Advice on migrating from iTunes to Rockbox?

[Frankenpod]

Hi

I aim to give up on Apple's ipod firmware (and hence iTunes) in favour of Rockbox, which I find has a lot of advantages (no maximum number of tracks, no EU volume limit, more information shown on while playing, etc etc).

But I would like to try and preserve my existing 'playcounts' from iTunes.  It must be possible to export them somehow and then intialise the Rockbox playcounts accordingly, no?

This is partly an iTunes question, but perhaps someone here has already done this and has a pointer to a guide or useful utility for doing it?

If getting the playcounts out of iTunes isn't really a Rockbox issue, is there at least a simpleton's guide as to how to initialise playcounts in Rockbox (from the manual I get that its something involving a text file that initialises the database, right?)

I don't use 'ratings' and I can export playlists easily enough,  its just the playcounts I'm a bit stuck on.

Thanks.

[kenjamin]

I personally still use iTunes, and use this service called Middleman to let me sync to my DAP.

[Frankenpod]

Thanks - not sure what to make of that, but looks interesting, will require further reading to see if it does what I want.

At the moment I just sync rockboxed ipods with robocopy, and export playlists from itunes.  Which works perfectly well, with the exception of those playcounts.

[Frankenpod]

hmm...though looks like its Mac only, and I'm using Windows!

Does anyone know how/where Rockbox stores its own playcounts?  It still seems as if, if I could find a script to export them from iTunes (maybe add them as tags to the files, or just as a text list?) I would then just need to initialise Rockbox's own playcounts to match them.

[Bryanhoop]

https://boldig.wordpress.com/2014/08/21/how-to-import-song-ratings-and-playback-statistics-from-itunes-to-foobar/

[Frankenpod]

https://boldig.wordpress.com/2014/08/21/how-to-import-song-ratings-and-playback-statistics-from-itunes-to-foobar/

Thanks, that sounds like a good start (I'm just about to switch from iTunes to foobar as it happens, so will probably make use of that).  I still need to see if there's a way of combining foobar's playcounting with rockbox's though.

[ashs]

https://boldig.wordpress.com/2014/08/21/how-to-import-song-ratings-and-playback-statistics-from-itunes-to-foobar/

Thanks, that sounds like a good start (I'm just about to switch from iTunes to foobar as it happens, so will probably make use of that).  I still need to see if there's a way of combining foobar's playcounting with rockbox's though.

I've never used rockbox, but if it uses standard id3 file tags for rating and playcount, you can use foobar to inscript iTunes ratings and playcounts to the file. Then it'll also show in rockbox. You can read the instructions yo do so on my blog here:
https://boldig.wordpress.com/2014/08/21/how-to-import-song-ratings-and-playback-statistics-from-itunes-to-foobar/

[ashs]

I think Rockbox does use idv3 tags stored in the files. You just have to update your library once you update their playcount file tag, using foobar.

Basically, you'd have to install foobar, and use it to transfer your iTunes database to the respective files.

[saratoga]

I don't think ratings are stored in ID3 tags.  That would require updating the tags, which I don't think is possible. 

[Frankenpod]

I don't think ratings are stored in ID3 tags.  That would require updating the tags, which I don't think is possible.

Pity, as the ability to keep long-term track of playcounts is the only thing I miss from iTunes+OF.  In every other respect I find Rockbox+foobar combo to be a great improvement.