diff --git a/src/itdb_itunesdb.c b/src/itdb_itunesdb.c

index c41e758..3f352e1 100644

--- a/src/itdb_itunesdb.c

+++ b/src/itdb_itunesdb.c

@@ -1286,6 +1286,45 @@ static gint32 get_mhod_type (FContents *cts, glong seek, guint32 *ml)

     return type;

 }

+static char *extract_mhod_string (FContents *cts, glong seek)

+{

+    gunichar2 *entry_utf16;

+    char *entry_utf8;

+    gint string_type;

+    gsize len;

+

+    /* type of string: 0x02: UTF8, 0x01 or 0x00: UTF16 LE */

+    string_type = get32lint (cts, seek);

+    len = get32lint (cts, seek+4);   /* length of string */

+    g_return_val_if_fail (len < G_MAXUINT - 2, NULL);

+    if (string_type != 0x02) {

+	/* UTF-16 string */

+	entry_utf16 = g_new0 (gunichar2, (len+2)/2);

+	if (seek_get_n_bytes (cts, (gchar *)entry_utf16, seek+16, len)) {

+	    fixup_little_utf16 (entry_utf16);

+	    entry_utf8= g_utf16_to_utf8 (entry_utf16, -1, NULL, NULL, NULL);

+	    g_free (entry_utf16);

+	} else { 

+	    g_free (entry_utf16);

+	    return NULL;

+	}

+    } else {

+	/* UTF-8 string */

+	entry_utf8 = g_new0 (gchar, len+1);

+	if (!seek_get_n_bytes (cts, entry_utf8, seek+16, len)) {

+	    g_free (entry_utf8);

+	    return NULL;

+	}

+    }

+

+    if (g_utf8_validate (entry_utf8, -1, NULL)) {

+	return entry_utf8;

+    } else {

+	g_free (entry_utf8);

+	return NULL;

+    }

+}

+

 /* Returns the contents of the mhod at position @mhod_seek. This can

    be a simple string or something more complicated as in the case for

    Itdb_SPLPREF OR Itdb_SPLRULES.

@@ -1303,12 +1342,10 @@ static gint32 get_mhod_type (FContents *cts, glong seek, guint32 *ml)

 static MHODData get_mhod (FImport *fimp, glong mhod_seek, guint32 *ml)

 {

-  gunichar2 *entry_utf16 = NULL;

   MHODData result;

   gint32 xl;

   guint32 mhod_len;

   gint32 header_length;

-  guint32 string_type;

   gulong seek;

   FContents *cts;

@@ -1384,34 +1421,9 @@ static MHODData get_mhod (FImport *fimp, glong mhod_seek, guint32 *ml)

   case MHOD_ID_SORT_ALBUMARTIST:

   case MHOD_ID_SORT_COMPOSER:

   case MHOD_ID_SORT_TVSHOW:

-      /* type of string: 0x02: UTF8, 0x01 or 0x00: UTF16 LE */

-      string_type = get32lint (cts, seek);

-      xl = get32lint (cts, seek+4);   /* length of string */

-      g_return_val_if_fail (xl < G_MAXUINT - 2, result);

-      if (string_type != 0x02)

-      {

-	  entry_utf16 = g_new0 (gunichar2, (xl+2)/2);

-	  if (seek_get_n_bytes (cts, (gchar *)entry_utf16, seek+16, xl))

-	  {

-	      fixup_little_utf16 (entry_utf16);

-	      result.data.string = g_utf16_to_utf8 (entry_utf16, -1,

-						    NULL, NULL, NULL);

-	      g_free (entry_utf16);

-	  }

-	  else

-	  {   /* error */

-	      g_free (entry_utf16);

-	      return result;  /* *ml==-1, result.valid==FALSE */

-	  }

-      }

-      else

-      {

-	  result.data.string = g_new0 (gchar, xl+1);

-	  if (!seek_get_n_bytes (cts, result.data.string, seek+16, xl))

-	  {   /* error */

-	      g_free (entry_utf16);

-	      return result;  /* *ml==-1, result.valid==FALSE */

-	  }

+      result.data.string = extract_mhod_string (cts, seek);

+      if (result.data.string == NULL) {

+	  return result;

       }

       break;

   case MHOD_ID_PODCASTURL:

--- libgpod-0.7.2/src/itdb_itunesdb.c.old	2009-10-19 16:53:13.000000000 +0100

+++ libgpod-0.7.2/src/itdb_itunesdb.c	2009-10-19 16:53:57.000000000 +0100

@@ -1423,6 +1423,7 @@ static MHODData get_mhod (FImport *fimp,

   case MHOD_ID_SORT_TVSHOW:

       result.data.string = extract_mhod_string (cts, seek);

       if (result.data.string == NULL) {

+	  *ml = mhod_len;

 	  return result;

       }

       break;