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IDProjectCategoryView StatusLast Update
0000349MMW v4Burning / Disc Handlingpublic2005-10-21 13:43
Reporterrusty Assigned To 
PriorityurgentSeverityfeatureReproducibilityalways
Status closedResolutionfixed 
Fixed in Version2.5 
Summary0000349: Burn Data CD (wizard)
DescriptionCurrently, it's fairly difficult to burn a playlist to an MP3 CD. The user must:
a) Converting a Playlist to a temporary directory
b) Burn it using another application
The only problem is that most MP3-supporting dvd players do not support .m3u playlists, and consequently, the tracks end up being played alphabetically.

This bug describes new Burn Data CD functionality that allows the user to burn a CD that is matched to the capabilities of the device upon which it will be played. The functionality is accessed from within the Burn CD Wizard.

Before describing the proposed UI it's worth discussing the elements that need to be contained within this functionality:
1) Ability to control the format of the information on the CD (at a high level). This is important, since many CD Players will play MP3s, but do not support playlists, and only play tracks in the alphanumeric order in which they appear on the CD.
2) Ability to control the audio format of the data written to the CD. This is important since users may have a Library containing various file formats, but their CD Player may only support MP3.
3) Ability to control the CD burn settings
Because of the variety of settings that the user must manage to burn a data CD, a slightly non-conventional approach is recommended for this portion of the wizard; The Burn Data CD Panel should have a tabbed interface, containing 3 tabs: one to control each of the aspects described above.

------------------------------------------------------------
| Burn CD Wizard - Data CD
|-----------------------------------------------------------
| --{CD Format}--|Audio Format|--|Burn Settings|----------
| | Set the format in which you'd like files to appear:
| | Format: /Music/<Order> - <Artist> - <Title>
| | |---------------------------------------------------
| | | CD Path:
| | |---------------------------------------------------
| | | /Music/001 - Brian Adams - Cuts Like a Knife
| | | /Music/001 - Asia - Sole Survivor
| | | ....
| | |---------------------------------------------------
| |
| | [x] Save .m3u playlist
| | [x] Use dates and times from original files
| |-------------------------------------------------------
|
|-----------------------------------------------------------
| Total: xx KB, yy:zz [Options] . . [Back] [Burn] [Cancel]
------------------------------------------------------------

Notes:
-The functionality here is pretty much identical to the Auto-rename function, aside from the fact that a destination drive does not appear in the Mask. It might be a good idea to preface the mask with CD:/..mask... instead of just /mask.

-The default masks should be more limited than in 'auto-rename' since most devices won't display long paths well. Two other mask options could be /Music/<Artist>/<title> and /Music/<Artist>/<Album>/<Title>

-the 'Save .m3u playlist' option causes a playlist to be saved to the root directory. The most basic version of this functionality is that the playlist can only be generated if the tracks are all saved to a single directory. The preferred implementation would be for a playlist to be dynamically generated based on the mask chosen, giving the user the ability to play their CD by a) Directory Structure OR b) playlist structure .


------------------------------------------------------------
| Burn CD Wizard - Data CD
|-----------------------------------------------------------
| --|CD Format|--{Audio Format}--|Burn Settings|----------
| | Supported Formats . . . . . Resample if above
| | [x] MP3 CBR . . . . . . . . [ ] _192_ Kbps
| | [ ] MP3 VBR . . . . . . . . [ ] _160_ Kbps
| | [ ] WMA . . . . . . . . . . [ ] _160_ Kbps
| | [ ] OGG . . . . . . . . . . [ ] _160_ Kbps
| |
| | Copy unsupported formats as: _MP3__v [Settings]
| |
| | [x] Apply Volume Leveling
| --------------------------------------------------------
|
|-----------------------------------------------------------
| Total: xx KB, yy:zz [Options] . . [Back] [Burn] [Cancel]
------------------------------------------------------------

Note:
-Any format that is checked off as 'Supported' will be copied to the CD in the current format, although the sample rate may be reduced if so configured by the user.
-The option to resample should only be active for formats that are supported. Otherwise it should be greyed out and unchecked.
-Any format that is unsupported is converted to the specified format, using the specified settings. Important: 'conversion' does NOT convert the original file--it merely copies it to the CD in the converted format (this accounts for what might appear to be strange wording).
-It might be a good idea to add a bit of intelligence to the conversion routine for the following case: If the conversion bitrate chosen by the user is higher than the bitrate of a particular file, the file should be converted to the Conversion format, at the same bitrate of the original file (since it doesn't make sense e.g. to convert 64 kbps MP3 files to 128 kbps OGG.

