[mythtv] MythMusic: MetaLibrarian RFC

[Simon Kenyon]

On Wednesday 23 March 2005 09:59, Colin Guthrie wrote:
> Simon Kenyon wrote:
> > a solution to an interesting problem
> > but what if i use an ipod?
> > putting the metadata in the song and using your mechanism to cache it
> > might speed up myth
>
> It wouldn't really speed up myth at all. That's not really the point.
> Myth already caches the metadata in a database, I said that in my
> outline. Did you read it properly and do you understand how MythMusic
> works? And I was never, ever contemplating not putting the metadata in
> the song file itself. That is always needed. The description I wrote
> described how MetaLibrarian would take on the task of writing metadata
> to files for the apps etc.

ok, so i've re-read your proposal
i'll play it back in my words and see if you agree (or ignore me, should you 
see fit)

metalibrarian is a library
it reads and write metadata
this metadata can be attributes of "content" - name of artist, etc
it can also be attributes of the use of this content - last played, playlist 
membership, etc
this metadata can be stored in the files where possible (ID3) or separate 
(playlist)

the library can be an RPC into a server or it can be a wholly self-contained 
API with no server

would it be fair to say that it is an ID3 tag library extended with methods to 
read/write data outside the basic ID3 tags. the server aspect of it adds 
flexibility but as the files have to available on the filesystem, the 
extended metadata could be stored alongside the media it describes

if the library was based on or used an extension of an existing API then it 
could be a drop in replacement for that used in mythmusic.

did i get it now?
--
simon

>
> It would however, speed up Myth, Amarok, etc. etc. as a single entity.
> All the programs I regularly use. It would mean they all have a common
> metadata backend. It would mean you could use Myth/Amarok/MadMan etc.
> etc. to sync playlists to your iPod/iRiver/Archos whatever.
>
> If it works well, maybe even Apple could use it as a backend in iTunes
> (ha, yeah right!). But thats the kind of scenario I'm describing.
>
> > so really - this is dumb/stupid/pointless
>
> Your arguments have failed to convince me (yet).
>
> > i would direct you energies into fixing the tagging in mythmusic
>
> This will be done as well. I decided last night to write a simple id3
> tagger last night, to get this bad air out of the way. Id3 is about as
> simple as it gets so it wont take long to write a little tagger from
> scratch, especially for the simple frames Myth uses.
>
> Col.