I pod and itunes ?

clevohardcore - 4-19-2007 at 11:17 PM

Dude at work is selling me his for $100. they go for $250 now and he originally was selling it to me for 150 but I brought him down in price because it has a few scuffs. Any ideas of what to look for in an ipod in terms of function? I am tight with money so I want get this for the price but don't want to get a problem. If something goes wrong with one what do you do with it?

Its actually pretty f-n sweet. Its white and is a 30gig. I was messin with it today at work and chekced out the vids he had and songs and shit. Seems pretty easy to use. He won't sell it to me unitl next week though because of his podcasts with school and an internet class he has.

I am downloading ITUNES right now and I need to know how to transfer all my musci from Windows media player to itunes. Is it easy to do?

clevohardcore - 4-19-2007 at 11:42 PM

It keeps telling me I can't download itunes because I need "visual basic" WHERE THE FUCK DO I GET THAT? It isn't offering it to me through itunes.

Where do I get this? I disabled my NORTON to allow for scripts but not sure how to get it.

BDx13 - 4-19-2007 at 11:53 PM

sorry, clevo, i'm not familiar enough with windows to be giving pointers on how to fix things.
i guiess try here if no one else has any ideaas:
http://www.apple.com/support/itunes/

BDx13 - 4-19-2007 at 11:56 PM

does this sound familiar?

Quote:

"iTunes could not be installed because Visual Basic Script (VBScript) is not installed or has been disabled. Make sure VBScript is installed, turn off script blocking in anti-virus and personal firewall software, reregister VBScript, and the install iTunes."

Try this:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304405

clevohardcore - 4-20-2007 at 01:31 AM

thanks BD thats it. I got it. Now How do I take/transfer my windows media player music and put it into itunes and use that as primary player?

clevohardcore - 4-20-2007 at 01:31 AM

Can I take everyhting all albums and transfer them into itunes at one time?

BDx13 - 4-20-2007 at 05:23 AM

it depends on what format the files are within Windows Media Player. if they are .mp3, then you can just drag the directory that contains all of the mp3 files right into itunes. if they are .wma, well this is still out of my realm (cause it's on a PC), but...

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107958

it looks like iTunes will allow you to import .wma files, but then converts them to a format that works with iTunes. (within the iTunes preferences, you can select the format - mp3, aac, etc).

clevohardcore - 4-20-2007 at 10:28 AM

I downloaded each bands complete file into itunes but for some reason it shows no artwork/album cover like windows media. Does itunes have the artwork somewhere? I like the look of WMP more than itunes so far. Itunes seems less updated but I am going to stick with it.

BDx13 - 4-20-2007 at 10:34 AM

spend some time going through the options within the preferences. there's a lot of customization that can be done, including file format and quality, gapless playback (for live recordings or Dj sets), and look for the 'automatically download cover art' option.

for the stuff you've already imported, there's a link under "Advanced" that says "Get Album Artwork". Do it.

clevohardcore - 4-20-2007 at 11:28 AM

Sweet. I think I got the importing of the total library going through right now. Problem is its doing everyhting and I already did about 18 albums seperately so its doubling up. I'll have to delete them later, but for now I'll check out the things you suggested. thanks and int he next couple days keep an eye out for this thread in case I have any other questions. I appreciate all the help. Who knows I may go MAC all the way in the future. I like the custome stuff.

BDx13 - 4-20-2007 at 11:45 AM

i've advised three friends within the past six months on the switch to macs. it wasn't me pushing the agenda, either. they were considering a new machine, were overwhelmed with all of the vista variations and tired of viruses,so they asked me about macs.

once people realize that there is no shortage of software for the mac (a reputation that lingers from the 80s and early 90s) and the using one really isn't THAT different from using a PC, they tend to be more open to the idea.

the fact that macs get far fewer viruses is also a big selling point, but you have to understand that the Mac OS is completely different and is more secure, but also that fewer hackers are targeting macs. 93% of computer users run windows, so there's greater chance for success with them.

