Article

Ask iLounge 12-1-06

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By Jerrod H.

Contributing Editor, iLounge
Published: Friday, December 1, 2006
Category: Ask iLounge

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:

Under iTunes’ “View” menu, I see a checkmark next to an option called “iTunes Visualizer.” Does this imply that there is an option for other visualizers? If so, where can they be found? I’ve always been a little disappointed in the iTunes visualizer when compared to the one in Windows Media Player, so it would be really cool if there were other choices.

- Isral

A: Indeed there are other visualizers available for iTunes. A search on http://www.download.com or http://www.macupdate.com will yield several options for both Mac & PC users, but our favorites are almost exclusively from SoundSpectrum Software. This company, actually, is the company responsible for the visualizer built into iTunes, but they also offer three far more advanced visualizers separately on their website. G-Force is similar to the one built into iTunes, but builds on its complexity and feature set, WhiteCap does some really neat wireframe art, and the company’s brand-new SoftSkies visualizer does some really neat time-synchronized cloud-like rendering. All three are very impressive, and definitely worth a look.
Q:

In trying to get the most out of my iPod nano, I’m going to try to use it to carry around my documents and settings, so that I can use a PC in the computer lab as effectively as I can. What’s the best way to do this?

- Maria

A:

With the iPod’s “Enable Disc Use” option checked in iTunes’ iPod settings panel, any iPod is as useful as a USB flash memory stick for carrying around documents and settings - simply drag and drop your files into folders onto the iPod’s file system in Windows Explorer.

However, you can do so much more with Disc Use enabled. There’s a recent trend that’s making portable flash memory all the more exciting, and all the more useful: portable applications. Portable applications are special versions of popular open-source, freeware programs that have been crafted to store all of their settings and temporary files in a local directory rather than in the Windows registry. Therefore, these needn’t be installed as most applications must, and can be entirely self-contained on a flash drive. They’ll leave nothing behind on the host computer, and enable you to carry programs along with their settings wherever you go. For example, you can carry a copy of a web browser along with all of your bookmarks, an e-mail client with all of your accounts and messages, or an entire self-contained office software suite, and so on. Virtually any computer you connect to, regardless of what software it has installed, can be useful to you. For a list of (free!) portable applications, check out John T. Haller’s site, PortableApps.com.

Q:

Is there a way to convert songs imported into iTunes with using AAC format to MP3, or do I have to re-import the song into iTunes as the MP3 format? I’d like to export as many songs as I can to another device that can’t play AAC.

- Ed

A:

Sure. You can convert a large selection of existing tracks at once in iTunes, using the “Convert to [format]” command in iTunes’ Advanced menu.

Before you use it, however, you first need to configure the format settings that the feature will use. Although iTunes doesn’t make it obvious, the feature converts to the format that is currently set as the import format in the “Advanced → Importing” panel of iTunes’ Preferences. So, set the format here to MP3 with the bitrate of your choice, select the songs you’d like to convert, and choose “Convert to MP3” in iTunes’ Advanced menu.

When you do this, iTunes will create a copy of all selected songs in the new format. You’ll need to make sure there’s enough room on your hard drive for this duplicate set of tracks, and - if you’d only like songs in the new format - you’ll need to delete the originals after the process is complete.

Q:

I am about to buy a new second-generation iPod Shuffle. I wanted to know if a AC Charger is available for the shuffle, so that I can get my iPod charged even if I dont have the PC around.

- Bonson

A:

Since the iPod shuffle uses its headphone port for data, audio, and charging, the iPod shuffle requires its included USB dock (or an adaptor) to connect to a PC. However, with that dock to enable the connection, there’s no difference between charging it and charging any other iPod: simply plug the dock into Apple’s iPod USB Power Adaptor ($29), and the iPod shuffle can charge without a PC, as with any other iPod.

Q:

Is it possible to add chapter markers like iTunes Store movies have to DVDs I’ve imported and converted myself, or to other video files in my library?

- Aaron

A:

By far, the easiest way we’ve seen to do this is with MovieChapterizer ($15) from JS8 Media.
It has a very simple interface, and works well with many formats that QuickTime supports, including the iPod-friendly H.264. Give it a shot!

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Ask iLounge Archives:

6-26-09: Recovering a dead iPod touch after 3.0 update, Battery Percentage Display on iPhone 3.0, Options hidden after 3.0 update, iPhone locked after 3.0 update, Managing videos on iPhone, iPod classic accessory compatibility

6-12-09: Conserving power on iPhone, Syncing iPhone Notes, Syncing Apps on new iPod touch, Block pop-ups in Safari, Syncing new iPhone, Playing multiple albums

5-29-09: Sorting tracks in iTunes, iPhone Bluetooth Headset Dock, Recovering Mac-formatted iPod on Windows, Screen damage on 4G iPod nano, Syncing purchased tracks back to iTunes, Managing a class set of iPods

5-22-09: Syncing iTunes content between computers, Importing music into iTunes, Re-transferring apps from a new iTunes library, New iPods and charging accessories, Using multiple iTunes libraries

5-15-09: Starting out with an external hard drive, Syncing playlists manually, Recovering lost iPod serial number, Music count vs Playlist count, Multiple iTunes Store accounts on the same computer, Optimizing album artwork

See the rest of the Archives...

Next: Cheat Codes - Vortex and Texas Hold'em

Previous: Ask iLounge 11-23-06

Comments

1

IN response to the conversion to MP3 question - Don’t forget that by converting existing AAC files instead of re-importing new MP3s, you are compressing an already compressed song.  You WILL lose quality that way.  Just something to remember when deciding.  You really don’t save much time, either.

Posted by stark23x on December 1, 2006 at 6:53 PM (PDT)

2

What is the best software to use to copy music from my ipod to my windows pc?

My pc libraries got corrupted somehow and none of my over 20GB of music is usable.  This happened when upgrading to itunes 7.0.2.  Problem with Quicktime.  BEWARE!!!

Thanks!

Posted by mjpd on December 2, 2006 at 3:31 PM (PDT)

3

my brother just gave me his old ipod but its formatted for a mac and i have windows. i dont want to lose all the songs on the ipod but im not sure how to go about getting them onto my computer with the podutil since itunes doesnt even recognize my ipod. it says it has to be restored/reformatted and won’t read any of the songs off of the ipod. im really new to all this so any help is fabulous. thanks

Posted by swp110 on December 3, 2006 at 10:37 AM (PDT)

4

So is their a Windows app to add iTunes-readable chapters to an h264 file?

Posted by hardvice on December 3, 2006 at 11:51 PM (PDT)

5

Y’all are so cool I figured I’m about 30 years out of date when I found this site. So, I ordered a nano immediately, (to avoid the tough storage decision,) and I can’t wait to receive and retain this item for my ‘survival-kit.’ BTW, I think of Mp3’s as ‘demos’, -designed to promote the artists and allow them to sell and prosper as ‘indy’s,’ -cutting the nefarious label scheisters out of the game for good! IE, check out “Oi Va Voi,” or “Regina Spektor.”

Posted by Tom-Scott Gordon on May 22, 2008 at 5:59 AM (PDT)

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