OT- more on iPod file format type???
 

ok, so i am about to get an iPod and have been gearing up dumping everything into iTunes ahead of time. looking to import a bunch of stuff from cd's as well. what is the preferred import method and file type? maybe i am so last year and stuck on MP3 format (more like that is what i have already). so whats with this AAC format and/or using apple lossless importing? thanks in advance.

repoe3

might have answered my own question...but, wandered into apple's forum on the device and similar conversations were going. sounds like MP3 is still a bit more universal. but any other input is welcome.

repoe3

Ipod/Itunes will import mp3s no problem. It doesn't have quite the fidelity of the intrinsic Ipod file format (which on computers is m4p--older versions were AAC) You won't have any problems regardless.

The folks who have to fiddle a bit are those of us who have itunes and try to port the songs to non-itunes mp3 players--trickier, but doable with freeware.

As far as MP3 being more universal (I still use MP3 BTW), what do you need the files to be compatible with? If all you are using is iTunes and the iPod then you can go any format you want, but if you need wider compatibility, with DJ software for example, go with MP3. I've recently begun encoding MP3s at 256kps, but before that my library has been encoded at 192kps which is good enough for DJing in clubs.

PS:

www.ipodlounge.com
www.ipodhacks.com

How about this husband/wife setup:

I have a 15g ipod. She has a 4g ipod mini. We have around 80g of .mp3s.

Now here is where it gets complex. We have two PCs, and a wireless network. She has an Apple Powerbook G4. We want to be able to access all of our music from any of the computers, as well as be able to stream music from her powerbook to our receiver in our home theater wirelessly.

Once in itunes, we have to set up seperate playlists for each of our ipods since they obviously hold only a fraction of the music we have.

I spent the better part of a month of my free time getting it set up exactly the way I wanted it in itunes.

I don't know much about other file formats, but I do know we love our ipods.

forward thinking, or something...

definitely getting into the groove prior to actually getting it. i am trying to avoid importing a bunch of music only to possibly want it in another format later. i actually like having the flexibility of various formats. more than likely just stick with 160kps for now. i dont DJ and i want to maximize the amount of music for my trip. 1000 songs down, only 9,000 more to go :D

picking up a buddy's mp3 archive this weekend...3 DVD's full.

repoe3

no matter how much i may learn to love the iPod, it still represents something in my brain that seems devious (no more than microsoft) but what else might they be sending to our brains through these things?

dont get me wrong and i certainly am NOT starting a PC vs. mac debate. having been in retail for both and technical side of things...i love the hardware aspect of macs. always, always have...jsut wish there were many players and that machines and devices were more like macs and everything was cross-platform capable. oddly enough, i find myself leaning towards getting a mac at home. especially since they added the new headless mac to the lineup. nice and small.

i like musics a lot, not an audiophile or whatever, as hi-tech headphones and all is overkill for my enjoyment. thats why i love the digital tv's music channels. pretty much satellite radio by format, jsut fewer options. but it has the ones i like. there are plenty of times i just turn on the receiver and listen to music without the tv on as the direct tv receiver is hooked up straight to the stereo.

repoe3

I use 160KPS MP3 Formats, so I can share with people who don't have iPods. I think the AAC format from Apple gives a slightly higher quality file, but the MP3 works just fine.

The benefit of AAC is that it provides slightly higher qualty and significantly better compression. In MP3 terms, its like having 192kps quality with 128kps file size.

Doogie, have you thought about picking up a cheap, older gen iMac and using that as your music server?

so sticking with 160kps MP3 sounds like a nice compromise. i honestly dont see this as too much of an issue for me as most of what i have and will be getting is already in MP3 format. i was just trying to figure out what i might convert music from my cd's. i rarely have the patience to import anything though. now with 40gig to work with, i might start making some time.

repoe3

Use mp3, b/c you'll likely want to play those songs somewhere else at some point. If you have enough time on your hands and want to A/B AAC vs. MP3 and make yourself feel better b/c you can actually hear a minute difference in an ideal listening environment, go for it.

Otherwise, be practical. Get something like CDex, rip your songs using the LAME encoder, set it to the default --alt preset standard setting, and let 'er rip. It's variable bit rate, so it's efficient, max flexibility, sounds great. My mp3s at alt/p/s and OGG files at Q7 are nearly identical in size and sound. Then, you'll have some time freed up to do other things in your life that you never have time for :)

I'd encode at atleast 190kps (just choose the iTunes "higher quality" settng) because its way easier to buy another drive than re-encode your entire library.

I must be the only sap that still encodes at 128kbps. Then again, I have no iPod and my CD player will only handle 128kbps.

Nope. I stil use 128 (sometimes 96 !) I have a flash mp3 player I wear while running (only when going more than 5-8 miles). The only way to get significant numbers of files on it is to go with a smaller file size.

For those looking to stream music to your home system.

Apple's Air-Tunes will do it using playlist from iTunes over wireless network to your stereo.

TIVO series 2 will allow you to control the playlist of iTunes and even view photo albums from iPhoto via a wirerless or wired home netwrok.

Make sure you get some kind of skin for your iPod. They are notorious for easily scratched front panels, as well as the known battery issues. You might try iSkin, that's what my daughter is getting for hers.

repoe3 - AAC all the way. This is the same codec that XM radio uses, largely due to the superior compression. I've read 128Kbps in AAC is about equivalent to 192Kbps in MP3, and I'd agree based on listening tests. an extra 1/3 capacity is nothing to sneeze at either. MP3's advantage lies in that it's much less complex to encode/decode, and more chip manufacturers are cranking out parts (mostly Chinese nowadays, and probably not paying licensing fees either) so it's much less expensive

AAC is intended as the *replacement* for MP3, and annything you encode now can never be improved beyond what you encode it to. AAC is *not* an Apple format; it is licensed by many of the same folks as MP3, and is the audio component of MPEG2, while MP3 is MPEG-1 Layer 3 audio. got that? ;-) My basic point is why use the old standard?

I import CDs with lossless encoding, and can always downconvert later to a smaller format for the iPod. That way I have an "as good as itgets" reference copy, and an "as small as is needed" copy for the iPod. Disks are dirt cheap.

BTW, loading the iPod is (binary) orders of magnitude faster using FireWire over USB2.

Disclosure: I'm a Mac bigot, and damn proud of it!

Mike

yep, that is exactly what i intend on getting...i hate case that add to much to size. want something that can slide around in the tankbag and be alright. the iskin should actually help keep it from sliding too much. they also make a wheel film to protect as well.

repoe3

128 seems to be the default AAC but lets me pick a custom one after that...what about sample rate or channels...leave them at auto?

as for firewire vs. USB...i am aware of the speed differential. i dont own a desktop of any sort, so until that changes, USB will be the way i go.

repoe3

repoe3

go on eBay in the PowerBook section of Apple computers. Look of a Pismo. That is the first model of laptop that had Firewire built in. All the titaniums and such have it too. As do the iMacs and all the desktop units. Maybe you can score one of those for a good price.

The difference in speed is blinding...