Ask iLounge 7-4-08

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: My iPod nano recently went funny and iTunes said that it was corrupt. The first thing that I don’t understand is that I don’t know what corrupt in an iPod means, and I dont know how to solve it. I went to another site and they said to send the broken iPod in to them, but I dont know if I can trust them or if I even need to do this. Any suggestions?

- Jasmine

A: Generally, an error message in iTunes telling you that your iPod corrupt does not by itself indicate a physical problem with the iPod. The good news is that this means that this is very likely a problem you can solve yourself without actually having to send the iPod in to any kind of a repair service.

Essentially, an iPod nano stores information in much the same way as a computer hard disk or USB memory stick. If the information (ie, the music files and library database) on the iPod becomes damaged or unreadable, iTunes will detect the iPod as being “corrupt” and advise you to restore the iPod back to its factory settings.

A restore will erase everything on your iPod in much the same way that formatting your computer’s hard disk would erase everything on your computer. However, since you’ll be starting with a clean, empty iPod, generally any “corrupted” information will no longer be a problem (since it’s been erased).

If you have been using automatic synchronization and all of your music is still in your main iTunes library, this process is normally quite simple, and no actual data is going to be lost (in this case, your iPod just holds a copy of your music tracks anyway). In this case, simply connect the iPod to your computer, select it in the iTunes source list on the left-hand side of your iTunes window, and then click the “Restore” button which will appear in the main “Summary” screen. Once the restore has been completed, iTunes will take you through the iPod Setup Assistant in much the same way that would for a brand new iPod, and you can reload all of your content in from iTunes.

If you have been managing your iPod content manually and it does not exist on your computer, then you may be at risk of losing your media content, since it would only be stored on the iPod. In this case, you might be able to recover your content before restoring your iPod, depending on how badly corrupted the iPod is. Our iPod 201 tutorial on Copying Content from your iPod to your Computer provides more information on this.

Q: First I just wanted to say what a great site for anything and everything iPod and iPhone. I have a quick case question for you: I am in the military and work on F-15’s and I need to have my phone on me for emergencies. One day I had to intercept (no kidding) a nose tire from the intakes of a neaby running F-15. Unfortunately, the nose tire smacked the pocket in my uniform’s lower leg and smashed the glass into pieces on my iPhone. Are there any FULL 360-degree hard cases that can prevent this from happening again? A thin film protector that prevents scratches just isn’t going to do it. Any help you guys could give would be great, thanks.

- Robert

A: At this point the only real practical iPhone-specific options are the Artwizz SeeJacket Crystal (iLounge rating: A-) and Case-Mate Naked Case Version 2 (iLounge rating: B+). Both of these cases provide a full hard plastic shell for the iPhone, covering the screen completely in hard plastic that, quite surprisingly, also passes control through to the touch screen while offering a reasonable level of protection.

Unfortunately, being plastic these will likely not withstand heavy concussive forces, but are definitely a better option than the iPhone’s glass alone.

Another option you may want to consider is the Metallo Design Gilty Couture Chromium Case (iLounge rating: B), which claims to be teh hardest case on the planet. While this does not provide any screen protection, it would likely do a better job of absorbing an impact on other parts of the iPhone.

Q: I’ve accidentally ripped about 70 CDs at 48kbps because iTunes wiped my previous settings. My problem is now that I only have sporadic access to a decent internet connection, so ideally I’d like to be able to re-rip those tracks at 192 kbps without losing the track information or album artwork? Is this possible, or am I doomed to another fortnight of Track 01, Track 02, etc.

- Rachel

A: The good news is that as long as you’ve imported these CDs via iTunes itself there should be a couple of features that will work in your favour.

Firstly, if you have labelled your CDs before importing them (ie, either via automatic track information lookup or by editing the track properties on the CD track listing itself), then iTunes will likely have remembered these edits, and should be able to identify these tracks again from its own database, rather than having to connect out over the Internet to Gracenote CDDB. In this case, you would already have the track label information available, although naturally this won’t include the album artwork.

Unfortunately, if you edited the tracks after you imported the CD into iTunes, then iTunes has no way of identifying the tracks on the CD without going out and looking it up online. The good news is that this procedure is separate from the process of downloading album artwork, and since only basic text information is being exchanged, it should be relatively painless even on a low-speed Internet connection.

