Topic: m4a tags not recognised by media center (Read 5534 times)

Eddienyc1 · « **on:** May 06, 2006, 09:25:56 am »

I 'm importing m4a files (mp4 files from Nero which I renamed using "tag&rename" software) into media center 11, but even though media center can play the songs teh tag information isn't being imported or displayed. th etags look fine when viewing the songs in Itunes, DBpoweramp, etc, but Media center isn't recognising them. Does anyone know if
there is a setting, or a plug-in I need to get this working?
thanks.

Yaobing · « **Reply #1 on:** May 06, 2006, 11:26:58 am »

Most tags should be read by MC. There has been some improvement in MC 11.1. If you are not using 11.1, please use it. The improvement was related to custom tags. Are you not able to get any tag at all, or just some of the tags?

Eddienyc1 · « **Reply #2 on:** May 06, 2006, 11:42:14 am »

I'm using MC 11.1, just downloaded it 2 days ago. I'm not getting any of the tags on these files within MC, but they all display in itunes, or when I pass my mouse over the music files on my desktop.

Yaobing · « **Reply #3 on:** May 06, 2006, 10:16:15 pm »

Tags in my m4a files are read properly in MC.

Try selecting the files and performing an "Update Library (from Tags)".

Eddienyc1 · « **Reply #4 on:** May 07, 2006, 10:29:14 am »

I tried that and the MC still does not recognise the tags.
It seems that if I use Nero to recode the files to MP4 (and then tag the files using Tag&Rename) the tags do not get recognised by MC. If I do the same with Itunes encoded MP4 files MC recognises the tags just fine. Could there be a compatibility problem with Nero encoded MP4 (M4A) files and MC?

Yaobing · « **Reply #5 on:** May 08, 2006, 08:21:50 am »

Quote from: Eddienyc1 on May 07, 2006, 10:29:14 am

Could there be a compatibility problem with Nero encoded MP4 (M4A) files and MC?

That appears to be the problem.

xenaudio · « **Reply #6 on:** May 08, 2006, 07:40:18 pm »

Apparently I'm having this problem too, and it looks like it is a compatibility with Nero encoded files

Encoder: Nero AAC Codec 2.5.5.3

Though I'm a little perplexed, MC did handled these files just fine in the past.
(this was about 5 months ago, before I upgraded it to the latest version as of two days ago.)
Today I decided to re-import those files and now MC won't read the tags at all.

Matt · « **Reply #7 on:** May 09, 2006, 05:56:30 pm »

Quote from: xenaudio on May 08, 2006, 07:40:18 pm

Apparently I'm having this problem too, and it looks like it is a compatibility with Nero encoded files

Encoder: Nero AAC Codec 2.5.5.3

Though I'm a little perplexed, MC did handled these files just fine in the past.
(this was about 5 months ago, before I upgraded it to the latest version as of two days ago.)
Today I decided to re-import those files and now MC won't read the tags at all.

Please send a sample file to yaobing at jriver dot com.

Thanks.

xenaudio · « **Reply #8 on:** May 09, 2006, 06:18:21 pm »

Quote from: Matt on May 09, 2006, 05:56:30 pm

Please send a sample file to yaobing at jriver dot com.

Thanks.

Email sent with a link to download a sample file from my server.

Yaobing · « **Reply #9 on:** May 10, 2006, 11:51:11 am »

Thanks for the sample file.

I see what the problem is. It does not have anything to do with whether the file was encoded with Nero or iTunes. It only is related to the file extension, m4a vs. mp4.

mp4 is by default classified as video in MC (a lot of podcast video use mp4 extension).

You have two options:

1. Rename the file extension to m4a.

2. Tools -> Options ... -> Playback -> DirectShow Playback Settings ...

Check "Try using DirectShow for playback of mp4 media".

Using this option we are able to distinguish audio mp4 from video mp4 better. You must however make sure you have needed DirectShow filters.

xenaudio · « **Reply #10 on:** May 10, 2006, 12:53:54 pm »

Wow, that was simple. You're right, renaming the file extension to m4a actually fixed the problem for me.

Well that certainly helps! Thank you.

mabes · « **Reply #11 on:** May 13, 2006, 06:14:27 pm »

I tried both and neither worked. My files are named m4p, not mp4

Yaobing · « **Reply #12 on:** May 13, 2006, 10:56:27 pm »

Quote from: mabes on May 13, 2006, 06:14:27 pm

I tried both and neither worked. My files are named m4p, not mp4

Do you have iTunes installed? m4p files are entirely different. They are protected and requires iTunes/Quicktime to play.

darichman · « **Reply #13 on:** May 14, 2006, 02:35:58 am »

Quick question!