Note: It would also be possible to use a Single resampling configuration entry (rather than 1 for each supported format). In the end I thought that the current UI is better since it gives users control that would allow them to lower the threshold for higher quality codects and raise it for lower quality ones.


------------------------------------------------------------
| Burn CD Wizard - Data CD
|-----------------------------------------------------------
| --|CD Format|--|Audio Format|--{Burn Settings}--------
| | Drive: ________v . . . . [x] Long (255 character) Filenames (Joliet)
| | Speed: ________v . . . . [ ] Allow > 255 characters
| | Method: _______v . . . . [ ] Allow > 8 directories deep
| | Multisession: _____v . . . [ ] Eject CD after burn
| | Finalization: ______v . . .---Action--------------
| | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | [x] Write CD
| | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | [ ] Test Burn
| | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -----------------------
| --------------------------------------------------------
|-----------------------------------------------------------
| Total: xx KB, yy:zz [Options] . . [Back] [Burn] [Cancel]
------------------------------------------------------------

If the user clicks [Burn], then MM checks for a CD and begins burning it if possible. If not possible it should report meaningful errors for:
-No CD has been detected. Please insert a CD to erase.
-The inserted CD is not empty. Do you want to erase it first?
-The inserted CD cannot be written on. Do you want to erase it first?
-The inserted CD cannot be written on. Please insert another CD.
-The inserted CD has x MB available, and you need y MB. Do you want to erase it?
-The inserted CD has x MB available, and you need y MB. Insert another CD.
-etc.... (please document any other errors that should be tested)

If a CD is writable, a small dialog indicating the operations status should be displayed. The window should have a progress bar and a time indication of how much longer is needed. Once complete, the progress bar should be full and the dialog should indicate 'Burn CD Operation Complete. [Ok]'. Clicking [Ok] should return the user to the Playlist Editor.
Additional InformationParent bug: 0000058 Burn CD, #567 Playlist editor
Related bug: 0000917 Burn Audio CD

related to bug 0000246 (which describes how vcd variant could be used to meet this need as well).

http://www.songs-db.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1942 Describes how the current wizard fails to warn users about Audio content exceeding available space.

http://www.songs-db.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2731 Discusses the need to be able to burn with prefixes to each of the filenames

http://www.mediamonkey.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5882 Discusses need for <Auto Number> mask.
TagsNo tags attached.
Fixed in build902

Activities

jiri

2003-05-27 21:07

administrator   ~0001278

It's definitely a lot of work to support burning of data CDs (not only audio CDs). I would postpone this issue until we use some internal burning library, implementing it using Nero would be wasting of time.

rusty

2003-10-30 14:06

administrator   ~0002694

Last edited: 2005-09-28 17:09

Note: bug #419 should be resolved at the same time due to usability issues that currently exist re. burning a cd. See: http://www.songs-db.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=795

Note: this comment is now irrelevant.

rusty

2004-01-26 02:39

administrator   ~0002884

pushedfrom22

rusty

2005-09-28 17:20

administrator   ~0005895

Last edited: 2005-10-03 19:49

Per discussion with Ludek, here is a spec that deals with defficiencies in the current proposal--mostly related to the need to:
a) Select many tracks by a variety of criteria
b) Burn playlists to the CD
c) Improve the ease-of-use of generating a mask

