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More => Old Versions => Media Center 12 (Development Ended) => Topic started by: NickM on September 30, 2006, 10:13:29 am

Title: Library versus tags
Post by: NickM on September 30, 2006, 10:13:29 am
Following a number of earlier questions about the tag information in the "library" versus storing information in file tags, I think that there should be a high level option for library management as follows:-
1. Write all tags from the library to the underlying files ( wherever possible ).
2. Keep all the information in the library and leave the files untouched.
3. Write Idv3 ( or other sensible standards ) tags ONLY to the underlying files.

1 & 3 are process that run without user intervention.  A simple flag should indicate whether the library & tags are synchronised.
Title: Re: Library versus tags
Post by: Alex B on September 30, 2006, 11:08:57 am
Quote
3. Write Idv3 ( or other sensible standards ) tags ONLY to the underlying files.

What do you mean by this? How does it differ from the 1.?
Title: Re: Library versus tags
Post by: NickM on October 01, 2006, 07:03:15 am
It was my understanding that some custom tags could also be written to a file.  And, that some other players woudl not be able to read 'non standard' (whatever that means) tags and render the file unplayable.
In any case, I think that the writing of tags should be as much of a library service as watched folders.
Title: Re: Library versus tags
Post by: GHammer on October 01, 2006, 11:40:44 am
Tags will not make files unplayable.
It will make the info in the tags unavailable in other tools.
But, for 'normal' info, no problem.
Title: Re: Library versus tags
Post by: NickM on October 06, 2006, 05:35:20 am
Sorry Alex, I missed your earlier question.
THe difference between 1 & 3 was either writing all tags (including cusomt ones) to the underlying files or only writing some particular standard of tags to the underlying files.
Title: Re: Library versus tags
Post by: Alex B on October 06, 2006, 08:48:54 am
Sorry Alex, I missed your earlier question.
THe difference between 1 & 3 was either writing all tags (including cusomt ones) to the underlying files or only writing some particular standard of tags to the underlying files.

Actually, this has been fully configurable for ages. By default MC writes most of the possible tags to the files, but you can disable or enable each individual library field in the field specific options.

However, the ID3v2 tags in MP3 files are a bit different. Most of the tags use the standardized ID3 frames, but everything that is not included in this system goes to so called "multi-line comment frames". To write these tags to files you need to have the standard main "Comment" field enabled as well. Each time MC writes any of these tags it also rewrites the entire comment block using the library info.