Ask iLounge 1-10-08

Article

Ask iLounge offers readers the opportunity to get answers to their iPod-related questions from a member of the iLounge editorial team. We'll answer several questions here each week, and of course, you can always get help with more immediate concerns from the iLounge Discussion Forums. Submit your questions for consideration using our Ask iLounge Submit Form. We reserve the right to edit questions for grammar, spelling, and length.

The most asked question at iLounge.com:

How do I copy music from my iPod onto my computer?

Click here for the answer.

The second most asked question at iLounge.com:

How do I put DVDs on my iPod?

For converting DVDs, web video, TV shows and home movies to your iPod, iPhone or Apple TV, we have a three-part series outlining the best formats, settings, and various tools to use for converting all types of video content for use on these devices.

The Complete Guide to iPod, Apple TV and iPhone Video Formats

The Complete Guide to iPod, iPhone and Apple TV Video Conversion (Mac)

The Complete Guide to iPod, iPhone and Apple TV Video Conversion (Windows)

Top five questions most recently asked by iLounge readers:

Q: What are the best speakers to use with my iPod? (15, 76-79, and 90-92)

Q: What are the best headphones to use with my iPod? (10, 72-75, and 90-92)

Q: I really want to get a nice case for my iPod. Do you have any suggestions? (36-37, 54-67, and 90-92)

Q: How can I connect my iPod to my car stereo? (14, 32-35, 68-71, and 90-92)

Q: Are there any batteries that I can use to extend my iPod's battery life? (82-83 and 90-92)

A: Answers to these and many other questions can be found in two places. Our Free iPod Book 3.3 provides a complete report card to all of the iPod accessories we've reviewed as of summer 2007, as well as over 125 iTunes and iPod tips & tricks. Further, our new 2008 iPod & iPhone Buyers' Guide has accessory tutorials at the page numbers listed in parentheses above. These and other publications in our Library are free downloads, developed by the editors of iLounge!

And now, for this week's Ask iLounge column:

Q: I’ve read everything iLounge has written about the differences in how Apple TV, the iPod classics, the 3G iPod nano, the iPhone, the iPod touch, and the 5th gen iPod handle video out. Because all that information is spread among many different articles, how-tos, and Ask iLounge Columns, I was wondering if you could bottom-line it for me. My question is what the different devices are capable of sending to a TV as compared to HD and DVD. Please don’t use words like 420i, 1080p or whatever. No one cares about those tech-speak numbers.

It is my understanding that the 5th gen iPod is capable of sending sub-DVD quality images to a TV and the Apple TV is capable of sending better-than-DVD quality images to the DVD – but not as good as HD. And the rest of the iPod family is somewhere in between. Are any of the iPods capable of sending DVD-quality images to a TV, given the right hook-up and without an upconverter?

- Alex

A: With the release of the enhanced fifth-generation iPod in 2006, it was considered by many as a “near-DVD quality” solution. Of course, how “near” is largely dependent upon your source format, and more importantly the aspect ratio of that material (ie, whether it’s in a standard TV format or a widescreen format).

It’s impossible to accurately describe these differences without getting into a bit of tech-speak, but to keep it fairly simple, the idea behind “480p/480i” is simply indicative of what a normal standard NTSC television can output, and represents 480 “lines” of resolution. This corresponds directly to the “640 x 480” resolution of the iPod itself (note the “480” in the second part of the number).

The problem is that 640 x 480 is the resolution only of standard television content (basically what you see on standard broadcast television channels). Most DVDs for movies and even newer TV shows use a widescreen format that is actually 854 x 480 when played from a normal DVD player. You still get 480 lines, but the width is much greater.

This is where the iPod falls short, since it cannot support that full width. As a result, it has to scale down the image, and you end up with less than 480 lines of resolution. The causes the image to look a bit “fuzzier” on a normal TV if you’re watching widescreen content from your iPod (the actual resolutions end up being 640x352 or 720x404, depending upon the model of iPod and software used to encode the video).

