Audio Players that reads iTunes AAC Metadata

[blueandwhiteg3]

Does anybody know of an audio player that actually reads the iTunes AAC metadata?

Everything I have tried can ply the file, but cannot read the artist, album, etc.

Ideas, anybody?

EDIT to UPDATE:
The solution is GSPlayer with the AAC plugin, reads AAC metadata perfectly: http://hp.vector.co.jp/authors/VA032810/

[Karmashock]

Honestly, I've had much better luck just converting out of all the weird itunes formats into mp3.


I know... I know... you don't wanta... Understand these odd formats is part of how apple tries to keep you using ipods and itunes. So the moment you see players that can handle it all apple will just change something.

Having trouble with AAC? Try .m4b ... or any of the other odd formats... it's hopeless.


Anyway, several PPC music players do handle AAC, but I personally think it's a bad reason to use a player.

Pocket music and GSPlayer both support AAC for example... I'm not a fan of either. GSPlayer is very good for internet music streams but is a poor player in most other situations because it's hard to control with your fingers or thumb if you're driving and want to change a track.

Anyway, best of luck... and take my advice, just get good at converting files. I have about four different programs that when used together turn everything into high quality MP3's properly normalized compatible with everything. Stay with the odd itunes file types and your options will always be limited.

[blueandwhiteg3]

AAC is not an "odd format." It is MPEG-4 Audio. MP3 was a previous generation of MPEG audio. AAC represents a very substantial increase in quality for a given bitrate. Apple is not attempting any lock-in anymore than a vendor who uses MPEG-4 video is attempting lock-in. They simply want to offer the best standard format available. AAC isn't exactly new, either.

That said, I completely agree when it comes to DRM. It is all about lock-in and reselling you the same content over and over. But that's why I have no DRM'd files.

It is most frustrating that Windows Media Player and such can play the files, no problem, but cannot read the metadata. I could probably write a parser for it myself, it's pretty simple... if I knew how to actually implement it in a WM application.

I don't think i've tried GSPlayer. I will see if it reads metadata. Pocket Music plays AAC but doesn't read the metadata.

[riviera]

The latest version of TCMP with the aac plugin will play them, right?
http://discussion.treocentral.com/sh...=148801&page=1

[Karmashock]

Originally Posted by blueandwhiteg3

AAC is not an "odd format."

It's not nearly as widely supported as MP3. Furthermore, your PPC is not going to deliver audio quality good enough that you'll notice the difference between AAC and MP3... so it's really the only reason to leave it in AAC on the PPC (currently) is because you don't feel like converting your files.

As to apple locking people into their device, I disagree. AAC might not be a good example but there are many other common itunes formats that are very very poorly supported elsewhere.

As to AAC being new, it's not new but it's not standard either.

That said, I completely agree when it comes to DRM. It is all about lock-in and reselling you the same content over and over. But that's why I have no DRM'd files.

If you're getting your music off of the internet legally that often means converting it. While you're stripping the DRM off a file you might as well put it in a problem free format.

I listen to a lot of audio books on my PPC and I'm often dealing with the aforementioned m4b files... which are very poorly supported off of ipods.

I personally use Mortplayer because it's very car friendly... and there's no place my media is more required then on long car drives. Sadly it's lacking on some of the more sophisticated features... but if you want a player that's stable, has great skins, and has bookmarking... it's the best.

[blueandwhiteg3]

Apple DRM-free music is in AAC. I encode my CDs in AAC. AAC sounds noticeably better than MP3 at the mid-range bitrates, even on my handheld. I already am going for higher bitrate (e.g. 192 kbit) AACs and to get acceptable sounding MP3s, I need at least as much bitrate, if not more. And I still know the quality has dropped.

Re-encoding my music is simply frustrating. I suppose if I had software that dynamically re-encoded the music files as they synced from the playlist, I would be less annoyed. But keeping two copies*of my whole library, or re-encoding everything every time I want to sync a new playlist, that just sucks.