The second benefit is that as long as you have not changed the track information from what was originally supplied, iTunes will recognize that these CD tracks are already in your library and offer to replace them when you once again attempt to import the same CD. When you attempt to import a CD into iTunes that already has matching tracks (based on track, artist and album name) in your iTunes library, you should be prompted with a dialog box similar the following as soon as you hit the “Import” button:

If this dialog box does not appear, but iTunes instead simply starts importing the CD, cancel the import and check your existing tracks to ensure that the artist, album, and song title information matches between the CD track listing and the tracks that have already been imported into iTunes.

If you choose to import your CDs and replace existing tracks, then iTunes is just replacing the existing file with the newer one and leaving the library database entry untouched. Therefore, any automatically downloaded album artwork should be retained, as well as the track’s position in any playlists that it has been added to and any other metadata such as rating, play count, last played, etc.

As to iTunes “wiping your settings” to default to 48kbps, this is definitely not normal behaviour. Even in a brand new installation, iTunes defaults to using 128kbps AAC as its default encoder. If 48kbps has been selected as a default, it’s far more likely some other third-party program has interfered with iTunes’ preference settings. This could perhaps be software designed for encoding audiobooks, podcasts, or radio programs, since these are the only types of content that 48kbps would normally be acceptable for.

Q: I recently got a new PC and transfered my iTunes library from my old computer to the new one and updated iTunes to version 7.6. Now when I plug in my iPod the existing library of music is categorized as “Other” files as opposed to audio files. When I select Music under my Devices heading it shows nothing. I also tried to add a song from my iTunes library to my iPod and that now shows in the Music category but when I disconnect my iPod the song is not in the library.

- Jessie

A: Although the timing of your migration and upgrade to iTunes 7.6 is coincidental, the usual cause of this problem is simply corruption of the iPod database on the device itself, which should not normally be related to an iTunes upgrade or moving to a new computer.

Essentially, iTunes and the iPod use a library database to index the media content stored on the device. If this database is lost or corrupted, then you have an iPod filled with media files that cannot be recognized by the device itself, or by iTunes. This space is therefore categorized as “Other” since iTunes doesn’t actually know what it is.

Unfortunately, the only easy way to solve this problem is to do a full “Restore” on the iPod. This will erase everything on the iPod itself and return you to default factory settings. If your music is already stored in your iTunes library, this process is generally trivial since your iPod can be reloaded entirely from your iTunes library. In this case, the only real consideration is the time you will have to wait for your iPod to do its first sync after the restore.

If your music is only stored on your iPod and you do not have a copy on your computer, it is probably still very possible to recover the actual media content manually, since it’s likely still all there—it’s only the index to that data that’s been lost. The “Brute Force” approach described in our iPod 201 tutorial on Copying Content from your iPod to your Computer provides instructions for how to do this.

Q: I keep a lossless playlist and a AAC playlist and only the AAC list I would like to have on my iPod when synchronizing with iTunes. How do I synchronize and make sure I only get the AAC list? Further, if I want to create playlists with just AAC, can I create playlist(s) in a playlist?

- Dutch

A: When maintaining a library of two different audio formats, the best way to organize and separate the different formats is through the use of Smart Playlists.

A simple Smart Playlist that searches for audio files based on fields such as “Kind” and “Bitrate” can be used to select all of your tracks in a given format. For instance, a Smart Playlist such as the following would select all AAC tracks of 256kbps or below:

(Note that “Less than 257 kbps” needs to be used to include 256kbps tracks, since the condition is “less than” and not “less than or equal to")

The benefit of Smart Playlists is that they are automatically updated. So a main “AAC” playlist will always contain all AAC tracks which meet the criteria you’ve specified. This can be very handy to synchronize only your AAC tracks to your iPod without including the Apple Lossless tracks as well, which we will discuss further on.

