2010 iPod + iPhone Buyers' Guide

Article

Ask iLounge 7-27-06

Author's pic

By Jerrod H.

Contributing Editor, iLounge
Published: Thursday, July 27, 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 just recently noticed an odd icon next to one of my smart playlists, and I can’t figure out what it is. It’s a small exclamation point with a circle around it. Have you seen this? How can I fix it?

- Jacqueline

A:

It cost us considerable experimenting to reproduce your problem, but we’ve found it:

This icon, shown above, is formed when a playlist upon which a smart playlist is based has been deleted. Your smart playlist has the “Playlist is” or “Playlist is not” condition, and you’ve deleted the playlist in question. Restore it, or recreate the smart playlist.

Q:

Is there a way to arrange my library in iTunes so that the “Artist” column is the first on the left? It seems no matter what I try, the “Name” column is always the first on the left.

- Josh

A:

Unfortunately, there is no way to do this, but here are a few suggestions:

First, you can navigate your library by Artist first if you simply use iTunes’ “Browse” feature, accessible via the icon in the Library’s top-right corner. By default, the first column here is “Genre,” but you can remove this by deselecting the following option in iTunes’ preferences:

Second (and although you’re likely interested in a live, interactive listing), you can always export your library data to Microsoft Excel and view the columns however you wish. To do so, simply choose “Select All” and then “Copy” from iTunes’ “Edit” menu, and then choose “Paste” in Microsoft Excel. This is discussed further in this Ask iLounge column.

Q:

Here’s a simple question, but an important one for me, that I haven’t seen explicitly answered anywhere yet:

When I put a song in more than one playlist, does it take up another copy’s worth of hard drive space? I had a primitive MP3 player before my iPod, and it did.

- Ed

A:

Absolutely not. For the iPod (and, of course, iTunes), playlists are simply collections of shortcuts to songs which exist in only one place - the Library. This makes playlists an entirely “free” and fun way to expand and enhance your listening habits. For more information on playlist management and ideas, see our tutorials on manual and smart playlists.

Q:

I own a 60GB iPod video. I would like to play a slideshow with music, but when I go to “Slideshow Settings,” under the “Music” menu, all that’s available is “Off”, and I can’t seem to turn it on. Why’s that?

- Gary

A:

The background music option in “Slideshow Settings” is formed solely by the “Off” option, and a list of your playlists. Since you probably don’t have any playlists on your iPod, you’re not able to use this feature, since there’s nothing for you to select. Create playlists in iTunes and synchronize your iPod, and this option will become available.

If you do have playlists on your iPod, then something odd is going on with your iPod’s database - “restore” your iPod using the latest iPod Software Updater from Apple’s website, and try again.

Q:

The iTunes page displays a number in the first data display column for each song in my playlists, but NOT when looking at my library folder.

How can I get iTunes to display a number in this column next to each song in my library?

- Tom

A:

You can’t display numbering in the Library, or at least not the way you want to. The easiest workaround is to create a smart playlist which automatically contains all the items in your library. One way to accomplish this is with the following rule:

Now, you’ll have a playlist version of your library, which - when displayed - has the single distinction from the real library that each song is numbered.

Share Share This Article & Win an iTunes Gift Card. Click Here to Enter.

Submit A News Tip



Ask iLounge Archives:

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

10-16-09: Moving iTunes to a new computer, Transferring contacts from Blackberry to an iPhone, Disabling iPhone Backups, Using AV cables for audio only, Problems syncing photos to iPod touch, Memorex iFlip and iPhone compatibility

10-9-09: iPhone OS and external keyboards, Adjusting ratings in a remote iTunes library, Excluding tracks from Genius Mixes, Moving iTunes library out of My Documents, Playlist folders on iPod touch, Refreshing random Smart Playlists

9-25-09: iTunes 9 and Shopping Cart, Restoring iTunes to an external hard drive, Using an HTTP Proxy over 3G, Problems transferring movies from iTunes to IPhone, iPod touch shuffle mode, Using an iPhone without a SIM card

See the rest of the Archives...

Next: Editorial: Fun, real fun, with iPod accessories

Previous: Editorial: Ex-Microsofties, Time to Join the Pod

Comments

1

I have plenty of mix CD’s and when I play them with a CD Player they don’t skip but when I download the CD’s on Itunes, there is a 1-2 second pause, Why?

Posted by leeaia11 on July 28, 2006 at 12:17 AM (PDT)

2

The iPod does not support gapless playback.  iTunes allows you to fade in and out of tracks through the Edit > Preferences > Playback > Crossfade Playback slider, but this will only affect playback in iTunes, not the iPod.  The best way to solve your problem would be to join tracks into one track.  In iTunes, after you insert a CD, browse to it in the source menu, highlight all of the tracks (ctrl+a on Windows) and select Advanced > Join CD Tracks.  Then, import the CD by cliking the import button in the top right.

Posted by papayaninja on July 28, 2006 at 10:39 AM (PDT)

3

Before my old laptop crashed, I wisely had all data copied onto discs, including almost 1200 I-tunes hits.  Same songs on my I-pod.  I now have a new laptop, but I can’t get I-tunes data from discs onto new computer’s I-tunes library.  Any hints?

Thanks

Posted by mike the d on July 28, 2006 at 2:14 PM (PDT)

4

If you burned the songs to data disks then you will need to highlight the songs on the disks then drag-n-drop the songs onto the word ‘library’ in the source list and they will be added.  Data disks cannot be imported into the iTunes library.

Posted by Audrey McGirt on July 30, 2006 at 7:52 AM (PDT)

5

I have two AirPorts connected to individual stereo systems and play music from my iTunes library through them.  I have recently noticed that I am now able to play music on “Multiple Speakers” (cool!), however I get an error message reporting that one of my AirPorts does not suport playback as part of a group.  Is this a configuration issue, or a firmware issue?  The firmware version on this AirPort is 6.2.

Posted by Bourno65 on August 2, 2006 at 12:02 AM (PDT)

6

i have an ipod that does not support video playback, but several video files with audiol I would like to extract and convert to mp3 for playback.  Is there any free software that will let me do this?

Posted by Chibithulhu on August 2, 2006 at 6:26 PM (PDT)

7

is it possible to play music on my ipod via a tv? the only way i have managed it so far is to display a photo slideshow and select what i want to play via selecting a playlist. obviously i can’t skip or select individual songs via this method. i have the apple av cable

Posted by wayne calvert on August 14, 2006 at 12:42 PM (PDT)

If you have a comment, news tip, advertising inquiry, or coverage request, a question about iPods or accessories, or if you sell or market iPod products or services, read iLounge's Comments + Questions policies before posting, and fully identify yourself if you do. We will delete comments containing advertising, astroturfing, trolling, personal attacks, offensive language, or other objectionable content, then ban and/or publicly identify violators.





What's new at iLounge? Subscribe to iPodweek!
Each week we giveaway three (3) iTunes Gift cards.

Recent News

Recent Reviews

Recent Articles


Shop for Accessories: Cases, speakers, chargers, etc.