iTunes 8: HD TV Shows, Grid View, Genius Playlists, NBC

[MacRumors]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com)


http://images.macrumors.com/article/2008/09/09/140633-apple-lets-rock-020_400.jpg

Image from Engadget (http://www.engadget.com/2008/09/09/live-from-apples-lets-rock-event-in-san-francisco/)
As expected, Apple revealed iTunes 8 today during their "Let's Rock" media event. iTunes 8 offers a number of new features including:

- Support for High Definition TV shows
- $1.99 for Standard Definition episodes
- $2.99 for High Definition episodes
- Genius playlists: automatically find similar songs in your collection
- Available today

Apple also announced that NBC has returned to iTunes, so popular shows such as Heroes and The Office will be available.

iTunes will become available at http://www.apple.com/itunes/ later today.

Article Link (http://www.macrumors.com/2008/09/09/itunes-8-hd-tv-shows-grid-view-genius-playlists-nbc/)

[Eidorian]

NBC is back. *laughs*

Spin up the FTL.

[vendettabass]

Uk Uk Uk Uk!

[akac]

Before everyone starts to talk about how disappointed they are - remember Apple doesn't present all the features in these kinds of events. They won't tell you its Cocoa or not, they won't tell you if its got all these new little features in there or not. Same for iPhone 2.1. Just because they omitted saying anything is not an admission that it doesn't exist.

So lets wait until we can get our hands on these products before we start bashing about what isn't there.

[Serge88]

Jobs looks thin as the new Nano.

Serge

[dieburnbot]

I was hoping for new features in firmware 2.1, but it looks like it is going to be bug fixes again. Not complaining, I just had my hopes up. :)

I can't wait until Friday.

[aswitcher]

Genius looks good.

[theheadguy]

Very nice. Could have been nicer, but something is better than nothing.

The price for the HD could have been better, but at least it is there. Personally, I feel it is a bit overdue. I mean, come on. Finally.

[thevofl]

Where was the big announcement that went with the press release? The one that was going to be different from the other events?

[balahir]

VERY disappointing (although I like the new nano)... Poor guys flying in from the East Coast for this...

[ksgant]

Was hoping for updated Mac Pros. Guess I'll wait a little longer. This is the longest they've gone though without an update I believe.

[northy124]

Yes OMG yes HD TV Shows & NBC I'm so happy.

[kntgsp]

That Nike stuff integrated in the new ipod touch is hotness.

Bout time they did that. Stupid shoes with holes in the soles garbage needed to be scrapped.

[uMac]

All I see is an upgrade to the iPod line-up. There is not much that would provide a 'wow' if your thinking of buying a iPhone. Trageting the iPod Touch as a gaming platform will be interesting, but only if Mac's get more games too, otherwise your platform/product will be uneven.

[twoodcc]

alright! now i can actually buy tv shows off of itunes (since they are in HD now).

looking forward to downloading and installing this later today

[thevofl]

Jobs looks thin as the new Nano.

Serge

Are you calling him Steve Jobs Nano?

(Sorry for the cheap shot)

[i.maverick]

mostly everything was expected...!!
it's almost as if we know now what is going to happen!
:o:cool:

[utazdevl]

New iTunes, HD TV shows, New Nano, iPod Touch that is the same as the new iPhone?!?!?!?!?!

These get more and more disappointing each time.

[OS X Dude]

I take it NBC (are they big?) content won't be in the UK? Where's our HD TV downloads coming from?

So there's HD TV downloads, new content views and Genius playlists - that's it?

That nano is gorgeous! I'll swap my touch for one right now!!

[CWallace]

Interesting that you can now watch HD on your computer, evidently without needing HDCP in the chain. I guess the studios consider Apple's DRM to be sufficient?

[GeekLawyer]

Good news on NBC and HD content.

And props to Kevin Rose for nailing iTunes 8, the Nano, etc., etc...

[NJKA]

When they say High Def. Is that 1080i/p or 720, hope it's 1080p?

[mainstreetmark]

I gotta think they licensed the Pandora technology for that.

But, since the iPod apparently can do it, then they must have some sort of on-pod method of finding similar music, which might mean only things like BPM+Genre or something, which might not be all that genius.

I look forward to trying.

[citi]

This did not require a press conference. Apple is getting a little beside itself. How much money was spent for this?

[Supermacguy]

OK anyone? Copy paste in 2.1?

[AliensAreFuzzy]

Hooray for HD TV shows! I'm excited to download iTunes 8. Now I'm going to obsessively compulsively check for the download until I have it.

[MacRumors0108]

This event should have been called "All the stuff we shoulda been doing all along". Thanks for not making me sync my iPhone when I go to bed each night because it takes 2 hours. Did we really need a press event for this?

No 32GB iPhone? I'm still waiting.

[johnnyjibbs]

Can't wait. Hope it's updated before I go to bed tonight.

I liked Job's jokey takes on all the rumour leaks (which appeared to be pretty accurate), his joke of Bloomberg's obit blunder and, of course, his direct and gentle letting down of people expecting new MacBooks today ("I would like to remind people hat music events are about music") :D

Good stuff. Just what we were expected.

Anyone disappointed should not get too boiled up in the hype. MacBooks will come soon.

iPhone options lacking though - do we get genius too?

[mogzieee]

Shall be downloading this once its available.... Genius sounds awesome.

[CWallace]

When they say High Def. Is that 1080i/p or 720, hope it's 1080p?

I expect it is 720p due to bandwidth.

[Tilpots]

Not usually one to do this, but screw it:


BOOOOOOOO


What the heck was "so important" about that event???

[Akira1980]

My Apple TV would like the thank iTunes 8 for HD TV shows!
:)

[iBug2]

Was hoping for updated Mac Pros. Guess I'll wait a little longer. This is the longest they've gone though without an update I believe.

The first gen mac pro's did stay 18 months or so. The Penyrn Mac Pro's are comparably quite new. I wouldn't expect an update to them before macworld 2009.

[haztastic]

Isn't the shape of the ipod Nano's remarkably similar to the Microsoft Zune now:

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_ipod/family/ipod_nano?mco=MTcyODE5Mw

and

http://images.appleinsider.com/zune2-071003-1.png

[NitrousFlare]

Is the only difference with the old and new shuffles the colors?

EDIT: yes it is.

[saxman]

NBC is back. *laughs*

Spin up the FTL.

That was my thought exactly

[APPLENEWBIE]

Yawn..... Even if the new Nano had not been leaked... "Gee Wally, it looks just like my old Nano".

iTunes 8: nice incremental changes, nothing earth shaking.

iPod Touch: Fixed what should have been there in the first place: volume controls and a speaker.

iPod Classic: .....

Hey big news! Apple sells movies and tv shows! Who knew? (everyone)

[Aegaeon]

I'm still laughing at how NBC came back to iTunes. Looks like they finally got through their thick skulls where the bulk of their sales came from.

[gugy]

let the whining begin....

[Spades]

Anybody know what the pricing is for HD season passes? Or if they even exist?

[X86BSD]

I pay 2.99 for a full hour and a half movie for 24 hours.
They now want me to pay 2.99 for a 30 minute show in 720p?
Ummm yeah. I buy few shows now at 1.99 unless I really want to support the show. Otherwise I am right back to streaming them off the net for free.
I am thinking .50 for TV shows in SD and .99 for TV shows in HD.
Good luck getting me to pay more than a dollar for any show when I can get the same thing for free off the net. I'm probably the minority though.