While standard playlists cannot be nested within each other, you can build additional Smart Playlists based on whether a track is in an existing playlist. So you could use a master “AAC” playlist, which contains all of your AAC tracks, as a reference point for building additional Smart Playlists. For example, if you wanted to select only 100 AAC tracks from your Rock genre that you had not listened to in at least three weeks, you could build a Smart Playlist like the following:

The “Playlist” condition can also be used to select tracks based on standard playlists, so if you already have standard playlists built which contain a mixture of tracks in both formats, you could filter out only the AAC tracks from that playlist by including only tracks that exist in both the AAC Smart Playlist and your manual playlist:

Once you’ve built these playlists, you can easily control which content is synced to your iPod by choosing to only sync “Selected Playlists” in your iPod sync settings. To do this, simply select your iPod in the iTunes source list while it’s connected and then select the “Music” tab from the top of the main window:

On your music sync settings screen, choose “Selected Playlists” and then check only those playlists that you want iTunes to transfer to your iPod (ie, the AAC only playlists that you’ve built).

Q: I am trying to get the best possible video resolution out of an iPod touch / iPhone dock. I purchased a monster cable with an S-Video connection, but Apple stopped making the S-Video dock. Apple now sells the component video kit but I have been told S-Video is still better. How do I get the highest resolution out of my iPhone or iPod onto my TV? My television is rated at 1080, but the only docks I find are around 600.

- Craig

A: The first important point to consider is that regardless of the cable used or the television used, the iPod (and iPhone) are only capable of 480-line output (NTSC) or 576-line output (PAL), and the content on the iPod itself is limited to these resolutions also (approximately 720x480 or 720x576 are the upper hard-limits, and these are even lower on some iPod models). Therefore, no cable is going to provide any higher resolution or quality than this, since your source material and source signal is limited to these standard-definition resolutions.

Several manufacturers such as DLO and Creative Labs have begun to release “upscaling” iPod docks that provide high-definition 720p output from a standard 2007 iPod model. However, these are the same in principle as an upscaling DVD player—the source material is simply being cleaned up and output at a native HD resolution for your TV, and any quality increases are going to be minimal compared to viewing content actually encoded at 720p or higher.

S-Video is somewhat superior to composite video output (identified by a single RCA video lead, normally coloured yellow). However, contrary to what you’ve been told, S-Video is definitely considerably lower in quality than component video output (identified by three RCA video leads, normally coloured red, green, and blue). In fact, component video is the only three of these connections that can be used to carry progressive scan video content from DVD players and HDTV content.

Note as well that with the iPod classic and iPod nano (with video), the Component AV cables can provide a progressive 480p signal, whereas the S-Video and composite outputs are limited to 480i. Unfortunately, the iPod touch and iPhone do not currently support 480p output, so you will be limited to interlaced video on these devices regardless of which cables you use.

Ideally, however, if your TV supports component inputs (as almost all HDTVs on the market do), the Apple Component AV Cables are definitely the recommended choice for the best quality. This is especially true if you are using an iPod classic or iPod nano (with video) which have better-quality 480p output capabilities, but even with the iPod touch or iPhone the quality increase is noticeable enough.

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Ask iLounge Archives:

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

9-26-08: iTunes HD TV episodes showing up twice, Shure MPA-3C and iPod touch, Synchronizing iPod to a new iTunes library, Problems updating iPhone applications, Managing iTunes media files on an external hard drive, Managing multiple iPods on one computer

9-19-08: Removing Genre column in iTunes 8, Syncing TV Shows by playlist, Recovering Mac-formatted iPod on Windows, Recovering photos from iPod, XtremeMac Luna X2, iPod flash memory capacity, Restoring older iPod models

9-12-08: Managing iPhone Backups, iPod disk mode and deleted items, iPod Plays only single tracks, iPhone and T9 predictive text, Copying ratings and play counts from iPod to computer, Automatically retrieving CD information and album artwork

9-5-08: AV output from iPhone 3G dock, New playlists not appearing on iPod, Transferring music on iPod touch from multiple computers, Resetting iTunes Store authorization counts, Editing tag information, iPhone task applications

See the rest of the Archives...

