diff --git a/briar-core/src/org/briarproject/data/MetadataEncoderImpl.java b/briar-core/src/org/briarproject/data/MetadataEncoderImpl.java
index fc7dc3f9dc5a2808f71a993aa5984c2f1bf4eb99..f476df113476a9bf234c43a3891b9a28a5771d62 100644
--- a/briar-core/src/org/briarproject/data/MetadataEncoderImpl.java
+++ b/briar-core/src/org/briarproject/data/MetadataEncoderImpl.java
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ class MetadataEncoderImpl implements MetadataEncoder {
 
 	private void encodeInteger(ByteArrayOutputStream out, byte i) {
 		out.write(INT_8);
-		out.write(i);
+		encodeInt8(out, i);
 	}
 
 	private void encodeInteger(ByteArrayOutputStream out, short i) {
@@ -76,8 +76,7 @@ class MetadataEncoderImpl implements MetadataEncoder {
 			encodeInteger(out, (byte) i);
 		} else {
 			out.write(INT_16);
-			out.write((byte) (i >> 8));
-			out.write((byte) ((i << 8) >> 8));
+			encodeInt16(out, i);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -86,10 +85,7 @@ class MetadataEncoderImpl implements MetadataEncoder {
 			encodeInteger(out, (short) i);
 		} else {
 			out.write(INT_32);
-			out.write((byte) (i >> 24));
-			out.write((byte) ((i << 8) >> 24));
-			out.write((byte) ((i << 16) >> 24));
-			out.write((byte) ((i << 24) >> 24));
+			encodeInt32(out, i);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -98,24 +94,27 @@ class MetadataEncoderImpl implements MetadataEncoder {
 			encodeInteger(out, (int) i);
 		} else {
 			out.write(INT_64);
-			out.write((byte) (i >> 56));
-			out.write((byte) ((i << 8) >> 56));
-			out.write((byte) ((i << 16) >> 56));
-			out.write((byte) ((i << 24) >> 56));
-			out.write((byte) ((i << 32) >> 56));
-			out.write((byte) ((i << 40) >> 56));
-			out.write((byte) ((i << 48) >> 56));
-			out.write((byte) ((i << 56) >> 56));
+			encodeInt64(out, i);
 		}
 	}
 
-	private void encodeFloat(ByteArrayOutputStream out, float f) {
-		encodeFloat(out, (double) f);
+	private void encodeInt8(ByteArrayOutputStream out, byte i) {
+		out.write(i);
 	}
 
-	private void encodeFloat(ByteArrayOutputStream out, double d) {
-		long i = Double.doubleToLongBits(d);
-		out.write(FLOAT_64);
+	private void encodeInt16(ByteArrayOutputStream out, short i) {
+		out.write((byte) (i >> 8));
+		out.write((byte) ((i << 8) >> 8));
+	}
+
+	private void encodeInt32(ByteArrayOutputStream out, int i) {
+		out.write((byte) (i >> 24));
+		out.write((byte) ((i << 8) >> 24));
+		out.write((byte) ((i << 16) >> 24));
+		out.write((byte) ((i << 24) >> 24));
+	}
+
+	private void encodeInt64(ByteArrayOutputStream out, long i) {
 		out.write((byte) (i >> 56));
 		out.write((byte) ((i << 8) >> 56));
 		out.write((byte) ((i << 16) >> 56));
@@ -126,17 +125,26 @@ class MetadataEncoderImpl implements MetadataEncoder {
 		out.write((byte) ((i << 56) >> 56));
 	}
 