You guys are making a ton of excuses for something that should be a non-issue. AAC playback is trivial. There's solid open source libraries for both encoding and decoding it. The standard is open. It is even built into WM6 with WMP.

The problem is not AAC as a format so much. The problem is that none of the software decodes the metadata.

[Karmashock]

Originally Posted by blueandwhiteg3

Apple DRM-free music is in AAC. I encode my CDs in AAC. AAC sounds noticeably better than MP3 at the mid-range bitrates, even on my handheld. I already am going for higher bitrate (e.g. 192 kbit) AACs and to get acceptable sounding MP3s, I need at least as much bitrate, if not more. And I still know the quality has dropped.

Re-encoding my music is simply frustrating. I suppose if I had software that dynamically re-encoded the music files as they synced from the playlist, I would be less annoyed. But keeping two copies*of my whole library, or re-encoding everything every time I want to sync a new playlist, that just sucks.

I'd really really really be surprised if you could tell the difference on 6700 between an AAC and an MP3 of similar file size.

The problem is not AAC as a format so much. The problem is that none of the software decodes the metadata.

I'm at a loss as to why that's really a problem... what meta data specifically do you feel you're missing in your 6700 music listening experience?

The meta data is really only useful for sorting... a feature that can be easily emulated by making a few appropriately titled playlists.

[ScandaLex]

I have more than 200 audiobooks on my iPod; all on m4b format. Any other format, and they wont appear as audiobooks, but as songs.

Originally Posted by Karmashock

I listen to a lot of audio books on my PPC and I'm often dealing with the aforementioned m4b files... which are very poorly supported off of ipods.

Due to the fact that m4b is supported for iPod, I dont see how/why you say it isnt.

Originally Posted by Karmashock

I'm at a loss as to why that's really a problem... what meta data specifically do you feel you're missing in your 6700 music listening experience?

Once metadata is lost or cant be read, everything shows up as track 1, track 2, and so on. There are no titles, no artists, no nothing.
I understand why he would want a player that cant read metadata; especially when playing that same playlist on different devices.

Personally, I like my iPod. It does exactly what it was designed to do. Sure there's a little work on the users part to get your library the way YOU want it, but in the end, I think it's worth it.

I dont/wont spend countless hours re-doing my library because my phone wants to screw it up.

Karma, do you even own an ipod?

[Karmashock]

Originally Posted by ScandaLex

I have more than 200 audiobooks on my iPod; all on m4b format. Any other format, and they wont appear as audiobooks, but as songs.

No, they'll appear as SOUND FILES... which is what they are anyway.

All you need is a player with a bookmarking function. I've mapped my camera key WHILE playing SOUND FILES to the bookmark function. So when I'm done and want to do something else, I press that button, bookmark, and I'm done.

Due to the fact that m4b is supported for iPod, I dont see how/why you say it isnt.

We have a communication problem. I said it isn't well supported OFF the ipod. So you saying it's well supported on the ipod doesn't really address my point.

Once metadata is lost or cant be read, everything shows up as track 1, track 2, and so on. There are no titles, no artists, no nothing.

No, it shows up as whatever the file's name happens to be... which isn't a problem unless your mp3's are mislabeled.


As to artists or genres that's what folders are for. Do you want to put everything in one giant folder? Or make sub folders for genre and artist?

Metadata basically makes up for bad organization skills on computers. Which is understandable as many people have that problem. However, it's REALLY not that hard.

I dont/wont spend countless hours re-doing my library because my phone wants to screw it up.

Get used to it. Take your play list almost anywhere else and you'll probably have to change something unless you're working in the most compatible of formats.


I personally didn't have to do ANYTHING to get my music and audio books working on my phone... I keep all my files in MP3 and have never bothered with metadata... finding just editing the file name to be easier.

Karma, do you even own an ipod?

Not anymore

[g-funkster]

Originally Posted by Karmashock

All you need is a player with a bookmarking function.

So which player/s offer bookmarking?