Ask iLounge 2-29-08

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 would like to back up the back up file that my iPhone has, so if I lose my hard drive, I can still recover the iPhone. Where is the back up file located? How does iTunes make this file?

- David

A: iTunes makes a backup of your iPhone’s content each time you sync your iPhone, but unfortunately it tends to store this backup in a rather non-intuitive location, making it obvious that Apple never really intended for end-users to find these files directly (although they will of course be backed up as part of a full system backup).

For Windows users, you should be able to find your iPhone backup files in the Application Data\Apple Computer\Mobile Sync\Backup folder under your user profile (ie, C:\Documents and Settings\(yourusername)). Note that the “Application Data” folder is a hidden folder by default, so you may need to reveal hidden and system folders in your Windows Explorer options in order to see it.

For Mac users, your iPhone backups are stored in your home folder’s Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup folder.

The actual backup itself is stored in a sub-folder with a name that is generated based on your device’s internal ID. If you have synchronized multiple iPhone or iPod touch devices with the same iTunes library, there may be multiple folders located here.

Note that the backup files themselves are not encrypted in any way, and although they are not intended to be accessible to the casual user, it is possible for a knowledgeable user to access the data within these files quite easily. For the technically curious, the files are in an Apple binary PLIST format with the data inside base-64 encoded.

The data stored in the backup is quite comprehensive, particularly with newer iPhone firmware versions, having been expanded to include even information such as YouTube bookmarks and photos that you have taken with the iPhone’s camera. In fact, at this point about the only data that is not included in these backups is your actual media content, which is synced from your iTunes library anyway.

Simply backing up the entire content of the MobileSync\Backup folder should suffice to ensure that you have an offline backup of your iPhone’s data, and in the event that you need to move it to a different computer or restore a crashed hard drive (and iPhone), you can simply put this data back in the same place in a new iTunes installation, and it will be available to be restored to your iPhone.

Q: I was wondering if it is better to automatically sync your iPod or manually manage it. What are the advantages and disadvantages to both?

- Leann

A: For the most part, the use of automatic synchronization versus manual management of an iPod’s content is a matter of personal preference. iTunes and the iPod were clearly designed to favour automatic synchronization as the preferred approach, but manual management is still available for those who prefer to have more direct control over their iPod’s content.

It is generally our opinion that automatic synchronization is the preferred choice, as it makes for the most straightforward iPod experience for a novice user who is simply synchronizing one iPod with one computer. However, where automatic synchronization becomes impractical is for those users who are regularly connecting their iPod to more than one computer to load content onto it. Since automatic synchronization requires the iPod to be effectively “associated” with a single iTunes library, it can become difficult to load content onto the iPod from any other computers. Connecting an iPod that is set to use automatic synchronization to a different iTunes library will result in iTunes prompting you to either cancel the connection of Erase and Sync the iPod to the new iTunes library (erasing all of your existing content on it in the process):

Setting the iPod into manual mode temporarily can help with this, but unfortunately if you load new content on using a secondary computer, this content may be erased as soon as you return to your home computer and set the iPod back to automatic mode. This is because an iPod in automatic synchronization mode mirrors the content in its “home” iTunes library, so in the same way that any content that is present in that library is added to the iPod, any content that is not present would be removed.

Automatic synchronization has the benefit that any new content you add to your iTunes library can be automatically added to your iPod on the next sync without having to track it down and add it yourself. Further, you can manage a single set of playlists for both your computer and your iPod, and information such as ratings, play counts, and last played times will synchronize back to your iTunes library from your iPod. In manual mode, playlists are managed directly on the iPod itself (via iTunes), and any playlists that you create or modify in iTunes are not transferred to the iPod unless you manually transfer them. Further, playlists cannot be transferred back from your iPod into your iTunes library.

Many users who have iTunes libraries that are larger than their iPod’s capacity fall back on manual management as the solution, but this is not strictly necessary. If you still intend to keep your entire iTunes library on your computer, you can still synchronize a subset of this content through the use of playlists, and still maintain the other benefits of automatic synchronization.

In fact, although many people do prefer to use manual management, there are really only two common scenarios where it’s actually required: For those users who do not intend to maintain an iTunes library on their computer but only on their iPod, and for those users who regularly connect their iPod and load content onto it from multiple computers. In this two specific situations, automatic synchronization is not at all practical, and manual mode should be used instead.

For most other common situations, the choice between automatic and manual mode is really just a matter of personal preference influenced in many ways by how you think of the relationship between your iPod’s library and your iTunes library. Essentially, in automatic mode the iPod is an extension of your iTunes library, mirroring the content of that library and any changes you make to it. In manual mode, the iPod is treated as a completely distinct library of its own, with no connection to the iTunes library on your computer.

Q: When my friends receive a call on their iPhone, they’re seeing the picture of the person show up full screen with a banner across the top listing the person’s name. However, on my iPhone, the pictures show up as a much smaller version to the right of the user’s name, and my normal wallpaper still appears. How do I get this full-screen image to appear on my iPhone? Is there a setting I’m missing somewhere?

- Alex

A: Actually, this is not a setting on the iPhone itself, but is determined by how you have added your contact photos to your contacts.