Is MC11.1 capable of writing tag information to m4a files? I ask because when I move an m4a file externally and reimport, the updated tag information is lost and reverts to the original tag (ie the one that existed before I imported and updated).

Hope that makes sense

trott · « **Reply #14 on:** May 14, 2006, 03:35:39 am »

I have just encoded some cd's to m4a using nero's new command-line encoder. I have tagged them with foobar2000, mp3tag and tag&rename. In every case, MC refuses to read the tags. (I always did an 'update library from tags' after re-tagging). The import of these files also took a verrrrry long time. (about an hour for 108 songs).
Renaming to m4a, well, they were already m4a. enabling the mp4 directshow option also gave no result.
I have one of the files here. As you can see in this image:

no tags are recognized...I can, however, read the tags using itunes, foobar2000 or any of the tagging programs I used.
When I play the files in MC, they are played back using directshow instead of quicktime, as they should.

Strangely enough, when using mp4ip's mp4creator -optimize on the files, the tags get read correctly after updating from tags in MC...However, mp4info showed the tags correctly before optimizing the file. (and let's not forget that itunes showed them too before optimizing...not to mention that I did not find a way to detect the problem with mp4ip tools.)

Quote from: darichman on May 14, 2006, 02:35:58 am

Quick question!

Is MC11.1 capable of writing tag information to m4a files?
Hope that makes sense

As far as I understand it, it does not and might take a while to get implemented...

Yaobing · « **Reply #15 on:** May 14, 2006, 08:56:44 am »

Quote from: trott on May 14, 2006, 03:35:39 am

As far as I understand it, it does not and might take a while to get implemented...

That is correct.

Thanks for the sample file. I will take a look tomorrow.

Yaobing · « **Reply #16 on:** May 16, 2006, 12:16:23 am »

Quote from: trott on May 14, 2006, 03:35:39 am

I have one of the files here.

This file has tags written at the end of the file. Our code could only read tags written at the beginning of the file. This is now fixed (in the next build 11.1.185 or later).

trott · « **Reply #17 on:** May 16, 2006, 12:54:18 am »

that explains why mp4creator can fix it. Is there an easy way to check whether tags are at the beginning?

Yaobing · « **Reply #18 on:** May 16, 2006, 08:15:26 am »

Quote from: trott on May 16, 2006, 12:54:18 am

that explains why mp4creator can fix it. Is there an easy way to check whether tags are at the beginning?

I do not know any good way of doing that.

PPatla · « **Reply #19 on:** July 04, 2006, 01:46:01 pm »

I am having problems where files ripped with Exact Audio Copy and encoded by LAME 3.98 then taggec with Tag & Rename RC1 show up correctly everywhere by MC 11.1

I've been using MC 11.1 for ever and all of a sudden I've noticed this weird behaviour

these are just plain MP3 tags not m4as

MS Media Player sees them correctly
iTunes sees them correctly
MC 11.1 is pulling up the old tags before Tag and Rename renamed them properly

so they are showing up as Track01 for example instead of the title

trott · « **Reply #20 on:** July 04, 2006, 02:36:59 pm »

select the files, right-click them and do a 'library tools - update library from tags' (or something like that)

PPatla · « **Reply #21 on:** July 04, 2006, 03:17:02 pm »

Been there done that, still don't bring in the proper tag...

The old ones really seem to stick even though everything else reads them....

:-(

AustinBike · « **Reply #22 on:** July 04, 2006, 04:43:21 pm »

Maybe it is because you name them with track - title - artist.

Try coverting them all over to artist - title because all of the cool kids do it that way

PPatla · « **Reply #23 on:** July 04, 2006, 05:26:52 pm »

Um yeah... How about if I can just figure out how to be as cool as you!

:-)

(Smartie Pants)

Just to be clear, I did rename them all with Tag & Rename RC1 after just ripping them with Exact Audio Copy because of CDDB being belly up, I went ahead and ripped them with no tags and then put the tags using T&R and the amazon database...

Everything sees them fine except the MC 11.1 (.183 .185 .188 all tried) builds.....

I don't want to have to re tag my 550GB database....

INTERACT FORUM

Author Topic: m4a tags not recognised by media center (Read 5534 times)