> so I'm probably more aware of how mediamonkey works than you are about dBpoweramp
You probably have far more experience of both than I do; I've only fairly recently got around to doing the ripping & library process.
Yes, the data entry can be tedious, but, as I said, I'm fussy, and like to control the format of track names, based on my own long-standing preferences (much of my collection used metadata I entered many years ago on a Sinclair QL, which is why I started using the process I do; a lot of my metadata was already available). Entering the data takes less time than it does to rip the CD.
The scripts are very simple for me to write, having been doing it for years. They also mean that, if I do a big rip session, I just run a single script which processes all the new albums from a single command. And drag-and-drop is also a single user action under Windows or MM. Granted, a tool might do all of this for me, but I like the control I get from this process.
Whatever database WMP uses is also rubbish, IME. Well, it contains data that isn't to my liking, and I've found to be wildly inaccurate when I've checked it; part of the post-ripping process has been verifying the downloaded metadata, and I find that's just as tedious as entering it by hand (well, to the level of metadata I use: track title only). WMP often failed to find metadata, too, and often refused to apply tags to the first track (my suspicion being that it took so long to find metadata that it had ripped and saved the first track, and then got confused when it tried to retro-fit metadata to this track). WMP does something 'clever' like saving data to an 'unknown album <datastamp>' directory until it has found metadata, and then tries to go back and retro-fit the data. All fine and dandy if it _does_ eventually find the metadata, but no damned good if itnever does; you just end up with a load of unknown album directories, and have to play the tracks to find out what the album is, and then add your own metadata...
Yes I had considered downloading dBpoweramp on your recommendation (i'm sure it's very good), but then I thought that MM does all I want to do. I guess it's possible that I might want to get even more detailed metadata at some point, but that would probably lead me down an even more dangerous OCD path; the track title data is a big enough OCD problem as it is...
I think the conclusion is that there are loads of free rippers out there, and media library tools. Pick one that gets recommendations, and see if it works for you. If not, try another. Trying to identify 'the best' is like trying to identify 'the best tent'...
Pick one that gets recommendations, and see if it works for you. If not, try another. Trying to identify 'the best' is like trying to identify 'the best tent'...
How many machines do you have access to? My choice for this kind of thing is AVLinux, will work with any old laptop (the one I am using at the moment is about 7 years old) and handles anything I can throw at it including AVCHD Lite video.
For DVD/CD ripping it is Linux based so pretty much ignores most protection. Can be a bit geeky to use but most tools that it comes with (and that is a lot) have a graphic interface of some sort.
capn p - no probs, just trying to help - 1000 cds too late too late by the sound of it in any case. Talking of which .. I've just made myself a few hundred quid by selling some of my ripped ones to www.musicmagpie.co.uk - I've averaged about £1.50 each, and they come and pick them up or give you free shipping labels, so it's money for nothing if you can be bothered entering barcodes.
> 1000 cds too late too late by the sound of it in any case.
Possibly, possibly not, given the pre-existing metadata, and my OCD desire for 'full authority' over the metadata. At least I ripped to WAV/FLAC, unlike my friends who ripped to MP3. and, in many cases 128kbps. Ugh.
If I sold the ripped CDs, I would have to delete the ripped version, of course. Otherwise it would be copyright theft...
> I encountered my first rip-protected CD the other day, that has the album audio as a .CDS file, rather than individual .CDA tracks. Plays okay on the CD player, but EAC can't read it. Maybe other rippers can; will investigage...
I eventually brought it in to work, to try on one the the Linux development machines. Which basically said 'yaboo sucks' to the protection methods, displayed the tracks as .wav files in the file browser, and happily plopped them onto a USB stick.
I'm currently looking at DLNA, and contemplating updating my home entertainment to the 21st century. Let's see; server in the loft, with twin Freeview HD cards and a honking great RAID NAS, ethernet hub & wifi/bluetooth, wired to audio/video/still player in lounge and bedroom, and a remote access terminal for new music upload, and general computing. Oh, and an Android phone with a mobile controller/player.
The 14" Sony TV is now very old (23 years?), and its power switch is broken (stuck on, fortunately), and the TiVo is starting to have audio drop-outs which suggests its disk is on its way out... So, maybe a bigger HD screen and a decent audio reproduction. I could replace the TV cable with a cat-5 cable, so no big deal on the cabling front..
The disc won't have a cd icon on it as it isn't a cd. Take it back and demand your money back as they sold it to you as a cd. Raking the memory a cd complies with the orange book (philips specification) or it simply isn't a cd. The specs state it can be copied onto a pooter.