(and the dope part about the soon-to-be-released Mac OS 10.5 is that you can run BOTH the Mac OS AND Vista. Vista on a Mac!)

clevohardcore - 4-20-2007 at 11:59 AM

They are int he process of converting wma right now. That means that they are moving the songs from Windows media to itunes right? Its says that it is 17 GB for them. That measn I might want to get a 80 GB ipod then right? I mean if I do anything else like download a movie or videos then I won't have room right?

clevohardcore - 4-20-2007 at 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BD
i've advised three friends within the past six months on the switch to macs. it wasn't me pushing the agenda, either. they were considering a new machine, were overwhelmed with all of the vista variations and tired of viruses,so they asked me about macs.

once people realize that there is no shortage of software for the mac (a reputation that lingers from the 80s and early 90s) and the using one really isn't THAT different from using a PC, they tend to be more open to the idea.

the fact that macs get far fewer viruses is also a big selling point, but you have to understand that the Mac OS is completely different and is more secure, but also that fewer hackers are targeting macs. 93% of computer users run windows, so there's greater chance for success with them.

(and the dope part about the soon-to-be-released Mac OS 10.5 is that you can run BOTH the Mac OS AND Vista. Vista on a Mac!)

^^^^^^^^ whats an average price for a MAC laptop? If I get somehting new it will be a laptop instead of a desktop.

BDx13 - 4-20-2007 at 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by clevohardcore

^^^^^^^^ whats an average price for a MAC laptop? If I get somehting new it will be a laptop instead of a desktop.

So long as you're not doing high-end graphics work, 3D video rendering, etc, their MacBooks are great. No problem for things like email, internet, photos, music, etc. Make sure there's 1 GB of RAM, though. They cost around $1200.
http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore

They have discounts for government employees and students, though, so if you (or a friend) qualify, that's a great way to go. That's what I do.

BDx13 - 4-20-2007 at 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by clevohardcore
They are int he process of converting wma right now. That means that they are moving the songs from Windows media to itunes right? Its says that it is 17 GB for them. That measn I might want to get a 80 GB ipod then right? I mean if I do anything else like download a movie or videos then I won't have room right?

Yeah, after you drag the WMAs over to iTunes, it'll take a while for them all to be converted. (I'd recommend doing them in batches. 17GB isn't impossible, but it'll take a while, and if there's an error, you might have to start fro mthe beginning.)

Once they're converted and in iTunes, you'll essentially have two copies on your machine - the WMAs you were using and the MP3s (or AACs) iTunes is using. Do some random tests in iTunes to make sure you've got everything OK, then back up (or just delete) the WMAs.

As far as what size ipod to get, it really depends on how you think you'll use it. Obviously, the beauty is that you can have a HUGE iTunes library on your computer full of music and movies, but only put certain things on your iPod at a time based on the amount of space you have.

The music in my iTunes library is 70GB, but I only sync certain music over to my 40GB iPod. And you can create very customized playlists to determine what goes over... Like if you wanted to sync over your old hardcore that you haven't listened to much, you could create a playlist like: "genre: hardcore, date:1988-1990, playcount: <10".

I like to have as much of my music with me as possible, so i can pick whatever i want while i'm out. I don't want to have to manage syncing things over on a regular basis. If you're OK with that, look at the Nanos - they're wicked small and hold 4 or 8GB, depending.

BDx13 - 4-20-2007 at 12:41 PM

what a timely article!
and not from some hack, either. walt moossberg from the wall street journal is one of the most repected technology writers in the country. (david pogue from the new york times is another, and he is equally pro-mac.)

http://ptech.wsj.com/archive/ptech-20070419.html

Tips for Getting Past Some of the Hassles Of Buying a New PC
By Walter S. Mossberg
April 19, 2007

Whew! The new Windows Vista operating system, five years in the making, is finally out and preloaded on new PCs from every major Windows computer maker. After months of uncertainty and delay, you can go forth with confidence and buy a new computer, right? Well, it's not that simple.

So, here's my annual spring buyer's guide to desktop PCs. Most of what I say below also applies to laptops, although with laptops there are additional factors, such as size, weight, screen size and battery life. As always, these tips apply to mainstream users doing typical tasks, not hard-core gamers or techies.

Last fall, I advised average consumers with aging PCs to hang on until new Vista PCs emerged, rather than trying to upgrade existing models. I still believe that was the right course, because Windows upgrades are so tricky. But it turns out that even new Vista PCs have two big downsides.

First, Vista isn't all that exciting a replacement for Windows XP. It's much prettier and has much better searching, and Microsoft claims it has much stronger security, although you still need add-on security software.