[plumbingandtech]

I love it.

People here read all the rumors in the run up to the event.

Then when most of the rumors turn out to be true, people complain that the event was boring.
:rolleyes:

[mainstreetmark]

New iTunes, HD TV shows, New Nano, iPod Touch that is the same as the new iPhone?!?!?!?!?!

These get more and more disappointing each time.

...because you already got all this info from macrumors.com ahead of time?

[sishaw]

If it hadn't been so overhyped, I think these would be considered nice announcements. Apple are masters at using the media!

[blurredline]

I just want to know if any of these good TV shows will be available in Canada:(

[ahasver]

That was not by any means groundbreaking but oh well lets build up the excitement for Macworld. I heard they would release a laptop that is invisible...

[bobrik]

Is it just me asking "So where the ******* is the big deal"?

[noel4r]

This was supposed to be a big deal event? Seriously, they could've just done a press release. "Let's Disappoint"

[Kardashian]

Harhar at NBC. I hope their shows don't even sell as well as they were before.

And dear me, am I the only one shocked at how thin that poor man [Steve] looked? :eek:

[Bengt77]

I want my MacBook. Where is my MacBook? Can I have my MacBook now? Where is my MacBook?

Lame.

:eek: :confused: :( :mad:

[fredsarran]

The new Nano is OK, but I feel they went easy on the design by just going back to the old slim Nano (not the fat one). The cool thing is the redesign of the OS and including the accelerometer.

I cannot wait to get iTunes 8 on my iMac. I think it is a great version.

Overall, the event was a bit ****. Nothing really ground breaking, and I was hoping for "one last thing" :)

[colocolo]

I gotta think they licensed the Pandora technology for that.

But, since the iPod apparently can do it, then they must have some sort of on-pod method of finding similar music, which might mean only things like BPM+Genre or something, which might not be all that genius.

I look forward to trying.

They probably upload a match table to the Nano that is created through iTunes, seeing as the Nano will only get new songs when synced.

It probably works very similarly to the way Pandora does.

[Eidorian]

Interesting that you can now watch HD on your computer, evidently without needing HDCP in the chain. I guess the studios consider Apple's DRM to be sufficient?Seems that way.

h.264 is my weapon of choice for video. Not everything needs HDCP you know...

[hayesk]

That Nike stuff integrated in the new ipod touch is hotness.

Bout time they did that. Stupid shoes with holes in the soles garbage needed to be scrapped.

You still need the transmitter in your shoe. It's the dongle on the bottom of the iPod you no longer need.

[Bengt77]

let the whining begin....
Don't get me started. Grrrr... :mad:

[caccamolle]

This did not require a press conference. Apple is getting a little beside itself. How much money was spent for this?

best point ever made.

[Yvan256]

They now want me to pay 2.99 for a 30 minute show in 720p? Ummm yeah. I buy few shows now at 1.99 unless I really want to support the show. [...]

IMHO they should have lowered the price of SD TV shows at 0.99$ and put the HD ones at 1.99$. Unfortunately, with the current prices, it's about four to five time more expensive to use the iTunes Store instead of simply getting cable or satellite.

[Frippe]

What I dont understand about the Nike+ and iPod Touch is that I thought it was transfered with Bluetooth or somesort of wifi. Does Nike+ use some special transmitting protocol or will this feature also come to the iPhone. As the iPhone has BT I was hoping it would only be a software upgrade.

I really hope that they dont want us to buy a iPod Touch just to use the Nike+ feature.

[Xian Zhu Xuande]

I gotta think they licensed the Pandora technology for that.
I doubt they licensed something like Pandora, though it would have been cool. The foundation for a feature like this has existed in the iTMS for a while now. All they have to do is analyze the data of purchases. Add to that client-side data from within iTunes and you can come up with something pretty cool.

I'm looking forward to using that feature.

[haztastic]

And dear me, am I the only one shocked at how thin that poor man [Steve] looked? :eek:

Yeah your right. AND he didn't wear his usual black top...! *shock*

[kntgsp]

When they say High Def. Is that 1080i/p or 720, hope it's 1080p?

My guess would be it's the same as broadcast quality, which is 720p.

[NiroNavro]

Does that mean it won't scratch?

[Hooka]

New iTunes, HD TV shows, New Nano, iPod Touch that is the same as the new iPhone?!?!?!?!?!

These get more and more disappointing each time.

What more can they do to a ipod. 8 new things today and that's not enough?

They get more "disappointing" because you know what is going to happen before hand. Stop reading sites like this and you will be "surprised" next time...

[Rojo]

Of COURSE NBC is back! They were idiots to ever leave in the first place. Now I can catch up on 30 Rock.... :D

[X86BSD]

You still need the transmitter in your shoe. It's the dongle on the bottom of the iPod you no longer need.

Now if someone would just make a package like this for cycling!!!!

[nagromme]

With NBC's return I should have an option again if I miss an episode of Battlestar Galactica on Hulu :)

[DigiCatRedux]

Wow. The way this was supposed to be Such a Huuuuge deal- I'd have thought the news would have been a teeny bit more groundbreaking than: Oh, yeah - we updated the iTunes app & gave it a Genius thing-a-ma-jiggy, NBC is back on board. *yawn*.

Mmm.

[FightTheFuture]

aw man... i kinda liked iTunes 7s album view. i didn't think they would kill it for grid view...

[sysiphus]

What color will our dock icon be for iTunes, now? I hope we move on from having blue...I liked green better. :D

[EricNau]

So, now that we can watch HD TV shows in iTunes, I see no reason why we shouldn't be able to rent or buy HD movies in iTunes as well. ...I guess we'll see.

[kntgsp]

IMHO they should have lowered the price of SD TV shows at 0.99$ and put the HD ones at 1.99$. Unfortunately, with the current prices, it's about four to five time more expensive to use the iTunes Store instead of simply getting cable or satellite.

Yea seriously though. I don't get this. Cable/Satellite + DVR = all the recorded shows you can dream of. Only limit is the amount of hard drive space you have.

Then just stream the DVR recordings over a home server and have access to them wherever you go, all without having to take up space on your laptop/ipod/iphone.

[haztastic]

What happened with push for applications? Wasn't that promised to be in the new iphone update in September? :mad: Still 20 days to go I guess...

[MacBass]

This did not require a press conference. Apple is getting a little beside itself. How much money was spent for this?

Similar to the new Microsoft commercial :rolleyes:

[EricNau]

Does that mean it won't scratch?
No, stainless steal has been the traditional backing since the original iPod, and it will scratch.

[kntgsp]

You still need the transmitter in your shoe. It's the dongle on the bottom of the iPod you no longer need.

Oh goddamn it. I'll just glue it to the side of my running shoes then, or weave it into the laces.

But that's just me. I never liked the meager selection of mediocre shoes Nike offered for that kit.

[bleachthru]

Did anyone else notice that they dropped the 160GB ipod from the ipod classic lineup? Why did they choose to only have the 120GB model? why not only the 160GB? This is 40GB of storage that we just lost the option to buy.....I don't know about everyone else, but to me this seems like someone being cheap! Especially with their new HD tv store, and with NBC coming back...we need all the space we can get! I for one am very disappointed, as I care more about overall storage space...I could care less about the slick features of the ipod touch, or the trendiness of the nano, apple should have kept the 160GB model....or "gasp" dropped in the new 200GB 1.8 drives that are going to be rolling out...:(

[DaBrain]

That was not by any means groundbreaking but oh well lets build up the excitement for Macworld. I heard they would release a laptop that is invisible...

