I just bought 2 Fuze players, one for each of my daughters. I installed the latest SMC from the Sandisk download site, as well as installing the latest firmware available.
I opened SMC and tried to find my mp3 collection, but none of the files showed up. That’s when I looked at the search options and it lists nearly every kind of file other than mp3, which is not a choice. Is this because SMC is trying to convert every audio file to mp3 format, so it assumes that you are getting your music on the Fuze some other way? That doesn’t make sense to me, as it would be much easier to just have one program to get music on the player, regardless if it is already an mp3 or not. I only tried SMC because I had put some files on the Fuze and they didn’t show up in the menu to play. They are mp3s. Why wouldn’t they show up?
You dont need to use SMC to add MP3 files. SMC is for Video Files. To add your mp3 files, simply copy them from the computer and paste them on the fuze.
I did that, but some of the files are not showing up in the Fuze library. So, I thought I would use SMC to get them on the player and that might fix the problem. I downloaded and installed the latest firmware and thought that might solve the problem. Nothing fixed it. It’s not DRM protected files, either.
Those files are most likely either a non-supported format (you said they were mp3 but are you sure?), or are somewhere else on the player, have you tried looking under the podcasts or audiobooks folders?
vtx1800n1 wrote:
I did that, but some of the files are not showing up in the Fuze library. So, I thought I would use SMC to get them on the player and that might fix the problem. I downloaded and installed the latest firmware and thought that might solve the problem. Nothing fixed it. It’s not DRM protected files, either.
Have you looked in the lists to see if you have any listed as ‘Unknown’? This is a common occurance with people unfamilar with the way these things work. Song files (.mp3, .wma, etc.) have information encoded within the file itself with the ‘info’ about the song (Artist, Album, Track Name & #, etc.). These are called ID3 tags. This is where the player finds the information to display in your lists and ‘While Playing’ screen. Sansa players are very particular about reading these tags. Not only do they have to be in the right format for them to even see them, but they cannot have any foreign characters, or excessively long or extraneous information in them.
When the player encounters a tag it can’t read, it classifies it as ‘Unknown’. Many people new to these devices will find their ‘missing’ music there, then start the education process about ‘taggging’ so they their music information is displayed correctly.
With the latest firmware updates for the Fuze, you can also navigate by folder to find your music, but unless the tags are corrrect, the info displayed while the song is playing will still be wrong.
And yes, while the name of the Sansa Media Converter itself is mis-leading because audio files are definitely ‘media’, it does not convert or transfer these type of files. Videos and/or photos only.
CB is right, you can just drag & drop your music files from your computer to your Fuze. You can also use Windows Media Player (and others) to ‘sync’ the music over to the device, although personally I don’t recommend it; it seems to create more problems than it solves. Here’s where to find the User’s Guide that may sort a lot of things out for you. Have you read it yet?
I checked the files, and they are .mp3, non-DRM protected. They do not appear in any “unknown” artist or other category. I don’t know what the problem is… I can play them from the Fuze on my computer when it is connected via the USB cable. I got them on the player by drag-n-drop, and other files I did the same way show up.
Message Edited by vtx1800n1 on 01-01-2010 02:27 PM
All I can suggest at this point then, is to format the player and start over. Transfer a few artists or albums over at a time, checking to insure they show up before adding more. If you encounter any that don’t, look to see what is different about those from the ones that transfer OK.
l.
When the player encounters a tag it can’t read, it classifies it as ‘Unknown’. Many people new to these devices will find their ‘missing’ music there, then start the education process about ‘tagging’ so they their music information is displayed correctly.
Where to start!! What exactly do you mean regarding ID3 Tags? I have the problem of them not appearing in the correct place and you refer cryptically to the ‘education process’. Give us a break and actually tell us what this problem involves and the fixes. Some links would be helpful too. I have actually tried to get a neat little utility - 1st MP3 Tag Editor - to check out the tags and they are fine, complete and dandy. They are are set to ‘read’ and ‘save’ MP3 tags levels 1 & 2 which you would have thought covers all the bases. I really don’t want to whinge but I am so dreadfully disappointed with the Scandisk experience generally. Saying that the hardware is superb but the software / MP3 Converter (doesn’t work - bugs - even having my firmware scanned by the website utility) is just so, so poor. And as for tyring to get third party video converters to support the <Video DivX, 224 X 176, 20 fps - format> …impossible so far. I have wasted many, many hours on all of this and it is I really think someone senior at Scandisk should take the long walk because the programe is just so poor and amateurish. And incidentally, have had many MP3 players - some chinese ones too - and they are genuinely easier to use. Life is too short - sort it out Scandisk!!!
