Ask iLounge 6-14-07

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: As soon as I downloaded iTunes 7.2 and and tried syncing my iPod, there were at least 100 songs that would not download because iTunes said that the iPod couldn’t play them. These were the very same songs that I had purchased, but had ripped onto CDs to import them again in an MP3 format for better sound quality. The past version of iTunes recognized them with no problem but this one apparently does not. The only way I was to get them back into my iPod was to convert them all to AAC. Why is that?

- Jacob

A: This issue actually appears to be the result of a bug in iTunes 7.2, which several users have reported experiencing in our iLounge Discussion Forums.

Normally, if you burn any track from iTunes, purchased or otherwise, to CD and then re-rip it into iTunes, you are given the option of replacing your existing tracks or creating new entries in your iTunes library for the newly-ripped tracks. Replacing the existing tracks is often the most efficient choice, since it preserves metadata about these tracks such as ratings and play counts. However, in the case of purchased tracks, it also means that any database metadata related to these tracks having previously been protected tracks is also going to be maintained, and associated with the newly-ripped tracks.

The most likely result in the case of iTunes 7.2 is that there is some properly or attribute, likely related to the new iTunes Plus features now available, that is still seeing a need to treat these tracks as “purchased” songs, but not being able to find the necessary authorization header to transfer them to your iPod.

Hopefully Apple will release an update to iTunes 7.2 that resolves this issue at some point in the near future, but in the meantime, the most effective workaround is to delete the entries for these tracks from your iTunes library (make sure you do not delete the tracks themselves), and then REimport them into iTunes as new tracks. This should clear out any metadata stuck in the database, treating these as brand new tracks. The MP3 files themselves do not contain any information in the header other than just the basic ID3 tags such as name, artist, album, genre, etc.

Converting them to AAC will also work, as you’ve indicated, since you are again creating new library entries for these tracks. However, re-converting them to AAC will result in a reduction in quality, so it is generally a less desirable option.

The only disadvantage to either of these approaches is that you will lose any ratings, playlist, or play count information for these tracks.

As a side-note, burning and ripping iTunes-purchased tracks as MP3 files (or any other format) will actually not give you any additional quality, since the AAC lossy compression format these tracks came in has already resulted in audio information being discarded which cannot be regained. Therefore, while burning and re-ripping tracks to MP3 is a useful way to allow you to play them on other devices that do not support AAC or protected AAC formats, no quality is gained by doing so, and in fact some quality may actually be lost in the process. See our April 19, 2007 column on transcoding lossy formats for more information on this.

Q: When adding an album which has been released by one artist but contains tracks by various other artists, iTunes displays individual tracks with the same artwork for what can be up to 30-40 times depending on how many CD’s are involved, how do i display or group these as one album ?

- Allan

A: There are a couple of different ways that this can be handled, depending on what you’re specifically trying to accomplish.

For the sake of iTunes itself and the Cover Flow and Artwork Grouping views, the simplest thing to do is to use the new “Album Artist” field that has now been added as of iTunes 7. iTunes will use the Album Artist field for grouping when it’s filled in, and this can be an appropriate way to list albums with secondary or “featured” artists, yet still keep them grouped together.

To set this field for multiple tracks, simply choose the tracks you want to modify in iTunes, and select File, Get Info. Type in the name of the main album artist in the “Album Artist” field, and select OK.

Unfortunately, this will only work in iTunes for the Cover Flow and album grouping views. The artists themselves will still be listed individually in the browser view and on the iPod itself. If you want to also group the albums in these views, you will need to set the tracks as “Part of a Compilation” and enable the compilations feature on the iPod and in iTunes.

You can set any given track to being “Part of a Compilation” by going into the track properties and checking the appropriate box.

As above, multiple tracks can be set simultaneously by selecting all of the tracks you want to modify, choosing File, Get Info and setting the “Compilation” option to Yes.

Once the tracks have been set as part of a compilation, you can then enable the “Group Compilations when Browsing” feature in iTunes (under Preferences, General), at which point a “Compilations” option will appear in the artists column in the browser. Any albums containing tracks that are set as being part of a compilation will be listed under this artist heading, rather than by their specific artist name.

Note that compilation grouping must also be enabled separately on the iPod if you want to use this feature. This can be found under the “Settings” menu on the iPod, and once enabled, a “Compilations” sub-menu will appear under the “Music” menu on the iPod. As in iTunes, selecting the “Compilations” menu on the iPod will list all albums with tracks that are tagged as being part of a compilation.