I think I'll just go to Mickey D's and get a Big Mac! :):D

[njudah]

frankly, to be able to buy NBC/Universal episodes on iTunes again is the biggest news. Gizmodo seemed to have missed it, heard about it on The Twitter.

Seriously. Being able to buy BSG in hi def for 3 bucks? way worth it. and it means I don't have to get stupid Comcast craptacular cable to see it, and I can pay the people who made it too. win win!

[Xian Zhu Xuande]

Good luck getting me to pay more than a dollar for any show when I can get the same thing for free off the net. I'm probably the minority though.
Their market probably doesn't include people who pirate all their content off the 'net. ;)

[exscape]

Wow. The way this was supposed to be Such a Huuuuge deal- I'd have thought the news would have been a teeny bit more groundbreaking than: Oh, yeah - we updated the iTunes app & gave it a Genius thing-a-ma-jiggy, NBC is back on board. *yawn*.

Mmm.
Hmm, I've seen a bunch of sites say this wouldn't be a very exciting event. No point in getting your hopes up on anything except iPods/iTunes when it obviously was such an event.

[mostman]

I doubt they licensed something like Pandora, though it would have been cool. The foundation for a feature like this has existed in the iTMS for a while now. All they have to do is analyze the data of purchases. Add to that client-side data from within iTunes and you can come up with something pretty cool.

I'm looking forward to using that feature.

The difference is that Pandora works on the actual _content_ of the song. Its not simply a "You like this - you will like this as well" sort of thing. Thats simple (and, to be honest, almost useless).

Pandora finds similar songs based on a ridiculous amount of metrics measured on each song. Things like rhythm, voice, etc.

I seriously doubt, if the Genius feature works like this, Apple wrote it on their own. It took Pandora years to get it right.

-Mike

[drmario]

Their market probably doesn't include people who pirate all their content off the 'net. ;)
Streaming video from the stations website isn't illegal...

[akac]

Did anyone else notice that they dropped the 160GB ipod from the ipod classic lineup? Why did they choose to only have the 120GB model? why not only the 160GB? This is 40GB of storage that we just lost the option to buy.....I don't know about everyone else, but to me this seems like someone being cheap! Especially with their new HD tv store, and with NBC coming back...we need all the space we can get! I for one am very disappointed, as I care more about overall storage space...I could care less about the slick features of the ipod touch, or the trendiness of the nano, apple should have kept the 160GB model....or "gasp" dropped in the new 200GB 1.8 drives that are going to be rolling out...:(

Well they did mention it and why. Its because no-one bought the 160.

[Yaboze]

Doesn't the Genius thing in iTunes 8 require updates across the board for all ipods/phones? or does it stick the playlists in where the normal ones are.

[Mindflux]

Hmm, I've seen a bunch of sites say this wouldn't be a very exciting event. No point in getting your hopes up on anything except iPods/iTunes when it obviously was such an event.

Gizmono mentioned it, you missed it.

[blurredline]

downloading iTunes 8 now... even though the download page says iTunes 7, it downloads version 8

Thanks for pointing that out! Did anyone notice how the new Visualization was not mentioned. I guess I'll find out in a few minutes if it actually is in there...hopefully...

[Xian Zhu Xuande]

Did anyone else notice that they dropped the 160GB ipod from the ipod classic lineup? Why did they choose to only have the 120GB model? why not only the 160GB? This is 40GB of storage that we just lost the option to buy.....I don't know about everyone else, but to me this seems like someone being cheap! Especially with their new HD tv store, and with NBC coming back...we need all the space we can get! I for one am very disappointed, as I care more about overall storage space...I could care less about the slick features of the ipod touch, or the trendiness of the nano, apple should have kept the 160GB model....or "gasp" dropped in the new 200GB 1.8 drives that are going to be rolling out...:(
I imagine it is because there isn't really a huge need for the 40 GBs at that point. Most anyone who has that much music definitely wouldn't be listening to all of it, nor would they really have the time to. Some extremely basic music management ability should satisfy even the most hardcore of users.

Even 16 GBs is quite a bit of space to store music.

It occurs to me that they might also be interested in holding back a little to ease the transition away from mechanical hard drives. People might be surprised when they dropped a 200 GB product from their lineup and replaced it with, oh, a 64 GB iPod Touch. And most normal consumers don't know why a mechanical hard drive in an iPod can be a pain in the ass.

[northy124]

downloading iTunes 8 now... even though the download page says iTunes 7, it downloads version 8

My arse it does......Checking it now......Nope still 7.

Edit: My bad yes it is.

[Yelmurc]

itunes 8 is available for download

[catskinsox]

quicktime 7.5.5 available now. Any idea if these new shows have AC3? Will this fix the AC3 passthrough problems we've been having? Well, guess we'll see...

[DMann]

I'm still laughing at how NBC came back to iTunes. Looks like they finally got through their thick skulls where the bulk of their sales came from.

Guess Zune wasn't doing it for them...

[Elven]

So no idea on when 2.1 is being rolled out?

[drmario]

itunes 8 is available for download
Where? http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/ still says iTunes 7.7

[rmwebs]

You can already download iTunes 8. Just go through the site to download it says 7.7 but click download and its itunes 8.

Direct URL: http://appldnld.apple.com.edgesuite.net/content.info.apple.com/iTunes8/061-4744.20080909.5Ty6li/iTunes8.dmg

[Xian Zhu Xuande]

Streaming video from the stations website isn't illegal...
Not all stations offer streaming, not all programs are available, and most people don't watch music in that regard anyway. This isn't what I was speaking of. And if it is what the earlier person was talking about, it is my fault for misunderstanding.

I don't think I've ever met someone that watches regularly in this way, though.

[Yelmurc]

Where? http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/ still says iTunes 7.7

Says 7 but when you hit download its 8

[HyperliteG4]

My arse it does......Checking it now......Nope still 7.

Edit: My bad yes it is.

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/286/picture1ng0.th.png (http://img228.imageshack.us/my.php?image=picture1ng0.png)

[citi]

Oh goddamn it. I'll just glue it to the side of my running shoes then, or weave it into the laces.

But that's just me. I never liked the meager selection of mediocre shoes Nike offered for that kit.

They make a little pouch you can attach to your shoes for like 2-5$ Google it.

[chrisgeleven]

QuickTime 7.5.5 is out on Software Update. No signs of iTunes 8 yet.

[nikokoren]

downloading iTunes 8 now... even though the download page says iTunes 7, it downloads version 8


how about a link?


btt:

love the new colors of the nano!! so tempted to get one right NOW!!!:D

i think it was an ok keynote... thanks :apple




nevermind.. found it!!

[kels0119]

So no idea on when 2.1 is being rolled out?

according to what Gizmodo wrote, its due out Friday

[Elven]

Well perhaps a small sign :D screenie attached :D

[ryanmcv]

iTunes 8 is up!

http://www.apple.com/itunes/download

[Xian Zhu Xuande]

The difference is that Pandora works on the actual _content_ of the song. Its not simply a "You like this - you will like this as well" sort of thing. [...] It took Pandora years to get it right.
Oh, you won't hear me arguing that point. I love Pandora and I don't expect the 'Genius' feature of iTunes to replace it. I hope it is able to find some more music that Pandora didn't, though, and if it accomplishes at least that much, I'll be happy.

I would love to see Pandora integration.

[Ade-iMac-177]

It is downloadable now from apple - at least in the UK.
it still says iTunes 7.7 on the site though!

