I couldn't find a dedicated ipod or apple thread, if there is one, point me there, otherwise, question time.
I originally used my PSP for music, but since my album collection has exploded and the PSP lacks a decent amount of storage and any form of playlists without using the bloated POS called Media Go, I've decided to get a 160gb ipod classic. I'm not interested in games (I still have my PSP for that) or cameras, I just want assloads of space in a little device for music, so ipod classic it is. But I have a few questions before I dive in.
1. Considering I already have a huge collection of albums in mp3 format that I play on my PSP, will I be able to dump these into iTunes immediately or will I need iTunes to convert the CD's all over again?
2. Will I be able to use mp3's bought in iTunes on other devices? Like, I'd still have music on my PSP and PS3 for games that have custom soundtracks. Can I grab stuff I bought from iTunes and put them on these as well?
3. I have an external hard drive for backing up media. Can I back up my stuff on that hassle free?
4. Is there any way to browse the iTunes catalog without downloading the software? I wouldn't mind checking out some pricing before I grab my new toy.
I might have other questions if I think of any, but they are my burning questions.
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2. I think DRM on iTunes mp3s has been stripped out completely, so you shouldn't have any problem playing them on other devices.
3. Yes - DRM-free mp3s and the way iTunes organizes your music library makes it very easy to back up. You can set iTunes to automatically copy any music you add to the library to its own folder, which it automatically sorts into folders by artist, album etc.
4. I don't know that there is an official way to browse the iTunes store without the software, but you can download the software for free, and uninstall it if you don't like it. Plus, since you can add mp3s from other sources to the iTunes library there's no need to buy any music from iTunes at all - I like buying them from Amazon's mp3 store because you can redownload any mp3s you've bought in the past if you happen to lose all copies of them (iTunes doesn't let you do this, last time I checked).
2. The files you buy through iTunes are AAC format, not MP3. That said, everything in the iTunes store is DRM-free, so you can copy them onto any device that will play AAC files.
3. iTunes has a "back up to disk" option for your Library--one click and your library is backed up.
4. Nope, you need the iTunes software. Why not just download it, it's free after all. Most albums are between $10-$13, songs are around $0.99 but can be a little more or less depending on the popularity.
While I'm not interested in games, are there any apps for the Classic? While I was tooling around with one in a store, I noticed there's a podcasts section. Any way to quickly grab gaming podcasts to put on there?
Not really sure if there are any apps for the Classic. There's an address book, and some games, but I think that's it.
Beware the one-click purchasing, you'll be racking up $100 worth of purchases without even thinking
I'm like 99% sure that iTunes can convert the AAC tracks from the music store into MP3 files too.
Yeah, I just checked Apples site about it, and KalTorak was spot on. You set the import settings to mp3, and then you can make any non-mp3 into one. It doesn't convert the file, it just makes a duplicate mp3 file. I'm really happy about that.
You have to confirm that you want to turn on one-click purchasing, I think. Apple saves money on credit card transactions by waiting about 4 days and then grouping all your purchases together, so there's no instant email confirmation.
edit - the site says you get a confirmation email immediately, which I never got, so that's good.
Some of the albums I imported from CD (not with iTunes though) will just skip through the album without playing anything, while some others will play. There was a fix I did to get some albums to import into iTunes (and these appear to work) which was to go into foobar and rebuild their mp3 streaming. Is this the way to fix this problem? Songs from iTunes work problem free, so I don't think it's the ipod itself..