Re: MP3 tags not read / Files not able to be played - WMP 11

Derek,

First, here's a link you can look at about wmpnetwk. http://www.liutilities.com/products/wintaskspro/processlibrary/wmpnetwk/

wmpnetwk.exe is the library sharing portion of WMP. Just go into Tools->Options and make sure that library sharing is turned off. I have no idea why it would use 50% of your memory but, if it is a wide spread problem, hopefully it will get fixed in a patch or WMP 11.5. Just FYI, I have sharing off on my Media Player but the process still runs. In my case, it is only using 2.6MB of memory.

As for your file that won't add to your library, I checked the file and found that it had three improperly formed comment (COMM) frames in the ID3V2.3 tag. One particularly seemed to be the cause of your problem. I've attached your original file modified only by removing the one comment frame from the ID3V2.3 tag.

There were three comment frames in your ID3V2.3 tag. The first comment was completely invalid. The last two were less so, but invalid just the same. I'll discuss the last two first:

2. Comment description: "Media Jukebox Tool Name:", Comment value: "Media Center"
3. Comment description: "Media Jukebox Tool Version:", Comment value: "10.0.173"

Both of these frames were missing the required 3 byte language field at the beginning but they still worked in my editor; my editor just took the first three bytes of the comment description as the language bytes, calling the language bytes "Med" and the comment description "ia JukeBox Tool Name:". These two frames probably did not break Media Player.

Now, the first comment frame. This frame broke my editor and, I assume, is what is breaking in Media Player. I had to step through my code to find the problem - which is a good thing. Now my editor is a little more robust.

The defective comment frame consisted of the frame header bytes and then two null (0 value) bytes. This violates the ID3V2.3 specification in a couple of ways.

First, empty frames are not allowed. An ID3V2.3 tag must contain at least one frame and a frame must have at least one byte of data. I interpret a comment frame with an empty description and an empty comment as not containing data. As I describe next, it appears there was a failed attempt to create an empty comment frame.

The frame seems to have been created by an application making the same mistake as the other two comment frames: leaving out the language bytes. If you took an encoding byte of 0, then an empty null terminated description string, and an empty comment value string - not null terminated, you would end up with the 00 I found in that defective frame. Even if one were to disagree with my interpretation that this represents an empty frame, it is still invalid by not including the language bytes and therefore the frame is invalid and you can't expect a consumer of the ID3V2.3 tag to handle it.

The same thing goes for WMP. It would have been good had WMP recognized that the frame was invalid and either just thrown the frame out and added the file anyway or at least gave you some feedback, even in the form of a log file, so you could see why those files weren't added. That said, there are a million ways in which an ID3 tag can be invalid. No application can detect or handle all of them.

The real culprit here is not necessarily WMP. It is whatever created those defective comment frames - apparently Media Jukebox.

I'm going to post a copy of this email in the newsgroup for the benefit of other interested parties. Let us know there if the file I sent back can be added to your media library.

HTH,

Dale


<snip email address>
Subject: Problem MP3 file
Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 12:43:03 -0600

Dale,

Attached is an example of an MP3 file that WMP is not able to play or read the tags. I verfied that I could play the file in Itunes, Musicmatch, & albumplayer with the correct tags showing up. Any insight or help you could provide would be greatly appreciated!

On a side note, have you noticed a wmpnetwk.exe process running in the background of Windows? Whatever this process is, it's hogging 50% of my memory.

Thanks

DEREK MANN
<snip email address>


<< 311-Evolver-StillDreaming-07.mp3 >>


"D2A2M2" <D2A2M2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:25076709-210D-4DBD-9004-C818766A0813@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hi Dale,

I just sent you an example of one of the WMP problem Mp3's. I appreciate
your help.

Thanks

Derek Mann

"Dale" wrote:

Zip up one of the offending tracks - under 10MB - and send it to me. The
email user name is dalesngaddy2342xyz (deleting just the numbers and the
letters that are after the numbers) and then the at symbol and then hotmail
ending with a dot and then com.

