2010 iPod + iPhone Buyers' Guide

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Ask iLounge 7-7-05

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By Kirk McElhearn

Contributing Editor
Published: Thursday, July 7, 2005
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

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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 have a concern about the volume level I need to hear music streamed through an AirPort Express to my stereo. When I play the radio or a CD on the stereo, I set the volume between 15 and 20, but when I stream music through the AirPort Express to my stereo, I have to set the volume to 40 or 45 for it to be loud enough. Is this the way it is or is there something wrong with my setup?

- Pat

A:The AirPort Express gets its volume level partly from iTunes; when you stream music, you can adjust the volume either on your stereo, as you are doing, or within iTunes. Try keeping the stereo at the volume level you use for the radio or CDs and adjusting the iTunes volume so it’s loud enough.
Q:

I have a brand new iPod photo (color iPod) that I want to connect to my home stereo. I purchased the appropriate Dock and want to connect it with a 1/8”-to-RCA jack cable. Is there a limit on the length of the cable I can use before the sound quality might be compromised? Also, what are the ideal volume and equalizer settings on the iPod? My home stereo is located one floor below where the iPod will be. I will likely run an adapter cable that will 25 to 35 feet long.

- Glenn

A:

If you play your music through a Dock, the iPod’s volume setting won’t affect the music’s volume. The Dock’s jack is a line-out jack, which is unaffected by the iPod’s internal volume setting. As for the equalizer, that depends on your music, your environment, and your ears. This article tells you more about using the iTunes and iPod equalizers.

As for the length of the cable, there’s no simple answer. Audiophiles will insist that you’ll need expensive hand-made or special cables in order to avoid sound loss past 6 feet, but professional musicians have opined that quality of analog cables isn’t significantly compromised even at distances of 25-33 feet (10 meters). There is a natural loss of gain with long unbalanced cables, potentially audible in the high frequencies, but it would be most pronounced at around 33 feet and beyond. Digital cables are another story.

Q:

The new iPod looks tempting, as I would want to play it through my stereo and it appears that I can do so with an AirPort Express. Can this be done with any amp, and is it as wonderful as Apple makes it sound?

-Andy

A: No, you cannot play the iPod through an AirPort Express; you can only stream music from a computer running iTunes that is on a wireless network. As you can see in this week’s first two questions, there are two ways to play music through a stereo: either by streaming from iTunes to an AirPort Express, or by simply connecting the iPod using a 1/8”-to-RCA jack cable. If you choose the latter method, and want to be able to control the iPod from a distance, you might want to check out the Kensington Stereo Dock for iPod, which connects to your stereo and gives you a remote control so you don’t need to have to get up to change songs or volume.
Q:

I just bought a 60 GB iPod and after installing iTunes and the iPod software it shows that it has 55.79 GB available and 73.9 MB used. (this is before I put any music on it) Is this normal? I lost almost 5 GB!

- Brian

A: Yes. Apple’s stated capacities for iPods are based upon “unformatted” hard disk sizes - an industry-wide marketing practice that has brought about some law suits, and now is heavily disclaimed on the web sites and packages of hard disk-based products. Alas, your 60 GB iPod only holds a bit more than 56 GB, and the iPod software, as you see, takes up 74 MB in your case. For a more detailed explanation on this point for various hard drive sizes, you can see our FAQ on actual hard disk capacities.
Q:

Is there any way of using Shuffle mode for just a genre? I have an eclectic collection of music on my iPod (ranging from death metal to soft rock and jazz) and I find shuffle mode to be great at parties until some of those hard-hitting songs start playing.

- Jimmy

A: If you turn on shuffle mode on your iPod (Settings > Shuffle > Songs) you can then start playing all the music from a given genre in shuffle mode. Select Music > Genres > [the genre you want to play] > All > All, then select a song. You can start with the first song (this list is in alphabetical order) or scroll through the list to select any other song. After your first selection, the other songs in that genre will play in shuffle mode.
Q:

I’ve been using iTunes now for a couple of years now, and I cannot live without it. But one thing has been bothering me since when I started using iTunes: if I’m listening to a song that’s part of an album and browsing through my library at the same time, adding songs, sorting songs, etc., and the album is not visible, playback stops at the end of each song. I then have to go through my library looking for the next song on the album to continue listening. But when songs are playing in Party Shuffle, smart playlists, or regular playlists, this abrupt stop in playback does not happen. Is there any way to have uninterrupted playback without having to create new playlists?