+	private void encodeFloat(ByteArrayOutputStream out, float f) {
+		encodeFloat(out, (double) f);
+	}
+
+	private void encodeFloat(ByteArrayOutputStream out, double d) {
+		out.write(FLOAT_64);
+		encodeInt64(out, Double.doubleToLongBits(d));
+	}
+
 	private void encodeString(ByteArrayOutputStream out, String s) {
 		byte[] b = StringUtils.toUtf8(s);
 		if (b.length <= Byte.MAX_VALUE) {
 			out.write(STRING_8);
-			encodeInteger(out, (byte) b.length);
+			encodeInt8(out, (byte) b.length);
 		} else if (b.length <= Short.MAX_VALUE) {
 			out.write(STRING_16);
-			encodeInteger(out, (short) b.length);
+			encodeInt16(out, (short) b.length);
 		} else {
 			out.write(STRING_32);
-			encodeInteger(out, b.length);
+			encodeInt32(out, b.length);
 		}
 		out.write(b, 0, b.length);
 	}
@@ -144,13 +152,13 @@ class MetadataEncoderImpl implements MetadataEncoder {
 	private void encodeRaw(ByteArrayOutputStream out, byte[] b) {
 		if (b.length <= Byte.MAX_VALUE) {
 			out.write(RAW_8);
-			encodeInteger(out, (byte) b.length);
+			encodeInt8(out, (byte) b.length);
 		} else if (b.length <= Short.MAX_VALUE) {
 			out.write(RAW_16);
-			encodeInteger(out, (short) b.length);
+			encodeInt16(out, (short) b.length);
 		} else {
 			out.write(RAW_32);
-			encodeInteger(out, b.length);
+			encodeInt32(out, b.length);
 		}
 		out.write(b, 0, b.length);
 	}
diff --git a/briar-core/src/org/briarproject/data/MetadataParserImpl.java b/briar-core/src/org/briarproject/data/MetadataParserImpl.java
index e4624dc6037881562a6ea7dff91a0c12ad9e076d..ce4c71a3a1f0b09b7872afb5f6a92be76f50f986 100644
--- a/briar-core/src/org/briarproject/data/MetadataParserImpl.java
+++ b/briar-core/src/org/briarproject/data/MetadataParserImpl.java
@@ -143,16 +143,18 @@ class MetadataParserImpl implements MetadataParser {
 
 	private BdfList parseList(ByteArrayInputStream in) throws FormatException {
 		BdfList list = new BdfList();
-		while (peek(in) != END) list.add(parseObject(in));
-		if (in.read() != END) throw new FormatException();
+		for (int b = peek(in); b != -1 && b != (END & 0xFF); b = peek(in))
+			list.add(parseObject(in));
+		if (in.read() != (END & 0xFF)) throw new FormatException();
 		return list;
 	}
 
 	private BdfDictionary parseDictionary(ByteArrayInputStream in)
 			throws FormatException {
 		BdfDictionary dict = new BdfDictionary();
-		while (peek(in) != END) dict.put(parseString(in), parseObject(in));
-		if (in.read() != END) throw new FormatException();
+		for (int b = peek(in); b != -1 && b != (END & 0xFF); b = peek(in))
+			dict.put(parseString(in), parseObject(in));
+		if (in.read() != (END & 0xFF)) throw new FormatException();
 		return dict;
 	}
 
diff --git a/briar-tests/src/org/briarproject/data/MetadataEncoderParserImplTest.java b/briar-tests/src/org/briarproject/data/MetadataEncoderParserImplTest.java
index 038ac23c124bbd361c52640df66ab8256a109c1e..ca44fa02553fca42262180edda734e5d0c2b6ec1 100644
--- a/briar-tests/src/org/briarproject/data/MetadataEncoderParserImplTest.java
+++ b/briar-tests/src/org/briarproject/data/MetadataEncoderParserImplTest.java
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ public class MetadataEncoderParserImplTest extends BriarTestCase {
 		d.put("test", b);
 		Metadata metadata = e.encode(d);
 
-		assertEquals(p.parse(metadata).getRaw("test", null), b);
+		assertArrayEquals(p.parse(metadata).getRaw("test", null), b);
 	}
 
 	@Test
@@ -149,7 +149,7 @@ public class MetadataEncoderParserImplTest extends BriarTestCase {
 		assertEquals(p.parse(metadata).getDictionary("test", null)
 				.getList("Two", null).get(0), "\u0080");
 		assertEquals(p.parse(metadata).getDictionary("test", null)
-				.getList("Two", null).get(0), "\uD800\uDC00");
+				.getList("Two", null).get(1), "\uD800\uDC00");
 
 		assertEquals(p.parse(metadata).getDictionary("another test", null)
 				.getBoolean("should be true", false), true);