[blurredline]

Using 8 now.

Magnetosphere is indeed the new Visualizer

[Elven]

according to what Gizmodo wrote, its due out Friday

Thanks :( *sigh* buggers make us wait eh ;) still I guess with the rollout of iTunes 8 today they're a little busy.

[OS X Dude]

Are there HD TV downloads in the UK, or is it US only with NBC?

[Trajectory]

I like the new iTunes features, but, $2.99 for one HD show??

Poor.

[Object-X]

The genius feature is a good compromise for providing a service similar to Pandora. I like it.

But, they still need to fix the full screen persistence issue with Spaces and add similar functionality to CoverFlow like you have on the iPhone/iPod Touch. In other words, let us flip the album cover and select songs while in full screen mode.

More importantly, leave iTunes in full screen mode if you navigate away using Spaces! Can't tell you how annoying it is for iTunes to be in GUI mode when you return to it.

[saxman]

Downloading both quicktime and itunes update to a 12" PB... hope it doesn't hose anything

[DMann]

Installing 8 now...

New grid interface is awesome - 'Illuminous' layout, similar to Logic Pro 8! iPhoto event like album groupings.

[OS X Dude]

Thanks :( *sigh* buggers make us wait eh ;) still I guess with the rollout of iTunes 8 today they're a little busy.

After the craziness of the "Great MobileMe + iPhone 2.0 + 3G iPhone activation screw up Incident of 2008", I don't think they're taking chances ;)

[kels0119]

Thanks :( *sigh* buggers make us wait eh ;) still I guess with the rollout of iTunes 8 today they're a little busy.


maybe they figured out that if they do it all at once (like usual) everything will crash and no one will be able to get either, unless there's some other reason... :confused:

----
I guess I just basically rewrote what the above person said.... guess I should refresh more often, lol

[northy124]

How does this HD TV Shows thing work then it is for the Mac right? not just Apple TV And do I need iTunes 8? It's taking an age to download right now (1 hour remaining:eek:).

[Sky Blue]

there;s no way to remove those stupid iTunes store links?? grr!

[chrisgeleven]

First launch of iTunes 8 will take awhile to update the album thumbnails.

[DMann]

How does this HD TV Shows thing work then it is for the Mac right? not just Apple TV And do I need iTunes 8? It's taking an age to download right now (1 hour remaining:eek:).

You need to ownload Quicktime 7.5.5 first, (Software Update) before HD content can be seen.

[MacBass]

I just installed iTunes 8 on a work machine, and it seems to be pretty interesting, I'll have to try out that Genius function later. Everything appears more pretty and smoothed out, I'm excited to see what it looks like on my mac back home.

Any word on any updates for older iPods, or will that be bundled with iTunes 8?

[DMann]

How does this HD TV Shows thing work then it is for the Mac right? not just Apple TV And do I need iTunes 8? It's taking an age to download right now (1 hour remaining:eek:).

You need to download Quicktime 7.5.5 first, (Software Update) before HD content can be accessed. (restart required)

[tny]

I take it NBC (are they big?) content won't be in the UK? Where's our HD TV downloads coming from?

So there's HD TV downloads, new content views and Genius playlists - that's it?

That nano is gorgeous! I'll swap my touch for one right now!!

Yes, NBC Universal is one of the big three networks in the US: the American version of The Office, Battlestar Galactica (NBC Universal owns the SciFi Channel), Heroes, a number of other shows that were major sellers on iTunes before Universal decided to pull out last year.

[northy124]

Installing now hoping to see some HD TV Shows when I open it up:D.

[DMann]

Installing now hoping to see some HD TV Shows when I open it up:D.

You need to download Quicktime 7.5.5 first, (Software Update) before HD content can be accessed. (restart required)

[ChrisA]

If it hadn't been so overhyped, I think these would be considered nice announcements. Apple are masters at using the media!

Not for long. Do you really think anyone is going to fly in from the east coast for the next "event"? Small incremental changes don't warrant a live show and 40 foot tall banner.

[northy124]

You need to download Quicktime 7.5.5 first, (Software Update) before HD content can be accessed. (restart required)

Bollocks OK now off to D/L that.

[chrisgeleven]

I am really digging the new album grid layout.

[Frippe]

Argh. You know those arrows in the song list that points to the appstore for that song you are listening too. It seems that you cant turn that stupid arrow of in iTunes 8. I am pretty sure there was an option in preferences to turn of those arrows in iTunes 7.

Also, the new visualizer is in 8.0.

[Eidorian]

I am really digging the new album grid layout.List View 4LIFE

[bhop123]

Okay, I know it has been said before, but I just had to vent on NBC's decision to come back to iTunes. What a joke!!! Did they really think they were going to sell as much online video content with other services??? No way...it was just a matter of time before they saw their numbers drop and wonder why. Good thing I don't work for Apple bc I would have told them to kiss my ***. I won't be purchasing anything from NBC and simply continue to DVR it and burn it for my own use for free. Screw them.

Okay I feel better now....thanks.

[Markleshark]

Grid is awesome for TV Shows. HUGEEEEEEE improvement in the speed of Coverflow in this. Impressed.

[Axemantitan]

Was hoping for updated Mac Pros. Guess I'll wait a little longer. This is the longest they've gone though without an update I believe.

The Mac Pros and the Mac Minis. The top and the bottom of the Mac line.

[eclipxe]

Argh. You know those arrows in the song list that points to the appstore for that song you are listening too. It seems that you cant turn that stupid arrow of in iTunes 8. I am pretty sure there was an option in preferences to turn of those arrows in iTunes 7.

Also, the new visualizer is in 8.0.


defaults write com.apple.iTunes invertStoreLinks -bool YES

[Axemantitan]

I am really digging the new album grid layout.

Is that the only way to view music in iTunes 8, or can we still use the list view as we always have?

[Porchland]

Of COURSE NBC is back! They were idiots to ever leave in the first place. Now I can catch up on 30 Rock.... :D

You could have done that at hulu and NBC.com, though not on your iPod.

[eclipxe]

Can't believe there is no more list view in iTunes 8, wtf???

[dog13000]

I am really digging the new album grid layout.

Grid View seems nice, but they cut out list view with album covers, which I was a big fan of. If you go to "group albums" under view, you can get something similar, but I wish you could do this in list view as well. Bummer.

Aslo, does anybody see a settings menu for CD burning anywhere? It used to be under advanced, but now it's gone. They moved the import settings to the general tab, but the CD burning settings looks to have dropped off. It was nice to be able to make mp3 disks and the like right from iTunes if I wanted to... is this option gone?

[eclipxe]

Is that the only way to view music in iTunes 8, or can we still use the list view as we always have?

There is still list view - just playlists have album covers inline always (there are no covers in the standard lists). Pretty clever!

[Hattig]

aw man... i kinda liked iTunes 7s album view. i didn't think they would kill it for grid view...

It's still there, it's a menu item on the View menu.

[Trajectory]

Of COURSE NBC is back! They were idiots to ever leave in the first place.

Yea, isn't that rich? NBC was so stupid to pull all their content from iTunes. Too late to come crawling back, most people are getting NBC's content elsewhere for free now.

[eclipxe]

NICE! There is a little arrow on the artwork column in list view - you can toggle the artwork in the list on and off, PURE WIN. This is why I love Apple, little things like this are great!

[eclipxe]

Grid View seems nice, but they cut out list view with album covers, which I was a big fan of. If you go to "group albums" under view, you can get something similar, but I wish you could do this in list view as well. Bummer.

