Article
Ask iLounge 3-20-09
By Jesse David Hollington
Contributing Editor
Published: Friday, March 20, 2009
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.
How do I copy music from my iPod onto my computer?
Click here for the answer.
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, iPhone and Apple TV Video Conversion (Mac)
The Complete Guide to iPod, iPhone and Apple TV Video Conversion (Windows)
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!
Q:
I have a catalogue of music linked to my iPod classic. I am looking to purchase an iPod shuffle for Gym use. Can I run two iPods off a single iTunes library? Obviously I wish to add a small number of songs to the shuffle only. How can I do this?
- Gary
A:Yes, you can definitely run an iPod classic and an iPod shuffle from the same iTunes library. There’s not really any practical limit to the number of iPods you can connect to your iTunes library, and in fact you can even connect several iPods at the same time, with the only real limit in that case being the number of USB ports that you have available. iTunes will even simultaneously sync multiple iPods.

iTunes treats each iPod as its own distinct device with its own synchronization settings and preferences. This means that you can easily have a different selection of content on each of your iPods. In this case, you would continue managing your iPod classic in the same way as you currently do, and the iPod shuffle would show up as a new device. If you’re using a first or second-generation iPod shuffle you would manage the content on it either manually or via AutoFill. If you’re looking at a third-generation iPod shuffle you can choose to use manual management or AutoFill or you can alternatively choose to sync your music and playlists automatically.
Can the short dongle pack-in for the 3G iPod shuffle be used with the second-generation model? I’ve been planning to get one of the 3rd-party cords that have been released for the 2G shuffle due to the fact I’ve never liked the included dock. Thanks!
- Joshua
A:Unfortunately, no. The headphone connector on the second-generation iPod shuffle is not compatible with the 3G shuffle, likely due to the need to support additional remote control features. This means that not only will the 3G cables not work with the 2G iPod shuffle, but any other charging and sync accessories made for the 2G iPod shuffle will not work with the 3G model.
The good news, however, is that third-party manufacturers have already thought of this style of accessory, and you can find some options that were specifically designed for the 2G iPod shuffle. Check out the Carrot Idea USB Flexible Dock for 2nd Generation iPod shuffleiLounge rating: B- for a very design, or the Incipio IncipioBud USB Adapter for iPod shuffle (2G) iLounge rating: B for another simple USB docking concept.
I recently purchased Sex and the City Season 6, but they released it in two parts: Sex and the City Season 6 (Part One) and Season 6 (Part Two). These two parts each have different cover art, which I have, but when I imported them into iTunes, they are all mashed together in one Season 6 grouping. Is there a way to separate these so that when I have the icon view on it will show Sex and the City Season 6 with the first cover art and the part one episodes and then SEPARATELY show Season
6 with the second cover art and the part two episodes?
- David
A:Unfortunately, while you could basically fake this out in previous versions of iTunes by changing the “Album” field, in iTunes 8 this is no longer possible as TV shows are grouped exclusively by the show name and season information, regardless of the sort order. Although you can sort group your TV Shows at a higher level by information such as name, year or artist, the individual episodes themselves are always grouped by the show title and season.
Further, since the “Season Number” field only takes a numeric value, it is not possible to add any extra information such as a “6a” or “6-1” to this field. You could of course simply change the second part to something like “Season 7” but this would create problems if they ever decided to produce a seventh season.
About the only other workaround for this right now would be to change the show name entirely for the affected seasons. In other words list the actual show name field as “Sex and the City, Season 6, Part 1” and “Sex and the City, Season 6, Part 2” or similar. This would result in your season 6 episodes being grouped under entirely different titles, but would work to separate out the two parts.
I run iTunes on my iMac and keep my library on my external HD. When I go on vacation with my MacBook I am unable to play the music from my iPod via iTunes on my MacBook because it’s not authorized. I’ve never done this before, can someone please advise?
- Dan
A:The likely problem here is that your MacBook is not authorized for the iTunes Store account that was used to purchase your music. Since you likely purchased most of your music on the iMac and synced your iPod from there, this computer would have automatically been authorized, but your MacBook will not be unless you have actually purchased content on it or you have authorized it manually. Although your iPod can play the music since it was authorized by your iMac, the MacBook itself also requires its own separate authorization.
Since Apple permits you to have up to five authorized computers, the solution to the problem is relatively simple: Choose Store, Authorize Computer from the iTunes menu on your MacBook, and enter your iTunes Store user name and password when prompted.

This will download the necessary authorization information from the iTunes Store so that your computer can play any content purchased with your iTunes Store account. Note that if you have more than one iTunes account that you have purchased content from, you will need to repeat this process for each account.
Note also that since you’re limited to five authorized computers, you should also ensure that you DE-authorize your iMac or MacBook should you ever sell them or take them in for service. This is accomplished by choosing Store, Deauthorize Computer from the iTunes menu.
