[[email protected]]

Is it possible to program a MP3 - via its metadata or otherwise - to perform the following:

~Told in the first person~

"I am a MP3"

"I was downloaded at 7:30pm EDT on July 19th, 2012"

If ONE of the following conditions is met I will either (1)shorten my playback length to 1 minute 10 sec, or (2)disappear from the user's playback device entirely:

First condition: I am played fully 5 times

OR

Second condition: 30 days passes since the exact date and time of my being downloaded - even if I was played fully only once or twice.

Does such encoding exist? And how is it implemented?


-ChrisCoaster

[Neil Gould]

wrote:
Is it possible to program a MP3 - via its metadata or otherwise - to
perform the following:

~Told in the first person~

"I am a MP3"

"I was downloaded at 7:30pm EDT on July 19th, 2012"

If ONE of the following conditions is met I will either (1)shorten my
playback length to 1 minute 10 sec, or (2)disappear from the user's
playback device entirely:

First condition: I am played fully 5 times

OR

Second condition: 30 days passes since the exact date and time of my
being downloaded - even if I was played fully only once or twice.

Does such encoding exist? And how is it implemented?

You may be thinking of an expansion of the metadata. Metadata can be read by
an external app to reveal aspects of the content, such as the song name,
author, etc. but I don't know of any way that this kind of functionality can
be built into the MP3 (or other such) file because it would require a lot of
active code that would probably cause the file to be rejected as
unrecognizable.

--
best regards,

Neil

[John Williamson]

wrote:
Is it possible to program a MP3 - via its metadata or otherwise - to perform the following:

~Told in the first person~

"I am a MP3"

"I was downloaded at 7:30pm EDT on July 19th, 2012"

If ONE of the following conditions is met I will either (1)shorten my playback length to 1 minute 10 sec, or (2)disappear from the user's playback device entirely:

First condition: I am played fully 5 times

OR

Second condition: 30 days passes since the exact date and time of my being downloaded - even if I was played fully only once or twice.

Does such encoding exist? And how is it implemented?


The functionality you want is not, as far as I know, supported by the
mp3 codec, which was not designed for such use. Even if it were, then
many security programs would either reject the download or flag it up as
malware.

Time limiting of file playback can be enforced by using DRM enabled
codecs such as Windows Media Audio. One other way to restrict playback
is to use a streaming format such as Flash where the server can check
the IP address of the downloader, and apply whatever rules you wish to
that download.

The downside of streaming as far as you are concerned is having to
maintain a permanently accessible server. The downside for the user is
having to connect to the internet to listen to the material. The upside
is that the listener has to authenticate themselves before they can
listen, so you now who has listened and when, and can, in theory, charge
per session.

--
Tciao for Now!

John.

[[email protected]]

On Thursday, July 19, 2012 3:22:51 PM UTC-4, John Williamson wrote:

Time limiting of file playback can be enforced by using DRM enabled
codecs such as Windows Media Audio. One other way to restrict playback
is to use a streaming format such as Flash where the server can check
the IP address of the downloader, and apply whatever rules you wish to
that download.

The downside of streaming as far as you are concerned is having to
maintain a permanently accessible server. The downside for the user is
having to connect to the internet to listen to the material. The upside
is that the listener has to authenticate themselves before they can
listen, so you now who has listened and when, and can, in theory, charge
per session.

--
Tciao for Now!

John.
___________________
So then we need to find out why my mp3s are behaving as indicated in my original post.

It
is
getting
tiresome!

-CC

[Nil]

On 19 Jul 2012, wrote in rec.audio.pro:

So then we need to find out why my mp3s are behaving as indicated
in my original post.

I don't believe that "real" mp3s are capable of any DRM mechanisms or
behavior as you describe. In a quick web search I find vague old rumors
of some companies extending or replacing the format to include features
that were never intended. As such, they probably shouldn't be
considered to be MP3 format, even if that's the file extension.

If your mp3s are blowing up, I'd say it's either your player, or they
aren't really mp3s. Where did they come from?

[John Williamson]

Nil wrote:
On 19 Jul 2012, wrote in rec.audio.pro:

So then we need to find out why my mp3s are behaving as indicated
in my original post.

I don't believe that "real" mp3s are capable of any DRM mechanisms or
behavior as you describe. In a quick web search I find vague old rumors
of some companies extending or replacing the format to include features
that were never intended. As such, they probably shouldn't be
considered to be MP3 format, even if that's the file extension.

If your mp3s are blowing up, I'd say it's either your player, or they
aren't really mp3s. Where did they come from?

You learn something new every day:-

http://www.afterdawn.com/news/articl.../mp3s_with_drm

I don't think anyone's implemented it commercially yet, though. The only
other article referring to it that I could find also dates from 2004.