Aslo, does anybody see a settings menu for CD burning anywhere? It used to be under advanced, but now it's gone. They moved the import settings to the general tab, but the CD burning settings looks to have dropped off. It was nice to be able to make mp3 disks and the like right from iTunes if I wanted to... is this option gone?

Pops up when you burn a new disc

[arn]

Don't forget...

iTunes Visualizer

[psxguru]

Oh goddamn it. I'll just glue it to the side of my running shoes then, or weave it into the laces.

But that's just me. I never liked the meager selection of mediocre shoes Nike offered for that kit.

I use a Marware Sportsuit Sensor+ pouch to attach the sensor to my Asics, there are other solutions out there so you don't have to use Nike shoes.

[Whyren]

Never noticed this (http://www.apple.com/itunes/features/#itunesathome) previously:

With Remote you can control the iTunes music on your computer or Apple TV from your iPod touch or iPhone. Play, pause, skip, shuffle. See your songs, playlists, and album art. Update to iTunes 8, and you can create a Genius playlist or edit an existing playlist. And do it all on your iPod touch or iPhone as if you were right in front of your computer. Available on the App Store, Remote is free and works with your Wi-Fi network, so you can control playback from anywhere in and around your home.

[dog13000]

NICE! There is a little arrow on the artwork column in list view - you can toggle the artwork in the list on and off, PURE WIN. This is why I love Apple, little things like this are great!

Good catch, half of my problems are solved...

Now I just need to figure out where that CD burning settings pannel disappeared to :/ -Anyone?

[eff pc]

i have to say the genius works pretty good. i found so many new songs i like already. and the visualizations are amazing as well! good job apple just need to see if we finally have MMS in the 2.1 iphone update. most likey not because if apple was going to put the last few basic features of a cell phone in, it would be there by now. idk how copy and paste is high on the list when we still dont have native MMS. i think that is more important!

[Eidorian]

Don't forget...

iTunes VisualizerNew visualizer uses less CPU then the old iTunes default.

Did they rebuild iTunes this time?

[CWallace]

Seems that way.

h.264 is my weapon of choice for video. Not everything needs HDCP you know...

You know that and I know that, but it seems the content providers (studios) have finally learned it, as well. :cool:

[davekarn]

I hate to be a Debbie Downer...but wasn't Zune's software just like this when it came out a few years ago? Before I made the "switch" I had a Zune (stop laughing) and vividly remember the grid layout and similar list view with the artwork on the side also. It looks great...but also similar.

[The Tall One]

Instead of - "$1.99 for Standard Definition episodes
- $2.99 for High Definition episodes"

There is also for free.

[pooryou]

Did anyone else notice that they dropped the 160GB ipod from the ipod classic lineup? Why did they choose to only have the 120GB model? why not only the 160GB? This is 40GB of storage that we just lost the option to buy.....I don't know about everyone else, but to me this seems like someone being cheap! Especially with their new HD tv store, and with NBC coming back...we need all the space we can get! I for one am very disappointed, as I care more about overall storage space...I could care less about the slick features of the ipod touch, or the trendiness of the nano, apple should have kept the 160GB model....or "gasp" dropped in the new 200GB 1.8 drives that are going to be rolling out...:(

HIGHLY agreed. Apparently they are idiots.

[DMann]

Don't forget...

iTunes Visualizer

Visualizer is most awesome - been listening-'watching' Gershwin's "An American In Paris." Amazing choreography with the 3D cosmos theme..... really beautiful.

[plucas]

defaults write com.apple.iTunes invertStoreLinks -bool YESThat doesn't work :(

Edit: I mean it doesn't get rid of them completely. This makes the arrows go into your library instead of the store at least.

[dog13000]

Pops up when you burn a new disc

Thanks, I was going to try it but I don't have a CD handy. Hoefully this doesn't get annoying. I like to change my settings sometimes, not every time. It's an extra click every time I burn a CD in other words. :/

[CWallace]

Instead of - "$1.99 for Standard Definition episodes
- $2.99 for High Definition episodes"

There is also for free.

Well I suppose Apple could add back in the 20-25 minutes of national advertising to offer them for free... :p

Seriously, it's not like you don't have other options. You can watch it live (or via DVR) on your TV only or invest a couple hundred bucks on a TV tuner for your Mac...

[61132]

Anyone realize that once you download the HD versions, the "HD" sticker is gone?

[mekopolis]

I like how Genius doesnt work, just like Mobile Me, the Genius Servers must be getting hammered

[baslotto]

The album view is totally USELESS!!
Why did they do that? :confused:

[davekarn]

And we can now add descriptions to videos (without a script)!! May not be a huge deal for some, but it's nice on Apple TV!

[dizastor]

I really like the new grid view...

It's a little bit iPhoto events and a little bit delicious library...

This makes me want to get my library better organized by genre and complete my album artwork...


And holy ***** the new visualizer is awesome... I want that on my appleTV

[eclipxe]

Good catch, half of my problems are solved...

Now I just need to figure out where that CD burning settings pannel disappeared to :/ -Anyone?

Appears when you choose "Burn CD"

;-)

[citi]

Never noticed this (http://www.apple.com/itunes/features/#itunesathome) previously:

you could always do this.

[G.I. Joe]

Shouldn't this be available through software update?

[godslabrat]

Now that we have the option to download HD TV shows, does that open the door for HD movie rentals? I don't really fancy the idea of buying an AppleTV when my Mac is more than capable of playing a 720p movie.

[citi]

Appears when you choose "Burn CD"

;-)

preferences/advanced/burning?

[eclipxe]

That doesn't work :(

Edit: I mean it doesn't get rid of them completely. This makes the arrows go into your library instead of the store at least.

I love using the arrows to navigate my library, probably my most used iTunes feature...if I'm listening to a certain song in a playlist I just hit the arrow to view the entire album or artist. So good!

[eclipxe]

preferences/advanced/burning?

No longer there, only available when you choose to burn new cd.

I like it better this way - sometimes I burn mp3 cds for the car and sometimes I burn regular cds for friends, now I don't have to remember which setting it's on or dig through preferences to change.

[davekarn]

I really like the new grid view...

It's a little bit iPhoto events and a little bit delicious library...

This makes me want to get my library better organized by genre and complete my album artwork...

Yeah I'm pretty happy I went through that mess already. I went through a stage where I was really OCD about the way the song titles were named and album art too. I went through and did everything on my list (over 9800 songs). It was a nice little hobby while it lasted though.

[pooryou]

Did they improve efficiency with large libraries and lots of smart playlists?

Did they improve smart playlist functionality.

Grid view looks awful..

SO far I am not even wanting to download this.

[iMacmatician]

http://images.macrumors.com/article/2008/09/09/140633-apple-lets-rock-020_400.jpgSame GUI (not the black GUI or iMovie '08's GUI), Grid View looks like an add-on, just like Cover Flow (they even have the same GUI). I'm a bit disappointed.

Looks like Album view is gone. :(

Is the only difference with the old and new shuffles the colors?

EDIT: yes it is.Not surprising.

[hollerz]

I hate how with list view with album covers there isn't a space between albums. Now it looks really cramped, seperated the albums nicely with the gap in iTunes 7 :(

I might downgrade, no improvements in here for me. Thats the first time I've ever said that about an Apple product :(

[Porchland]

I like the new iTunes A to Z (https://swdlp.apple.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/SoftwareDownloadApp.woa/1386/wo/4kRzyttL6GJhijqNwwkj60/2.5) page.