Second, to an extent that amazes me, makers of Windows software and hardware have failed to update their products to work smoothly, or to work at all, with Vista. In my house, for example, the only built-in Vista printer driver I can find for my printer doesn't allow the two-sided printing I can do with Windows XP and Apple Macintosh computers.

So, if you desperately need a new Windows PC, be prepared to be underwhelmed and to be frustrated by incompatible software and hardware. And if you're not desperate, you might wait another six months or so for the software and hardware to catch up -- and for Microsoft to issue some bug fixes.

Or you could buy a Mac instead. I still believe the best desktop computer on the market for mainstream, nontechnical consumers is the Apple iMac. It has gorgeous hardware and superior built-in software. Its operating system, Mac OS X, includes most of the key new features of Vista. And the iMac can even run Vista, along with its own operating system, if you need the occasional Windows program.

Apple has delayed until October the release of its new operating-system version, Leopard. But it's almost certain that any Mac you buy now will upgrade to it smoothly. (See my Mossberg's Mailbox for more details.) And the Mac is still largely free of the security problems that add such hassles to using a Windows PC.

But if you're going for a Windows PC, here are my buying tips.

Vista Versions: The cheapest PCs will have only a stripped-down edition of Vista called Home Basic, which lacks Vista's flashy new user interface. To get the full Vista experience, you'll need more expensive machines that come with Home Premium, which also has more media features and is probably best for most average consumers.

If your company recommends it, you may need a different version of Vista called Vista Business, which lacks some of the media features, but can connect to some types of company networks that the Home versions can't. Or you can buy a machine with the costliest version of Vista, called Ultimate, that includes all the features of the other versions. If you want to shun Vista altogether, you may still be able to find new PCs with Windows XP, though these machines may not be as secure as Vista models.

Memory: No matter what Microsoft or the PC makers say, I strongly suggest one gigabyte of memory, or RAM, for Home Basic, and two gigabytes for all other Vista versions.

Video: Vista Home Premium, Business and Ultimate will work best on machines with a separate, or "discrete," graphics card with dedicated video memory. Some integrated graphics systems -- built into the computer's main circuitry -- will also work, though they will drain some of your main memory through a scheme called shared memory.

Processor: For Home Basic, any current Intel or AMD processor in a new brand-name PC will work. For other versions, I suggest a "dual core" processor, like Intel's Core 2 Duo, or AMD's Athlon 64 X2, which pack the equivalent of two chips into one. Even if your processor can handle so-called 64-bit software, average users won't find that capability useful today.

Hard drive: If you're not much interested in video, music or photos, 80 or 100 gigabytes should be sufficient. If you are, 250 gigabytes or more is best.

Disks: Don't buy one of the competing new high-definition disk drives, Blu-ray or HD-DVD, until the war between these competing formats is settled. Stick with plain old DVD.

Junky software: Nearly all Windows PCs are packed with "craplets" -- the useless, annoying trial versions of programs. In a retail store, they may remove these for you for a small fee.

Price: You can get a bargain, brand-name desktop with Home Basic and a slow processor for under $400. But for a versatile desktop with two gigabytes of memory, discrete video, a large hard disk and a dual-core processor, you can easily spend $800 or more, without a monitor.

Just don't buy more, or less, machine than you need.

clevohardcore - 4-20-2007 at 03:42 PM

About 5 hours into the converting and we are up to Cypress Hill.

BDx13 - 4-20-2007 at 03:52 PM

do you own all of the cds you are converting, or were these downloads?

by converting them, you're essentially goign through the same process as ripping the CDs, so yea, i'd certainly expect it to take a while.

and honestly, if you own the cds, i would recommend reripping them as opposed to converting. it would take longer to do it by hand, but the audio quality will sound better.

clevohardcore - 4-20-2007 at 04:06 PM

I own all of them. Seriously the quality will be effected?

BDx13 - 4-20-2007 at 04:28 PM

Technically, yes, but whether or not it that's important to you is a matter of personal preference.

You started with a perfect audio source, the CD. Then, by converting it to WMA, you compressed the file, which means some of the sound wave info (the very high highs and the very low lows) was removed in order to shrink the file size. Now, you are compressing those already compressed audio files as another format.