- Ace

A: Nope. It annoys us too. The only solution is to make a playlist for the album you’re listening to: select all the music then press Command-Shift-N on Mac on Control-Shift-N on Windows to make a new playlist from your selection, then delete the playlist after you’ve finished listening.
picKirk McElhearn is the author of several books including iPod & iTunes Garage. His blog Kirkville features articles about the iPod, iTunes, Mac OS X and much more.






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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

See the rest of the Archives...

Next: Beginner's Guide to Podcast Creation

Previous: First Looks Shuffle: Luxury Case, DLO Docks, MP3Bandits, Shufflesome & Poptune Stickers

Comments

1

#1: Check the preference to disable iTune’s volume controls for Airport Express output. It’ll sound better that way anyway.

If you’ve got your AX connected through the digital output, keep in mind that sources using digital connections often output at a lower level than analog sources.

Finally, some stereos/receivers will let you set a volume offset for different sources. You could tell your receiver to automatically apply more gain to the AX.

Posted by mattwardfh in Texas on July 7, 2005 at 10:15 AM (PDT)

2

#6:  If the album you want to listen to already exists on a playlist you can narrow the playlist down to just that album through the search capability and play it from the playlist while organizing other songs your ‘library’

(for example, all my non-holiday music is on a playlist called “This Ain’t No Holiday” I typed “Social Distortion Roxy” in search - so now it’s just the live at the roxy album and I’m surfing around in my Library, using the ‘get info’ command etc and it’s playing through just that album)

the solution here is great, but I have a billion playlists as it is, so i try to limit the new ones created…

love the column.
Puck

Posted by Puck in washington dc on July 7, 2005 at 1:02 PM (PDT)

3

after loading my idop software onto to my dell laptop, it worked but started locking up as I would load CD’s.  I have attempted to load the software onto my desktop and it seems to work with the following glitches: The IPOD appears on the the ITUNE source list momentarily, loads an album or playlist back onto the screen but when you access the IPOD to play the tunes, there is nothing showing on the IPOD at all.  The IPOD screen button seems to disappear also after awhile.  I have tried to reload the software 3 times, but it won’t let me reformat the IDOP (it says I don’t need to).
HELP! what can I do…I don’t want to go back to the laptop due to it locking up…the HP desktop is a fairly new one…help…!

Posted by danbranipod on July 7, 2005 at 5:29 PM (PDT)

4

Well I’ve gotten myself into a pickle.  I plugged my iPod into a friends computer while on vacation (he assured me that it wouldn’t effect my iPod and I was dumb enough to listen) and all my songs got “erased”.  I tried everything I could think of and eventually reset my iPod following Apple’s instructions. I then tried to add songs back on.  I chose the update selected playlists option and thought I put about 1000 songs on (I’ve got a 40GB).  Now whenever I plug in the iPod iTunes thinks it is a new iPod and asks me to register…and even though the songs on my iPod show up in iTunes (and can be played)they do not show up on my iPod…in other words, when I eject the iPod and try to use it independent of iTunes, the iPod shows nothing…zip, nada, blank.  Also, when the iPod is connected, it says I’ve used 12.64GB and only have 16.66 free (where is the other 10.7 GB gone off to?)  Can anyone help?

Posted by jtocon on July 8, 2005 at 12:21 PM (PDT)

5

Within 25 – 30 minutes of using my iPod it freezers up, the battery is fine as you can see the song details on the screen. No controls work and the only way I can get it going again is if I run the battery out and recharge it.

Can anyone help?

Posted by HacketD1 on July 9, 2005 at 4:32 AM (PDT)

6

My ipod selection will only let me put 140 songs onto my ipod mini. I know they are supposed to hold 1000 songs. I do not understand it al all! Please help me! My email is .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Please email me or just post it here!

Posted by jewels1600 on July 9, 2005 at 8:23 AM (PDT)

7

Hi, i have a mini(4GB) ipod, and for no reason it just wouldn’t do anything, i tried to charge it, it worked for about 3 seconds before it froze, when i disconnected it, it started to restart with the apple screen….. but then a picture of an ipod with a frown and X’d out eyes comes on, and a ! in a triangle…..then it shuts off again, can i fix this?