There is no mention of the fact that the six-month limit on Complete My Album appears now to be gone for most albums, which seems pretty noteworthy.

[duncyboy]

I have to say I'm not enamoured with the new Grid View. If you have it selected and just try to play everything, kind of a Shuffle All playback, it'll only play the first grid item and nothing else. If you want to just Shuffle all your tunes you have to turn the view off.

Same with Playlists in Grid View too.

And Genius just doesn't seem to work for me.

Oh, and you can't turn off the links to the iTunes store!!! :D

(Note to self- "Stop whining! Remember what WMP was like")

[hob]

I wouldn't be surprised if Apple Stores around the world are "closed for maintenance" right now...

My iTunes has been Turning On a Genius for the last half hour... ;) :D

[dizastor]

HIGHLY agreed. Apparently they are idiots.

Of course, the writing is on the wall for the iPod classic.

Lack of size options, lack of colors, lack of new features... it's on it's way out... this will probably be the last of the ipod classics we see.

[jonatron]

Impressed so far. Grid view is brilliant and easy to browse if you have all your album art. Not played with genius yet though as its still configuring itself.

[Tapdawg]

Can someone post the direct download link for Itunes 8 for Windows XP... I'm still only downloading 7.7

Thanks in advanced!

EDIT: they just changed the link to version 8 on the site.

http://appldnld.apple.com.edgesuite.net/content.info.apple.com/iTunes8/061-4746.20080909.Detnz/iTunes8Setup.exe

[davekarn]

[QUOTE=iMacmatician;6197342]Same GUI (not the black GUI or iMovie '08's GUI), Grid View looks like an add-on, just like Cover Flow (they even have the same GUI). I'm a bit disappointed.

Looks like Album view is gone. :(

By album view, do you mean the list with the album artwork on the side? If so, then it is available under list view and there is an arrow on the far left of the "Name, Artist, Album, etc" bar that enables/disables album view.

[OrangeCuse44]

Added functionality with this? I've been waiting for ways to create more detailed smart playlists.

[dizastor]

Genius just completed analyzing my library...

LOVE the genius playlist feature. Not crazy about the genius sidebar that tells me the songs i need to buy... but luckily I can hide it. :)

[mekopolis]

so After I gave all my information to Apple....Genius likes to tell me what I should buy...hmm
i wonder if Apple is going to sell this information to the Music Industry

[jmadlena]

Am I the only one who can't get iTunes 8? Seems like some other people are having no problem, but I keep getting 7.7.1. And I checked, it isn't 8 just mislabeled.

I want it now!!!! :/

[jaw04005]

So, the "HD" TV Shows don't appear HD to me. I downloaded a few of the free episodes and they seem just slightly better than the "SD" downloads. Maybe it's a bit rate thing? Either way, they look worse than my EyeTV clear-QAM recordings, which have been compressed multiple times. Both are roughly the same size (700MB—1.2GB).

[pooryou]

Of course, the writing is on the wall for the iPod classic.

Lack of size options, lack of colors, lack of new features... it's on it's way out... this will probably be the last of the ipod classics we see.


You are probably right but if this is true then Apple has truly lost it.
They want to sell lots of videos and music....then they take away storage space.
Real Smart™

[Tapdawg]

Am I the only one who can't get iTunes 8? Seems like some other people are having no problem, but I keep getting 7.7.1. And I checked, it isn't 8 just mislabeled.

I want it now!!!! :/

Here's the XP direct link:

http://appldnld.apple.com.edgesuite.net/content.info.apple.com/iTunes8/061-4746.20080909.Detnz/iTunes8Setup.exe

And the MAC OSX link:
http://appldnld.apple.com.edgesuite.net/content.info.apple.com/iTunes8/061-4744.20080909.5Ty6li/iTunes8.dmg

[The Man]

I like the grid view in iTunes 8. It lets me listen to just an album without making a playlist first. In list view or coverflow, if you listen to an album, it would move to the next one when it finishes—unless you narrow the list using the search box. Now I can just pick an artist or an album by clicking on it and listen only to that one. It is actually the same option as on your iPod. I always wanted that album view in iTunes!

iTunes 8 is pretty snappy too on my 1Ghz iBook G4. Album artwork seems to load faster. Also in the playlists, they've finally altered the folders to match Leopard folders! It's a small thing, but makes it more at home.

I like this update a lot. To me, it finally feels that the browsing & pick options are complete.

[blahbrah]

anyone know how to remove the genre list in the browser in the list view?

[ccunning]

Just noticed this. Aparently HD videos come with an SD version as well::

[cualexander]

I get Genius is unavailable on some songs in my library. Songs that I purchased from the itunes store. You would think they would at least have data on the songs they sell.

For instance, Kayne West's song "Stronger"-Unavailable.

Or also, one of my favorite albums- The life aquatic sessions by Seu Jorge. Bought from itunes. Not available.

Don't know how widespread this is. I don't have many songs at my work machine.

[bluesloth]

How do I get rid of the Genre column when browsing list view?

This used to be an option in prefs but I don't see it now.

[pooryou]

Did they improve efficiency with large libraries and lots of smart playlists?

Did they improve smart playlist functionality at all?

[chrisgeleven]

iTunes 8 seems to be a lot faster for me (once it is done with the album thumbnail processing and genius analysis). Very very impressed!

[devman]

Genius just completed analyzing my library...

LOVE the genius playlist feature. Not crazy about the genius sidebar that tells me the songs i need to buy... but luckily I can hide it. :)

totally agree. The genius playlist is a killer feature. love it.

not crazy about the sidebar either.

[duncyboy]

How do I get rid of the Genre column when browsing list view?

This used to be an option in prefs but I don't see it now.

Any column you want to add or remove- right click any column header and select/deselect:

http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/6803/picture1ow4.th.png (http://img183.imageshack.us/my.php?image=picture1ow4.png)

:)

And I take back what I said about Genius now I can turn off the sidebar- I like it.

[tyr2]

A couple of thoughts.

* CoverFlow is now fast and works properly, very nice.

* If you go to the list view, and click the 'Artwork' disclosure triangle on the top left of the columns you get the old Album View as far as I can see.

* The little arrows that link to the iTunes store now seem impossible to turn off, which is unfortunate.

[MacGuffin]

Jobs looks thin as the new Nano.

Serge

Yeah.

And if you shake him, random product ideas fall out.

[i eversaw]

can someone please post a rapidshare or megaupload for the xp .exe? mine keeps timing out :(

[jmadlena]

Here's the XP direct link:

http://appldnld.apple.com.edgesuite.net/content.info.apple.com/iTunes8/061-4746.20080909.Detnz/iTunes8Setup.exe

And the MAC OSX link:
http://appldnld.apple.com.edgesuite.net/content.info.apple.com/iTunes8/061-4744.20080909.5Ty6li/iTunes8.dmg

Thanks! Though I didn't get a chance to use the links, because I just kept checking the iTunes 8 download page and noticed that it finally changed to requiring Quicktime 7.5.5. That was my clue; and now iTunes 8 is downloading!

[Keeval]

Well I've just installed the new version of iTunes I really like the new visualizer. The Genius playlist took a while to set up - as it took a while to scan my library. But it seems to be working really well.

The Genius Bar - I'm not too fussed about it - but it might be useful for completing albums etc, and you can always hide it if need be.

I'm just waiting for the Quicktime update to download... *yawn* it's taking a while.

