Hi. I think I've solved the mystery of some mp3 files not playing on the
BrailleNote. Of course, certain sample rates and bit rates won't play, but
the BN gives a message to that effect. However, some mp3's just do
nothing, and the only out is to reset the BN.
I first thought the problem related to the length of headers in the mp3
files. I had observed that long headers were less likely to play than
short ones, but this isn't always true. Some files with long headers play
ok, while some with no headers crash the machine.
Well, the problem is the presence of ID1 and/or ID2 tags. If the file has
tags, it won't play on the BN, and removing the tags creates a playable file.
Ok, so what are these tags, and how do I remove them. The tags are text
fields that often contain info about the artist, title, genre, track,
etc. These tags are read by some programs, especially mp3 database
catalogging programs such as cddb.
The easiest way to find out if an mp3 has ID tags is to play it in winamp,
and then press alt-3 for file info. A bunch of checkboxes and edit boxes
are displayed containing the tags, if any, the bit rate and various other
data. Before both the ID1 and ID2 tags are checkboxes which, if unchecked,
remove the tags from the file. So, after pressing alt-3 to see the file
info, make sure the tag boxes are unchecked, and hit ok if you made any
changes. Then, transfer the file to the BN and it should play.
Doug
