[Encode Local] Utility Codec

[Spoon]

The purpose of Encode Local is to encode files locally (normally to the computers temporary folder), before sending the file to its final location (which could be a network shared folder, such as on a NAS). Why do this? for certain audio formats, such as Ogg vorbis, or FLAC, ID Tags are contained at the beginning of the file, after encoding ID Tags are written, sometimes especially if Album Art is being used the whole file needs to be shuffled up to make room for the tag, which on networks can be relatively slow. Using encode local should give a speed boost.

Download:

http://www.dbpoweramp.com/beta/dBpoweramp-Codec-%5BEncode%20Local%5D.exe

[reelmccoy]

Re: [Encode Local] Utility Codec

As requested in another thread, here's some feedback. I've used this utility codec during my last rip session. I have a quad core system and rip to a ReadyNAS NV share. There are times I may have a total of three systems writing to the same share (sub-directories anyway). I'm ripping to FLAC.

Using this codec, I've noticed the following:

1) The album art is not copied to the target folder as folder.jpg if that option is enabled.
2) You lose the multi-core/processor support so only one rip/encoding task at a time.
3) No warning if files may already exist in the target folder.

Beyond that though, I've been using it with the R13 alpha release. The FLAC files play just fine, contain the applicable tags and also contains the album art. It does seem to save some time over having up to four tasks trying to read/write to the same share at the same time. I'll have to try this out in my next three system rip sessions.

Thanks for cranking this puppy out!

[coltrane]

Re: [Encode Local] Utility Codec

Agree with the previous post in that there is not a folder.jpg enclosing the album art, but album art is embedded in each flac file. As it turns out, for me, this is not a problem as my Sonus system - using the NAS as its music liabrary - displays the album art correctly, presumably from each flac file

Flac files play perfectly and all information is retained normally.

Thanks again Spoon.

[Spoon]

Re: [Encode Local] Utility Codec

Thanks for the reports, I have updated the install it will now allow multi-cpu encoding.

The other items mentioned are also limitations and are documented in the help. It is possible with a slight design change for R13 to get around all the above, but it is no easy change.

[reelmccoy]

Re: [Encode Local] Utility Codec

Out of curiosity, is the multi-cpu version still 0.1? I downloaded and re-installed the encode local utility codec but my rip sessions still seem to only use one core. It goes from rip to encode and waits for the encode to complete before going to the next track vs going to flac directly which rips, if accurate via accurip, spawns the encode and starts ripping the next track.

As for the other issues, no worries there. The fact this does what it does without 4 threads stumbling over NAS bandwidth, even with gigabit, is fine by me. This codec saves some time even with one core being used.

Thanks!

[Spoon]

Re: [Encode Local] Utility Codec

Updated again, multi-cpu should be there.

[reelmccoy]

Re: [Encode Local] Utility Codec

There we go. That did it. Encoding bliss. On a quad core, I'm lucky to see 3 encoding sessions but that's because FLAC is encoding things faster than the tracks rip. But I do see up to three encoding tasks running at one time. This is perfect. Thanks yet again, Spoon!

[Spoon]

Re: [Encode Local] Utility Codec

Updated 14th November:

Now Possible to send the filenames of the file(s) encoded with back to CD Ripper, so that Album Art can be written to the folder (as folder.jpg), or AccurateRip ID Tags added after ripping. *** Requires latest R13 alpha ***

[reelmccoy]

Re: [Encode Local] Utility Codec

With the latest change, when is the album art being added to the actual file? To the local file or is the file copied and then the album art is added to the file? I wish I had kept the previous version as a backup but it almost seems like this last version, I'm seeing different and slower behavior as if the album art isn't being added to the file until after the file is copied from the %tmp% to the destination. I'm seeing *.tmp files on the ripped files in the network share prior to the final .flac file showing up. I could be halucinating...

[reelmccoy]

Re: [Encode Local] Utility Codec

I realized I installed the latest version today so I reverted back to the previous version from this morning's backup. I am seeing different behavior in that the file is copied with album art directly from %tmp% to my share directory. No tmp files are being created on the network share. So I'm wondering if the latest changes kinda negated the speed gained by this codec. I'd be happy to test some more. I'm using the latest R13 beta.

[Spoon]

Re: [Encode Local] Utility Codec

Internal album art is always written by encode local codec its self, after encoding.

The update was for external album art only, such as folder.jpg

Now if you have CD Ripper to write accuraterip id tags at the end, then that could cause a slowdown.

[reelmccoy]

Re: [Encode Local] Utility Codec

OK. I'll have to do more testing with the latest version. This last session had me using the version prior after noticing the delay for writing the AccurateRip ID info.

Thanks for the info!

[Paul_B]

Re: [Encode Local] Utility Codec

I'm trying to re-tag a whole bunch of FLAC files on a NAS device to add album art from an import operation. The Encode Local with ID Tag Update does not work. Is this by design?

The error I get is:

Error converting to [Encode Local], 'S:\music\David Gray\White Ladder\10-Say Hello Wave Goodbye.flac' to 'S:\music\David Gray\White Ladder\10-Say Hello Wave Goodbye.IGNORE'
[ID Tag Update]: ID Tag Update: Error cannot find tag reader for file, codec installed?

[LtData]

Re: [Encode Local] Utility Codec

Do you have the FLAC codec installed?

[Paul_B]

Re: [Encode Local] Utility Codec

Yes, it works okay if I just use the ID Tag Update. However, if I use the Encode Local and pass to IDTag Update then it fails