What is proper way to specify relative path to file in M3U playlists?

audio mp3 media-player playlist
user2427839 picture user2427839 · Sep 5, 2014 · Viewed 19.6k times · Source

What is proper way to specify the path to mp3 file in M3U playlists, for use playlists in hardware players, like Compact & Shelf Stereos, Micro Component Systems, Car Audio Players? I understand the path should be relative, for more reliable playback. For example, Windows Media Player m3u playlist have two dots before the leading back slash:

#EXTM3U
#EXTINF:0,Artist - Track Name (Mix).mp3
..\My Album\Artist - Track Name (Mix).mp3

Does this dots and leading back slashes make any sense for hardware players?

Answer

Brad picture Brad · Sep 5, 2014

All the players I've seen (Windows Media Player included) accept relative paths.

The .. means one directory up. If you wanted to specify the current path, either use ., or don't specify it at all.

If you have compatibility problems, consider using regular "forward" slashes / instead. Most hardware players aren't running Windows, and most Windows software can handle the regular slashes even though Windows paths use backslashes \.

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