They seem to have been planning to use the AAC codec.

Apologies if this is what you found...

--
Tciao for Now!

John.

[Nil]

On 19 Jul 2012, John Williamson
wrote in rec.audio.pro:

You learn something new every day:-

http://www.afterdawn.com/news/articl.../mp3s_with_drm

I don't think anyone's implemented it commercially yet, though.
The only other article referring to it that I could find also
dates from 2004.

They seem to have been planning to use the AAC codec.

Apologies if this is what you found...

I think that is the same article I read! No apologies needed - as you
say, nobody seems to have implemented it, and it looks to be a new
format masquarading as mp3, rather then the real deal.

[[email protected]]

Amazon, iTunes, BeeMP3, plus rips from my CDs, and stuff recorded/produced in Audacity.

[Nil]

On 19 Jul 2012, wrote in rec.audio.pro:

Amazon, iTunes, BeeMP3, plus rips from my CDs, and stuff
recorded/produced in Audacity.

I assume this is in answer to my question, even if you don't say so...

I've bought some mp3s from Amazon, and none of them were protected.
Nothing that you rip from CDs yourself or that were created by Audacity
will be protected.

You've got some other factor in play. It's not the mp3s themselves.

[John Williamson]

wrote:
Amazon, iTunes, BeeMP3, plus rips from my CDs, and stuff recorded/produced in Audacity.

If your problem files are from those sources, I'd look for the only
common factor, which is your system and the codecs installed on it.

The commonest problem is a corrupted codec. Did you install any codec
packs or audio software shortly before you started noticing this
problem? Have you run a thorough check for malware, including rootkits?

--
Tciao for Now!

John.

[[email protected]]

JW: I am a verrrrry late-comer to mp3 and digital media in general. I got my first media player in 2008! I've owned an iPod for barely one year as of now.

And I've has this "songs truncating" "songs disappearing" issue since about that far back - 2009. The only difference is the *frequency* of these occurences has gone up since going the iPod route last summer. I'm not implying anything regarding the iTunes, the iPod, my earlier Sansa View player, or anything installed on my system.

Secondly I did post, 12 hours ago, that a member of the Apple support forums recommended me "MP3Val"(validate) which scans mp3 files for problems and grants users the option to fix them. I am using that app now and so far so smooth. Apparently that post did not show up here as you would have read it by now - but that's Google Groups for ya.

The app did find 3 types of problems with my files so far: "truncated or has garbage on the end", "streaming sync error", or "incorrect # of bits". I would estimate 1/5 of my files fits one of the three errors above. Gosh I hate posting things 2x but again - that's Google Groups!

[John Williamson]

wrote:
JW: I am a verrrrry late-comer to mp3 and digital media in general. I got my first media player in 2008! I've owned an iPod for barely one year as of now.

And I've has this "songs truncating" "songs disappearing" issue since about that far back - 2009. The only difference is the *frequency* of these occurences has gone up since going the iPod route last summer. I'm not implying anything regarding the iTunes, the iPod, my earlier Sansa View player, or anything installed on my system.

Secondly I did post, 12 hours ago, that a member of the Apple support forums recommended me "MP3Val"(validate) which scans mp3 files for problems and grants users the option to fix them. I am using that app now and so far so smooth. Apparently that post did not show up here as you would have read it by now - but that's Google Groups for ya.

The app did find 3 types of problems with my files so far: "truncated or has garbage on the end", "streaming sync error", or "incorrect # of bits". I would estimate 1/5 of my files fits one of the three errors above. Gosh I hate posting things 2x but again - that's Google Groups!

It would seem there's a problem with your system, then. I've been using
mp3 files since about 1999 and after moving them from device to device
many times, I now have two files that I am aware of out of almost ten
thousand that are corrupted.

For a number of reasons, though, including Apple's attitude towards copy
protection and locking a particular player to a single computer, I don't
let Apple products or iTunes anywhere near the live system.
--
Tciao for Now!

John.

[[email protected]]

On Friday, July 20, 2012 9:26:18 AM UTC-4, John Williamson wrote:


It would seem there's a problem with your system, then. I've been using
mp3 files since about 1999 and after moving them from device to device
many times, I now have two files that I am aware of out of almost ten
thousand that are corrupted.

For a number of reasons, though, including Apple's attitude towards copy
protection and locking a particular player to a single computer, I don't
let Apple products or iTunes anywhere near the live system.
--
Tciao for Now!

John.
_________________

You may be on to something. In just the past hour I purchased replacements for two mp3s which were cut off(random amounts). After deleting the corrupt files, I played the songs in Windows Media Player - and here's where it gets WEIRD:

WMP continued to indicate the TRUNCATED length of the old file! In other words I loaded the replacement file of correct length(4:22), yet the play bar on WMP went out to 3:30(truncated length of old file) and stopped, while the song continued to play until it's conclusion.