[Diatribe]

The difference is that Pandora works on the actual _content_ of the song. Its not simply a "You like this - you will like this as well" sort of thing. Thats simple (and, to be honest, almost useless).

Pandora finds similar songs based on a ridiculous amount of metrics measured on each song. Things like rhythm, voice, etc.

I seriously doubt, if the Genius feature works like this, Apple wrote it on their own. It took Pandora years to get it right.

-Mike

If it doesn't it is pretty much worthless for playlists. I'll withhold judgement until I use it but I don't have any expectations...

[running]

FINALY!!!!
you can select multiple movies / TV shows and edit them TOGETHER!!!!

you couldn't do that until now ... now you can even select more movies and make a TV show out of them / music video / everything

was not possible before, you had to do it one by one ... wow! thanks apple! i will finally start using that!

(and yes, you can add DivX/avi stuff with a little hack, but that was already back in iTunes 7)

[devman]

A couple of thoughts.

* CoverFlow is now fast and works properly, very nice.

I'll 2nd that. Coverflow is dramatically faster. Lots of nice little goodies in 8 it seems. Still exploring...

[Cougarcat]

You are probably right but if this is true then Apple has truly lost it.
They want to sell lots of videos and music....then they take away storage space.
Real Smart™

They'd rather sell more apps than music.

[MacGuffin]

Did they improve efficiency with large libraries and lots of smart playlists?

Did they improve smart playlist functionality at all?

Stop confusing things.

iTunes isn't database management software. It's Your Own Personal Wal-Mart. That's the paradigm now: marketing, marketing, marketing.

If you're looking for something as dull as "efficiency with large libraries," you're barking up the wrong lickable tree.

[northy124]

Some NBC shows are empty to me is anyone else getting that?

[Suasexed]

Maybe I'm missing something here, but in Grid view, when I hover over an album cover and click 'Play Artist' NOTHING happens. If something else is currently playing it simply stops playing the song, but doesn't start playing the new artist I've selected.

The only way I can play music from Grid view is to double click the album cover, then double click on the song I want to play.

Also there's no HD content on the UK store :( I was really looking forward to trying out some HD tv shows...

[Whyren]

you could always do this.

I guess don't follow this closely enough anymore. :)

[Diatribe]

Do the TV shows come in Dolby? If not then no thanks. I'll keep buying on DVD.

And where are the music videos in HD???

[ccunning]

Do the TV shows come in Dolby? If not then no thanks. I'll keep buying on DVD.

And where are the music videos in HD???

Depends on the show:
http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost.php?p=6197578&postcount=188

[SkippyThorson]

iTunes Genius keeps saying my correct password for my correct aol account is incorrect. Not so Genius.

Edit: Nevermind, got it to work.

Except I get the 5002 Error when I go to update my Apps again.

[i eversaw]

argg I can't download it! The servers must be packed... someone has to have this on RS or megaupload...

[Diatribe]

Depends on the show:
http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost.php?p=6197578&postcount=188

Ah, cool, thank you. :) Now that's interesting then.

Now I only need HD music videos and Lossless music for sale and I never buy music anywhere else than at the iTunes Store again.

[bluesloth]

Any column you want to add or remove- right click any column header and select/deselect:

http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/6803/picture1ow4.th.png (http://img183.imageshack.us/my.php?image=picture1ow4.png)


Thanks, but that isn't what I am talking about. When in list view you can choose to view the browser (command-B) . This shows scrollable columns of Genre, Artist and Album. You used to be able to turn of Genre (I don't use that). I don't see the option now.


Also, does anyone use custom sort tags? These are really screwed up for me.

[spimp31]

Did Apple disable the option to turn off the link (little arrow within a circle) to the iTunes store for all tracks? It's really annoying, and when I went into my preferences, there was no option to disable it. The last thing I want is a link on every track that I may inadvertently click over, taking me to the iTunes Store in order to buy something I already have in my library.

iTunes 8 doesn't seem to like last.fm at all, which caused the application to freeze at startup until I uninstalled the last.fm client, and the genius feature is going to take another 4 or 5 hours to set up (still on step 1, gathering information about your iTunes library). It's moving, but I suppose when you have 60,000 songs, and another 300 videos, it doesn't move too fast.

[milaround]

argg I can't download it! The servers must be packed... someone has to have this on RS or megaupload...

screw rapid***** and megaup, someone mediafire this. mac osx plz!

www.mediafire.com

[samab]

Okay, I know it has been said before, but I just had to vent on NBC's decision to come back to iTunes. What a joke!!! Did they really think they were going to sell as much online video content with other services??? No way...it was just a matter of time before they saw their numbers drop and wonder why. Good thing I don't work for Apple bc I would have told them to kiss my ***. I won't be purchasing anything from NBC and simply continue to DVR it and burn it for my own use for free. Screw them.

Okay I feel better now....thanks.

Yea, isn't that rich? NBC was so stupid to pull all their content from iTunes. Too late to come crawling back, most people are getting NBC's content elsewhere for free now.

NBC wanted flexible pricing --- which is what they got right now.

99 cents for old shows. $1.99 for regular shows. $2.99 for HD content.

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/nbc-universal-returns-itunes-store/story.aspx?guid=%7B7E3A5980-79F9-47C2-A63F-D1591FADCF4A%7D&dist=hppr

[ortuno2k]

I downloaded and installed it and I'm toying with it on my MBP - so far, so good. But one thing that annoys the HELL OUTTA ME is that I'm unable to turn off the links to the iTunes Store. I know where the iTunes Store is, I know to go there if I want music...I don't want it to pop-up accidentally when I'm listening and clicking. I checked my desktop with iTunes 7.7 and the option should be on the General Tab, but iTunes 8 does not have such option.
FIX IT. :mad:

[yoda13]

Well, it may or may not have been worthy of the hype, BUT I am happy...HD content for my AppleTV, and now NBC is back....my cable service doesn't offer DVR...for real...and now I don't have to upgrade my satellite...very happy:D

[devman]

Do the TV shows come in Dolby? If not then no thanks. I'll keep buying on DVD.

I just downloaded the free BSG HD episode as a test and it's in dolby digital. Does not mean that all HD shows will be the same though.

[Bregalad]

totally agree. The genius playlist is a killer feature. love it.

not crazy about the sidebar either.

What I find interesting is that the Genius destroys the concept of listening to an entire album while at the same time reinforcing the need to buy full albums in order for the similar song feature to work best.

Maybe it's just me but I either want to listen to music as it was originally intended (a full album or concert) or randomly. A Genius playlist doesn't interest me.

[riko]

Maybe I'm missing something here, but in Grid view, when I hover over an album cover and click 'Play Artist' NOTHING happens. If something else is currently playing it simply stops playing the song, but doesn't start playing the new artist I've selected.

The only way I can play music from Grid view is to double click the album cover, then double click on the song I want to play.

Also there's no HD content on the UK store :( I was really looking forward to trying out some HD tv shows...

Are you on a PC by any chance? I'm seeing exactly the same issue on my XP machine but the play option works fine on my macbook.

As a work around click once on the album then hit the space bar to start it playing. Huge bug for apple to miss though....

[MidiMonk]

Not liking Itunes8 so far either!!!

[ortuno2k]

What I find interesting is that the Genius destroys the concept of listening to an entire album while at the same time reinforcing the need to buy full albums in order for the similar song feature to work best.

Maybe it's just me but I either want to listen to music as it was originally intended (a full album or concert) or randomly. A Genius playlist doesn't interest me.

