time MC needs to analyze which files have been rated or played on the iPod. The few tracks i was mentioning in a previous post now had their "old" rating (I can only assume that MC overwrites the library rating with the old one from the iPod). My PC and the iPod are set to the same date and time (+- some minutes).

Matt, it seems the problem _is_ connected to the smartlists, but there seems to be something else (the rating-thing). I don't think i'm using any "perverted" smartlists, though. The typical query is something like "rating 4, keyword 'party', tracks are in the master playlist, random sorting". I'm also using quite a lot of user-defined fields for filtering.

Another test, just to be sure: removed the iPod, cleared the log, restarted MC, and switched back to the library with the many smartlists. Updated the tags of the wrong rated tracks, and inserted the iPod again. Result: ~ 5 minutes of "blocking time", but all tracks with correct rating, as far as i can tell (now, this is _really_ strange). Now, i went to "Tools/Options/Handhelds", and just clicked on "OK" to close the dialog. Result: ~ 2m30s "blocking time". A click on the "iPod"-node in the tree produced a "blocking time" of ~ 2m30s. Minimized MC, maximized it, and again got ~ 2m30s blocking time. Clicked on "playing now", and clicked again on the "iPod"-node -> ~ 2m30s blocking time. This happens every time i switch between these two nodes, and the "blocking time" is alway around 2m30s.

 It starts to get really annoying when, for example, i minimize MC, maximize it again, and try to click on, for example, the "Help" menu item. This gives me 2m30s blocking time, again. Are you starting to see the problem here? 

I do not have any of these problems with 11.1.92. There are "blocking times" when clicking on the node containing all the "iPod smartlists", but i'd say this is acceptable and somwehat logical, because MC has to fetch all files for all smartlists, sort the files, etc. Besides that, there are short "blocking times" just before a sync operation, but this is also acceptable, as MC has to compare files, etc. Besides these minor annoyances, 11.1.92 is running perfectly smooth for me. This is the reason why I do _not_ believe the problem is connected to my library or hardware. Being a logical thinking guy, the only variable I can see here is MC's version (11.1.92 vs 11.1.108, or 11.1.106).

I've saved the two seperate logfiles (with/without smartlists), is there a ftp server or something similar where i can upload them? Please let me know if there's anything else I can do.

My system info (the machine is a stock FSC "work computer", apart from HD and DVD-drive, using the latest reference drivers from FSC):

Media Center Registered 11.1.108 -- C:\Programme\J River\Media Center 11\

Microsoft Windows XP  Workstation 5.1 Service Pack 1 (Build 2600)
Intel Pentium 4 1986 MHz MMX / Memory: Total - 515 MB, Free - 190 MB

Internet Explorer: 6.0.2800.1106 / ComCtl32.dll: 5.82.2800 / Shlwapi.dll: 6.0.2800 / Shell32.dll: 6.0.2800 / wnaspi32.dll: N/A
Ripping /   Drive E:   Mode:Normal  Type:Auto  Speed:Max
  Drive F:   Mode:Normal  Type:Auto  Speed:Max
  Digital playback: Yes /  Use YADB: Yes /  Get cover art: No /  Calc replay gain: Yes /  Copy volume: 32767
  Eject after ripping: Yes /  Play sound after ripping: No 

Burning /  Drive E: _NEC     DVD_RW ND-4550A    Addr: 1:0:0  Speed:9  MaxSpeed:9  BurnProof:Yes
  Test mode: No /  Eject after writing: Yes /  Direct decoding: No /  Write CD-Text: Yes
  Use playback settings: No /

[Matt]

Could you email the logs and a library backup to matt @ jriver.com

I'm wondering if something changed that caused smartlist evaluation to be slow for you.  This would cause a slowdown anytime MC was updating what files to sync to a handheld.  This runs in the main thread, but usually takes less than a few tenths of a second.

Almost any other handheld operation is threaded, so even if it was slow, it wouldn't block MC.

Thanks again.

[ADDiCT]

OK, i'll send the files to your email adress.

I'm wondering if something changed that caused smartlist evaluation to be slow for you.  This would cause a slowdown anytime MC was updating what files to sync to a handheld.  This runs in the main thread, but usually takes less than a few tenths of a second.

Just a quick note on that: the smartlists seem to be part of the prob, but i also had "blocking" during my "library-without-smartlists-tests" (it's the part in my long post where i minimize/maximize MC etc. with the iPod docked, and get 2m30s "blocking time" with nearly every iPod-related operation). As 11.1.108 runs quite good until the moment i dock the iPod, i'd say the way iPod files are handled in recent MC versions is the "source of evil" for me  . For example, could it be possible that older MC builds are identifying tracks in the iPod by "parsing" single files, where recent builds are "parsing" the playlists on the iPod? As i did the tests with my "normal" iPod  (all smartlists on the device, ~ 39GB mp3s), this could be a possible explanation for the effects i'm seeing.

[serf]

No specifics, but a general impression that recent builds of MC 11.1 are much "slower" with a 5G or a Nano connected.  Can't place when the slowdown started.

[ADDiCT]

No specifics, but a general impression that recent builds of MC 11.1 are much "slower" with a 5G or a Nano connected.  Can't place when the slowdown started.

Thanks serf, i'm slowly starting to feel like a lunatic here - aren't there any iPod users with simliar troubles (slowdown, "blocking" of MC)? I've read some iPod photo related threads, and i have the strong feeling that theer is something wrong in recent builds. I just hope we will be able to identify the problem, 'cause for tech-savvy and music-addicted iPod users, there's simply no real alternative to MC.