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[melkiades]

Hi there,

Does anyone care to explain why iTunes is unable to import the Rating field tagged by MediaCenter?

Does this mean that:

1. itunes uses a proprietary Rating field
or
2. MC uses a proprietary Rating field
or
3. both programs use proprietary fields

I am certain that the MP3 specification has a Rating field so why the heck isn't the data stored in that field.
I know of a very long and very manual technique to circumvent this problem but I'd love to know if there's another simpler way.

As a side note, not essential to this post: I am suspecting that Apple is guilty here, they probably created their own Rating field. I think we all agree that iTunes is a piece of **** program but unfortunately, JRiver didn't care to release a patch for MC12 so we either have to wait for MC13, stop using an iPhone, or stop using iTunes.

There are bigger problems in life.
I just like whining.

Cheers,
Melkiades

[zxsix]

Hi there,

1. itunes uses a proprietary Rating field

You've chosen....door number one!!!!
Itunes writes the rating to the itunes database but does not follow the mp3 standard and therefore doesn't update the tags in the file.
This can be easily verified by rating a song in itunes, then check the timestamp on the actual file.  You'll notice it hasn't changed to the current date/time.
Also viewing the file in an mp3 tag editing program will show you that the rating field is untouched.

[melkiades]

Thank you zxsix!  Now the big question: has anyone thought of writing an app that will let you import the files into iTunes (from MC) with the Rating field set to the correct value?

If not, I'll find using that iPhone as an iPod very painful.

cheers,
melkiades

You've chosen....door number one!!!!
Itunes writes the rating to the itunes database but does not follow the mp3 standard and therefore doesn't update the tags in the file.
This can be easily verified by rating a song in itunes, then check the timestamp on the actual file.  You'll notice it hasn't changed to the current date/time.
Also viewing the file in an mp3 tag editing program will show you that the rating field is untouched.

[zxsix]

http://home.comcast.net/~teridon73/itunesscripts/

itunes_update_info script available there will force itunes to read the mp3 tags and update it's library accordingly.
This of course only provides a 1-way update.  You have to rate the song in MC, which will properly write to the file tags, then use that script to update the itunes database with the changed fields.

[glynor]

This suggestion could solve many of those problems, though it-too would probably be one-way only.

[melkiades]

A one-way solution is perfect.  I am only using iTunes because I'm forced to by Apple.
I would never use it to update my database (and I pray to God that it doesn't modify *anything* in my tags without my consent).

I tried your script and nothing happens. I clicked on the executable and all I get is a dos window with a copyright message.
Could you point me to how we should use those scripts?

Thank you!
melkiades

http://home.comcast.net/~teridon73/itunesscripts/

itunes_update_info script available there will force itunes to read the mp3 tags and update it's library accordingly.
This of course only provides a 1-way update.  You have to rate the song in MC, which will properly write to the file tags, then use that script to update the itunes database with the changed fields.

[zxsix]

A one-way solution is perfect. 

Speak for yourself.  80% of my rating is done on the itouch.  Currently I have to scroll through, song by song, and manually update the rating field in MC based off the ratings I set on the touch earlier each day.  This sux and I need 2-way sync asap.

I tried your script and nothing happens. I clicked on the executable and all I get is a dos window with a copyright message.
Could you point me to how we should use those scripts?

Not my scripts, but anyway, here's how I do it.
Update rating in MC, which updates the file tags.
Close MC.
Open itunes.
Select all the songs you want updated from the tags.  I just do ctrl-a.   I'm guessing this is the step you missed.
Launch the teridons_itunes_scripts.exe program.
Select the very bottom one, mm_rating_to_itunes.
Click the button to run the script.
Subwindow pops open and the perl script does it's thing.

[LedZep]

Hi,
just run into this thread.

What I would be interested in, is just the opposite way:
how  do I get the ratings from my ipod touch to MC12 ?

I am am absolutely no freak knowing about scripts or perl or anything like that.

My care is about music, and I have a lot on my server at home.
I use my iPod to listen to "the many tons" of old new music while I'm traveling.
So I use the rating to seperate the good from the bad and the ugly.

Anyway, after every trip I have to sit down, open iTunes, look for the newly rated songs, open MC12 look up  the same songs and transfer every single star manually ....

Man, that can't be !!!
First man on the moon in 1969 - now it's 40 years down the line and these simple things don't work !

Any ideas that could solve my problem ?
And is has to be simple - don't want to spend my time crosschecking everything a dozen times until a small seeed of faith is growing ;-))
... or worse:  cleaning up a mess of corrupted files ...

Thanks
LedZep

[zxsix]

Hi,
just run into this thread.

What I would be interested in, is just the opposite way:
how  do I get the ratings from my ipod touch to MC12 ?

I am am absolutely no freak knowing about scripts or perl or anything like that.

My care is about music, and I have a lot on my server at home.
I use my iPod to listen to "the many tons" of old new music while I'm traveling.
So I use the rating to seperate the good from the bad and the ugly.

Anyway, after every trip I have to sit down, open iTunes, look for the newly rated songs, open MC12 look up  the same songs and transfer every single star manually ....

Man, that can't be !!!
First man on the moon in 1969 - now it's 40 years down the line and these simple things don't work !

Any ideas that could solve my problem ?
And is has to be simple - don't want to spend my time crosschecking everything a dozen times until a small seeed of faith is growing ;-))
... or worse:  cleaning up a mess of corrupted files ...

Thanks
LedZep

It doesn't work because Apple chose not to follow a long-established standard in mp3 tagging.
To get it done would require some scripting.  I haven't found one yet.