INTERACT FORUM
Devices => Androids and other portables => Topic started by: holsen on September 21, 2019, 05:56:06 pm
-
I recently upgraded from MC21 to MC25 where I used to Sync a couple of different devices. My phone in particular synced no problem with MC21 but now with same phone and same playlist / files I get sync errors - file format not supported. Nothing has changed except the MC version. All files are ALAC and th phone CAN play them. Any ideas? Thanks.
-
In the options for sync, you can set the file types that it should support.
-
In the options for sync, you can set the file types that it should support.
Thanks, I'm pretty sure I've done that. I've it it to "original" and ALAC. The original is Alac, the player / phone supports ALAC so I really cant figure out what the problem is. Its the same phone and same library that I was using with MC21 - the only thing that changed is the MC version....
-
That "Supported types" setting is based on file extensions I believe, and not internal file type, which is actually shown in the [Compression] field. The file extension indicates the audio file container format, and not the Codec, which is what ALAC is. I don't have any ALAC here to check what that looks like at the moment, but I think you will need to add "M4A" as a supported file type, for example. Some ALAC files have the extension ".alac", but that is less common, and I don't think it is a standard convention.
The previous setting should have come across from MC21 during the upgrade, but sometimes the MC installation doesn't find the previous version, in which case it is best to make a Library Backup in MC21 and Restore it with settings in MC25.
If you had to re-import media files into MC25, then the installation didn't find the previous Library. But sometimes settings don't all seem to come across either, maybe due to functionality changes.
Anyway, check what extension your ALAC files use and add that to the setting in "Options > Handheld > Files, Paths, & More > Supported Types".
-
Anyway, check what extension your ALAC files use and add that to the setting in "Options > Handheld > Files, Paths, & More > Supported Types".
Thank you! Yes, that did it. Syncing just fine now uncompressed. But now I have follow up question you might be able to help me with. To get some files on, I needed to do some converted to flac and some to mp3. Now I've got some duplicates in the library, called a "stack" I think with the orginal file and a copy of the converted file. Is there an easy way to delete all the "Stacked" files?
-
I'm a bit rusty on Stacks, because while I did investigate them for a while, partly for use with Handheld Sync, I don't use them anymore. But here goes...
Stacks are described in the Wiki, although it is a little out of date with respect to the Handheld Cache and Stacks. See https://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Stacks
Take particular note of the "Searching for Stacks" section, and very specifically the thread linked to in that section. It describes how to search for Stacks, and even how to find duplicates. Using that you should be able to create a Smartlist or View and see all files that are in Stacks. If you copy the "Audio > Files" View to a new View and then add those conditions (expression), then it is easy to check that you are only looking at the original file and the stacked mp3's, and then restrict the View to just mp3's using the top pane using the "File Type" column, and then delete the mp3's.
Just be careful not to delete mp3's which aren't duplicates, and are the only original copy you have! :o
I created an Albums of duplicate mp3's manually using MC's conversion utility, stacked them, and then used the above to find them all and delete them. So it works.
I believe that Handheld Sync now uses the normal audio cache, if it is turned on. There is no setting in my Handheld Sync options for me, as described in the Wiki. Maybe because I have turned off the audio cache in "Options > File Location > Conversion Cache > Audio" by setting it to "None". If you don't want to produce duplicates in your Library, and particularly don't want Stacks, turn the cache off yourself. I have it turned off as MC will use any file of the correct file type that it finds in there during conversion, and that may mean I don't get the desired sample rate and bit depth files I want.
BTW, have you read the "Sync Handheld" Wiki and "Handheld Sync Options" articles? They are pretty good and worth reviewing now and then.
https://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Sync_Handheld
https://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Handheld_Sync_Options