The Apple TV, on the other hand does support High-Definition formats, but only in the lower “720p” (720 lines) standard that is common to some broadcast television channels. HD-DVD and Blu-Ray use a “1080p” (1080 lines) resolution, so the Apple TV does fall short of what you can get from a High-Definition DVD, but not necessarily short of what you would get from a broadcast HDTV source. Note that presently the only way to get High-Definition content onto the Apple TV is to encode it yourself, or subscribe to some of the few podcasts that are encoded in HD resolutions. The iTunes Store does not presently sell any movies in any resolution higher than that supported by the iPod.

So can the iPod actually output “true” DVD quality? That’s largely dependent upon your definition of the term, since you’re talking about video in a completely different format, so the conversion process from DVD itself is going to be a factor in the overall output quality. It is safe to say, however, that with standard-format TV content, you can encode videos that should be indistinguishable from the original DVD. Widescreen content will suffer slightly due to the decreased vertical resolution, but for most people the difference will not be significant enough to be noticeable on all but the largest TV screens.

Note that there are advanced methods for encoding widescreen content to take full advantage of the full DVD resolution, but these are not supported by most video encoding applications as a standard setting, and is beyond the scope of this particular discussion.

It should also be noted that the new 2007 iPod models now have a component output accessory available for them. This will produce a slightly better quality picture on most TVs that support component input. Further, among the 2007 iPod models, the iPod classic and iPod nano offer slightly better quality video output than the iPod touch or iPhone, even with the same cable, since they support non-interlaced output.

So, the 2007 iPod models are capable of sending DVD quality output of standard TV content, and slightly below DVD quality for widescreen DVD content (how much below being entirely dependent upon how you’re encoding your videos). The Apple TV can display full quality output for DVD and most broadcast HDTV content, but falls short of the Blu-Ray and HD-DVD specifications (although it should be noted that the present difficulty in extracting and converting content from HD-DVD and Blu-Ray discs to any other format makes this a minor issue at this point, however).

Our Guide to iPod, Apple TV and iPhone Video Formats is our most comprehensive source of the more technical details of this.

Q: I am getting a error message on my computer when trying to install a new iPod. The error message states that the hardware has not passed Windows logo testing and recommends that I stop installation? What do I do? I can’t seem to find the answer anywhere.

- Pam

A: This is a standard error message from Windows that indicates that the driver that is being installed has simply not been “certified” by Microsoft. This could either be due to the driver in fact not being certified, or a problem with the registry on your installation of Windows that tracks the list of certified drivers.

Regardless, it is not uncommon to encounter drivers for many products that fit into this category, and it is generally safe to proceed with the installation, regardless of the rather draconian recommendation to stop. Simply proceed with the driver installation, and you should be fine.

Note that if Windows does not permit you to proceed, it is likely because there is a system policy that has been set on your computer to only allow the installation of certified drivers. If this is a work computer, this policy has likely been set by your IT department and there may be no way around it.

Q: I want to download movies and watch them on a portable DVD player while taking road trips. Is this possible? Which iPod would be best for this?

- Craig

A: Firstly, it should be noted that movies that are purchased from the iTunes Store cannot be burned to DVD, so the only way to watch these on a portable DVD player would be to connect your iPod to the player. The simplest way to do this is to ensure that you get a portable DVD player with standard video and audio input jacks and then connect a cable from the iPod to the DVD player, in much the same way as you would for any other video source.

The older, now-discontinued fifth-generation iPod was compatible with a wide variety of video accessories, including some portable DVD players with built-in iPod docks. Further, the 5G iPod supported a fairly standard video cable that could connect to the headphone jack of your iPod and output video from there to the normal video input jacks of a portable DVD player.

The current 2007 iPod models have changed the game in this regard quite a bit. Video output is no longer provided through the headphone jack at all and only specific compatible video cables can enable output through the Dock Connector port. Any of the 2007 models can output video, but you will need to buy the specific Apple Composite AV cables to connect from the iPod to your portable DVD player.

Q: I recently bought a game from the iTunes Store to put on my 80 GB iPod classic. However, it does not show up on my Purchased item list, and although it does show up on the Games listing in iTunes, it does not download or appear on the iPod itself. I can see the game on my hard drive, but I don’t know how to get it to transfer to the iPod. Thanks for any help you can give me!

