USB Media and GraceNote

Faults and Technical chat for the Volvo XC40
balmoral
Posts: 244
Joined: Thu Mar 29, 2018 6:13 pm
Location: Northumberland UK

Post by balmoral »

I have a large library of FLAC files which I produced from my CD collection a few years back for playing on the Sonos system at home. As part of this exercise I went to a great deal of trouble to check and correct all of the automatically generated tagging so that I could easily find what I wanted.

I thought that it would be a simple task of loading the files to a USB stick so that I could play them in the car. On trying this I have found that my tagging is ignored and is over-ridden by GraceNote which reads the files and makes a complete hash of things such that I can no longer find what I want.

I found a setting which purports to disable GraceNote but this has no effect.

Has anybody else had any experience of trying this? Is there a way that I can get rid of the GraceNote bloatware altogether?
Inscription T5 Pine Grey Received 31/05/18

Rifleman
Posts: 435
Joined: Wed Mar 21, 2018 2:21 pm
Location: Nottingham, UK

Post by Rifleman »

Hi Balmoral.
You might want to try comparing a few of the files on the usb stick that has been in the car with the originals on your computer, checking for size and “modified” date. It’s unlikely but I’m wondering if the Sensus has replaced your original metadata embedded in the flac files with it’s own data from GraceNote before you turned it off. I use a paid for PC prog called “Beyond Compare” for this but I think there is a cut down free version.
The paid for one also has folder syncing built in, I use that to sync the flac files on my server to the usb stick and it saves lot’s of time.

It would be a great shame if the Sensus really does destroy your own metadata, it takes a lot of hard and tedious work to get it just as you want it.
XC40 | First Edition | 2.0 D4 AWD | Bursting Blue | 19" wheels | Ordered 11/03/18 | Delivered 19th October 2018.
balmoral
Posts: 244
Joined: Thu Mar 29, 2018 6:13 pm
Location: Northumberland UK

Post by balmoral »

Hi Rifleman

Thanks for the advice, what I think might have happened is that the system has built its own index of the stick using Gracenote and is holding it on the cars HDD and whenever I re-install the USB it assumes that it is the same stick and just uses the stored index! Haven't really got enough time right now to delve deeper but will report back eventually.
Inscription T5 Pine Grey Received 31/05/18
User avatar
Boomer
Posts: 585
Joined: Wed Jan 17, 2018 2:35 pm
Location: UK

Post by Boomer »

balmoral wrote: Wed Jun 06, 2018 9:46 am Hi Rifleman

Thanks for the advice, what I think might have happened is that the system has built its own index of the stick using Gracenote and is holding it on the cars HDD and whenever I re-install the USB it assumes that it is the same stick and just uses the stored index! Haven't really got enough time right now to delve deeper but will report back eventually.
Balmoral

I think (well hoping) that you are right. The Sensus unit definitely builds it's own index - that is why if you attach a "new" device ("new" in that it is different from the last device you used) it will take a few moment to create a new index. If you have loads of files this can take a few minutes. Can be a bit frustrating if say you swap USB sticks regularly.

I'd presume that Sensus then compares it's index to Gracenote and updates. I'd be surprised and would be complaining bitterly if Sensus/Volvo/Gracenote amended the original source file (and its metadata).
XC40 FE [MY18] | T5 AWD Auto | Crystal White | 20" | Lava | Apr 18
balmoral
Posts: 244
Joined: Thu Mar 29, 2018 6:13 pm
Location: Northumberland UK

Post by balmoral »

Boomer wrote: Wed Jun 06, 2018 9:58 am

Balmoral

I think (well hoping) that you are right. The Sensus unit definitely builds it's own index - that is why if you attach a "new" device ("new" in that it is different from the last device you used) it will take a few moment to create a new index. If you have loads of files this can take a few minutes. Can be a bit frustrating if say you swap USB sticks regularly.

I'd presume that Sensus then compares it's index to Gracenote and updates. I'd be surprised and would be complaining bitterly if Sensus/Volvo/Gracenote amended the original source file (and its metadata).
My problem is that I don't want Sensus updating my indexing data using Gracenote as it renders my libraries virtually unusable and I haven't yet found a way of stopping it!

Balmoral
Inscription T5 Pine Grey Received 31/05/18
Rifleman
Posts: 435
Joined: Wed Mar 21, 2018 2:21 pm
Location: Nottingham, UK

Post by Rifleman »

So the best hope then is that if you turn off the Gracenote in settings then insert a ‘new’ stick it will use the embedded metadata to build the Sensus database when it scans the new stick. Fingers crossed...
XC40 | First Edition | 2.0 D4 AWD | Bursting Blue | 19" wheels | Ordered 11/03/18 | Delivered 19th October 2018.
Harrydog
Posts: 25
Joined: Thu Feb 01, 2018 11:40 pm

Post by Harrydog »

Write it in biro on the cover of the cassette. Keep biro for manual winding when it gets mangled.
David56
Posts: 120
Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2018 8:22 am

Post by David56 »

Harrydog wrote: Wed Jun 06, 2018 3:27 pm Write it in biro on the cover of the cassette. Keep biro for manual winding when it gets mangled.
Can't abide new fangled things like cassettes....more than happy with my wired in gramophone player (apart from constantly skipping everytime I go over a bump or round a corner!)
First Edition T5 in Fusion Red with 20" Alloys.
Now Sold
balmoral
Posts: 244
Joined: Thu Mar 29, 2018 6:13 pm
Location: Northumberland UK

Post by balmoral »

Rifleman wrote: Wed Jun 06, 2018 10:40 am So the best hope then is that if you turn off the Gracenote in settings then insert a ‘new’ stick it will use the embedded metadata to build the Sensus database when it scans the new stick. Fingers crossed...
I'm still bamboozled at the moment. I can only access the USB settings menu after I have inserted a USB stick at which point the index is built and the damage has been done! Perhaps I'll just listen to the radio!!!
Inscription T5 Pine Grey Received 31/05/18
balmoral
Posts: 244
Joined: Thu Mar 29, 2018 6:13 pm
Location: Northumberland UK

Post by balmoral »

Don't know if many are interested but I will post my conclusions in case any future owners are.

I have reached the conclusion that it is not possible to disable the use of GraceNote. The setting that I had found in the USB menu only disables use of the online GraceNote database, Sensus holds a local a copy of the database which it uses when offline.

I can understand that GraceNote might be handy for those who have poorly organised or untagged collections of music but its a pain for the rest of us. Car manufacturers still don't know how to develop decent software!
Inscription T5 Pine Grey Received 31/05/18
Post Reply