# \[X\] Bitrate and Length wrong
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/x-bitrate-and-length-wrong/3491
**Category:** No Bugs
**Created:** [June 25, 2006, 1:45am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/x-bitrate-and-length-wrong/3491 "2006-06-25T01:45:18Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@mjburns](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/mjburns)
#### Post date: [June 25, 2006, 1:45am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/x-bitrate-and-length-wrong/3491/1 "2006-06-25T01:45:18Z")
MP3TAG v2.36a shows a MP3 file as 320 KBits/s and play for 00:46 when it really is
96 KBits/s and play for 02:35.
This makes it unusable for picking the best quality and length of duplicate files.
Thanks
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### Author:  [@Sebastian\_Mares](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Sebastian_Mares)
#### Post date: [June 25, 2006, 4:48am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/x-bitrate-and-length-wrong/3491/2 "2006-06-25T04:48:49Z")
Does the file have a variable bitrate?
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### Author:  [@DetlevD](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/DetlevD)
#### Post date: [June 25, 2006, 5:56am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/x-bitrate-and-length-wrong/3491/3 "2006-06-25T05:56:36Z")
> [@mjay](#):
>
> MP3TAG v2.36a shows a MP3 file as 320 KBits/s and play for 00:46 when it really is 96 KBits/s and play for 02:35. This makes it unusable for picking the best quality and length of duplicate files.Thanks
In March 2005 I wrote to Florian about false values in "$\_length" and "$\_length\_seconds".
As I remember, Florian did some fixing about evaluating the mp3 encoding scheme.
But this area is still buggy in Mp3tag, e.g. on sampling frequencies other than 44100 Hz.
At that time I discovered that there are many great applications that have this bad behaviour too, Windows Media Player, WinAmp, Helium, and others ..., except for RealPlayer!
So, as a workaround I use the RealPlayer.
While RealPlayer does a checkup on loading a mp3 file, it really does a physical fix on the mp3 file, so that formerly bad values displayed in Mp3tag will be corrected afterwards. The mp3 file must have set the readonly attribute off to make RealPlayer's checkup effort permanent.
Read this topic: Checking mp3 files for errors, What tools do you guys use?
[Checking mp3 files for errors](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/3427/1)
I've just discovered that mp3 files, which have been converted to 'MP3 Stereo eXtended' by Fraunhofer's 'MP3 SX Converter', are displayed in MP3tag with smaller size '%\_length%' than their original duration has been displayed in MP3tag.
I think there is a weird mp3 encoding detection engine in MP3tag working.
DD.20060625.0952
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### Author:  [@Sebastian\_Mares](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Sebastian_Mares)
#### Post date: [June 25, 2006, 8:15am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/x-bitrate-and-length-wrong/3491/4 "2006-06-25T08:15:45Z")
For CBR files, the detection shouldn't have problems as long as the encoder follows the standards. If the file is VBR, it must also contain a VBR header - be it Xing or VBRI. If not, it is very difficult for a program to get the exact length and bitrate, unless it parses all frames.
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### Author:  [@Florian](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Florian)
#### Post date: [June 25, 2006, 11:35am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/x-bitrate-and-length-wrong/3491/5 "2006-06-25T11:35:02Z")
You can send me one of the file via [email](http://mp3tag.de/en/contact.html) and please use email **or** the forums for questions, not both!
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### Author:  [@mjburns](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/mjburns)
#### Post date: [June 25, 2006, 12:06pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/x-bitrate-and-length-wrong/3491/6 "2006-06-25T12:06:06Z")
I'm sorry about that. I sent the email and then saw the posting for bugs in the board, and figured you wouldn't answer the email. Won't happen again.
mike
> [@Florian](#):
>
> You can send me one of the file via [email](http://mp3tag.de/en/contact.html) and please use email **or** the forums for questions, not both!
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### Author:  [@mjburns](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/mjburns)
#### Post date: [June 25, 2006, 12:43pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/x-bitrate-and-length-wrong/3491/7 "2006-06-25T12:43:15Z")
The file was ripped with StreamRipper for WinAmp (current version), and is not VBR.
dbPowerAMP's "roll-over baloon help" (worth installing just for that feture) sees all the files correctly.
It's definitely not all of them (not even most, the one I sent email now lists correct). I just know that anything in the list that shows a bit rate greater than 128 or less than 96 is incorrect. One file shows 8kBit/s and play for 37:31 but really is 128 kBit/s and play for 02:25.
I think the problem may be related to the size of the directory I am scanning. 19 GB and 5K objects and on a mapped (network) drive.
> [@Sebastian Mares](#):
>
> Does the file have a variable bitrate?
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### Author:  [@Florian](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Florian)
#### Post date: [December 28, 2018, 2:16pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/x-bitrate-and-length-wrong/3491/8 "2018-12-28T14:16:58Z")
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