WTF?!

[Neil Gould]

wrote:
On Friday, July 20, 2012 9:26:18 AM UTC-4, John Williamson wrote:


It would seem there's a problem with your system, then. I've
been using mp3 files since about 1999 and after moving them from
device to device
many times, I now have two files that I am aware of out of almost ten
thousand that are corrupted.

For a number of reasons, though, including Apple's attitude
towards copy protection and locking a particular player to a single
computer, I don't let Apple products or iTunes anywhere near the
live system. --
Tciao for Now!

John.
_________________

You may be on to something. In just the past hour I purchased
replacements for two mp3s which were cut off(random amounts). After
deleting the corrupt files, I played the songs in Windows Media
Player - and here's where it gets WEIRD:

WMP continued to indicate the TRUNCATED length of the old file! In
other words I loaded the replacement file of correct length(4:22),
yet the play bar on WMP went out to 3:30(truncated length of old
file) and stopped, while the song continued to play until it's
conclusion.

WTF?!

Some applications retain information about a file in a similar way that
browsers show "saved" versions of a web page unless instructed not to or to
update the page by the user. Have you rebooted your computer since cleaning
up the corrupted files?

--
best regards,

Neil

[John Williamson]

wrote:
On Friday, July 20, 2012 9:26:18 AM UTC-4, John Williamson wrote:

It would seem there's a problem with your system, then. I've been using
mp3 files since about 1999 and after moving them from device to device
many times, I now have two files that I am aware of out of almost ten
thousand that are corrupted.

For a number of reasons, though, including Apple's attitude towards copy
protection and locking a particular player to a single computer, I don't
let Apple products or iTunes anywhere near the live system.
--
Tciao for Now!

John.
_________________

You may be on to something. In just the past hour I purchased replacements for two mp3s which were cut off(random amounts). After deleting the corrupt files, I played the songs in Windows Media Player - and here's where it gets WEIRD:

WMP continued to indicate the TRUNCATED length of the old file! In other words I loaded the replacement file of correct length(4:22), yet the play bar on WMP went out to 3:30(truncated length of old file) and stopped, while the song continued to play until it's conclusion.

WTF?!
That's definitely a "feature" of WMP. It stores information relating to
tracks in an index file, and unless you change the title, it will always
show the old information for that title.

Getting it to re-index stuff isn't easy, which is why I prefer not to
use it if I can avoid it.

Just for reference, I use Windows of various flavours, and I use Winamp
for playback, adding metadata to individual files and generating playlists.

For bulk tagging, I use The Godfather, which does a neat job of tagging
mp3 files in bulk.

--
Tciao for Now!

John.

[[email protected]]

On Friday, July 20, 2012 10:55:25 AM UTC-4, John Williamson wrote:


Getting it to re-index stuff isn't easy, which is why I prefer not to
use it if I can avoid it.

Just for reference, I use Windows of various flavours, and I use Winamp
for playback, adding metadata to individual files and generating playlists.

For bulk tagging, I use The Godfather, which does a neat job of tagging
mp3 files in bulk.

--
Tciao for Now!

John.
________________
What a mess!(mine that is)

Well I'm plowing through my collection(still less than 1/3 finished) with the mp3Val application. What's scary is the file reported size drops on a lot of the repairs indicating some of my mp3s had some really nasty baggage attached to them!

At any rate, I found two "misreported bits" files as stated before - truncated files. They have been replaced and tested. This digital era we operate in frankly SUCKS. I wish I'd been around for reel-to-reel - at least stuff doesn't just disappear from those things.

As for bulk tagging, isn't that good if you have a lot of material by the same artist, or if you have entire albums as digital files?

-CC

[Scott Dorsey]

wrote:

You may be on to something. In just the past hour I purchased replacements=
for two mp3s which were cut off(random amounts). After deleting the corru=
pt files, I played the songs in Windows Media Player - and here's where it =
gets WEIRD:

I hope you made backups of them.

In fact, if you make daily backups of everything, you won't have to worry
when files get corrupted, you just reload from backup.

WMP continued to indicate the TRUNCATED length of the old file! In other w=
ords I loaded the replacement file of correct length(4:22), yet the play ba=
r on WMP went out to 3:30(truncated length of old file) and stopped, while =
the song continued to play until it's conclusion.
WTF?!