Have you ever listened to an WMA (or MP3 or any other compressed audio) file and though, "damn, this sounds like hell, and I KNOW the CD doesn't sound like this"? Maybe it was tinney or hallow or distorted sounding? That's poor compression. Happens the most often in hiphop (the low lows) and classical (the high highs).

Now, this may not bother you or you may have never noticed it. The 'average' encoding is a 128kb MP3. To me, these sound too distorted. I go with 192kb AAC files. I couldn't pick up a noticable improvement any higher when played through my stereo.

If I was taking on the same project as you, I would rereip. But I'm a bitch.

clevohardcore - 4-20-2007 at 04:37 PM

I am deleting them as we speak.

I will reload them. So by what you say then it will be less quality on the IPOD as well? That kind of sucks but hey. Most new cars have a IPOD plug right? My truck right now doesn't but in the future a new vehicle will soon be. I like the idea of all music and no cds to carry.

defstarsteve - 4-20-2007 at 07:56 PM

a cheap solution for the car
http://www.amazon.com/Kensington-Digital-Transmitter-Charger...

DaveMoral - 4-20-2007 at 09:38 PM

I'm kicking myself for not listening to you BD and not getting a Mac. I've already got some spyware problems and I don't know where the fuck those came from and yadda yadda. Still, I did what I could... my boss let me use his Best Buy card so I couldn't get a Mac but damn, they sound so sweet.

BDx13 - 4-21-2007 at 08:02 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by clevohardcore
So by what you say then it will be less quality on the IPOD as well? That kind of sucks but hey. Most new cars have a IPOD plug right?

not sure what you mean by the quality being lower on the ipod as well.

i think what you're asking is... "if i convert my wmas to mp3 or aac, thus yielding a lower quality than simply reripping, will that lower quality be noticable everywhere i listen?"

if i'm on the right track, the answer is 'mostly'.
- first off, once you've converted the files and synced them with the ipod, you essentially have two copies of every song file, one on your machine, one on your ipod. but it's a copy of the same file, so whatever quality you got in the original is what you're gonna have on the ipod.

- now, if you're listening in your car on on a home stereo, you're more likely to notice the effect of bad compression because they system you're listening on is more robust and offers good quality reproduction. many people argue that the 128kb mp3 standard is fine because you're only listening on cheap earbud headphones, which don't sound so great in the first place. meaning, those things can't play the high highs and low lows (the same ones that were compresses right out of the song file) anyway!

-

last article i read about it said that just over 50% of new cars had some sort of ipod integration and that it was the most requested new feature. apple has a list of manufacturers that offer it as well as aftermarket suppliers here:
http://www.apple.com/ipod/carintegration.html

BDx13 - 4-21-2007 at 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by DaveMoral
I'm kicking myself for not listening to you BD and not getting a Mac. I've already got some spyware problems and I don't know where the fuck those came from and yadda yadda. Still, I did what I could... my boss let me use his Best Buy card so I couldn't get a Mac but damn, they sound so sweet.

sorry to hear that, dave. obviously, i'm kinda into tech stuff, so when i hear other people having difficulties, it bumms me out cause i know it can turn them off to the whole thing. (btw, i thought best buys sold macs now.)

when the topic comes up, i usually recommend macs 90% of the time. for some people, because of their situation (or even their personality), it's just not a good idea. but these days, the compatibility between macs and pcs is almost completly seemless and people are SO fed up with viruses and what not, thet they're willing to try something new. and it's starting to show. between that and the ipod halo effect, apple's market share has been increasing for some time now. recent reports put them between 5%-6%, where they were at 2.5-3% just a couple of years ago.

this one usually amazes PC users: i've been using macs since the mid-80s and i've been using them online (where you're most susceptible to attack) since early 90s...and i've NEVER had a virus, adware, spyware, anything on my machines.

DaveMoral - 4-21-2007 at 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by BD

Quote:

The BB I was at had NO Macs. In fact, I don't really see them anywhere but at the Mac stores these days...

clevohardcore - 4-22-2007 at 10:24 AM

BD. Do you think that whent he Iphone comes out that MAC will reduce the price of Ipods this summer? Some times company's when releasing new products that are superior to what is out now will try and make them more attractive to consumers. If not do you thinkt hey are coming out with a newer IPOD in the near future becasue that should surely move the price down a little ont he 30g ipod.

clevohardcore - 4-22-2007 at 12:29 PM

1520 songs and 2.5 days worth so far. This shit is taking forever.