8-29-08: Disabling data on iPhone 3G, iTunes Plus and Apple Backup, Deleting photos from iPod, iPhone v2.0 and TV Out accessories, Consolidating multiple iTunes libraries, Restoring iPod touch from backup

8-22-08: Cleaning up applications in iTunes, Playing back all songs on iPod, Excluding podcasts from Smart Playlists, Bookmarking tracks, Playing tracks back at a consistent volume level

8-15-08: Transferring play counts back to iTunes, Playing iPod while charging, Customizing iPhone alerts, Syncing movies to iPod nano, iTunes not recognizing new CDs, Sudoku reviews

8-8-08: iPhone and SIM card contacts, Syncing iPhone contacts, Hiding SMS previews on iPhone, Playing iPod touch on secondary computer, Syncing photos to iPod, Resuming interrupted iTunes WiFI Store downloads

8-8-08: iLounge Editor-in-Chief Jeremy Horwitz responds to reader questions on all things iLounge, including technical issues related to iPhone 3G, and behind-the-scenes editorial issues

8-1-08: iPhone Edition: Switching between apps, Car charging accessories, Activating older iPhone models, Sending MMS, App Store in wrong language, Excel and A2DP support

7-25-08: MobileMe on iPhone for Calendars only, Buying iPods for International use, Voice recorders for 4G iPods, Free Music for iPod, Problems transferring purchased content to iPod, Playing AAC files in Windows Media Player

7-18-08: Ask iLounge iPhone v2.0 Edition: Installing apps on multiple devices, Converting videos for iPhone 3G, Activating first-gen iPhones, Saved photos on iPod touch, Push e-mail support

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

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

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Previous: Ask iLounge 6-27-08

Comments

1

hi there i think me ipod is dead:(
i was listening to it on the train and all of a sudden it went quiet. i changed a song and it just stayed on 0:00 and now when i connect it to my computer it doesnt come up on my computer plz help! i really need it fixed!
(p.s. my ipod is nano 2nd generation 2gb if that helps thanks in a advance marcus

Posted by Marcus on July 6, 2008 at 1:28 PM (PDT)

2

Hi,
I am fairly new to itunes and have started copying my cd library into itunes. There is a field for release date but when I open info the field is not there to input. How do I access this field. Once I have input this information I would like to have my albums sorted by album artist and then by release date. Can I do this and if so how?

Posted by Phil on July 6, 2008 at 11:37 PM (PDT)

3

@Phil

Within iTunes, command-i will open the info dialogue of a music file. Select the Info tab within this window and you will see a box for Year; you can only have the 4-digit year of release (cannot have the month and day included).

To view the year within the iTunes player window, select View from the iTunes menu, and then select View Options…
Check the box next to Year and then click OK.

There is an actual Release Date heading, but that is only available for Podcasts.

cheers!

Posted by consumer_Q on July 7, 2008 at 10:54 AM (PDT)

4

Note as well that clicking on the ‘Album’ heading in any track listing in iTunes will toggle between Album, Album by Artist, and Album by Year. The third option will still keep your tracks grouped/sorted by album and artist, but the albums themselves will be sorted by year, rather than alphabetically.

Sorting on the “Year” column alone, of course, will not necessarily keep your tracks grouped logically.

The “Release Date” heading is also used for TV Shows, incidentally, but there is presently no way in iTunes itself to set this field, even via Applescript. You must resort to third-party tools such as AtomicParsley.

Posted by Jesse David Hollington in Toronto on July 7, 2008 at 12:51 PM (PDT)

5

Someone changed my daughter’s master pod’s code lock. I am now unable to access anything.....we son not know the new lock code, and want to know if there is a way to override th elock code. I heard that 1234 will unlock the code, but that does not work.

Posted by Sherry Nasikapow on July 9, 2008 at 7:23 PM (PDT)

6

The password on our IPod has been lost. I went into recovery mode and tried to restore. I got the following message. “The iPod~iPod~ could not be restored. An unknown error occurred [1603].” What do I do? How do I get it out of recovery mode? We have not been able to use it for several months now. It is an iPod touch 8GB. Please help!

Posted by Jack Bastian on July 12, 2008 at 1:08 PM (PDT)

7

A long time ago, i had installed ipod software on my computer, recently i had to make some changes, and now ipod is lost. I attempted to re-install the software, but my computer will not read the disc as valid. A friend of mine who already had ipod software on her computer tried to connect to my ipod, and it would not link...what do i do?

Posted by Alma on July 16, 2008 at 11:47 PM (PDT)

8

My Ipod will play but I cannot hear music out of the headphones. Is there anything that I can do to fix the sound? If there is, if anyone can help me with this matter, I am thanking you in advance.

Posted by Big Roge on July 21, 2008 at 9:56 AM (PDT)

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