Sync Handheld

To set up sync for your device, go to:

• Tools > Options > Handheld

And select your device from the drop-down list at the top of the dialog. If your device isn't detected, ensure that it has been plugged in and drivers have been installed.

If your device shows up as a drive letter, you may need to add it manually as a handheld. You can add any drive or folder on your drives to Media Center as a "virtual handheld". This includes any filesystem location that is accessible to the OS, including those with drive letters and those available by UNC path. Click Handheld > Device Management > Add device to add the location if needed.

Check the Handheld Advanced Options article for further assistance with adding and configuring devices.

Choosing What Files to Sync

Once you've added a device to Media Center, you need to choose which files to sync to it. There are two ways to transfer files to a Handheld/Portable Device:

• Manually by drag and drop
• Automatically based on lists

Manually Adding Files

Drag-drop onto the target area with the arrow pointing down.

To add files manually to any detected device:

1. In the Action Window, select Sync Handheld.
2. Select the Device (assuming there are more than one).
3. Select files and drag them onto the open Handheld Action Window.

Other manual ways to transfer files to your player:

• Drag and drop files or playlists onto the handheld device item under Drives & Devices in the Tree
• Right-click on the files or playlist and select Send To > Drives & Devices > and select your Device

When you add files manually to your handheld via one of these methods, Media Center adds them to the Sync List for the device. When you Sync the device, all of the items in this list are then copied over to your device (and optionally converted using the options in the device's Handheld Options panel). This is a one-time operation. After the items are synced they are not kept in the Sync List, and won't be re-synced if they are removed from the device by some other means.

You can see what files will be synced, and manage files already on your device, in the Sync Queue View for that device. You can access this view by selecting your device under Drives & Devices in the Tree, or by clicking on the Details link in the Action Window. You can also open the Handheld Options panel directly from the Action Window.

Sync Playlists

In addition to syncing files manually to a device, Media Center provides a managed approach to maintaining files on your device. You can choose from any of your playlists and have Media Center automatically synchronizes the files on the device with these playlists.

To select what lists you want to sync to a device, open Tools > Options > Handheld. The right-hand side of the Handheld Options panel shows all of your playlists in MC, as well as checkboxes for All Audio, Video, and Image files (if you want to sync your entire Library to the handheld). To include a particular list in the sync to the device, just check the box next to the item you wish to have included. If you select smartlists the files to be included will be recalculated with every sync to the device.

Media Center's Handheld Options panel.

Once you've selected one or more items to include in the sync, you will get a few new options on the right-hand side including Auto-sync on connect.

Sync Options

The Handheld Options dialog also contains a variety of settings for how you want the items to be synced to the device. This includes automatic Conversion and settings for file paths used. More detailed descriptions these options can be found in the Handheld Advanced Options article.

• Enable album artwork support if possible: If you want MC to try to include album art (embedded in the file and as sidecars) with the files it syncs.

• Resync if Date Modified has changed: Normally Media Center will only add or remove a file if it is added or removed from the Sync Lists. If a file already exists on the handheld, then Media Center won't re-sync it (even if the original source in your Library has subsequently changed). If you want to make sure that files get updated as they change, you can check this box. However, because internal tags (like Number of Plays) change frequently, this can increase your sync times with a slow device.

• Conversion: This provides settings that allow you to automatically convert files on the fly as needed when syncing. This allows you to, for example, convert FLAC files from your Library into MP3 format files for playback on your device. You can also apply DSPs to audio files, resize and reformat images, and transcode videos automatically. For more information refer to the Handheld Conversion article.

• Files, Paths, & More: This allows you to set up folder rules for where the files will be stored on your device, and how they will be named. For more information, refer to the Handheld File Paths article.

A few additional options appear once you've selected one or more Playlists or Library media types to include in the Sync (in the Handheld Options dialog to the right).

• Auto-sync on connect: This will automatically sync to the device using the selected lists whenever you connect the device to the computer while Media Center is running.

• Delete from handheld any files not in sync list: By default, Media Center will add new files to your device, but does not remove any files that it already finds there. If you want Media Center to completely manage the device, and remove any files that don't match the Sync Lists selected, then check this option.

Warning: If you enable this option, all files on your device that are not included in one of the selected Sync Playlists will be deleted on the next sync to the device. These files may not be recoverable. Also note that if you've previously added files to the device manually, but they are not also included in one of the selected Sync Playlists, then they will be deleted on subsequent syncs. This happens because manually adding items is a one-time operation and so on subsequent syncs, they are no longer included in the Sync List (and so are deleted).

Syncing and Viewing the Sync Queue

Once you've selected some files to sync to your device you can start the sync on demand by:

• Select Sync Handheld in the Action Window, choose your device, and click Sync.
• Select your handheld under Drives & Devices in the Tree and click Sync Now.

Viewing the device under Drives & Devices in the Tree will allow you to view what files will be synced to the device, items already on the device, and progress while the sync is underway. You can also manage individual files on the device by selecting their entries and right-clicking. The popup menu provides options including:

• Delete: remove the file from the device.
• Play: play the file
• Transfer to computer: transfer the file from the device onto your computer, and import it into Media Center's Library.

If you've set up any Playlists to sync, you can also force Media Center to re-build the Sync List by clicking on the Recheck Sync button in the header of the view.

Showing a device ready to sync in Media Center.

More

• Handheld Advanced Options: information regarding configurable options, including file paths, statistics, and conversion modes.