- Jody

A: Games purchased from the iTunes Store do not normally appear in the “Purchased” list in iTunes—rather they go directly to the “Games” listing and will only appear in that location.

To transfer games to the iPod itself, you must ensure that you have enabled synchronization of Games in your iPod settings in iTunes, and selected which games you would like to have transferred to the iPod. You can find this setting by connecting your iPod to your computer, and then selecting it from the source list on the left-hand side of the iTunes window. In the main iTunes window, you will see a Summary of your iPod setting, and several tabs across the top of the screen. Select the “Games” tab, and you should see the settings for choosing whether or not to synchronize games to your iPod, and which ones you would like to synchronize:

Either select to synchronize all games, or choose selected games and place a checkmark beside the game you wish to transfer. Click the “Apply” button, and iTunes will sync the game to your iPod.

Q: The connectors for iPod and iPhone appear to be the same. Will an iPod charger work with an iPhone even though the package says designed for iPod?

- Mike

A: Generally, the answer to this question is yes, although there are a few caveats concerning the quality of the accessory in question.

Most current “Made-for-iPod” accessories from reputable manufacturers such as Griffin, Belkin, etc. should work with the iPod or iPhone equally well for charging purposes, and all of the accessories that we have tested thus far have shown no problems in terms of powering and charging the iPhone.

It should be noted, however, that there are two categories of charging accessories that may not be as reliable in this regard: Older charging accessories (ie, for the third and fourth generation iPod models), and many of the “no-name” accessories that are out there. In fact, it is not uncommon to find some of the cheaper generic iPod charging accessories to not even work with the new iPod classic or iPod nano models due to differences in manufacturing and/or power requirements.

Q: When I got my iPod nano I had a PC so it was formatted with Windows. I have now replaced PC with a MacBook and when I sync my new iTunes library it says that I can only update (with software) my iPod if it were formatted by a Macintosh. So my question is : can I reformat my iPod to Macintosh format??

- Debbie

A: Yes, the iPod can be reformatted to a Mac format by using the “Restore” option found in iTunes on the “Summary” page that appears while your iPod is connected. This will reformat your iPod for Mac OS X, installing the latest iPod firmware and returning it to factory default settings.

Note that this will also erase everything on your iPod so be certain your music is already in your iTunes library before doing this. If you normally use automatic synchronization of content from your iTunes library, the process of reloading your iPod after a restore should be relatively trivial. If you’re using manual management however (ie, dragging and dropping content to the iPod from your iTunes library manually), you’ll want to ensure that you do not have anything on your iPod that is not backed up in your iTunes library or elsewhere, since it will be lost after a restore operation.

Once the restore has completed, your iPod will be Mac-formatted, and can be updated to new iPod firmware versions in the future without having to erase the content again.

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Ask iLounge Archives:

5-9-08: About iPod battery life and charging, Using Apple FM Radio remote on older iPod models, Scan and Fix dialog using iPod on Windows Vista, Preserving iTunes metadata when reinstalling Windows, Importing multiple tracks into iTunes, About iTunes and ID3 tags

5-2-08: Transferring digital camera movies to iPod, Reordering and shuffling playlists, Transferring playlists between iTunes libraries, Importing audiobooks, Correcting tags on CD import, Burning CDs with longer gaps

4-25-08: Finding Duplicates in iTunes, Setting files to open in iTunes automatically, Resetting authorizations, 1G iPod nano and voice recording, Syncing a library larger than your iPod capacity, Grouping multi-disc albums

4-17-08: Ripping CDs to external hard drive, Zeppelin speakers and USB port, Bluetooth stereo on iPhone, Converting TV shows to iPod, Audio recording on iPod touch, Wireless security on iPod touch

4-10-08: Transferring LPs to iTunes, Movie Rentals and 5G iPod, New iPod models on older Macs, Maintaining Playback Position on iPod, Importing CDs on multiple computers

See the rest of the Archives...