Q: Is there an AM/FM tuner available by any company for a 4th generation iPod?

Steve

A: Although accessories specifically built for the 4G iPod models are becoming increasingly hard to find, the good news is that many of the accessories built for the 5G iPod that use the Dock Connector will work fine with the 4G iPod models as well.

One such accessory is the Griffin iFM Radio and Remote (iLounge ratings: A/B+), which is available in both a Dock Connector compatible version and the traditional headphone port that was used on 4G model iPods. The headphone port version will be somewhat more difficult to find, but the Dock Connector version will work fine with the older model iPods as well.

Be aware that although Apple also makes an iPod Radio Remote (iLounge rating: A-), this particular accessory will not work with 4G iPods as anything more than a remote control, as the FM radio features rely on software that is only present in the 5G iPod itself to control the FM radio tuner.

Note that these are only FM-based radio accessories. There are presently no portable iPod accessories that will provide AM radio tuning.

Q:How do I view my entire library of collected podcasts? And how do I delete some without deleting every one from that particular source?

- Scooter

A: In iTunes 7, all Podcasts are grouped under a “Podcasts” item in the iTunes source list.

If the “Podcasts” entry does not appear in the source list, it may be hidden. You can enable the display of this and other source list categories by going into iTunes’ General Preferences, and simply selecting that categories that you want to see.

Selecting the “Podcasts” item from the source list will display a listing of all of your podcast subscriptions in iTunes. Each podcast subscription appears in this list, and you can click on the small triangle that appears to the left of each podcast subscription to expand that list and see the individual episodes of that podcast that are currently available on your computer, and any recent episodes that have not yet been downloaded.

To remove a specific podcast episode, just highlight the individual episode under the podcast subscription, and delete it as you would any other iTunes track. That particular episode will be removed, and iTunes will prompt you as to whether you want to delete the underlying file or keep it, as it would do for any other library entry.

Further, if you have iTunes set to only keep a certain number of podcast episodes, but there’s a specific episode that you want to keep, you can exempt it from iTunes’ auto-deletion feature by right-clicking on that particular podcast episode, and choosing “Do Not Auto Delete.” This will leave that particular podcast episode in your iTunes library until you either delete it manually, you go back to the track and change the setting back to “Allow Auto Delete.”

You can also apply the “Do Not Auto Delete” setting to an entire podcast subscription in the same manner—just right-click on the podcast subscription heading instead of on an individual episode, and choose “Do Not Auto-Delete” and iTunes will keep all of the episodes in that podcast, both current and future, until you delete them manually.

Q: I have been syncing my iPod on my Mac computer. I recently purchased a laptop PC and am wondering if I can now sync my iPod with new tunes I have purchased on my PC. Further, can I go back and forth syncing music from my Mac and/or PC to my iPod without hurting or deleting my iPod and existing playlists/library?

- Leah

A: While this is possible, it may be a bit complicated to set up. The first problem is that when initially configuring an iPod on a Mac, it is configured with a disk format specific to the Mac operating system, and therefore cannot be read by a Windows computer at all. The result is that if you connect it to your Windows laptop, neither the Windows operating system or iTunes will recognize it as a valid device, and in fact Windows may even offer to format it for you, since it’s an unknown disk format. Obviously you don’t want to let Windows do this.

Although you cannot use a Mac-formatted iPod on a Windows PC, it is possible to use a Windows-formatted iPod on a Mac. You could convert your iPod to Windows format by connecting it to iTunes on your Windows PC and using the “Restore” option. This will, however, erase everything on your iPod, restoring it to its default factory out-of-the-box state. You will need to ensure that you have a backup of your music somewhere so that you can subsequently reload your iPod. If you still have all of your music in your iTunes library and are using automatic synchronization, this should not be too difficult to do.

If you don’t want to go through the time and effort of reformatting your iPod for Windows, and you’re only going to occasionally use it with your laptop, the other option is to purchase a copy of MediaFour’s MacDrive utility, which can be installed on your Windows PC laptop and will enable any Mac-formatted disk (including your iPod) to be accessed from Windows.

Whichever format you do choose to keep your iPod in, be aware that you will only be able to apply software updates to your iPod from the operating system that it is formatted for. In other words, if you have a Mac-formatted iPod, you will need to apply updates to your iPod from your Mac, and if you have a Windows-formatted iPod, you will need to apply these updates from your Windows PC.

