How to edit hidden metadata tags?

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Level 1

105 points

How to edit hidden metadata tags?

Hi, how can I edit the hidden metadata tags used for television (season, episode, etc.) ? I know that iTunes automatically inherits metadata tags from mp4 files, but I am using avi files wrapped in a quicktime media link. Is there a way to do this directly? Alternatively, is there a way to wrap a media link in a mp4 file?

Dual 1 GHz QS 2002

Posted on Jul 30, 2006 11:21 PM

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Answer 1

macmenno

Level 6

10,080 points

Jul 30, 2006 11:52 PM in response to Capt'n Hector

To edit metadata of mp4 video files, you can use Lostify.
As it only works with mp4's, you have to convert other files first with e.g. ffmpegX.

Hope this helps.

M

17' iMac fp 800 MHz 768 MB RAM Mac OS X (10.4.7) Several ext. HD (backup and data)

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Answer 2

Capt'n Hector Author

Level 1

105 points

Jul 31, 2006 12:42 AM in response to macmenno

Thanks. I've tried using Lostify, but I don't have mp4 files. Is it possible to use the mp4 container without transcoding? The video in the avi's I have are all xvid's and divx's, but audio varies from mp3 to aac to wma... Ideally mp4 would replace avi without changing anything inside. I don't know the mp4 spec, but I get the impression that it's fairly more rigid than avi.

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Answer 3

macmenno

Level 6

10,080 points

Jul 31, 2006 8:21 AM in response to Capt'n Hector

I can't answer that. I guess the (TV show etc.) tags only can be stored in mp4 files.
I have no idea how to apply those tags to other video files.
Sorry, maybe someone else can answer that.

M

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Answer 4

Oct 1, 2006 8:06 PM in response to macmenno

Having looked around, I can only find two programs that support editing these "hidden" tags: Lostify and Atomic Parsley. Lostify is limited to MPEG4 video, and Atomic Parsley is limited to MPEG4 in general (.mp4, .m4a, .m4p, .m4v, .m4b). There doesn't seem to be a tool out there that lets you, say edit the iTunes Music Library.xml file, which would be dang handy.

http://home.comcast.net/~lowellstewart/lostify/
http://atomicparsley.sourceforge.net/

Has anyone come across any other options?

What I find particularly exasperating is that "rational" hand-editting of the XML file seems to have no impact (e.g., I have a bunch of podcast episodes that were downloaded individually, since they had fallen off the end of the podcast RSS... and there is no way to seamlessly merge them into a single podcast stream -- or to kick them all into the "Music" section of the library).

For that matter, short of re-encoding files, it seems that I'm stuck with Apple's decision about which of my files are audiobooks and which are music...

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