Dale

"D2A2M2" <D2A2M2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:AB9621FB-FD79-433C-BE4B-E099FCBD06E2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>I appreciate your feedback Dale and would be glad to provide you with an
> example of one of the files not being recognized. Based on the fact > that
> all
> my other Music players play the files and display all the tags I'd > expect
> to
> see correctly, I'm going to assume it has something to do with WMP 11 > and
> I
> hope that eventually the developers do something about it.
>
> Thanks
>
> "Dale" wrote:
>
>> When looking at the raw data in an ID3 tag, there are usually many >> frames
>> that you can't see in a tag editor. Most editors only handle the most
>> common tags and no editor handles them all for the simple reason that >> any
>> player or ripping tool can add its own PRIV (for private) frames that
>> only
>> it would know how to process or edit. Of course the standard requires
>> that
>> any consumer of ID3 tags ignore any tag that it doesn't know how to
>> handle.
>> Most players screw up one more tags or one or more parts of the >> standard.
>> Heck, this even includes my own tag editor.
>>
>> It still sounds like either the tags are defective - or Windows Media
>> Player
>> is defective in handling the tags (would that surprise you?) or maybe >> the
>> tags are ok and the MP3 portion is defective - or Windows Media Player >> is
>> defective in handling the tags (would that surprise you?).
>>
>> This problem with media not being recognized by WMP 11 appears to be a
>> big
>> problem with WMP 11 customers but the Windows Media Product team >> appear
>> to
>> have no interest in hearing about this issue or responding to and >> solving
>> it. As a result, if you are interested in sending me one of the files
>> you
>> are having problems with, I have a raw tag viewer that I wrote (there >> may
>> be
>> others on the net) and I'll take a look at it and see if I can find a
>> clue.
>>
>> Dale
>>
>>
>> "D2A2M2" <D2A2M2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
>> news:72B54EA4-740A-456A-B13E-1FC63A63AEE2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> >I opened the files in MP3tageditor v1.2 and looked at both the ID3v1 >> >and
>> > ID3v2 tags and they are correct. I also verfied the files showed up
>> > and
>> > played correctly in Musicmatch, Mediacenter, Albumplayer, and >> > Itunes.
>> > WMP
>> > 11
>> > is the only program that can't play the file.
>> >
>> > Any ideas?
>> >
>> > "Dale" wrote:
>> >
>> >> How did you verify that the tags are correct?
>> >>
>> >> Dale
>> >>
>> >> -- >> >> Dale Preston
>> >> MCAD C#
>> >> MCSE, MCDBA
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> "D2A2M2" wrote:
>> >>
>> >> > I have an MP3 library with over 62,000 MP3's all properly tagged
>> >> > ID3v2.
>> >> > All
>> >> > my files play in Musicmatch, Jriver Media Center, Albumplayer, >> >> > etc.
>> >> > However,
>> >> > over 2000 files are not recognized by WMP11. They show up as
>> >> > unknown
>> >> > with
>> >> > just the file name. Even after using the advanced tag editor to
>> >> > correct a
>> >> > few of them, they still show up with 0:00 time and I get an error
>> >> > when
>> >> > I try
>> >> > to play them saying that WMP encountered an error.
>> >> > I've verifed that several of the MP3's that won't play in WMP 11 >> >> > due
>> >> > in
>> >> > fact
>> >> > play in all my other players and I verified that the tags are >> >> > indeed
>> >> > correct.
>> >> >
>> >> > Does anyone have an idea of what may be causing this and if there >> >> > is
>> >> > a
>> >> > fix
>> >> > on the way? I have neither the time or effort to go through 2000
>> >> > MP3's
>> >> > to
>> >> > try to retag them so WMP 11 will recognize them. I like the look
>> >> > and
>> >> > feel of
>> >> > the software, but if it can't read all MP3's, then I will simply
>> >> > continue
>> >> > using the competitor's products.
>> >> >
>> >> > Thanks
>>
>>



.

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