Notices

What I can not understand, is some unexplainable denial to show file names in media players. Is it some kind of taboo, I'm touching? Is it illegal in this country?

Really, any other kind of documents are just considered Ok to manage using file names, but when we are listening music, NO! Use albums and tags, even if we can not read them correctly, even if we provide no tool to change them and despite the fact, that users are asking for it all the time. We know better. Good boys do not use file names. Good boys spend all their free time fixing id3 tags.

I understand, that it looks cool, when all you mp3s are organized into albums, sorted etc. But, honestly, are you sure, that users will have their tags always organized?

File names in media players are soooo 90s.
But, honestly, tagging can be a mess. I agree with you that filenames should be used in the case that tags are not available/readable. But when tags are available, may we assume that they are correct and can be displayed instead of the filename? Or should this be a setting changable by the user?

this should DEFINITELY be a setting in ALL media players.

I would expect that player allows using file names as one of media attributes. If we can navigate by artist, by album, why can't we navigate by file name? There are several scenarios when tags are not convenient even if application thinks that they are readable:
1. Sometimes I do not know what the tags are. For example, I've downloaded a podcast using desktop computer, copied file to Nokia to listen during my morning walk. I perfectly know the file name and directory, but I have no idea what the tags are.
2. Foreign non-Unicode tags. The problem with some tags is that they are correct, but unreadable. The problem with language like Russian (which fits perfectly into upper half of ASCII table) is that there are several codepages used. There are at least 4 codepages historically used (as dos,windows,unix,mac -- all have different codepages). All of them displayed as a set of ASCII characters from a second half of ASCII table. There is no way to read that.
3. Unicode tags - I've described the problem with Canola. But even if there is no problem, imagine that you have received several mp3 attachments from China. All of them would be displayed as a set of boxes.
4. Another scenario. I've selected several tracks from different albums to listen in a car, and copied all of them into a new directory. After importing into Canola it will be a problem to find them, as they belong to different albums and there is no way to organize them together.
5. I'm sure you can find out much more scenarios. The thing is - Nokia does not have enough memory to store entire audio/video collection. Personally, I have about 100G of audiobooks. So the typical scenario is to copy selected files to Nokia just before long walk or trip. I know file names at the moment. The easiest way would be to just open directory.

Hi Vtolkov : we are going to add the browse by folder in the near updates. This will solve this particular need. But

Unicode / Non unicode : we are experimenting this one (new fonts that support more languages etc).

We did some tests with some mp3 froms china in version 1 and worked with the previous font, we are not trying to find the kind of solution for this version.


So in the end we understand your scenario, we are going to provide the browse by folder that solves what you're saying, but I can say to you : People do use tags. Unfortunately they do, unfortunately ipod is the leading of mp3 market and so on : / So in our targets we knew that this should be the first one to be solved, then the more specific cases. (or not that specific ) but we need time =)

Marcelo

Hi, Marcelo. I've already wrote under different topic (Unicode mp3 tags) about fonts. In case of font issue, the characters would be shown as boxes, but they are shown as some ASCII characters, the same as shown in OS2008 Media Player. I guess, the problem in some shared parser component.