Sounds like WMP has an internal database to keep track of the files and that
database is screwed up. iTunes does similar silliness. You'd probably have
to clean it all out and re-import the original files if you don't have backups.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[John Williamson]

wrote:

What a mess!(mine that is)

Well I'm plowing through my collection(still less than 1/3 finished) with the mp3Val application. What's scary is the file reported size drops on a lot of the repairs indicating some of my mp3s had some really nasty baggage attached to them!

Either that, it's truncating the files at the first error, or it's
snipping out the part with the errors in it. I know which option my
money's on, unless you've got a *really* bad set of malware on you
computer. Have you played any files which it's repaired all the way
through yet?

At any rate, I found two "misreported bits" files as stated before - truncated files. They have been replaced and tested. This digital era we operate in frankly SUCKS. I wish I'd been around for reel-to-reel - at least stuff doesn't just disappear from those things.

If you had 9000 tracks (Which is roughly the size of my live collection)
on open reel or cassette, it would have been a major task just keeping
track of the index and making sure the tapes were in the right boxes. If
they were on Vinyl, I'd need a small truck just to carry the music to
the venue.

I'm glad I now have my music in a digital format, and I'm also glad that
I don't need to keep track of which reel of tape is the original when
I'm working on a project. I don't miss wielding non-magnetic razor
blades and splicing blocks, either...

As for bulk tagging, isn't that good if you have a lot of material by the same artist, or if you have entire albums as digital files?

Yup, which is what I use it for. I use CDex to rip CDs, and that does
the artiste/ album tagging for you if you give it the right information.
I often have to reassign tracks to different albums for convenience when
I'm doing the disco. It's easier to remember a track was in the 90s and
find the title than that it was on "Now That's What I Call Music!!!
volume 50, CD2, track 15"

--
Tciao for Now!

John.

[[email protected]]

On Friday, July 20, 2012 11:21:01 AM UTC-4, Scott Dorsey wrote:

I hope you made backups of them.

In fact, if you make daily backups of everything, you won't have to worry
when files get corrupted, you just reload from backup.
backups.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
____________________
Backups?

Did you say BACKUPS?!?!?

BROTHER I'VE GOT BACKUPS OF BACKUPS ON MULTIPLE DRIVES AND PCS ALL OVER THE HOUSE!!

Just kidding, going on a Hulk Hogan spree there.

Seriously though, the songs are truncating in all of these locations at once:
the iPod, iTunes, the source folder on my PC, and my backup folders on my USB toshiba hard drive.

I'm hoping this behavior will start to decrease as I repair more mp3s in MP3Val. This management of my digital music collection is turning into a full-time job! You guys had it so much better in the vinyl & reel-to-reel days, you just don't know it yet.

-ChrisCoaster

[John Williamson]

wrote:

Seriously though, the songs are truncating in all of these locations at once:
the iPod, iTunes, the source folder on my PC, and my backup folders on my USB toshiba hard drive.

I'm hoping this behavior will start to decrease as I repair more mp3s in MP3Val. This management of my digital music collection is turning into a full-time job! You guys had it so much better in the vinyl & reel-to-reel days, you just don't know it yet.

See my other reply. Management of digital files for any medium
(Pictures, video, the written word, music....) is a *lot* easier than
keeping track of actual physical objects. Have you never lost a cassette
or reel of tape? Or had your only copy of a piece of music totally
mangled by a defective player? Or dropped a reel of tape on the floor?

We do know which is easier, and believe me, we are using it.

--
Tciao for Now!

John.

[[email protected]]

On Friday, July 20, 2012 11:45:57 AM UTC-4, John Williamson wrote:
..
>
See my other reply. Management of digital files for any medium
(Pictures, video, the written word, music....) is a *lot* easier than
keeping track of actual physical objects. Have you never lost a cassette
or reel of tape? Or had your only copy of a piece of music totally
mangled by a defective player? Or dropped a reel of tape on the floor?

We do know which is easier, and believe me, we are using it.

--
Tciao for Now!
___________

Well then I guess my experience with it is conjuring up sentiments for that simpler era.

Is my problem the first instance any of you have heard of this? Are other people going through what I am? If so it's of little consolation at best, but I am fundamentally a lover of mechanical things - things that exist tangibly - not as bits inside of microchips.

And what contingencies can one put in place for the 2012-13 solar max - which is supposed to unleash solar flares of an intensity not seen since the days of Abraham Lincoln?

Lead-lined boxes to store our digital backups? It's a sobering thought, and something that magnetic tape and vinyl are actually immune to.

[Scott Dorsey]

wrote:
Is my problem the first instance any of you have heard of this? Are other =
people going through what I am? If so it's of little consolation at best, =
but I am fundamentally a lover of mechanical things - things that exist tan=
gibly - not as bits inside of microchips.

I have not heard of your particular bug before, but data loss is something
that happens constantly. Databases are corrupted by bugs, disk drives fail.
You cannot trust data storage, you need to keep redundant copies and offsite
backupe.

