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[WolfWalker]

I would like to play music on Windows media player.

[BryanC]

I firmly believe that FLAC is now the best codec to use in light of HD prices and acceptance.

In order to get Windows Media Center to play nicely with FLAC, you'll need the following:

Xiph FLAC Directshow filters: http://www.xiph.org/dshow/

WMP Tag Plus: http://bmproductions.fixnum.org/wmptagplus/

[Frobozz]

Are you doing lossless or lossy audio? 

If doing lossless I'd go with WMA-Lossless rather than FLAC.  Windows Media Player will be able to play and read the tags in WMA-Lossless.  You can get Windows Media Player to play FLAC but it won't read the tags.

For lossy I go with MP3 (LAME).  MP3 is supported by everything everywhere.  If you use a high enough bitrate, MP3 sounds fine (indistinguishable from lossless for practical purposes).

[nwboater]

Are you doing lossless or lossy audio? 

If doing lossless I'd go with WMA-Lossless rather than FLAC.  Windows Media Player will be able to play and read the tags in WMA-Lossless.  You can get Windows Media Player to play FLAC but it won't read the tags.

For lossy I go with MP3 (LAME).  MP3 is supported by everything everywhere.  If you use a high enough bitrate, MP3 sounds fine (indistinguishable from lossless for practical purposes).

I'm curious why you would choose a codec based on use of Windows Media Player when you use MC? Not trying to be flip here - just really wondering. Also a lot of hi-res downloads are only available in FLAC such as at HD Tracks.

Thanks,
Rod

[WolfWalker]

My girl friends only uses WMP. She likes it because it is very simple, sigh I have tried to teacher MC but alas she is not interested.

[Frobozz]

Just be careful with the configuration for WMP.  It has the option of updating tag info automatically from the internet, and I think that option is enabled by default.  You'll want to disable that option.  You don't want it messing up your MC library by changing the tags.

To be on the safe side I'd also look at ways to backup your tag data just in case WMP does rewrite the tags in every file.  You could probably recover in MC by doing a "Library Tools >> Update Tags (from library)", but I'd still want to have some other additional backup of the tag data just in case.

[WolfWalker]

yikes I will turn of the feature! i hate WMP with a passion.

[Frobozz]

Don't hate WMP.  There's software out there more worthy of hate -- like ALAC. 

I'm paranoid about my tags.  I'm cautious before I let a new media player load my library.  I need to make sure it's not going to alter tags unexpectedly.  WMP is one of those that can alter the artist and album tags unexpectedly if it's configured to do so.  Fortunately it has an option to disable that behavior.