(1)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Burn the following: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Advanced [x]
| |--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| |. Item . . . . . . . . . . . . . .m3u. . . Destination . . . . . . . . . . . . .
| |--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| |. +Location
| |. +[x] Artist
| |. -[ ] Album
| |. . . . [ ] Album 1 . . . . . . . [o] . . . Default . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
| |. . . . [ ] Album 2 . . . . . . . [o] . . . Default . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
| |. +[ ] Genre
| |. +[x] Playlists
| |. . . [x] Playlist 1
| |. . . [x] Playlist 3
| |. [x] Now Playing . . . . . . . [o] . . . Default (/Music/Playlists/<Playlist>/<Play Order>
| |. [x] Selected Tracks . . . . . [o] . . . Default
| |---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Burn .m3u Playlists for: [x] Playlists [x] Genres [ ] Artists [x] Albums
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Summary] [Show Checked] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [Uncheck all]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [Back] [Next]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(2)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Choose the format for the Disc:
|
| Burn Tracks to: __/Music/<Artist>/<Album>/<Track#> - <Artist> - <Title>__________^ [>>]
| Example: ________________________________________________________________________
|
| Burn Playlist Tracks to _________________________^: _/Music/Playlists/<Playlist>/<Play Order>__^ [>>]
| Burn .m3u Playlists to: __\Playlists\__
|
| Disc Size: ________^
| [ ] Burn across multiple Media if content exceeds Disc capacity
|
| Resulting Disc:
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
. __xx__ GB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [Back] [Next]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Notes about screen 1:
This is pretty much identical to the current device synchronization screen, with minor cosmetic changes to match the needs for disc burning. There are a few significant changes though:
a) The order of the columns has been changed to better reflect what is being burned
b) The .m3u column doesn't work via dropdowns. Instead it functions via checkboxes which are far easier to manipulate. There are 3 states to the checkboxes: checked, unchecked, and default (this is a square inside the checkbox)
c) The destination column shows the actual destination in brackets
d) There is a new configuration line that allows the users to choose what .m3u files are generated by MM. e.g. if Genre is enabled, and several 'Artists' with 'Rock' music are selected, an .m3u file for Genre='Rock' is automatically generated and burned. Playlists are burned as follows (this isn't configurable):
Library Playlists to: \<.m3uplaylistdirectory>\Playlists\
Genres to: \<.m3uplaylistdirectory>\Genres\
Artists to: \<.m3uplaylistdirectory>\Artists\<Artist>\
Albums to: \<.m3uplaylistdirectory>\Album
The rationale for this is described in greater detail in bug 0001949.

Notes about screen 2:
a) Burn Tracks to: the most recently used masks can be clicked via the dropdown. Several masks are included in the MRU by default.
b) Burn Tracks to: the [>>] button results in a list of mask entries as follows (they are organized in a more logical fashion):
 <Title>
 <Filename>
 <Track#>
 <Play Order>
 <Random>
 -----------
 \ (directory)
 - (splitter)
 -----------
 <Artist>
 <Album Artist>
 <Album>
 <Genre>
 <Playlist>
 <Year>
 <Composer>
 <Bitrate>
 <BPM>
 <Path>
 <Custom1>
 <Custom2>
 <Custom3>
 
As the user enters the mask, an example of what this would look like appears for a particular track by e.g. The Beatles.
 
c) The 'Burn Playlist Tracks to:' dropdown options are: 1) Default location (causes the destination to be greyed out) 2) Alternate location (causes the new mask to be used instead 3) Both locations (causes the new mask and the default mask to be used)

d) Disc size: should be configured here instead of on the CD options screen since this often changes depending on batch purchased.
c) Burn across multiple discs. Self explanatory, I hope.
f) Resulting disc: Shows the resultant disc content (user editable)
g) Size indicator at bottom: Shows up with some kind of warning if content exceeds disc size and 'burn across multiple discs' is disabled. Also, 'next' button should be disabled.

rusty

2005-09-30 19:47

administrator   ~0005897

Last edited: 2005-09-30 20:14

I tested the second trial of this functionality and noted the following issues:
1) The 'disc status' section of the wizard can be deleted (unless it's going to do something). You can just move the 'Drive Status' button to the bottom left of the dialog
2) 'There is no inserted medium. Please insert a disc to be written on' [Yes] [No]