BDx13 - 4-22-2007 at 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by clevohardcore
BD. Do you think that whent he Iphone comes out that MAC will reduce the price of Ipods this summer? Some times company's when releasing new products that are superior to what is out now will try and make them more attractive to consumers. If not do you thinkt hey are coming out with a newer IPOD in the near future becasue that should surely move the price down a little ont he 30g ipod.

maybe, but it's hard to say. my thinking is that if they were to, it would be for a very brief period to clear out old inventory. it's more likely that they would bump the specs and keep the same price point.

it's also been rumored that the next ipod revision will be a wild departure from what they have now. the argument is that the current ipod ISN'T a "video ipod," it's an "ipod with video", and while the iphone is much more of a video ipod, it's also a phone and a communicator (or whatever), so the logic is that there'll soon be a whole new ipod more in line with what the phone looks like, but with JUST ipod features.

of course, apple has the phone coming in june and Mac OSX 10.5 coming in the early fall, so they're resources are already stretched very thin - hard to say when they'd pull off another whole new product.

BDx13 - 4-22-2007 at 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by clevohardcore
1520 songs and 2.5 days worth so far. This shit is taking forever.

is that converting or rereipping?

clevohardcore - 4-22-2007 at 11:23 PM

re-ripping. I took your advice.

1690 3.4 days 4.50 GB now. I am tired of this.

I found out that SAMS CLUB has the 30 G for $234. and includes a base along with earphones and usb.

Best buy will match it and they even called to varify like i WAS LYING. Anyeway they will match it so that means I may use the BEST BUY CARD and take the 12months sac instead of buying at SAMS CLUB. there I would have to use my regualar and I do not want to add another interest purchase to my charges. I got to many of them already.

the dude at work still wants to sell me his and I may take it to save money but I am worried if anything goes wrong I'm stuck.

clevohardcore - 4-22-2007 at 11:53 PM

I want ot get the Album covers for the cd's I am ripping like Windows media had. When I go to the store like you said it is asking my for my credit card. Do you pay for the artwork? If so that is fucked up.

Or is it just a formality for itunes to get this info? I doubt I will buy stuff from them but I realy want this arwork.

BDx13 - 4-23-2007 at 12:44 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by clevohardcore
I want ot get the Album covers for the cd's I am ripping like Windows media had. When I go to the store like you said it is asking my for my credit card. Do you pay for the artwork? If so that is fucked up.

Or is it just a formality for itunes to get this info? I doubt I will buy stuff from them but I realy want this arwork.

you have to have an itunes account (which includes supplying a cc #) to download the artwork, but no, you don't have to pay for it.

once you have an account, it makes shoppign the itunes store super easy.

clevohardcore - 4-23-2007 at 01:12 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by BD

Quote:

^^^^^^^ cool. I'll supply it. Thanks.

clevohardcore - 4-24-2007 at 11:42 AM

I noticed that the songs blend into one another. How do I change it to normal? It's not bad with normal cd's, but I noticed it really fucking sucks with live music.

clevohardcore - 4-24-2007 at 11:53 AM

itunes is pretty bad ass. I like this slide show of the artwork. It's pretty fuckin cool.

BDx13 - 4-24-2007 at 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by clevohardcore
I noticed that the songs blend into one another. How do I change it to normal? It's not bad with normal cd's, but I noticed it really fucking sucks with live music.

go into the itunes preferences again, and there's a tab for 'playback'. check to see if the 'crossfade' playback' option is selected. i think that sets how much fade in/out there is on the songs. you can turn it off be unchecking the box.

Regarging gapless playback, this is from the itunes help file...

Some CDs, such as live concert albums and classical albums, are meant to be played straight through, with no fading between the songs (or tracks). If you turn on Crossfade Playback, you can have iTunes turn it off when you play these albums.

To override Crossfade Playback for specific songs:
In iTunes, select a song and choose File > Get Info.
Click Options.
Select "Part of a gapless album."
Tip: You can select all the songs at once (press Command as you select them), choose File > Get Info, and then choose Yes from the Gapless Album pop-up menu.

clevohardcore - 4-24-2007 at 03:25 PM

cool. thanks.