4-3-08: Using several iPods on one computer, Renaming imported CD tracks, iM7 and iPod nano, Burning different CD types, Purchasing from iTunes while travelling, Importing CDs on MacBook Air, Sending photos from iPhone

3-28-08: iPod capacity and bit-rates, International iTunes Gift Cards, iPhone charging accessories, Moving iTunes purchases to another computer, iPod touch and third-party tools, iPod videos play only audio

3-21-08: Basic DVD conversion, 5G iPod and subtitles, Slideshows on iPod touch, Using the Voice Memo function, iPod classic TV output quality, iPod Dock Connector extender cables

3-14-08: About Skip Count, iPhone alarm clocks, 5G firmware updates, Cleaning up after a library move, Syncing new playlists to iPod nano, Authorization of multiple iTunes Store accounts

3-7-08: Transferring MP3 files to new iTunes library, iPhone ringtones on Windows, Wired remotes for iPod classic, Sharing iTunes with multiple users on one PC, iTunes library and Time Capsule, Chargers for 3G iPods

2-29-08: Finding iPhone Backups, Contact Display on iPhone, Automatic vs manual iPod management, iTunes CD burning restrictions, iTunes movie rental expiry on iPods, Downloading podcasts to iPhone

2-22-08: Upgrading your iPhone, Recovering data from corrupted iPod, Recreating default playlists, Syncing iPod Games from more than one computer, Problems playing purchased TV shows on iPod, Output settings when playing movies from iPod to TV

2-15-08: Setting up an AirTunes network, Shuffling music, Playing podcasts sequentially, Firewire support on modern iPods, Recovering Mac-formatted iPods on Windows, Recovering iTunes library from a virus

2-7-08: Transferring music from iPod touch, Voice recorders for 2007 iPods, Cover Flow on 5G iPod, Renaming your iPod, iTunes and iLife, Organizing music transferred from the iPod

1-31-08: Apple TV AirTunes Support, iPod Games on 5G and classic, Keeping videos only on iPod, Syncing iPod using checked songs, Charging with Universal Dock, International iPod and iTunes Store use

1-18-08: Macworld Expo 2008 Special Edition: Questions about the new iTunes Movie Rentals and Apple TV features, including Time Capsule and the Apple TV, Renting HD Movies from iTunes, Transferring rented movies to and from the iPod, Fifth-generation iPods and movie rental support, AirTunes support on Apple TV Take Two.

1-10-08: TV output quality, iPod windows driver installation errors, Connecting iPod to portable DVD player, Syncing games, iPhone charger compatibility, Reformatting iPod for Mac

1-3-08: 2007 iPod models and speakers, Video resolution vs bit-rate, Preventing auto-deletion of podcasts, Videos with no sound, Using iTunes Store when travelling abroad, Transferring videos to iPod, Importing Audiobooks

12-27-07: Your First iPod, Differences between iPod models, Accessory compatibility, Converting DVDs for iPod, New iPods and older computers, Earphone Recommendations, Troubleshooting iPod Problems

12-21-07: Other space on iPod, Search feature on iPod touch, Adding third-party ringtones to iPhone, iPod suddenly shows no content, TV Dock compatibility, Artists appearing more than once on iPod

12-14-07: New iPods - Buy now or wait? Transfer music from an old iPod, Convert MP3 to Lossless, Listening to videos and battery life, Bluetooth headphones for iPod nano, Universal Dock and line-out volume

12-7-07: Using Compilations settings, Re-syncing iPod after hard drive replacement, Locating iTunes Plus tracks, New iPod firmware - video output and iPod Hi-Fi support, Mac-formatted iPods, Cover Flow on iPod, iPhone screen goes blank when on a call

11-29-07: Photo resolution on the iPhone, Obtaining video content for the iPod touch, Restoring older iPod models, Sharing iTunes library on a single computer, Transferring iTunes via external hard drive, Auto-deleting played podcasts

11-22-07: Syncing games to iPod, Removing album artwork, Replacing files in iTunes library, Limiting volume on iPod, Preventing iPod sync when connecting with iTunes, Skipping audiobooks when shuffling songs

11-16-07: iTunes and Vista, iPod classic video output (revisited), Transferring iTunes from PC to Mac, Organizing Music Videos in iTunes, Using newer iPods with older OS X versions, Sorting photos on iPod

11-9-07: Editing calendar on iPod touch, Multiple iTunes libraries on one computer, Creating an iTunes Store account without a credit card, Burning CDs with track names, iPod/iPhone remote control, iPhone TV output from Safari

