iPod 5G Video: Rockbox AND Apple Firmware without iTunes Plan

[Horscht]

allthough it might not be of interest anymore, but there's reTune

http://retune.sourceforge.net/index.php?page=about

it will allow creating a db of files outside the ipod_control folder. I have not yet used it, but I will son

[GodEater]

foo_dop's Documentation

Furthermore, some Ipod models will only play files contained within the iPod_Control\Music folder.

[Horscht]

hm... yeah. retune does not what I thought it does, at least not on my ipod video. It simply started copying the files from my Music folder into the ipod_control folder.

Anyways, I might be trying that foobar plugin

[KindOfBlues71]

@Horscht- Let us know if foo_dop works for you.  I'm going to try it this weekend...

[Horscht]

No, it didn't work at all. it was just like any other ipod manager.

[sharn]

hm... yeah. retune does not what I thought it does, at least not on my ipod video. It simply started copying the files from my Music folder into the ipod_control folder.

Anyways, I might be trying that foobar plugin

hmm. I tried return yesterday on a 30G Ipod vide and it took all my music out of the IPOD named folder and put them in a folder named Dissected Files sorted underneath like artist/album/song.mp3.  All my files are tagged well.  And if I decide to refreeze, it goes back into the original itunes structure.  For now I'm leaving it as this is much nicer with rockbox.

[Horscht]

were you able to play them from within Ipod OF while they were in the dissected folder structure? I assume they didn't.

[sharn]

were you able to play them from within Ipod OF while they were in the dissected folder structure? I assume they didn't.

Well no, they won't play because the ItunesDB thinks they're in the original locations.  But retune lets you "refreeze" the Ipod moving the files back to the original database and thus playable with the original firmware.  

[jamoiholland]

Ok, having given up on this I decided to re-visit, as today I found out my iTrip LCD doesn't work with Rockbox  . Here's what I've seen...

- I'm using MediaMonkey's "Rebuild Device database" feature, which picks up tracks on my iPod, which I have stored in \Music\\\etc as well as \iPod_Control\Music\\\etc (a few albums in each path!)

- This means I have started off with keeping my own directory structure under both \iPod_Control\Music\etc AND \Music\etc, so playable by Rockbox of course, but hopefully by OF (Original Firmware) too!

- No files will play on my 5G (running OF v1.2.1) from outside the \iPod_Control\Music path, no matter how long or short the complete path for the file is.

- Files within the \iPod_Control\Music path seem to work, but only to an iPod path-length of 55 chars (57 if you include F: for my iPod's drive letter). I tested his with various files, but for example...

Code: [Select]

000000000111111111122222222223333333333444444444455555555
123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567
\iPod_Control\Music\Bush\Sixteen Stone\01 - Everyth.mp3    - works
\iPod_Control\Music\Bush\Sixteen Stone\01 - Everythi.mp3   - doesn't work
000000000111111111122222222223333333333444444444455555555
123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567

So, this can be done i.e. use both Rockbox and OF, with your own directory structure, but *only* if you...

1) Start your own directory structure within \iPod_Control\Music\
2) Keep your path-length down (Which is really gonna suck big time!!! Presume there's some software out there will truncate for you? Haven't looked yet...)
3) Wait for MediaMonkey to re-build the iPod DB every time you add any tracks, which is about 5 minutes on my 5G with 4300 odd files, 22.6GB worth  

Edit: Maybe if an earlier OF didn't have the restriction on starting from \iPod_Control\Music\, not only could we ditch using that directory, but that would free up another few chars for the filenames!? Why are Apple so frustrating, great product, rubbish restrictive firmware... Anyone know where to get old OFs for iPods?!?

[GodEater]

Anyone know where to get old OFs for iPods?!?

http://www.felixbruns.de/iPod/firmware/

[jamoiholland]

Anyone know where to get old OFs for iPods?!?

http://www.felixbruns.de/iPod/firmware/

Thanks for the link, but it only seems to give the most recent firmware for the various flavours of iPod hardware? I'm thinking maybe the OF (for 5G for example) of about 2 years ago may have not had either the controls that enforce either 1) having files in /iPod_Control/Music/ or 2) having 55/57 characters for the filepath of the files?

[jamoiholland]

Ok, for anyone still watching this thread, I went back the original Apple firmware (OF) that came with my iPod, by using the CD that came with the iPod packaging that I luckily still have! Even with this version of OF (1.0) it looks like the restrictions are still in place i.e. maximum path for a music file, and having to be under the /iPod_Control/Music/ folder

What I really need now inorder to make this work is something to sort the file pathnames out to under the limit, then it would all work fine! But that would make the directories look pretty ugly, and I'm not sure how it would work either, 10 chars for artist, then 10 for album and 10 for the song?

The only thing in my setup not taken care of by Rockbox is the iTrip functionality, that's all I use the OF for. If that code gets sorted in a future release it's happy days, might just wait for that or investigate other ways of hookingup the iPod to the car, through the 3.5mm jack output instead...?

[robin0800]

you can use this to change file names

http://www.bulkrenameutility.co.uk/Main_Intro.php

might help you

[jamoiholland]

you can use this to change file names

http://www.bulkrenameutility.co.uk/Main_Intro.php

might help you

Cool, cheers for that link, I'll give it a go...

[jamoiholland]

you can use this to change file names

http://www.bulkrenameutility.co.uk/Main_Intro.php

might help you

Cool, cheers for that link, I'll give it a go...

Hmmm, its not really doing the deal for me, but thanks anyway for the suggestion! Headphone output to the car stereo it is... Just gotta work out how that's gonna work, next project...