Posted by alexander32 on July 9, 2005 at 11:46 AM (PDT)

8

Hello, i just want to first say that this site is just my ipod haven, if i got a problem with my ipod shuffle, i go here to look for a solution, but apparently nobody seems to know the answer for this issue and i thought i could just personally ask ipodlounge. well, here’s the deal: when i plug my shuffle and itunes opens, it updates, but when it updates, it adds the recently added songs to it and i dont like it cuz i prefer to manually transfer them, how do i stop this from happening, cuz this has never occured to me before; before, i plugged the shuffle, it updated and then i manually added the songs. I want it to be like that again but i dont know how. Is there any other solution besides from unchecking the boxes of some songs or erasing them? I would REALLY appreciate it if you could help me with this problem cuz its gettin down right frustrating. Thanks!

Posted by shuffle11 on July 10, 2005 at 9:50 AM (PDT)

9

Your answer to one question is incomplete.  You write:  “there are two ways to play music through a stereo: either by streaming from iTunes to an AirPort Express, or by simply connecting the iPod using a 1/8”-to-RCA jack cable.”

However, you can also use a 1/8”-to-RCA jack cable on the computer itself to stream from iTunes to a stereo.  There’s no need to go for Airport Express, provided (a) you have no other use for a wireless system, and (b) your computer is located reasonably close to your stereo.

Posted by curmudgeon in NY on July 10, 2005 at 11:52 AM (PDT)

10

i want to convert my library to aac right now it is a mix of aac,mp3 and lossless,when i convert i get 3 converted copies plus the original.what can i do?

Posted by sudgut on July 10, 2005 at 2:40 PM (PDT)

11

I bought an ipod from a DJ who put 1500 songs on it with a number of palylists. Now I would like to transfer those song to I-Tunes and onto to another ipod which I use for playing music at home only. Can anyone help???? PLEASE????
I have tried using podutil and ipodagent but these do not recognise the ipod I purchased from the DJ.

Isaac

Posted by CokerI on July 11, 2005 at 1:40 AM (PDT)

12

Hello,
My 3rd generation Ipod suddenly is not working properly (no trauma to it).  When I try to play an album or artist or an individual song, the machine starts but the counter clock stay at 0:00 and it suddenly proceeds to the next song without playing any part of the original song.  Ironically the podcasts play immediately after selecting one.  If I choose to play the whole song list (7598 songs) then it runs through the first 6 songs as described above and suddenly starts to play the song without any problem

Posted by DR. Ipod on July 11, 2005 at 6:03 AM (PDT)

13

I just bought a new computer and i am planning to use my ipod on it.  My ipod is currently being used by another computer, and has 2600 songs on it.  How can I start to use my ipod on my new computer without losing any music?
      -Anton

Posted by CobaltSpeed89 on July 11, 2005 at 3:43 PM (PDT)

14

My pc computer(with itunes and windows xp)does not recognize my ipod when it is connected. It does an autoplay, but the ipod never appears in itunes. I drag down the file option but cannot update my ipod. Any suggestions that will not make me loose music I have in my ipod.

Posted by nasalseptum on July 11, 2005 at 5:59 PM (PDT)

15

When listening to iTunes and “organizing” other songs in your library, play your music from the original window that opens when you start iTumes and then open a new window from your library and the songs will continue to play through the original window.  This works for PC; I would be curious to know if it works for Mac.

Posted by mtully on July 13, 2005 at 6:54 AM (PDT)

16

Bought IpodAgent and was able to tweak all i wanted in my Ipod with the software
but now I am unable to sync “my tweaks” in my Itune
Little confused.please could you help

Posted by chefouille on July 13, 2005 at 11:09 PM (PDT)

17

I have a pc with windows xp loaded with itunes(1009 songs).  I want to load this music minus unchecked songs onto a new 4 GB mini.  Please provide step by step instructions as I am novice and do not want to lose itunes library.  I can not figure out the manual/ auto sync part.

Posted by jimw on July 22, 2005 at 11:59 PM (PDT)

18

There are items in my itunes library on my computer, but they are not being loaded onto my ipod.

Posted by suzy on September 22, 2009 at 7:28 PM (PDT)

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