11-2-07: TV Docks for new iPod models, Calculate song file sizes, iPhone backup and restore, Sync selected content with iPhone, Universal Dock compatibility, Managing podcast synchronization

10-26-07: iTunes Plus, Play Slideshow on iPod nano, Activate TV out on new iPods, Recover Mac iPod in Windows, Add descriptions to TV shows, iTunes not opening when iPhone is connected

10-18-07: iPod and Windows Autoplay, Reinstalling iTunes, Manually Managing Videos, iPod charging accessories, iPod touch power and sleep modes, Resyncing recovered iPod content

10-11-07: Managing a class set of iPods, New firmware and older iPods, Windows ME support, Sorting artists by last name, 3G iPod car audio compatibility, Resetting iPod language

10-5-07: iTunes WiFi Store, Videos with no sound, Managing video content manually, Tagging TV Shows, Renaming iPod, Flash support on iPhone, Removing multiple artwork images, iPhone and multi-recipient SMS, US/UK iPod compatibility, Photo storage on iPod touch

9-27-07: iPod classic audio quality, New iPod models: features and accessory compatibility, Transferring music from iPod 5G to classic, iPod nano voice recording, Storing multiple bitrates in iTunes

9-7-07: Special Edition on the new iPod lineup - users most common questions answered about the new iPod lineup and new iTunes release, including accessory compatibility and new software features.

8-30-07: Playing single tracks, iPhone sleep timer, Deleting iPod content, TV shows do not appear on iPod, Manually sorting playlists, Fitting content onto audio CDs, Car line-out solutions

8-23-07: Set Video Kind within files, Authorization and iPod transfer, Chat Clients for iPhone, Importing CDs for gapless playback, Tethering iPhone, Burning Purchased Tracks

8-16-07: Managing podcasts, Bookmarking audiobooks, No artwork in Cover Flow, Storing iTunes content on two hard drives, Sleeping with an iPod, ROKR sunglasses and iPhone, Selling an iPod

8-9-07: Playing Podcast episodes in sequence, Recording radio in iTunes, New iPod with songs already on it, Authorized Computers, Sync iPod with a new computer, Transferring a Windows iPod to a MacBook

8-2-07: Syncing the iPhone to more than one computer, Transferring iTunes music to the Blackberry, Continuous video playback on the iPod, Problems editing track info in iTunes, Transferring content from iPhone to computer, Video playback from the iPhone, Sending MMS messages from the iPhone

7-26-07: Transferring photos from iPhone, Using iPhone speaker and dock, Song volume adjustments in iTunes, Transfer from a Mac-formatted iPod in Windows Vista, iTunes Other category and TV show syncing, Printing track lists from iTunes

7-19-07: Importing MP3 CDs, Using two iPods on one computer, Showing current track in Windows Messenger, iPod nano accessory compatibility, Keeping content only on the iPod, Transferring between two iTunes libraries

7-12-07: Sorting in iTunes 7.3, Joining CD tracks, Selecting TV Shows for sync, Recovering photos from iPod, Tagging multiple video tracks, iPhone activation requirements

7-5-07: Managing your iPod content with Smart Playlists, External hard drives and iTunes, Problems getting CD info from CDDB, Grouping by Album Artist, Using iPod as a removable hard drive

6-28-07: Manual mode and preventing auto-sync, Transferring iTunes library, Burning, ripping and sound check, Saving your place in multi-track audiobooks, Renaming your iPod, Resolving lost iPod content, Drivers and Software for 4G iPods

6-21-07: Smart Playlists for Podcasts, Incorrect track info when importing CDs, Deauthorizing computers revisited, Problems transferring purchased tracks, Transferring photos from iPod to computer, Deleting On-The-Go playlists, Songs not appearing under Artist name

6-14-07: Problems syncing re-ripped MP3s in iTunes 7.2, Grouping albums with multiple artists, Radio tuners for older iPod models, Managing Podcasts, Using an iPod on Mac and Windows, Selecting items for synchronization, iTunes not showing full iPod capacity