How do you turn off the iPod on the iPhone. There is a stop button to pause play. However, I do not see a button to stop playback.
- Anonymous
A:With a solid-state device, there is absolutely no practical difference between a PAUSE button and a STOP button, which is why the iPod and iPhone do not include a STOP button. The concept of a STOP button is a hold-over from the days of mechanical devices such as cassette players. On the iPhone, simply pausing iPod playback and exiting to the Home screen or pressing the Sleep/Wake button effectively turns off the iPod.
Is there a dock for the iPod touch 2G that will allow me to connect my external headphones as if the iPod wasn’t on a dock? Seems all the existing docks have only a line out with no headphone amplification capability.
- Lance
A:The output from the iPod Dock Connector is intended to be a “line-out” level output which bypasses the internal headphone circuitry on the device. Theoretically this provides cleaner sound output when connecting to your own speakers or stereo system, since your signal is not passing through two different amplifiers.
Apple’s own Universal Dock provides volume control, but it should be noted that this attenuates the volume, rather than amplifying it. In other words, it does not include any amplifier circuitry, but simply allows you to reduce the volume based on the iPod’s own volume settings. Since these docks require an Apple authentication chip to communicate the volume control signal with the iPod itself, most third-party manufacturers have not chosen to implement this feature on their own docks.
Ask iLounge Archives:
11-20-09: Sharing iTunes libraries between two user accounts, Enlarging text on iPhone 3GS, Transferring an iPod to a new user, iPhone shuffles when walking, New 8GB iPod touch models, Transferring purchases from a remote iTunes library
11-13-09: Syncing different contact info with two iPhones on the same computer, iPod shows no content, Syncing music and videos in playlists, Exclamation marks next to tracks in iTunes, Playing podcasts on 3G iPod shuffle.
11-6-09: Storing iPod software updates, Playing an iPod continuously, Transferring play counts to a new iTunes library, iPhone backups, Klipsch S4i earphones
10-30-09: Authorization problems with iPod touch, Changing Grid View background in iTunes, iTunes library and Music Folder are different sizes, Older iPods and firmware updates, Reconciling two different iTunes libraries, Syncing multiple devices to one iTunes library
10-23-09: Using a laptop with an iTunes library on an external hard drive, Transferring YouTube videos to iPod, iPod touch accessibility settings, Disabling Shake to Shuffle on iPod nano, Purchased songs fail to download from iTunes Store, Charging and powering off iPhone
Next: iPhone Gems: Sports Games - Golf, Baseball, Pool, Boxing, Skee-Ball + Air Hockey
Previous: Weird + Small Apps: BMW Z4, Colorific, Defuser, Fozy, iDrinkSmart, Remote, Watchmen + More
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1
I am using iphoto version 2. I have a ipod classic. How can I add photos to the ipod using iphot version 2? I have a B/w 350 htz tower.
Posted by Jesus Licon on March 21, 2009 at 5:57 PM (PDT)
2
I am a senior without much technology sense. I wonder if I can use an Ipod to download books from cd’s for traveling instead of hauling my old cd player. If so, what size memory/which Ipod do I need to hold 5-6 books, i.e. which Ipod to buy? Can I change “memory cards” to have more books? How do I download? How do I find the books or where I left off in the book when I turn the Ipod off. know there are other devices, like at Amazon, but I already bought the books on cd and want to make use of them. Thank you
Posted by SHolden07 on March 22, 2009 at 6:19 AM (PDT)
3
I have a 2G iphone.
Can I sync my iphone on computers?
I have an iMac desktop and a Acer PC notebook.
Posted by David A. Vick on March 22, 2009 at 9:00 AM (PDT)
4
I have an iMac desktop computer and a Acer
notebook.
Can I sync my 2G iphone to both computers?
Posted by David A. Vick on March 22, 2009 at 9:04 AM (PDT)
5
I got a new 3G iPhone & it will not recognize my Plantronics Voyager 520 bluetooth. It was great with my old iPhone, but this new one is stuck in perpetual “searching” mode.
I have read enough review & questions to blow my brain, but no one answers the real question. This is a common question & it is commonly unanswered in every blog or Q&A;site I have found.
I do know how to get the iPhone to try & search for it, but it does not work.
Any help would be appreciated.
Posted by Scott Frerking on April 2, 2009 at 9:57 PM (PDT)
6
Is there a way to put iTunes movies in my library onto a USB drive? And then go from the USB drive to another computer’s iTune’s library?
Posted by Peggy on April 6, 2009 at 3:17 PM (PDT)
7
I i recently bought a 3g shuffle and was wondering what 3rd paarty accessoroies are available? Mainly because i don’t llike the headphones. Also, are there any places out there that can fix my 30gig classic?
Posted by RONADON on May 7, 2009 at 3:33 PM (PDT)