Ipod and MP database still no go (2 Viewers)

[idioteque]

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TV - HTPC Connection: S-video

Hi I'm trying to get my Ipod and Mediaportal to talk to each other with limited success.

Add shares work OK and in DB mode I can list to music on the ipod and directly play music off the ipod drive.

Problems I have that perhaps can be fixed:
Ipod uses hidden shares. every time itunes adds files to ipod the files and folders are made hidden again.

Question 1: can MP in config add checkerbox to scan hidden folders

Adding and auto updating the DB from the ipod doesn't work reliable. Sometimes all music is gone from DB/

Question 2: can MP watch the ipod files and scan the ipod for added files

Question 3: can a unmount button be made to disconnect the ipod if I want to take it along. Now I have to quit MP and manually disconnnect

Question 4: can the ItunesDB be read directly in stead of adding the files to the MP DB

Thx !

 

[hwahrmann]

send me an iPod, and i'll try what i can do.


Question 1: Yes, can be done.
Question 4: should be no problem, as the iPod DB is a plain xml file.

the rest i don't know, since i don't own an iPod.
I'm using a Creative Zen.

 

[The_Stig]

I am using an iPod too and try to keep both iPod and MP with same music and playlists. But to be true, its a pita.
And MP is definitive not part of the problem. I like iTunes very much, but as it is intended by Steve its very difficult to use other Software with the iPod. So I currently think about dropping iTunes away and use other software to sync my iPod, which e.g. reads directories. So I wouldn't have that problem to keep both MP and iPod up to date. We'll see what happens when I have the time...

Regards

EDIT: Best way would be if MP could sync iPod when pluggin in. But MP would need these Intelligent Playlists too, because this is the only playlists I use. But I bet hwahrmann and rtv will kick my a.. for bringing that into the game

 

[idioteque]

There are enough programs that can read the itunes db perfectly like winamp ehpod and yamipod. so reading is no problem, writing is a bit more difficult but not much.

Thx for the help hwahrmann I try to get more info the rest.

The winamp plugin for the ipod is open source:
http://mlipod.sourceforge.net/?page=home

Source:
http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=106528&package_id=114821

perhaps this can help

 

[hwahrmann]

but you need to find a dev with an iPod to develop and test it.

 

[idioteque]

How about I test it and give you two files :

1 itunes database from the ipod
1 Mp database

both with the same music in/on it

Could it be possible for MP to read this itunes DB directly

 

[The_Stig]

That won't work I guess. I think we have to get somehow an iPod to hwahrmann. Maybe this is possible somehow. So all users that want to use their iPod with MP, how about giving some donations, maybe we get enough money for it?!?

 

[idioteque]

that sounds interesting... See what hwahrmann has to say.

hwahrmann, would you work on the ipod plugin if your where supplied with an ipod?

If so, Ill post a new thread with a poll to see how many people would like to donate to get ipod support in Mediaportal

 

[The_Stig]

Since hwahrmann is on a business trip it may take a while since he is responding. And keep in mind that even if he likes that idea, it's no promise to get it working. So don't come up afterwards and demand things to be working instantly

 

[jcee]

I would love to have such a plugin too..

After working with Itunes, Anapod, Mediamonkey and lots of syncing tools back and forward I came to the following solution:

Though Itunes has some constraints it does lots of the stuff I want to do and it keeps track of the integrity of my library.. I might get lost with folder based organization and especially when thinking about audiobooks and podcasts..

So I decided to stay with Itunes and accept the limitation. On the other hand I now have time to really listen to my music and not all my spare time is dedicated to how to do things and sync around..

So for me, I do not want to build a new music database with MP. I just use Itunes on the laptop, I sync to Ipod, I use the Ipod in my car, when going to the gym, when listeing to audiobooks in the evening.

BUT I would love the ability to have a dock near my HTPC (MP), there I stick in the Ipod and then I can use MPs menus to navigate my music.
I do not want to sync it all to MP.. That might be a nice challenge for some people or a feature not found anywhere else...

But - seriously - ... do one really needs this? Sometimes less is more.. And just that basic functionality would make my life much richer..

Technically speaking: That plugin should be able to read and parse the Itunesdb. Beside the mentioned Winamp plugin I got a source for Roadrunner (Car-PC) its VB6 and it has some code to parse the Itunesdb. But still with some limitation.

Unfortunatly I do not have much time to write a plugin.. :-(