6-7-07: Using two iPods with the same library, Converting to AAC to Apple Lossless, Corrupt iPod errors, Sound Check and Crossfade, Exporting from iMovie to iPod and Apple TV formats, Copying from DVR to the iPod

5-31-07: iTunes Plus DRM-free music, Using iTunes songs in Windows Movie Maker, Storing notes on the iPod, Restoring the iPod, Synchronizing Watched TV Shows, Adding music from a second library, Viewing iPod menus on a TV screen

5-24-07: Storing artwork on an external hard drive, Nike+iPod kit and treadmills, Setting up a new iPod with an existing library, Using the iPod as an alarm clock, iTunes fails to transfer all tracks to the iPod, Syncing selected items to iPod, Identifying iPod models

5-17-07: Converting e-books for iPod, Problems Syncing Selected Playlists, Normalizing volume between tracks, iTunes truncating long filenames, Sorting tracks properly within albums, Pausing and remember playback position on the iPod

5-11-07: Video conversion: iPod vs Apple TV format, Automatically adding music to iTunes, Finding iPod-compatible music online, Organizing tracks on the iPod, Bluetooth speaker accessories, iHome speakers

5-3-07: Tagging content for your Apple TV, Organizing your Music Videos, Duplicate copies of your iTunes library files, Using the Universal Dock line-out, Problems restoring your iPod, Power adapter compatibility, Unlocking your iPod's volume limit

4-27-07: Transferring purchased content between iTunes accounts, FireWire/USB connections, External batteries, Problems turning off iPod, Sharing iPods on the same computer, Sorting tracks when importing CDs

4-19-07: iPod widescreen mode, Transcoding lossy formats, Locating missing music files, Assigning artwork to multiple tracks, Transferring iTunes purchases, Playing single tracks

4-12-07: Converting DVDs to iPod, Resetting Screen Lock, Moving an iTunes library to a new computer, Deleting songs manually from an iPod, Compatibility with overseas accessories, Finding accessories for the 5G iPod, Speakers for charging a 3G iPod

4-5-07: Playing iPod through iTunes, Preventing Apple Remote from controlling Universal Dock, Resetting iTunes authorizations, Transferring podcasts from a secondary computer, Finding music by composer tags, Sorting tracks on the iPod Shuffle

3-29-07: iPod photo transfer performance and accessories, Sorting photos on iPod, Syncing music and contacts from two different computers, iTunes video storage and formats, Converting AAC to MP3, Burning MP3 CDs

3-22-07: Album artwork and Other storage on the iPod, Storage size of iPod Games, Multiple iPods on the same computer, Etymotic Earjacks, Charging iPod while recording audio, Syncing TV Shows to iPod, Properly Tagging Albums

3-16-07: Converting Windows-formatted iPods for Mac use, Importing Calendar and Contacts from Outlook, Moving iTunes content to another hard drive, Recovering Playlists from iPod, Recording Lectures, Calculating iPod Storage

3-10-07: Understanding the new sort fields in iTunes 7.1, Smart playlists and rating preference, RSS feeds for new iTunes content, Checkboxes and synchronizing music to small iPods

2-22-07: Hiding the iTunes Store from view, Restoring iTunes' "Recently Played" smart playlist, Restoring an iPod's missing free space, Using third-party A/V cables, Apple TV and Wi-Fi network protocols, Authorizing iPod games

2-1-07: Windows Vista iTunes issues, Music Video organization in iTunes, Removing songs from Shuffle play, Sorting albums by year

1-17-07: iPhone Questions, Apple TV Stereo Connections, Car Stereos with USB ports, Now Playing screen on TV, Locating playlists a song belongs to, Playing podcasts sequentially

12-29-06: Charging iPod video with old AC adapter, Identifying iPod generations, Preventing iTunes from accessing the store, Accessing and playing video with DLO HomeDock Deluxe, Nike+iPod Sport Kit compatibility

12-14-06: Searching the comment field in iTunes, Buying an aux-in cable for the car, Making a recent top 25 playlist, Multiple genres per song, Radio Charts in iTunes

12-9-06: Gifting specific items from the iTunes Store, Linking to photos from the iPod's Notes feature, Properly listening to iPod music in loud places, Using Mac-formatted iPods with an XBOX 360

