Playing .flac files in ITunes

Just got my mac-mini a couple days ago. I'm new to macs, but I'm experienced PC user. So, I read that I can get the quicktime plug-in to have ITunes play flac files. So, I download this thing and I install it. Then I restart. Then, I point ITunes at the directory on my PC where I have my music library. 95% of it is flac, the rest is mp3. ITunes 'recognizes' the mp3 files, but not the flac files. I can play the mp3's with no problem, but as far as ITunes knows, the flac files don't exist. Anyone else seen this? Is there something that I need to do to activate that plug-in that I installed. Thanks in advance for helping a newbie...

Chris

mac-mini, Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Posted on Dec 31, 2006 4:07 PM

20 replies

oconnellc Author

Level 1

5 points

Jan 24, 2007 10:26 PM in response to oconnellc

I did figure out that you can specify when the web start application starts that you always want to trust the provider. Once I clicked that, I no longer get the annoying pop up message every time I try to start the softsqueeze.

Jan 25, 2007 6:50 AM in response to oconnellc

iTunes for both Mac and Windows can (with an additional QuickTime component) play FLAC and OGG but apparently not FLAC in the standard file format (only in the Xiph format). See http://www.xiph.org/quicktime/download.html

This workaround (Mac only) http://barelyfocused.net/blog/2006/10/12/native-flac-in-itunesquicktime/ helps get round some of those problems. Basically it is an alternative FLAC file parser and still uses the Xiph FLAC decoder. Even this does not provide perfect tag support but should let iTunes play FLAC files in .flac format on a Mac.

Personally I would suggest you go the Apple Lossless route. I have all my music in Apple Lossless and can and do share it successfully between :-

iTunes (Mac and Windows versions on a dual boot Bootcamp setup)
WMP 10
Media Center 2005
Roku SoundBridge
SlimDevices SlimServer
SlimDevices SoftSqueeze

it will also work with :-

iPod
AppleTV
Sonos Zone Player
and even (via MCE 2005 & WMP 10) an XBox 360 Media Extender!

It is also possible to use Apple Lossless in Foobar 2000 and WinAmp (as well as WMP).

oconnellc Author

Level 1

5 points

Jan 27, 2007 11:36 AM in response to John Lockwood

Interesting... Is apple lossless supported 'natively' by the slimserver/squeezebox? For example, in some cases, if you are streaming flac, the slimserver will convert on the fly from the flac file to an mp3 and then that is what will get streamed. I don't want to, but if I had to, I could convert my library from flac to apple lossless (about 150 GB worth. Not huge, but not something I want to do just for the fun of it).

Thanks, Chris

oconnellc Author

Level 1

5 points

Jan 27, 2007 12:31 PM in response to oconnellc

Well, sometimes I should read the manual. I discovered that if the source is apple lossless, then the slimserver will automatically re-encode the file on the fly to either flac, mp3 or aiff. You can choose which on the server setting page of the slimserver ui.

Jan 31, 2007 3:09 AM in response to oconnellc

Well, sometimes I should read the manual. I
discovered that if the source is apple lossless, then
the slimserver will automatically re-encode the file
on the fly to either flac, mp3 or aiff. You can
choose which on the server setting page of the
slimserver ui.

The format it transcodes to depends on the capabilities of the device. I don't have a Squeezebox myself but I have had SlimServer stream to a Roku Soundbridge and it transcoded to AIFF, I have also used it with SoftSqueeze and deliberately forced it to transcode to MP3 to reduce the network bandwidth needed to a level that worked remotely over the Internet (e.g. 128Kbps MP3, vs. 1Mbps AIFF).

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Playing .flac files in ITunes