MinimServer failing to read special characters in m3u playlist files

[timster]

(21-04-2015 14:25)DavidHB Wrote:  

(21-04-2015 13:52)timster Wrote:  Call me dim but if notepad++ can determine the encoding regardless of extension, why can't MinimServer? Or am I missing something?

I think that what you are missing is the point that MinimServer is rigorously standards-compliant. If the M3U Standard requires a particular extension for a particular encoding, MinimServer will expect that extension to be used. Simon's repeatedly expressed view is that once you start departing from standards or incorporating fixes for non-standard behaviour, there is no stopping and the standards themselves are compromised. In my opinion, it's a very fair view.

The case of Notepad++ (which is also AFAIK fully standards compliant) is different to that of MinimServer. It is a very sophisticated editor, which is able to convert text (of all kinds) from one encoding to another. It is therefore appropriate that Notepad++ should automatically recognise the encoding it is dealing with.

David

Yes I see, very fair and correct, and I agree with his standpoint entirely. So it's Synology that's not compliant with AudioStation's implementation. And thanks for the info on Notepad++. I have been impressed with it, so as Arthur C Clarke said, sophisticated technology can often be indistinguishable from magic!

[DavidHB]

(21-04-2015 14:33)timster Wrote:  Yes I see, very fair and correct, and I agree with his standpoint entirely. So it's Synology that's not compliant with AudioStation's implementation.

Sadly, there is still a great deal of sloppiness in the way digital media technology is implemented. Part of it is about the need to rush new product to market. Part of it stems from the universal human preference for the easy option. And part of it is about the fact that people do not always see the value of discipline and orderliness.

(21-04-2015 14:33)timster Wrote:  And thanks for the info on Notepad++. I have been impressed with it, so as Arthur C Clarke said, sophisticated technology can often be indistinguishable from magic!

Clarke's Third Law actually says that "any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" [my emphasis]. I prefer the alternative formulation (one of very many) which says that "any sufficiently analysed magic is indistinguishable from science". When you think about it, both MinimServer and Notepad++ fit happily in the latter category.

By the way, when you changed your playlist extension from .m3u to .m3u8, did the playlist work?

David

[simoncn]

(21-04-2015 13:52)timster Wrote:  Call me dim but if notepad++ can determine the encoding regardless of extension, why can't minimserver? Or am I missing something.

As DavidHB has said, the .m3u8 extension is required if the contents are encoded in UTF-8 (see this page). The .m3u extension means that the Windows-1252 or ISO-8859-1 character set is being used. If AudioStation and MediaServer can't read .m3u8 files containing UTF-8 characters, this is a problem with these products.

[timster]

(21-04-2015 20:49)simoncn Wrote:  

(21-04-2015 13:52)timster Wrote:  Call me dim but if notepad++ can determine the encoding regardless of extension, why can't minimserver? Or am I missing something.

As DavidHB has said, the .m3u8 extension is required if the contents are encoded in UTF-8 (see this page). The .m3u extension means that the Windows-1252 or ISO-8859-1 character set is being used. If AudioStation and MediaServer can't read .m3u8 files containing UTF-8 characters, this is a problem with these products.

Thanks Simon. I have informed Synology

[timster]

(21-04-2015 16:03)DavidHB Wrote:  

(21-04-2015 14:33)timster Wrote:  Yes I see, very fair and correct, and I agree with his standpoint entirely. So it's Synology that's not compliant with AudioStation's implementation.

Sadly, there is still a great deal of sloppiness in the way digital media technology is implemented. Part of it is about the need to rush new product to market. Part of it stems from the universal human preference for the easy option. And part of it is about the fact that people do not always see the value of discipline and orderliness.

(21-04-2015 14:33)timster Wrote:  And thanks for the info on Notepad++. I have been impressed with it, so as Arthur C Clarke said, sophisticated technology can often be indistinguishable from magic!

Clarke's Third Law actually says that "any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" [my emphasis]. I prefer the alternative formulation (one of very many) which says that "any sufficiently analysed magic is indistinguishable from science". When you think about it, both MinimServer and Notepad++ fit happily in the latter category.

By the way, when you changed your playlist extension from .m3u to .m3u8, did the playlist work?

David

Sorry, should have said. Yes, changing the extension worked for MinimServer. So until Synology fix their naming standards (if they do lol) I will just rename them as I create them.

[DavidHB]

(22-04-2015 10:31)timster Wrote:  Yes, changing the extension worked for MinimServer. So until Synology fix their naming standards (if they do lol) I will just rename them as I create them.

If you used Playlist Creator, and created .m3u files encoded in Windows-1252, would your Synology read those 'as is', because MinimServer happily does so? That would save you having to remember to rename each time. And Playlist Creator does do a quick and neat job.

David

[timster]

(22-04-2015 10:54)DavidHB Wrote:  

(22-04-2015 10:31)timster Wrote:  Yes, changing the extension worked for MinimServer. So until Synology fix their naming standards (if they do lol) I will just rename them as I create them.

If you used Playlist Creator, and created .m3u files encoded in Windows-1252, would your Synology read those 'as is', because MinimServer happily does so? That would save you having to remember to rename each time. And Playlist Creator does do a quick and neat job.

David

Ahah! Got it! I was mistaken when I said before that converting to ANSI didn't work (I guess that's the Windows-1252). It was actually because the filepath was wrong after I'd renamed something. Doh, my mistake.

So yes - ANSI .m3u files work for both Synology and MinimServer. So that's the best way - just tried out Playlist Creator (very nice and easy tool), will use that in future.

And advice for anyone else using Synology - don't use AudioStation to create or edit playlists!

Thanks both of you

Tim

[DavidHB]

(22-04-2015 11:46)timster Wrote:  Ahah! Got it!

Great stuff!

David