12-1-06: iTunes visualizers, Programs stored on iPod, Converting music en masse, Charging second-generation iPod shuffle, Adding chapter markers to videos

11-23-06: iPod deals, Continuously playing videos on iPod, Getting replacement iPod manuals, Finding size and playtime of a group of tracks, Fixing podcasts that reset iPod

11-16-06: Extracting audio from videos, Transferring albums to iPod easily, Using iTunes Store gift cards, Dealing with a scratched iPod backing, Recovering contacts from iPod

11-10-06: Volume limit on iPod shuffle, Preserving On-The-Go playlists between syncs, Storing Audiobooks in proper iTunes library, Apple Lossless on iPod shuffle

11-3-06: iTunes Store displayed in foreign language, All tracks begin where they were last stopped, Converting tracks to mono in iTunes, iPod wakes up and plays tunes on its own, Greatest Hits album won't show on iPod

10-26-06: Loading TiVo/DVR TV Shows on iPod, Accessing iTunes music with a Media Center PC, Leaving an iPod in the car, iPod Hi-Fi remote control, Tagging tracks just added to the library

10-20-06: Disc capacity & song quality tradeoff, iPod sleep behavior explained, Ordering albums by year on iPod, Using an iPod while charging via USB, Restoring a deleted playlist in iTunes

10-12-06: Displaying singles in iPod's Artists menu, Party Shuffle not advancing tracks, Two+ iPods on one computer - revisited, Finding songs not in any playlist, Returning to beginning of iPod shuffle playlist

10-5-06: Only one song plays at a time in iTunes, Playing interactive booklets, Resetting iPod's language, Shuffle anywhere on iPod, Isolating MP3 songs from AAC

9-28-06: Suppressing 'Explicit' tags in iTunes Library, Restoring the 'Purchased' playlist, Differentiating 5G 30GB models, Album Artist on iPod, Just for You in iTunes 7

9-21-06: Splitting "hidden" tracks from other songs, Multiple iTunes libraries, Movie trailers in the iTunes Store, iTunes-fetched artwork on iPod, Isolating Music Videos from songs in iTunes

9-13-06: iTunes 7 issues: Preserving library upon upgrade, Authorizing games for iPod, Audio severely distorted with static, Album artwork retrieval problems, Enhanced podcasts menu

9-7-06: Reverting to former iPod software updaters, iPod crashes and loses library, iPod not storing advertised song capacity, Cleaning out one's iTunes Library safely, Deleting Album Artwork en masse

8-30-06: Unchecked songs in smart playlist, Connecting iPod to car Aux-In jack, Deleting songs from iTunes, Filling iPods completely, Playing only one song in iTunes

8-25-06: Quickly erasing duplicate songs, Replacing iPod's front panel, Excluding videos from playlists, Using albums in smart playlists, Album art missing from iPod

8-17-06: Tags disappearing on play, Third party headphones on iPod, eAAC and eAAC+ codecs, Creating random batches of songs with smart playlists, Transferring iTunes Music Store tracks

8-9-06: Size of Smart Playlists, Changing an iPod's file system format, Backing up iTMS video purchases, iPod not automatically disconnecting, iPod shuffling problems

8-2-06: Airport Express not working under "Multiple Speakers", Tuning radio remote in 0.1 increments, Ordering albums properly, Video podcasts on older iPods, Multiple album artwork files per track on iPod

7-27-06: Exclamation marks near playlists, Artist column on far left of library?, Songs in multiple playlists, No options in for iPod slideshow music, Song numbering in iTunes' Library

7-20-06: Speaker icon next to currently-playing song, Sound lost in one headphone channel, Finding songs not in any playlist, iPod mini shuffling by album, Removing contacts and calendars from iPod

7-13-06: Maximizing battery life, Slideshows from an iPod nano, Trouble with iPod's volume meter, Powering two devices from one car power port, Smart playlists and sort order

7-6-06: Custom EQ on iPod, Viewing large text files on iPod, Buying an iPod from overseas, Finding iPod setup files online, Lossless vs. Lossy audio files