-->
'No disc is available. Please insert a disc to be burned' [Ok] [Cancel]

3) On the status bar that shows % complete for each track being burned, that should be changed to % complete of the ENTIRE CD!

btw, the functionality works well, however, without any support for Playlists, the implementation means that each CD/DVD can only be used for a single playlist. This is still useful, though, we'll probably want to change the default masks to reflect this e.g. another useful mask would be /<PlayOrder> - Artist - Album - Title .

rusty

2005-10-03 15:48

administrator   ~0005923

Tested the latest 'test build'. Looking good--here's my feedback:
-When warning appears re. duplicate tracks, if the user unselects one of the tracks, the warning should be removed.
-Merge the last track (Multi-session data disk): Is this setting really required? i.e. if Finalize Track isn't enabled, isn't it a multi-session disk?
-Resulting Disc Status. This is very confusing. It should be changed to 'Disc Space'
-The current behaviour for disc spanning & warning re. disc space should be improved so that:
 a) The user has a visible warning if the chosen tracks exceed disc capacity. This can be done by displaying in the 'Disc Space' bar: 'Disc space: xx GB / yy GB', and if xx >> yy, then the text should be in RED with an ' !' following.
 b) If xx>yy, then the following dialog appears:
 The select Tracks exceeds available disc space. Do you want to proceed?
 (o) Span Tracks across multiple discs
 ( ) Write as many tracks as possible to the disc
 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [Ok] [Cancel]

Ludek

2005-10-03 20:13

developer   ~0005930

Last edited: 2005-10-03 22:31

Re. Merge the last track (Multi-session data disk):
It is very usefull and important function, cause if you want to write on a previously burned disc (it has contained data burned before and allowed further writing) - the old data (session) will be lost in case the new burning without having the 'Merge the last track' checked!

i.e. 'Merge the last track' <=> 'Merge the last session'

I hope it is understandable.

jiri

2005-10-05 20:25

administrator   ~0005936

Due to nature of MM it would make sense to me to make things a bit simplier, remove this option and _always_ merge with the last session in case there's one.

Ludek

2005-10-06 14:35

developer   ~0005939

Last edited: 2005-10-06 23:24

Ok. I think so, multisession was automatized.

Mask <Auto Number> has been added (build 900).

Progress bar showing fixed and Showing percentage deleted (build 901)

Ludek

2005-10-07 18:32

developer   ~0005956

Space used for a cleared CD-RW shows as 300KB for me. I think that such a
small value (i.e. less than 1MB?) should be rounded to 0.

Fixed in build 901.

peke

2005-10-09 16:45

developer   ~0005981

Few Bugs:
1. When burning Data CD and no Media in Drive when you insert CD-RW With Burned Data on it, it just closes Burning with error "Burning Was not successful: Could Not write image layout to the disk" It should ask do I wish to Erase CD or Insert new media as this media is not valid for burning.

2. In "Disc Burning Wizard - Burn settings" not always available burners are all available. After few retrys the become available. Mostly after few manual Ejecting and Closing of tray.

3. In case selected tracks are Audio CD Tracks and user tries to burn DATA CD With those audio tracks MM burnes CDA 44 Bytes files on CD not actual tracks.

4. Auto importing of previous sesion do not work in all cases and when CD is burned as audio CD with Multisesion, Data CD burn wizard finishes with unusable CD.

rusty

2005-10-11 03:52

administrator   ~0005990

Peke,

1) I couldn't replicate this, however, issues similar to it are covered in 0000918.

2) I've added this info to 0002066

3) I'll enter a new bug

4) Let's cover this in 0002066 -- Multisession disks are not supposed to work well with audio CDs (at least as far as I know).

rusty

2005-10-11 04:28

administrator   ~0005991

All issues that haven't been described in other bugs have been sourced elsewher.

rusty

2005-10-21 13:43

administrator   ~0006041

Verified <AutoNumber> .

Everything else is covered in other bugs.

Closing.