HOW-TO access your Apple iTunes library from within XBMC

[fpoil]

this is a way to use your itunes library without importing it in the music data base of xbmc, you will havr access to your itunes library, your playlists and so on.


1) download the last nighty build of Firefly, a daap open-source media server :

here

2) install firefly (double click on firefly.prefpane) and change manually the port to 3689, don't enter any password, launch firefly server

3) two solutions :

a) open source.xml in your_user/library/Application Support/XBMC/UserData and type in your music section :

<source>
<name>whatever you want</name>
<path>daap://your_IP:3689/</path>
</source>

b) open xbmc, go to music and click on "add source", "browse", "add network location" and then :

protocol : Itunes music share (daap)
server adress : your_ip

then click on "ok"

it's done, you have access now to itunes library and your playlists (i've got itunes 7.6)

[rickeo]

I am forever in you're debt. THANK YOU!

[elan]

Very nice!

I should add that while specifying another port in FireFly works, I don't believe the XBMC DAAP client respects the section of another port. (I was trying to run iTunes at the same time as FireFly.)

-elan

[rickeo]

Err.. guess I spoke to soon. XBMC still doesnt play my Apple Lossless files... which is what my entire music collection is composed of...

[topfs2]

Well I'm not sure on the osx port but the linux plays my apple lossless, atleast my own decoded ones.

Sure they aren't DRM ?

Otherwise I'd recomend you to change to flac, all O/S supports it and works great. But that probably means you have to leave iTunes behind

<edit> Just noticed it was ONLY my own decoded ones that worked. Sry I am tired today </edit>

[rickeo]

Let me clarify. Im confusing myself here...

The apple lossless files play fine when i just have their location on my hard drive added via the "add source" button. Yet, with the same method, if i select "Library" mode, they give me the "to many consecutive items" error.

When i add my library via the Firefly method, they dont play at all, wether i use File view or Library. "to many consecutive items" error both times.

[fpoil]

well, you are right, my apple lossless files didn't play in xbmc with firefly

but :

1) go to your_user/library/application support/firefly

2) open "firefly.conf" with Textedit or whatever you want

3) look for "ssc_prog = ./mt-daapd-ssc.sh"

4) then type after : "always_transcode=alac" and save your file

5) stop xbmc, stop firefly, launch firefly, launch xbmc

it's done (for me now i can play apple lossless files through firefly)

ssc_codectypes = alac

#
# ssc_prog (optional)
#
# Program that is used in server side format conversion.
# Program must accept following command line syntax:
# ssc_prog filename offset length ...
# Parameter filename is the real name of the file that is
# to be converted and streamed, offset is number of bytes
# that are skipped from the beginning of the _output_ file
# before streaming is started, length is length of the song
# in seconds (or zero). All other possible arguments must
# be ignored. The resulting wav file (or the rest of
# the file after initial seek) is written to the standard
# output by the ssc_prog program. This is typically
# a script that is a front end for different conversion tools
# handling different formats.
#
# On the Mac, this is a relative path by default

ssc_prog = ./mt-daapd-ssc.sh

always_transcode=alac

[cyantist]

I can confirm the above information is correct and XBMC is now playing my DRM-free Apple Lossless files. I don't know about DRM'd files since I don't have any of those. I was getting the "too many consecutive" error before the above mod to Firefly.

Excellent info guys and thanks for sharing. I have converted more and more of my music collection over to the lossless format and couldn't be happier now that they play in this great media center!

Lookout Frontrow...

[Gamester17]

Maybe libdaap (the DAAP-client library) in XBMC is in need of an general update in any case?

<source>
<name>whatever you want</name>
<path>daap://your_IP:3689/</path>
</source>

Can't you simply replace "your_IP" with "localhost"?

[fpoil]

I'm think so but i didn't try