6-28-06: Unlocking an iPod, Creating a list of albums in iTunes, Restoring missing menu items on iPod, Converting video to iPod, Increasing the iPod's volume

6-21-06: Preserving select podcasts, Locating tracks in playlists, Automatically ejecting iPod after transfer, Microphone for iPod mini, Tracks missing when browsing via "Artist"

6-15-06: Backing up Smart Playlists, Using 4-pin Firewire ports, Viewing hidden data in iTunes, Recording direct to iPod from cassette, Synchronizing a folder of files between computers using iPod

6-7-06: Browsing albums by Genre, Fixing "Library Locked" message in Mac iTunes, Using generic AV cables for iPod TV display, Finding a simple iPod mount for the car, Transferring iTunes Library to a new Mac

5-31-06: Converting WMV video clips to iPod, Party Shuffle on iPod, Burning an MP3 CD from WAV files, Best iPod for running?, Identifying unknown track information

5-25-06: Independent left & right volume controls, Serial numbers on iPod installation?, Dealing with two-disc albums, iPod shuffle headphone jack problems, and the latest new iPod rumors

5-18-06: Organizing Compilations on iPod, Using the iPod's Notes features, Transferring large amounts of photos via iPod Camera Connector, Removing extra Album Art images from songs, Resolving discrepancies between iPod and iTunes smart playlists

5-11-06: Creating a simple, kid-friendly iPod interface, burning multiple playlists at once, viewing iPod photos on an Xbox 360, including multiple genres in one smart playlist

5-4-06: Videos not displaying on iPod, Using the iPod's power adapter overseas, Creating a "Most Played this Month" playlist, Editing iTunes-created playlists on the iPod

4-28-06: iLounge Week in Review podcasts, Creating iPod videos, Made For iPod, New and unpublicized additions to the iLounge site, Publicizing your company to the iLounge community

4-20-06: Shuffling podcasts, extracting files from iTunes, transferring Music Store downloads, battery life and high-bitrate formats, preventing repeated songs while shuffling

4-13-06: Protecting the iPod's Dock Connector, On-TV iPod menu navigation revisited, Contacts and calendars from PC to iPod, Dealing with the 5 iTunes account per iPod limit

4-6-06: Converting MIDI files for iPod, Purchasing iTunes tracks from another country, Unexpected track transfers on sync, Selling an iPod: with or without music, iPod prematurely advances track.

3-30-06: Disable CDDB track information, viewing more iTunes data on the screen at once, locating replacement iPod parts for self-repair, deleting genres from iTunes' pull-down menu

3-23-06: Browsing Composer-tagged classical music on the iPod, Cleaning iTunes' Source list with Folders and sorting, Setting the poster frame for a video file, Queueing TV episode conversion in HandBrake

3-16-06: Half-star ratings in iTunes, Importing photos from iPod Camera Connector, iTunes Videos on other devices, Preventing unchecked videos from syncing, playing a CD while importing

3-9-06: The easiest iPod for audiobooks, removing photos from iPod, determining iTunes library statistics, setting a specific song as an alarm

3-2-06: Removing intro/outro material from songs, Organizing Compilations in iTunes & iPod, Determining what playlists a song belongs to, Printing jewel case inserts from iTunes playlists.

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Comments

1

Thanks Jesse for the answer. So there was no jump in output quality from 5.5 to classic, besides the ability to output on component video?

Also, you the article you point to indicates that the iPod 5.0 is only capable of outputing 320x240. I thought that with the release of 5.5, Apple released a firmware update to 5.0 that allowed it to output 640x480.

I want to be sure because I use my 5.0 to send to the HDTV all the time, and the quality seems a bit jagged but fine.

Posted by alexarch in Dallas, TX on January 12, 2008 at 8:09 AM (PDT)

2

I just tried to move all of my iTunes library to an external hard drive. I thought I was following all of the instructions correctly, but apparently not. All my music made it successfully to the E drive, but when I try to play a song i get the exclamation point, and the small screen prompting me to locate the original file. Each file is in the E drive, and I can certainly find them singularly, but that would take all day. Is there any way I can get iTunes to locate all of these songs? Thanks, mabowen

Posted by mabowen on January 14, 2008 at 4:08 AM (PDT)

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