Sage Client won't play AAC music

[redflight]

Is Sage Client supposed to be able to play AAC music files? My itunes library is on the same machine as my Sage server, on a home network connected to the Sage Client.

My Music on the Sage Client finds the AAC files, song names and album art, but when I hit play the progress bar never moves. Yet it plays MP3s from the itunes server. VLC on the client machine plays the AAC files fine. Furthermore, I can play the AAC files fine on the Sage Server and on an HD extender.

Why is this? Do I need to install itunes on the client PC?

Client and server are ver 6.4.8.184 and both are running SageMC (STV ver 6.3.7a-fix; JAR ver 6.3.7a). Win XP Professional SP2 on both machines.

Thanks for any help.

[gplasky]

iTunes AAC music uses DRM and can't be played by Sage and most other players. Only iTunes can play them.

Gerry

[paulbeers]

Originally Posted by gplasky

iTunes AAC music uses DRM and can't be played by Sage and most other players. Only iTunes can play them.

Gerry

Gotta love the world of DRM....This is the main reason I stopped using iTunes years ago. The only way to play them back is via iTunes and an iPod. So unbelievely limiting! All of my purchased music anymore is DRM free.....

[redflight]

I see. I guess I figured it is a DRM thing.

However SageTV documentation says it *can* play AAC format. And the fact that I can play AAC files via VLC on the client and play by Sage on the server makes me think that there must be a way to make this work.

I'll try installing itunes on the client and see if that works.

[bastafidli]

if they can play it on server, there might be some missing library or coded on the client. Maybe enable the debug feature and check the log.

[redflight]

Solved! I just installed itunes on the client and now the AAC files play fine through Sage Client. (didn't move any files or even tell itunes where my library is).

Duh, I should have done that first.

Happy now. Thanks for the responses.

[mistergq]

just an itunes suggestion, after downloading the music, burn them to a CD, and then reimport them. That way you have a DRM free music.

I actually have stopped purchasing from Itunes.

[sandor]

Whoa.

Let's back up a minute.

redflight - are these songs you bought through the iTunes Music Store?

If so, yes, it is the DRM causing an issue.

If not, then it is something else.


AAC by itself is DRM free - it is just an MP4 version of MP3. Yes, the iTMS adds in DRM to the majority of the files, but DRM *IS NOT* intrinsic to AAC. The default settings for ripping CDs in iTunes is AAC, and these file do not have any DRM involved whatsoever.

oh, and if VLC plays the files on the same machine, it is not DRM, it is that XP is old enough that it does not have any native AAC CODEC. VLC has them built in, but VLC does not share its CODECs with the OS.