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The Free iPod + iPhone Book4

Ask iLounge 6-8-06

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By Jerrod H.

Contributing Editor, iLounge
Published: Wednesday, June 7, 2006
Category: Ask iLounge

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

The most asked question at iLounge.com:

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

Click here for the answer.

The second most asked question at iLounge.com:

How do I put DVDs on my iPod?


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

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

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

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

Top five questions most recently asked by iLounge readers:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Q: I seem to be at odds with a major flaw in the way iTunes and the iPod organize music. I’m trying to browse my music by certain genres, but I’m disappointed that the smart playlists I’m creating are only allowing me to list the songs they contain as songs, as opposed to grouping them by albums. What am I missing?

- Frank

A: Both iTunes and the iPod have features that will help you achieve exactly what you want—more hierarchy in the display of genre listings. Neither method, however, uses smart playlists, as playlists - by definition - are always track listings only one level deep.

In iTunes, begin by using the “Browse” button in the top-right corner of your iTunes Library window. If you’ve enabled “Show genre when browsing” in iTunes’ Preferences, then you’ll be presented with the following at the top of your library:

This allows you to narrow your selection by genre and proceed to narrow it further by artist and/or album titles. All three columns can be navigated using the up and down arrow keys on the keyboard, and you can switch between them with Tab and Shift-Tab.

On the iPod, there’s a similar genre-level feature already built in. Simply navigate to your iPod’s “Music” menu item, and “Genre” should already be present on the main display. Browse this option, and you’ll then be able to choose the next levels of the hierarchy: artist, then album.

Q: When I try to open iTunes on my Mac, I get a message that says “iTunes Library Locked” and the program won’t open.

How do I fix this problem?

- David

A: We’ve run into this problem a few times ourselves, and we’ve fixed it a few different ways. Sometimes, simply restarting works. If not, try running the “Repair Permissions” utility found in the “Disc Utility” program in your “/Applications/Utilities/” folder. If that doesn’t work either, you can fix it yourself, for sure:

Navigate to your home directory’s “Music” folder, and under “iTunes,” find the “iTunes Library” file. Highlight it, and select “Get Info” from the Finder’s “File” menu. Then, ensure that your window looks like ours below, in that “Locked” is unchecked and that the pull-down menu at the bottom labeled “You can” is set to “Read & Write.” This should fix the problem.


Q: I’m trying to display my iPod’s video output to my TV, and I can’t get it to work. A cable identical to Apple’s iPod AV Cable came with my camcorder, and I’m using it from the iPod’s headphone port as directed. I’m sure my TV Out settings, NTSC/PAL settings, and video encodings are all proper, yet all I see is fuzz. What’s going on?

- Fernando

A: Actually, your cable isn’t precisely identical to Apple’s official iPod AV Cable, regardless of how similar it looks. In their design, Apple decided to swap the electrical contacts of the Right (Red) and Video (Yellow) contacts relative to existing similar cables.

Thus, your cable should work as expected if you simply insert the cable’s red plug into your TV’s video port, and the yellow plug into the TV’s right-channel audio port. Our generic cable, included long ago with an analog Panasonic camcorder, works fine this way.

Q: I recently bought a Pontiac Solstice, which features an auxillary jack for easy connection to an iPod. I am looking for a very simple docking station allows me to simply mount my iPod in a convenient place in the car, and allows me to connect the iPod via line-out. Most of what I’m finding right now is complicated with built-in FM transmitters, charging, and more. Can iLounge help?

- Michelle

A: In the “Car Mounts” section of the ”Reviews & Accessories” area of our website, iLounge features several reviews of products that fit this description, and many are highly rated. Most of ProClip’s Products, for example, are well-made, versatile mounting solutions that allow you to use an audio cable & charging solution of your own choice. One of our favorite car solutions, the TEN Technology FlexibleDock, integrates charging electronics and an adjustable gooseneck mount into a nice unit that also provides a Line-Out port that would work fine with your Solstice’s audio port: just add a standard 1/8"-to-1/8" audio cable, and you’re set!

Browse our reviews: something is sure to satisfy your needs.

Q: I currently manage my iTunes library from an eMac at home, but as I move away for college, I’ll be buying a MacBook to take with me. What’s the best way to transfer my music library (including all playcounts, playlists, and ratings) to my new computer before I leave?

- Josh

A: The easiest method - by far - is to simply utilize Apple’s “Migration Assistant,” a feature of MacOS X Tiger that makes getting a new Mac extremely easy. You’ll need a 6-pin to 6-pin Firewire cable, but other than that, simply follow Apple’s easy directions, and your entire music library, Documents folder, eMail settings, iPhoto library, and more are transferred to your new Mac, just as they were on the old one. We’ve used it several times before, and for the most part, you’ll feel perfectly at home when you start up the new machine after the Migration Assitant is done.

If for any reason this isn’t an option to you, or if PC-based readers are interested in answering a similar question, take a look at our article Copying Music from an iPod to a Computer, for detailed instructions on how to use your iPod as a middle-man in order to transfer your entire iTunes library and its metadata to a new computer.

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Ask iLounge Archives:

11-14-08: Cover Flow on 4G iPod nano, Setting up iPod touch without Internet access, Internet radio for iPod touch, Apps button missing on iPod touch, mm50 speakers and new iPod models, Including Year field on iPod

10-31-08: iPod charging accessory compatibility, Adding tracks to multiple albums, Removing pre-installed games, Transferring contacts from iPod touch to a second computer, iPod touch accessory compatibility, iPod synchronization to a new computer

10-24-08: Importing folders with M3U files, AV cables with 2008 iPods, Moving iTunes libraries between computers, Unknown albums after importing music, Newly added tracks don't show up on iPod

10-17-08: Backup up your iPod, iPods and viruses, Using an iPod on Mac and Windows, Managing photos on an iPod manually, Adding iTunes Shared Music to iPod, iPod video out

10-3-08: Displaying lyrics on iPod touch, Calculating playlist sizes, Transferring tracks to iPod in manual mode, Purchasing older iPod models, Using iPhone without phone service, Shuffle modes

See the rest of the Archives...

Next: Ask iLounge 6-15-06

Previous: iLounge review ratings, explained

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Comments

1

What is the best portable speaker system for ipod that has a nice sound that can be projected for a good distance outside? I would also need to use it on AC and DC. What do most people prefer and where is the best place to purchase it?

Posted by munsons on June 13, 2006 at 5:37 PM (PDT)

2

I’m having a problem with the play order on my iPod in that it seems to order the correct play order of each song on the album.
When I import a CD in to iTunes, it seems to store and play the songs in the order of the songs as they are on the CD.  I then drag the album over onto my iPod, and it appears that the songs are in the correct order.  But when I play an album in my iPod, it seems to ignore the play order of the album.  What am I doing wrong?

Posted by rbendis on June 27, 2006 at 11:17 AM (PDT)

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