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Author Topic: Major issues with m4p (iTunes) audio files  (Read 3091 times)

BartMan01

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Major issues with m4p (iTunes) audio files
« on: August 17, 2008, 11:31:22 pm »

Never been a huge fan of the iTunes DRMed files, but my wife likes the whole 'ease of use' factor of the iTunes store to get music for her iPod and iPhone.  She purchased a bunch of songs over the last week and I am trying to get them in to MC12.  When importing into MC12 Vista keeps switching in to and out of the basic color scheme for each file processed.  When playing the tracks in MC12 - Vista switches to basic color until I exit MC12.  Even worse, while importing or trying to play these tracks windows is blue-screening from time to time when MC tries to access the track.  The songs also don't play properly in MC12 (the audio is choppy and intermittent).

After doing anything with the m4p files in MC12, iTunes no longer recognizes my user account and proceeds to delete all the DRMed tracks and the apps off of my devices.  Losing the apps is a major pain since when they re-install they don't go back to where they were on the screen.

There are no issues accessing/playing/etc these files directly in iTunes.

Running the current versions of MC12 and iTunes (as of 8/17).
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BartMan01

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Re: Major issues with m4p (iTunes) audio files
« Reply #1 on: August 19, 2008, 12:53:46 am »

Anyone sucessfully using M4P files with MC12 (current versions of MC12 and iTunes)?
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Yaobing

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Re: Major issues with m4p (iTunes) audio files
« Reply #2 on: August 19, 2008, 08:42:01 am »

Anyone sucessfully using M4P files with MC12 (current versions of MC12 and iTunes)?

With my few (very few) samples of m4p files, I have no problem. M4P files must be played in Quicktime engine.
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BartMan01

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Re: Major issues with m4p (iTunes) audio files
« Reply #3 on: August 19, 2008, 12:44:24 pm »

Are you by chance running Vista?

I have uncheked the items in the direct show setup that are supposed to be related to Quicktime files, but these are under the Video settings and this is an audio track.  I don't see any options for explicitly telling MC how to handle audio files.  The log files do seem to indicate that the quicktime engine is being used for these files.

Any advice on how to troubleshoot this?  Am I better off just handling the small (but growing) selection of m4p files w/o bringing MC12 in to the loop?
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glynor

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Re: Major issues with m4p (iTunes) audio files
« Reply #4 on: August 21, 2008, 12:23:09 am »

Sorry... I can't help, really.  I did have a question, though.

Since the Amazon MP3 Store has:

a) generally more content
b) always higher quality files
c) no DRM, so more flexible files, certainly including iPod and iTunes support (including auto-importing if you use the Amazon Downloader)
d) generally cheaper prices, both for per-track files and full albums
e) it is Amazon, so you probably also already have an account there.

What exactly about the iTunes store does she like more?  I'm just wondering what causes some people to prefer the iTunes store.  Is it just that she uses iTunes and it is "just there", so she's never really gone elsewhere?  Or has she tried the Amazon store, and not liked it?
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BartMan01

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Re: Major issues with m4p (iTunes) audio files
« Reply #5 on: August 21, 2008, 12:44:35 pm »

When the system doesn't blue-screen when working with the files in MC12, it is now getting this:

Problem signature:
  Problem Event Name:   APPCRASH
  Application Name:   JRWorker.exe
  Application Version:   0.0.0.0
  Application Timestamp:   489a14ba
  Fault Module Name:   QuickTime.qts
  Fault Module Version:   7.50.61.0
  Fault Module Timestamp:   4837d2bc
  Exception Code:   c0000005
  Exception Offset:   00069d93
  OS Version:   6.0.6001.2.1.0.256.1
  Locale ID:   1033
  Additional Information 1:   1784
  Additional Information 2:   09fdf96a7b3079790c7f8fa383dee558
  Additional Information 3:   4d90
  Additional Information 4:   eefa1d186b8ee56ab3caef4ad4c7b8d1
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JimH

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Re: Major issues with m4p (iTunes) audio files
« Reply #6 on: August 21, 2008, 12:46:18 pm »

Can you play the file in QT?
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BartMan01

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Re: Major issues with m4p (iTunes) audio files
« Reply #7 on: August 21, 2008, 12:58:46 pm »

What exactly about the iTunes store does she like more?  I'm just wondering what causes some people to prefer the iTunes store.  Is it just that she uses iTunes and it is "just there", so she's never really gone elsewhere?  Or has she tried the Amazon store, and not liked it?

For the non-technically inclined iTunes makes the process a no brainer.  Easy to find and purchase what you want, and then the tracks are 'just there' when you are done with the purchase (nothing else do to get the music in your library).  That and the fact that it is built in to iTunes puts it 'in your face' when working with the library.  

I am not saying that Amazon is hard to use but:
#1 Just pulling the stuff up in your music program (iTunes on her Mac) and buying it right there and having it add to your library automatically vs:
#2 Open up a web browser, find and buy the music, then manually add the music to your library

#2 is not THAT much harder, but for someone who is non-technical and just wants it to be easy and work #1 wins out because it is easier and already in front of you.

I have explained to her the issues with DRM, but that is one of those things that most people just don't get until they are bit by it - and that won't happen until the first time she wants to use the tracks outside of the iTunes/Apple infrastructure.
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BartMan01

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Re: Major issues with m4p (iTunes) audio files
« Reply #8 on: August 21, 2008, 12:59:36 pm »

Can you play the file in QT?

Yes, all the files work/play fine in Quicktime and on the iPod.
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bjurry

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Re: Major issues with m4p (iTunes) audio files
« Reply #9 on: September 27, 2008, 01:53:53 am »

Quote
Yes, all the files work/play fine in Quicktime and on the iPod.

The issue I have is the MC plays m4a and m4p without problems, but my iPod doesn't want to play them (when connected to my car audio system)... I still want to run some tests before I possibly post an issue but am curious if this issue is shared with anyone else?
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Yaobing

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Re: Major issues with m4p (iTunes) audio files
« Reply #10 on: September 27, 2008, 10:15:48 am »

I have uncheked the items in the direct show setup that are supposed to be related to Quicktime files, but these are under the Video settings and this is an audio track.  I don't see any options for explicitly telling MC how to handle audio files.  The log files do seem to indicate that the quicktime engine is being used for these files.

Any advice on how to troubleshoot this?  Am I better off just handling the small (but growing) selection of m4p files w/o bringing MC12 in to the loop?

All DirectShow settings are in one place, under Video, even for audio files (for example m4a). m4p type is not even on the DirectShow option. They are automatically played using Quicktime engine.

It could be a Quicktime/Vista issue. I have been able to run Quicktime (and MC playing QT file types) on Vista until a few days ago, when I tried to update QT to the latest version. Now Quicktime itself would not even run on my Vista machine, and MC would naturally not even find Quicktime engine when playing a Quicktime file.

Apple must have broken Quicktime on Vista.
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Yaobing Deng, JRiver Media Center
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