Once you have your iPod and/or computers configured so that they can be read by either operating system, the next thing you have to keep in mind is that an iPod can only be automatically synchronized to a single computer. If you want to regularly add content from more than one computer, you will have to give up on automatic synchronization, and configure your iPod for manual management. In this mode, no content is automatically added to the iPod—instead you drag and drop specific content from your iTunes library onto your iPod. However, this mode allows you to do this from any computer you connect your iPod to.

To configure your iPod for manual management, simply select it in the iTunes source list, and choose the option “Manually manage my music and videos” from the “Summary” screen.

Once set, this setting travels with the iPod, so it will remain in manual mode regardless of which computer you connect it to.

Q: I just bought a 30 gb iPod and when I plugged it into my laptop it automatically downloaded all the music from my iTunes. I wasn’t able to pick just the songs I wanted and now I cannot delete the unwanted songs from my iPod. What can I do?

- Erin

A: This is the default behavior when connecting a new iPod to your iTunes library and selecting the “automatic” option in the setup wizard.

In automatic synchronization mode, iTunes will by default put as much music on your iPod as it can fit. In this mode, the iPod itself mirrors the content of your iTunes library, and you do not manage content on the iPod directly. If you want to remove a song from your iPod, you either need to remove it completely from your iTunes library, or reduce the “scope” of iTunes’ automatic synchronization for your particular iPod.

Alternatively, you can also configure your iPod for manual management, in which case you would manually add any tracks to your iPod that you want, and specifically remove those tracks from your iPod that you don’t want on it.

To change these settings, select your iPod in the iTunes source list. You will see a summary screen and a number of tabs across the top. To switch to full manual mode, just select the option “Manually manage my music and videos” from the Summary tab itself. This will turn off any automatic synchronization of music or video content to your iPod, and you can then select any items that you wish to remove by going to the iPod subfolders in iTunes (under the “iPod” entry in the source list), and just deleting these items as you normally would from your iTunes library itself.

Note that in manual mode, you will need to manage the content on your iPod essentially as a separate library. Further, any ratings you set on the iPod itself, and information such as last played times and play counts, are not transferred back to your main iTunes library. For these reasons, we generally recommend using automatic synchronization unless you’re in a situation where you’re using more than one computer, or you have a music library that is too large to maintain on your computer.

So if you want to continue to use automatic mode, but just want to limit your selections, you can either choose to “Only sync checked items” from the Summary tab, or visit the the “Music” tab to control what content from your library gets synchronized to your iPod.

By choosing “Selected Playlists” from this screen, you will be able to choose which specific playlists and content get synchronized to your iPod. Only tracks in these playlists will be placed on the iPod, and tracks removed from any of these selected playlists will also be removed from your iPod.

If you instead choose to only sync checked items, you can specifically UNcheck those items that you do not want transferred to your iPod. Any items you uncheck that are already on your iPod will be removed during the next sync. Keep in mind, however, that items that are UNchecked will not play in the iTunes library either in any kind of playlist or shuffle mode unless you specifically select those tracks.

Q: I recently purchased a 30GB iPod with Video. When I connected the iPod to my PC and checked iTunes, the available disk space is displayed as 27 GB. Is this normal or should I log a complaint with Apple?

- Vaidy

A: Believe it or not, this is completely normal, and in fact is standard procedure for any hard drive based device.

The problem stems from the fact that computer storage measurement units are calculated differently between software and hardware. In software, a kilobyte (KB) is measured as 1,024 bytes, a megabyte (MB) as 1,024 KB, and a gigabyte (GB) as 1,024 MB. Therefore, from a software and operating system point of view, 1 GB is actually 1,073,741,824 bytes.

Unfortunately, a number of years ago, hard drive manufacturers started using a different basis for measuring storage capacity, presumably for marketing reasons. The result is that to a hardware manufacturer, a kilobyte is 1,000 bytes, rather than 1,024, and so forth. Therefore, 1 GB to a hardware manufacturer is an even 1,000,000,000 bytes.

So, when you buy a hard drive that is labeled as 30 GB, it is actually 30,000,000,000 bytes, give or take a few. However, to the software on your computer, 30 GB should be 32,212,254,720 bytes. Therefore, as far as your operating system is concerned, the “30GB” hard drive falls somewhat short of this number. If you actually do the math, the “30GB” hard drive actually works out to 27.94 GB of actual capacity. A little bit more of this is lost to some of the operating system format and internal iPod files that are placed on the hard drive, but for the most part, this difference is based on simply the difference in measurement between what the hardware vendors are selling, and how software calculates storage capacity.