Photos taken with the iPhone’s camera or the iPhone’s photo library and assigned on the iPhone to a contact (using the “Assign to Contact” option from the Photos application, for instance) will always be displayed using a full-screen display in place of the wallpaper, both when receiving calls from that contact or making calls to that contact.

Photos that are assigned to contacts on your computer’s address book application are synced to the iPhone and displayed as a small thumbnail icon to the right of the person’s name.

However, if you’d like to take your existing contact photos that are displayed in the smaller size and convert them to the larger presentation, there is a way this can be done without having to sync all of the original photos from your photo library and reassign them on the iPhone itself. Instead, simply edit the existing photo within your contacts on the iPhone by editing the contact and then tapping on the photo itself while in “Edit” mode. Select “Edit Photo” from the menu that appears, and then simply immediately hit the “Set Photo” button without making any actual changes to the photo. The photo will be re-saved in the larger format and will now display full-screen.

It should be noted, however, that the quality of this will depend entirely on the source and format of the original photo. Low-resolution photos may look quite bad when enlarged to full screen and may therefore need to be synced and re-associated directly from the iPhone’s photo app.

Q: If I rip my CDs using iTunes in MP3 format will there be any restrictions on the number of CDs I can burn from those MP3 files?

- Imran

A: Absolutely none. In fact, regardless of whether your rip your CDs in MP3 format or AAC format, there are no restrictions placed on these. Only files that are purchased from the iTunes Store have any kind of restrictions on them, and in this case even this only applies to normal iTunes Store purchases—“iTunes Plus” tracks are free of any DRM restrictions as well and can therefore be burned to CD as many times as you like and freely converted to any other format.

In fact, even with DRM-protected iTunes Store purchases, you can still burn an individual track to CD an unlimited number of times as long as it is burned from different playlists. The iTunes restriction on burning CDs only applies to complete playlists and limits these to 7 burns. This is presumably intended to prevent somebody from mass-producing copies of a given album or mix CD.

Note that iTunes Plus tracks, even though they do not contain DRM, still contain tags that identify the original purchaser of the track and their iTunes Store account. These tags, however, will not be present if you convert these files to another format (ie, MP3) or burn them to CD.

Also keep in mind that although you can burn an audio CD from any iTunes-supported format, burning an “MP3 CD” from iTunes requires the original files to be in MP3 format—iTunes will not automatically convert other formats to MP3 for you when burning an MP3 CD.

Q: I’m curious about the iTunes movie rentals. I was wondering if I were to rent a few movies and transfer them to my iPod, would they be still be deleted even if I didn’t plug the iPod into a computer for about a month?

- Danny

A: Yes, iTunes movie rentals are deleted when they expire regardless of which device they are stored on. The iPod itself has a clock, so regardless of whether you connect your iPod to your iTunes library or not, it will use its internal clock to check the expiry time of a given rental, and the rental will be expired/deleted when that time passes.

Note that even changing the clock on the iPod is not an option, as there is still an internal clock that is not user-settable. In fact, if you change the time on your iPod classic or iPod nano and then reset the device, you’ll find that it always returns to the correct time, even without connecting it to your computer.

In fact, it has been speculated that the lack of a similar “secure clock” in earlier iPod models may be a reason why movie rentals are in fact not available for the fifth-generation iPod models.

As an aside, if you are actually watching a rented movie when it expires, the iPod will permit you to finish watching the movie, even pausing it or navigating backward and forward throughout, until you actually exit the movie. Further, the iPod will even notify you when you stop watching the movie that the time limit on it has expired, and provide you with the option to either resume watching it, or confirm that you do in fact want to delete the movie.

Q: Can I download podcasts to my iPhone using WiFi without connecting to my computer and the iTunes Store?

- Martine

A: Unfortunately, no. At this point, the “iTunes WiFi Store” application only supports purchasing of music content. Audiobooks, podcasts and video content must still be purchased and/or downloaded via iTunes and synced to the iPhone from your computer.

For users who have jailbroken their iPhones, there are some third-party applications that provide this capability, however these are of course not supported by Apple, and hacking or jailbreaking your iPhone may in fact void your warranty, so it’s not a recommended solution.

Alternatively, there is the possibility that the coming iPhone Software Development Kit (SDK) may allow a third-party developer to write an application that provides this sort of a feature.

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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

Of course, many car stereos now support “AAC CDs” (non-protected).

Posted by Galley in Greenville, SC on February 29, 2008 at 2:28 PM (PDT)

2

That’s true, but unfortunately as of yet iTunes offers no specific way to burn an AAC CD directly. A “Data CD” will work in some AAC-compatible CD players, but it depends upon how picky they are about the file naming conventions.

If anybody knows of any AAC CD players that specifically can read an iTunes Data CD, by all means feel free to post it here in the comments.

Thanks!

Posted by Jesse David Hollington in Toronto on February 29, 2008 at 5:24 PM (PDT)

3

my ipod nano 3rd went black on the screen and i can’t turn it on what do i do?

Posted by dylan21damon on March 5, 2008 at 8:32 AM (PDT)

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