> The disc won't have a cd icon on it as it isn't a cd. Take it back and demand your money back as they sold it to you as a cd. Raking the memory a cd complies with the orange book
It doesn't have a CompactDisc logo on it, no. But then that was how it was sold (in a charity shop). It will play in a CD player. It will give 'extended features' on a Windows computer, but you cannot get to the raw audio. It seems that CopyControl is dead now, anyway, probably because it's so simple to bypass; my home machine is XP, so rather long in the tooth. The Linux boxes are latest Ubuntu releases, so incorporate all the lovely tricks that the Linux community has come up with.
I posted about the Linux bypass for information regarding the CC problem I'd had. I'm quite happy now I have the data.
The CD standard is the Red Book, but there are other coloured books covering extensions: Orange: CD-R, Yellow: CD-ROM, etc.
Having read the Wiki on CC, I liked the fact that the Linux utility to read CDs was called cdparanoia... But, as I said, I didn't need to use it in the end.
It could have been worse; it could have been one of Sony's XCP discs...
'I'm currently looking at DLNA, and contemplating updating my home entertainment to the 21st century.'
Since your TV and Tivo seem to both be on the way out, you can use DLNA with both a new TV and HDD recorder/Blu Ray, but over on the Whathifi/Gramaphone sites, there are whole threads saying that DLNA is horrible for streaming audio compared with Airplay.
I work one day a week in a certain stores TV dept, and if you came in with the kind of ideas you decribed, I'd say the following..
Wifi is now standard, and the excellent Samsung UE32D6530 actually has it built in (unlike the Sony 723). I must admit that its my favourite this year in the shop (its the one I'll get if our 21" goes) - the 400hz screen is very good, and its packed with technology toys. The 3D just comes with it....
All of the main TV manufacturers produce 32" TV's with ethernet in the back (although Panasonic is not known for its online content), and of course a blu-ray (last years Sony 570 is particularly good) will normally be able to stream using DLNA, as well as having internet access. The 570 was wifi out of the box. If you want a bedroom TV, the Sony EX320B has wifi built in, so no need for wires!
If audio is important to you, then think about getting a soundbar/Home Cinema system. All the best panels are now LED and are much thinner than before, and the audio is simply not as good (although not bad, and Panasonic are probably better than the rest). Remember that the picture is the main thing, the audio can always be improved!
As far as recording goes, you can go down the server route, but since your TV will have an HD tuner in it anyway, something like the Humax T2 and a blu-ray (all have Iplayer) might be easier, since you can stream if you want as well. If you can use ethernet, your less likely to get interference, etc, but wifi is much easier than drilling through walls.
The one thing you have to do is measure the distance from where you sit to where the TV will be. If you've got a 14", then its going to be about 6 feet, in which case its a 32". If its 10 feet, its a 40". Don't even bother with a 26" - many manufacturers dont now do them, and they are very limited compared with a 32" for the same money. The biggest problem I get at work are people who think that their new TV should be the same size as their old one. You can go up one size with no problem at all, and if I know the distance, I'll find the right size, even if the customer thinks it will be too big. Trust me, it will be perfect.
Getting back to the original question - its not the ripping, its the tagging which is the real pain on lots of software. Save to the best quality you can, but because most people use small headphones, you'll find that 320Kp sounds great, but is slightly wasted on the average pair of buds. There are Dr Dre's, etc, but they are £499!
Judging by the length of this post, you tell that the kids are now on summer holiday and I'm finding something to do which doesn't involve glue and sticking or telling them off! I working tomorrow...so relative peace!
Thanks for the long reply. I shall go away and digest...
But, really, I'm interested in open systems, so proprietary things like Airplay are out, as are proprietary DVRs, etc.
I expected to be able to pop into a shop and be told what devices support what DLNA services, but was quite surprised to get blank looks. Possibly because manufacturers implement DLNA as a subset of their own proprietary trade names.
The system I envisaged was a server and media source, feeding lightweight satellite clients (e.g. Gumstix modules) acting as DMP/DMR devices, generating HDMI video or audio (either native or using an 'audiophile DAC' with an amp. Thus, I was thinking of pure HDMI monitors, rather than a 'TV'. If the TV happened to offer a DLNA DMS function by the addition of a NAS disk, then that would be a possibility, but, being fussy, I'd probably want to be able to control the ripping process myself, which is likely to mean an open system, rather than a proprietary user interface that's likely to come with a TV.
WiFi is, of course, a viable alternative to wired ethernet, and had been considered. Wired is more secure...
As an electronic design engineer, I'm not that excited by the latest toys and technology, so I don't feel the need for a massive screen (which only shows up compression artefacts which, having worked on an MJPEG transmission system, I see all too readily and which thus annoy me...). My house is small... I also have no desire for cinema sound with super sub-woofer; I have some consideration for my neighbour in the adjoining semi... 3D TV? meh...