Note that this problem is not in any way unique to the iPod, but rather applies to all hard drives in any computer system. If you check the hard drive in your computer, you will discover that the same discrepancy applies. For example, a MacBook Pro with a 100GB hard drive actually only shows 93.1 GB of space as far as the operating system is concerned.

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Ask iLounge Archives:

7-4-08: Recovering a corrupt iPod, Hard cases for iPhone, Reimporting CDs into iTunes, iPod shows only Other content, Managing multiple audio formats in iTunes, Optimum iPod video output cables

6-27-08: Creating Smart Playlists for Purchased items, Keeping place in multi-track audiobooks, Backing up iTunes before a reformat, iPod Games on 5G and classic, Editing CD tracks before import, Getting Album Artwork automatically

6-20-08: Third-party iPod management tools, Transferring large files on iPod, Shuffling On-The-Go Playlists, Removing played podcasts from iPod, Continuously playing one track, Moving iTunes from PC to Mac

6-13-08: Artists not appearing on iPod, Unchecked items do not play in iTunes, iTunes shows incorrect CD track information, Podcast support on older iPod models, Upgrading to a new iPod, Photo albums on iPod touch

6-6-08: Downloading YouTube videos onto iPod, Selling old iPod models, Fit iTunes Window to Screen, Handing down an iPod, Dock Compatible iPod cases, Problems transferring music from iPod to Mac

See the rest of the Archives...

5-30-08: Burning iTunes purchases to an MP3 CD, Playing iPhone via computer, Pre-loading a gift iPod on another computer, Music Video playlists on Apple TV, Music videos on 2G iPod nano, Importing existing MP3 and WMA files into iTunes.

5-23-08: Finding and backing up purchased music, Syncing duplicate tracks to iPod, Restoring 4G iPod and AC power, Syncing iPod to a laptop when travelling, Finding photos on iPod, Storing a large iTunes library in multiple folders

5-16-08: Using the iPhone with integrated in-car Bluetooth, Problems with iPods and depleted batteries, Transferring content to a new iPod, iPod displays audio but no video, Removing photos and album artwork from iTunes, Overdrive Media and iPods

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

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

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Comments

1

Is it just me or should iLounge and Apple post banners that explain that 30 gig iPod does not equal 30 gigs of space.. I am surprised you guys still address these questions!

Posted by gtrdlr on June 14, 2007 at 1:17 PM (PDT)

2

there is an iPod storage calculator on iLounge, linked from the front page, at http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/ipod/calculator/.

it just seems that people would rather ask questions before doing minimal research

Posted by ehren on June 14, 2007 at 6:56 PM (PDT)

3

Strictly speaking, “kilo”, “mega” are metric “SI” prefixes which have fixed meanings as “thousand” and “million”. The original practice of calling 1024 bytes a kilobyte broke this. There is now a movement to recognise the original mistake and promote new units: “kibibytes” (1024) and “mebibytes” (1024x1024) and so on. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibibyte

Posted by AJ-in-NZ on June 15, 2007 at 12:53 AM (PDT)

4

I noticed on my iPod that when I am searching for a particular Artist (That I know is on my iPod), the Artist does not show up. Yet, when I search under Song for a song by that Artist, I can find the song (with the Artist listed). For example, Led Zepplein will not show up under Artist (although I have 40 songs by the Artist), but will show up under Song, (ex. Dazed and Confused) and it will show the Artist as Led Zepplein! Is there something I need to do different in iTunes. I use the automatic update feature. Is it a space issue? I have about 9,600 songs on my iPod which is a 60G and seems to have plenty of room left. Thanks.

Posted by oly1 on June 21, 2007 at 11:46 AM (PDT)

5

My second generation ipod nano 4g has exhibited the following problem twice in six months. When I select a playlist, it won’t play a certain song and then begins skipping through all of the songs in the playlist until it rests on a song it will play, then skips some more after that song. Sometimes the screen itself is split vertically. There is no consistency to this problem, and the last time it happened, I erased everything and reloaded it, and it was fine. Is this a hard drive problem? Thanks.

Posted by Tobysan on June 24, 2007 at 9:50 AM (PDT)

6

I had recovered my pc after it crashed but when I reinstalled itunes I was told I can’t add or keep the music that wasn’t downloaded by itunes. How can I save all the music currently on my ipod and add more from other sources ??

Posted by DTsound on July 10, 2007 at 11:15 AM (PDT)

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