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Author Topic: Laptop syncing, possible?  (Read 2491 times)

Marty3d

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Laptop syncing, possible?
« on: August 18, 2006, 06:18:05 am »

Hi!

I am a total newbie when it comes to syncing with MC. I use no devices like MP3 players.

But now, I'm about to move and I'd like to know if I can sync my laptop with my main MC machine. Before, I used to connect my laptop to Library server, but I don't have that option in a while (no internet connection in my new flat).

My idea is to transfer a playlist+files a day to my laptop so I can listen to music while working. Then after a day of hard work, I connect the laptop to the desktop MC and transfer the file info so MC library is updated with the changes made on my laptop.

Is this possible or am I missing the point of syncing?

Thanks!
/Martin
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hit_ny

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Re: Laptop syncing, possible?
« Reply #1 on: August 18, 2006, 09:07:13 am »

But now, I'm about to move and I'd like to know if I can sync my laptop with my main MC machine. Before, I used to connect my laptop to Library server, but I don't have that option in a while (no internet connection in my new flat).
Exactly the question i've been thinking about recently.

You're on the road, you have MC on the laptop. There is no way to use library server as there is no network connection available.

When you return home, how do you sync the library on the laptop with the desktop at home and have tags, ratings, playcounts etc updated.

Two cases
- stuff that is only on the laptop and not on the desktop yet.
MPL could work here, on the road, listen to the albums, then save to mpl in each album folder. Copy dirs to desktop and import the folders with the mpl. You would need to create a similar directory structure on the desktop for the purposes of the import.

- stuff that's on both machines.
MPL won't work here as MC does not allow to *update* existing items. Maybe the library server is an option in this case as you would be at home at this point.

Is it possible to sync the laptop's database with MC's library server in this case ?
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John Gateley

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Re: Laptop syncing, possible?
« Reply #2 on: August 18, 2006, 10:27:06 am »

I just did this (well, started it, it takes a while) last night, it's very cool.

On your laptop, export a folder to hold the music (I named mine Media)

On your home system, create a playlist with the music you want to sync (I used a smartlist with no rules to get all my music, pictures, and video).

On your home system, click Tools->Options, then Handheld, then Add Device. Choose a name and for the path, use \\laptop\Media (where laptop is the name of your laptop, and Media is the name of the exported folder).

Then set the conversion options and file naming options (I had to convert my ape to mp3 because my laptop drive is too small).

Then sync.

j

hit_ny

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Re: Laptop syncing, possible?
« Reply #3 on: August 18, 2006, 11:45:05 am »

When syncing from a MC to other, what is the default flow of information.

Is it

from MC where sync is executed--->other ?

or

MC where sync is executed<---from other ?
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Matt

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Re: Laptop syncing, possible?
« Reply #4 on: August 19, 2006, 08:19:28 am »

MC pushes data to laptops or handhelds.  It isn't currently able to pull files back.
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Matt Ashland, JRiver Media Center

park

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Re: Laptop syncing, possible?
« Reply #5 on: August 19, 2006, 08:30:47 am »

Does that mean that it doesnt update tag changes the next time you synch the desktop to the laptop?

Assuming it were possible to get last played, ratings, etc. back from the laptop, I'm wondering what kind of library you'd have loaded on the laptop. Since files would always be different each time you synched it, you would need some kind of dynamic library that only shows you the files on the machine at the current time.

And you'd have to make all your custom tags again, if you wanted to be able to navigate in exactly the same way.

I'm figuring that a cloned library of the desktop one, with a "file exists" filter in the viewscheme properties. But that wouldnt get around the change in drive letters for paths.
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Marty3d

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Re: Laptop syncing, possible?
« Reply #6 on: August 19, 2006, 12:21:01 pm »

MC pushes data to laptops or handhelds.  It isn't currently able to pull files back.

Does this mean that s sync to a laptop actually is a mere copying of files? Why not use "Library Tools > Copy Disk File..." instead? What's the difference?
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Marty3d

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Re: Laptop syncing, possible?
« Reply #7 on: August 28, 2006, 09:48:45 am »

Anyone that could shed some light on this?

/Martin
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