lately i've been listening to some VBR mp3 files on my ipod and have noticed strange behavior... the ipod does not estimate the length of the "song" correctly, and when seeking (ff or rewind) it starts at the wrong time in the song, usually way ahead of where i actually was.
i found two articles that seemed to hint at problems with VBR and the ipod. i have a brand new 5.5G 30GB ipod, updated itunes and everything. does anyone know of a fix for this?
http://txfx.net/2005/02/08/vbr-mp3-fix/
http://www.willwap.co.uk/Programs/vbrfix.php
it appears that the variable bit rate makes it difficult to predict, based on filesize, how long the song is. it seems like it should be able to use the average bit rate to get very close when seeking or estimating the time length of a song, but its estimates are way off, usually by 30 seconds or so.
the files i am using are probably near worst case, as far as the ipod is concerned. they are spoken word audio files (sermons), usually about an hour long. spoken word has lots of pauses of silence, which means VBR can really take advantage and make an efficient filesize, however the bit rate at any given time can probably vary much more widely than a VBR song file.
anyway, have others experienced this? is there some VBR format that is more itunes compatible?
i found two articles that seemed to hint at problems with VBR and the ipod. i have a brand new 5.5G 30GB ipod, updated itunes and everything. does anyone know of a fix for this?
http://txfx.net/2005/02/08/vbr-mp3-fix/
http://www.willwap.co.uk/Programs/vbrfix.php
it appears that the variable bit rate makes it difficult to predict, based on filesize, how long the song is. it seems like it should be able to use the average bit rate to get very close when seeking or estimating the time length of a song, but its estimates are way off, usually by 30 seconds or so.
the files i am using are probably near worst case, as far as the ipod is concerned. they are spoken word audio files (sermons), usually about an hour long. spoken word has lots of pauses of silence, which means VBR can really take advantage and make an efficient filesize, however the bit rate at any given time can probably vary much more widely than a VBR song file.
anyway, have others experienced this? is there some VBR format that is more itunes compatible?