And what contingencies can one put in place for the 2012-13 solar max - whi=
ch is supposed to unleash solar flares of an intensity not seen since the d=
ays of Abraham Lincoln?

Unfortunately it's actually not expected even to get up to the solar flare
level of 2003. This is the absolute lowest solar maximum I have ever
experienced and we are right now finally getting into solar activity levels
that we should have been seeing several years ago. HF radio people are
miserable at the lack of solar activity. The expected peak in 2013 is
probably going to be less than a fifth of what we had in 1978. (And 1978
was great, with BBC TV on lower VHF channels being visible on the east coast
of the US).
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[[email protected]]

On Friday, July 20, 2012 12:17:35 PM UTC-4, Scott Dorsey wrote:


Unfortunately it's actually not expected even to get up to the solar flare
level of 2003. This is the absolute lowest solar maximum I have ever
experienced and we are right now finally getting into solar activity levels
that we should have been seeing several years ago. HF radio people are
miserable at the lack of solar activity. The expected peak in 2013 is
probably going to be less than a fifth of what we had in 1978. (And 1978
was great, with BBC TV on lower VHF channels being visible on the east coast
of the US).
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
_______________

Wow, the version of what you've been told is so different than what we have at least here in the Northeastern U.S.!

Here we're being fed the Armageddon last rights. Poles shifting right before Christmas, solar flares & EMP wiping out up to 1/2 the power grid, frying the innards of every electronic device from iPods to the computers controlling supply/waste flow inside our nuclear power plants!

lol

-ChrisCoaster

[Nil]

On 20 Jul 2012, John Williamson
wrote in rec.audio.pro:

That's definitely a "feature" of WMP. It stores information
relating to tracks in an index file, and unless you change the
title, it will always show the old information for that title.

iTunes does it that way, too - it keeps a database populated with the
information it finds in the tags in the audio files it's keeping track
of. Sometimes the information gets out-of-sync, like if you edit the
tags outside of iTunes. It's easy to get iTunes to re-read the tags and
update its database.

My preferred audio file player, Foobar2000 keeps a similar database,
and you sometimes have to jump through an easy hoop to update the info.
I would guess that most player programs do a similar thing. They
shouldn't alter the files themselves.. but I believe some of them do,
particularly Windows Media Player and iTunes.

For bulk tagging, I use The Godfather, which does a neat job of
tagging mp3 files in bulk.

I like Mp3Tag (http://www.mp3tag.de/en/index.html).

[Nil]

On 20 Jul 2012, wrote in rec.audio.pro:

Is my problem the first instance any of you have heard of this?
Are other people going through what I am?

No I have not. This is not common. Yes, data sometimes becomes corrupt,
but it's very unlikely that your mp3s have become corrupt, but nothing
else on the disk has been. I've never heard of anything like this
happening unless the disk itself has become corrupt, in which case
there are many other problems, usually system failure.

You should check the integrity of your hard disk. It sounds like it may
be headed for catastrophic failure.

[Les Cargill[_4_]]

wrote:
On Friday, July 20, 2012 9:26:18 AM UTC-4, John Williamson wrote:


It would seem there's a problem with your system, then. I've been using
mp3 files since about 1999 and after moving them from device to device
many times, I now have two files that I am aware of out of almost ten
thousand that are corrupted.

For a number of reasons, though, including Apple's attitude towards copy
protection and locking a particular player to a single computer, I don't
let Apple products or iTunes anywhere near the live system.
--
Tciao for Now!

John.
_________________

You may be on to something. In just the past hour I purchased replacements for two mp3s which were cut off(random amounts). After deleting the corrupt files, I played the songs in Windows Media Player - and here's where it gets WEIRD:

WMP continued to indicate the TRUNCATED length of the old file! In other words I loaded the replacement file of correct length(4:22), yet the play bar on WMP went out to 3:30(truncated length of old file) and stopped, while the song continued to play until it's conclusion.

WTF?!



WMP keeps out of band metadata.

--
Les Cargill

[[email protected]]

The hard disk is a year old - it replaced the original a year ago. Again, I've had this truncating mp3 issue for almost as long as I've been dealing with digital music files.

[Nil]

On 20 Jul 2012, wrote in rec.audio.pro:

The hard disk is a year old - it replaced the original a year ago.
Again, I've had this truncating mp3 issue for almost as long as
I've been dealing with digital music files.

Well, it's either something dangerously funky about your system or
something destructive you are doing yourself, because it doesn't happen
to anyone else.

You don't tell us anything about your system or methods, so it's all
just idle speculation at this point.

I'd still check my hard disk if I were you.

[Frank]

On Fri, 20 Jul 2012 07:13:16 -0700 (PDT), in 'rec.audio.pro',
in article Encoding MP3s to "self destruct": Does such a
technique exist?,
wrote:


You may be on to something. In just the past hour I purchased replacements for two mp3s which were cut off(random amounts). After deleting the corrupt files, I played the songs in Windows Media Player - and here's where it gets WEIRD:

WMP continued to indicate the TRUNCATED length of the old file! In other words I loaded the replacement file of correct length(4:22), yet the play bar on WMP went out to 3:30(truncated length of old file) and stopped, while the song continued to play until it's conclusion.

WTF?!

You haven't indicated which version of WMP you're using, but if it's a
very old version that doesn't understand VBR (variable bit rate) MP3
files, then that would be the explanation for the incorrect running
time being displayed.

Other old MP3 player programs also have this problem, btw; it's by no
means a problem that's unique to WMP.

Of course, I have no idea whether your problematic files are VBR or
CBR (constant bit rate) encoded.

You might want to try an alternative player, such as VLC media player,
just to see what results you get with these problematic files.

VideoLAN - Official page for VLC media player, the Open Source video
framework!
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/

VLC media player installs its own self-contained codecs, which are not
usable by any other applications on your system, and therefore will
not mess up your system in any way. Just be sure, at install time, to
not let it steal file types (extensions) for itself (uncheck them
all).

--
Frank, Independent Consultant, New York, NY
[Please remove 'nojunkmail.' from address to reply via e-mail.]
Read Frank's thoughts on HDV at http://www.humanvalues.net/hdv/
[also covers AVCHD (including AVCCAM & NXCAM) and XDCAM EX].

[Mxsmanic]

writes:

Is it possible to program a MP3 - via its metadata or otherwise - to perform the following:

No, thank goodness.

MP3s contain data, not executable code, so what happens to them is entirely up
to the software playing them. And even if software existed that read metadata
and did the things you suggest, the MP3 could still be played by other
software that didn't care about the metadata. Additionally, whenever a user
has physical access to a machine that is running any kind of software, there
is no way to completely ensure that the software will not be compromised.

[Mxsmanic]

writes:

So then we need to find out why my mp3s are behaving as indicated in my original post.

They aren't. Some software you have somewhere is responsible for this
behavior, not the MP3.

[Frank]

On Fri, 20 Jul 2012 08:12:26 -0700 (PDT), in 'rec.audio.pro',
in article Encoding MP3s to "self destruct": Does such a
technique exist?,
wrote:

Well I'm plowing through my collection(still less than 1/3 finished) with the mp3Val application. What's scary is the file reported size drops on a lot of the repairs indicating some of my mp3s had some really nasty baggage attached to them!

I've never used mp3val, but I've often used a (probably similar)
program called mp3check that's more than happy to delete both ID3 tags
of any version (1, 2, 2.2, 2.3 etc.) as well as APE tags.

mp3check will also routinely delete embedded JPEG image files (album
cover art). This can sometimes result in a significant file size
reduction.

At any rate, I found two "misreported bits" files as stated before - truncated files. They have been replaced and tested.

Files, of any type, just don't decide to "go bad". May I respectfully
suggest that it may be time for you to run chkdsk on the partition
that holds your MP3 files?

First run it with /F switch specified so as to fix logical errors.

Then run it again with the /R switch specified so as to check for
physical errors (note: may take hours depending upon the size of the
partition).

This digital era we operate in frankly SUCKS. I wish I'd been around for reel-to-reel - at least stuff doesn't just disappear from those things.

If only that had been true! While I've personally never "lost" a tape,
many times I was given tapes that were either mislabeled or had been
stored in the wrong box. When you've got cartons full of tapes to deal
with, this can become a problem.

--
Frank, Independent Consultant, New York, NY
[Please remove 'nojunkmail.' from address to reply via e-mail.]
Read Frank's thoughts on HDV at http://www.humanvalues.net/hdv/
[also covers AVCHD (including AVCCAM & NXCAM) and XDCAM EX].

[Frank]

On Fri, 20 Jul 2012 09:00:58 -0700 (PDT), in 'rec.audio.pro',
in article Encoding MP3s to "self destruct": Does such a
technique exist?,
wrote:

Is my problem the first instance any of you have heard of this?

Except in cases of a failing HDD (hard disk drive), yes.

Note that the drive may be in perfect shape otherwise, but you're
experiencing a greater number of surface errors as time goes on (that
is, sectors are going bad).

Running a surface scan might be a good idea.

Are other people going through what I am?

Not to my knowledge.

If so it's of little consolation at best, but I am fundamentally a lover of mechanical things - things that exist tangibly - not as bits inside of microchips.

Well, I tend to like mechanical things myself, but then again, a HDD
*is* a mechanical device - one that can fail at anytime, sometimes
quickly and sometimes slowly, such as with a deteriorating recording
surface.

And what contingencies can one put in place for the 2012-13 solar max - which is supposed to unleash solar flares of an intensity not seen since the days of Abraham Lincoln?

I have my tin foil hat handy, but since we're all supposed to be dying
in late December anyway (something about an expiring calendar), I'm
not too concerned about it.

--
Frank, Independent Consultant, New York, NY
[Please remove 'nojunkmail.' from address to reply via e-mail.]
Read Frank's thoughts on HDV at http://www.humanvalues.net/hdv/
[also covers AVCHD (including AVCCAM & NXCAM) and XDCAM EX].

[[email protected]]

On Friday, July 20, 2012 2:37:36 PM UTC-4, Frank wrote:
On Fri, 20 Jul 2012 07:13:16 -0700 (PDT), in 'rec.audio.pro',
in article < Encoding MP3s to "self destruct": Does such a
technique exist?>,
wrote:

>
>You may be on to something. In just the past hour I purchased replacements for two mp3s which were cut off(random amounts). After deleting the corrupt files, I played the songs in Windows Media Player - and here's where it gets WEIRD:
>
>WMP continued to indicate the TRUNCATED length of the old file! In other words I loaded the replacement file of correct length(4:22), yet the play bar on WMP went out to 3:30(truncated length of old file) and stopped, while the song continued to play until it's conclusion.
>
>WTF?!

You haven't indicated which version of WMP you're using, but if it's a
very old version that doesn't understand VBR (variable bit rate) MP3
files, then that would be the explanation for the incorrect running
time being displayed.

Other old MP3 player programs also have this problem, btw; it's by no
means a problem that's unique to WMP.

Of course, I have no idea whether your problematic files are VBR or
CBR (constant bit rate) encoded.

You might want to try an alternative player, such as VLC media player,
just to see what results you get with these problematic files.

VideoLAN - Official page for VLC media player, the Open Source video
framework!
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/

VLC media player installs its own self-contained codecs, which are not
usable by any other applications on your system, and therefore will
not mess up your system in any way. Just be sure, at install time, to
not let it steal file types (extensions) for itself (uncheck them
all).

--
Frank, Independent Consultant, New York, NY
[Please remove 'nojunkmail.' from address to reply via e-mail.]
Read Frank's thoughts on HDV at http://www.humanvalues.net/hdv/
[also covers AVCHD (including AVCCAM & NXCAM) and XDCAM EX].
_________________
WMP is version 11.0.6

-ChrisCoaster

[[email protected]]

On Friday, July 20, 2012 3:04:17 PM UTC-4, Frank wrote:

>Is my problem the first instance any of you have heard of this?

Except in cases of a failing HDD (hard disk drive), yes.

Note that the drive may be in perfect shape otherwise, but you're
experiencing a greater number of surface errors as time goes on (that
is, sectors are going bad).

Running a surface scan might be a good idea.

>Are other people going through what I am?

Not to my knowledge.

>If so it's of little consolation at best, but I am fundamentally a lover of mechanical things - things that exist tangibly - not as bits inside of microchips.

Well, I tend to like mechanical things myself, but then again, a HDD
*is* a mechanical device - one that can fail at anytime, sometimes
quickly and sometimes slowly, such as with a deteriorating recording
surface.

>And what contingencies can one put in place for the 2012-13 solar max - which is supposed to unleash solar flares of an intensity not seen since the days of Abraham Lincoln?

I have my tin foil hat handy, but since we're all supposed to be dying
in late December anyway (something about an expiring calendar), I'm
not too concerned about it.

--
/hdv/
[also covers AVCHD (including AVCCAM & NXCAM) and XDCAM EX].
_________________
Well I highly encourage folks on this thread to google "mp3s shortening" or keywords along that line. I have, and I am certainly not the only person experiencing this nightmare.

I run RegClean Pro weekly and have Norton installed, so I think I'm taking as many precautions as can reasonably be taken.

Also, I do not notice any of my other types of files - pptx, doc, xls, suddenly missing pages or data.

Just the music.

-ChrisCoaster

[Frank]

On Fri, 20 Jul 2012 12:05:47 -0700 (PDT), in 'rec.audio.pro',
in article Encoding MP3s to "self destruct": Does such a
technique exist?,
wrote:

WMP is version 11.0.6

Then the problem isn't that of playing VBR files in an old program
that only understands CBR files, but it sure sounds to me like you're
afraid of running chkdsk for some reason.

--
Frank, Independent Consultant, New York, NY
[Please remove 'nojunkmail.' from address to reply via e-mail.]
Read Frank's thoughts on HDV at http://www.humanvalues.net/hdv/
[also covers AVCHD (including AVCCAM & NXCAM) and XDCAM EX].

[[email protected]]

On Friday, July 20, 2012 3:23:04 PM UTC-4, Frank wrote:
On Fri, 20 Jul 2012 12:05:47 -0700 (PDT), in 'rec.audio.pro',
in article < Encoding MP3s to "self destruct": Does such a
technique exist?>,
wrote:

>WMP is version 11.0.6

Then the problem isn't that of playing VBR files in an old program
that only understands CBR files, but it sure sounds to me like you're
afraid of running chkdsk for some reason.

--
Frank, Independent Consultant, New York, NY
[Please remove 'nojunkmail.' from address to reply via e-mail.]
Read Frank's thoughts on HDV at http://www.humanvalues.net/hdv/
[also covers AVCHD (including AVCCAM & NXCAM) and XDCAM EX].
_______________
I'm not afraid to run chkdsk - I can't!

[Ron Capik[_3_]]

On 7/20/2012 3:09 PM, wrote:
On Friday, July 20, 2012 3:04:17 PM UTC-4, Frank wrote:

>Is my problem the first instance any of you have heard of this?

Except in cases of a failing HDD (hard disk drive), yes.

Note that the drive may be in perfect shape otherwise, but you're
experiencing a greater number of surface errors as time goes on (that
is, sectors are going bad).

Running a surface scan might be a good idea.

>Are other people going through what I am?

Not to my knowledge.

>If so it's of little consolation at best, but I am fundamentally a lover of mechanical things - things that exist tangibly - not as bits inside of microchips.

Well, I tend to like mechanical things myself, but then again, a HDD
*is* a mechanical device - one that can fail at anytime, sometimes
quickly and sometimes slowly, such as with a deteriorating recording
surface.

>And what contingencies can one put in place for the 2012-13 solar max - which is supposed to unleash solar flares of an intensity not seen since the days of Abraham Lincoln?

I have my tin foil hat handy, but since we're all supposed to be dying
in late December anyway (something about an expiring calendar), I'm
not too concerned about it.

--
/hdv/
[also covers AVCHD (including AVCCAM & NXCAM) and XDCAM EX].
_________________
Well I highly encourage folks on this thread to google "mp3s shortening" or keywords along that line. I have, and I am certainly not the only person experiencing this nightmare.

I run RegClean Pro weekly and have Norton installed, so I think I'm taking as many precautions as can reasonably be taken.

Also, I do not notice any of my other types of files - pptx, doc, xls, suddenly missing pages or data.

Just the music.

-ChrisCoaster

OK, so you said have backup files. Are the backups and
corrupted files the same size before and after the problem?
Does a binary diff show any difference between the two?
==

Later...
Ron Capik
--

[[email protected]]

On Friday, July 20, 2012 3:37:44 PM UTC-4, (unknown) wrote:
On Friday, July 20, 2012 3:23:04 PM UTC-4, Frank wrote:
> On Fri, 20 Jul 2012 12:05:47 -0700 (PDT), in 'rec.audio.pro',
> in article < Encoding MP3s to "self destruct": Does such a
> technique exist?>,
> wrote:
>
> >WMP is version 11.0.6
>
> Then the problem isn't that of playing VBR files in an old program
> that only understands CBR files, but it sure sounds to me like you're
> afraid of running chkdsk for some reason.
>
> --
> Frank, Independent Consultant, New York, NY
> [Please remove 'nojunkmail.' from address to reply via e-mail.]
> Read Frank's thoughts on HDV at http://www.humanvalues.net/hdv/
> [also covers AVCHD (including AVCCAM & NXCAM) and XDCAM EX].
_______________
I'm not afraid to run chkdsk - I can't!


_________
Microsoft Windows [Version 6.0.6002]
Copyright (c) 2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\Chrischkdsk
Access Denied as you do not have sufficient privileges.
You have to invoke this utility running in elevated mode.

[Scott Dorsey]

Nil wrote:
On 20 Jul 2012, wrote in rec.audio.pro:

Is my problem the first instance any of you have heard of this?
Are other people going through what I am?

No I have not. This is not common. Yes, data sometimes becomes corrupt,
but it's very unlikely that your mp3s have become corrupt, but nothing
else on the disk has been. I've never heard of anything like this
happening unless the disk itself has become corrupt, in which case
there are many other problems, usually system failure.

It is more likely that the WMP database has become corrupt, what with WMP
being a buggy mess and all that.

You should check the integrity of your hard disk. It sounds like it may
be headed for catastrophic failure.

That's never a bad idea either.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."