You can look at it in different ways. The Genius Playlist is a lazy smart playlist, if so you want to call it. It kind of functions like your own radio station...
So far, I think it's great. Like you, I enjoy listening to albums from the same Artist most of the times, but I do tend to mix things up a little from different artists to create my own radio station - this works great so far!
Just my 2 cents...

[Jelite]

FINALY!!!!
you can select multiple movies / TV shows and edit them TOGETHER!!!!

you couldn't do that until now ... now you can even select more movies and make a TV show out of them / music video / everything

was not possible before, you had to do it one by one ... wow! thanks apple! i will finally start using that!

(and yes, you can add DivX/avi stuff with a little hack, but that was already back in iTunes 7)

http://i15.tinypic.com/86rukpl.gif

and how would i do this?

[Suasexed]

Are you on a PC by any chance? I'm seeing exactly the same issue on my XP machine but the play option works fine on my macbook.

As a work around click once on the album then hit the space bar to start it playing. Huge bug for apple to miss though....
I'm on an Alu iMac. I've got it to work a couple of times, I don't know how, it was very random. Whenever I intentionally try to get the tracks to play nothing happens... it's rather frustrating.

I downloaded it as soon as it came onto the UK website... maybe the original download was buggy? I'll try downloading it again and see what happens.

Unless I'm completely blind I can't see any sign of HD TV shows in the UK store. The Apple UK website says that we're getting the new HD content but I can't see it... hurry up Apple!

[Diatribe]

The only thing I really wanted is a featured artist field. Or that iTunes actually considers the album artist field for artist searching... I guess that was too much to ask.

ARTIST SORTING SUCKS!!!! DO YOU HEAR ME APPLE??? :mad:

[Erwin-Br]

After the Quicktime update, an update for Front Row appeared as well. You'll have to run software update again after the reboot, or you'll never know.

--Erwin

[Crevice]

Anybody else having problems with their album artwork? Some of my artwork seems to have dissapeared, and when I try to add artwork via get info, it doesnt add it.....weird

[*GG*]

Unless I'm completely blind I can't see any sign of HD TV shows in the UK store. The Apple UK website says that we're getting the new HD content but I can't see it... hurry up Apple!

That must have been an error - there is now no mention of HD TV shows - looks like it is US only.

[Nuks]

Why exactly do I need to provide a credit card number for genius to sort through my library? I have no interest in using the store...

[Suasexed]

A little Genius annoyance... When you select a song to make a Genius playlist why can't it put the original track you selected as the first song in the playlist?? GRRR!

[smartalic34]

I'll 2nd that. Coverflow is dramatically faster. Lots of nice little goodies in 8 it seems. Still exploring...

agreed. before, coverflow made me think my MBP was getting long in the tooth... now it's beautiful

[pooryou]

Did they improve efficiency with large libraries and lots of smart playlists?

Did they improve smart playlist functionality at all?

Still would like to know, thanks :)

[Beric]

The new visualizer is absolutely incredible. :eek:

[macklos]

Anybody else having problems with their album artwork? Some of my artwork seems to have dissapeared, and when I try to add artwork via get info, it doesnt add it.....weird

Yes same here... noticed a bunch of files went to the trash. Brilliant... glad I checked this version out at work first. Had this happened at home I would be devastated. :apple: needs to get better at fully testing out software and such because they are NOT doing so hot this year.

[cdamian]

I like the new grid views for the podcast.

You also can now to change the download & keep setting for each podcast feed. Or was this available in the previous version too?

Anyway, I love it as I now can set the settings for news, documentaries and music podcasts differently.

[milaround]

Those who have the US itunes8 dmg downloaded, would you please be so kind as to share it with the rest of us?

www.mediafire.com

Apple's servers are overloaded.

[Snowy_River]

You can look at it in different ways. The Genius Playlist is a lazy smart playlist, if so you want to call it. It kind of functions like your own radio station...
So far, I think it's great. Like you, I enjoy listening to albums from the same Artist most of the times, but I do tend to mix things up a little from different artists to create my own radio station - this works great so far!
Just my 2 cents...

I haven't had the opportunity to try it yet, but I can tell you the step forward that I'd like to see. That is taking things to a truly Pandora like functionality. Sure, make a Genius play list, but every 5 or 10 songs, insert a song from the store that you don't have in your library. Don't just suggest them. You could even have an option for the song to be announced so you can know that this is a song that isn't in your library. That way, if you like it, you can click over to iTunes and buy it immediately. If you don't do that, then maybe the song would be shown in the playlist, but greyed out and if you double click it, then you'd be taken to the store where you could listen to a preview and buy it, if you want.

I just know that I'm somewhat insulated from new music. I listen to what I've got so much that I don't know what's out there. Pandora is great, but the UI is a little hard to work with. When I occasionally hear new music on the radio or on the PA system in a store, I may think 'this is nice, I'd like to have this', but then I don't know who it is to be able to get it. So, in short, I'm always looking for easy ways to expose myself to more music that is in the same ilk as the music that I like.

[Jelite]

Lost loads of my artwork too, have to spend hours and days getting all that back again.:(

[BWhaler]

Welcome back NBC. That was a nice surprise today.

As for iTunes, I think the proof will be in the pudding:

1. Is it less buggy and faster than iTunes 7? If so, iTunes 8 is a huge win.

2. Is Genius really smart and does it really help me find great music I have forgotten in my massive collection or create killer new mixes for me since I don't have the time? If so, Genius will be a killer new feature.

I was worried about Genius for a moment when I finally got sick of the Genius Sidebar but couldn't figure out how to turn it off. I don't want to be pitched music all the time.

Luckily, it's just a button, and now I am very happy about it. If this sidebar makes great recommendations, it will be a welcome feature to help me discover music and continue to build my collection.

[MidiMonk]

I downloaded and installed it and I'm toying with it on my MBP - so far, so good. But one thing that annoys the HELL OUTTA ME is that I'm unable to turn off the links to the iTunes Store. I know where the iTunes Store is, I know to go there if I want music...I don't want it to pop-up accidentally when I'm listening and clicking. I checked my desktop with iTunes 7.7 and the option should be on the General Tab, but iTunes 8 does not have such option.
FIX IT. :mad:

Noticing that too, what a PITA, I don't need Apple links on nor do I like the genius feature.Apple is getting that Google mentality, I like my privacy.

[running]

(talking about divx in itunes)

and how would i do this?

I don't know how much it's known, I discovered it while ago. You just have to open the file in QuickTime (with perian installed!!) and save it as reference. The reference is small file, something like a link, but with .mov. But you can put this reference file to iTunes - iTunes somehow thinks it's genuine QuickTime movie.

You can't move it to iPod/iPhone, but you can click on "convert to iPod" (or something like this) in iTunes, which converts the file to iPod QuickTime format (but it takes some time).

(I also made an AppleScript that does this automatically)

[devman]

A little Genius annoyance... When you select a song to make a Genius playlist why can't it put the original track you selected as the first song in the playlist?? GRRR!

It does for me. Do you have a different column clicked so that the list is sorted differently?

[mike12806]

I purchased a new office HD episode, and it downloaded both the SD and HD version? Anyone else experience this?

[Crevice]

Lost loads of my artwork too, have to spend hours and days getting all that back again.:(

It wont even let me add new artwork...on top of that my iphone 3g just crashed (for the 5th time) so when I went to restore it said i dont have the right software, looks like itunes 8 wont let me restore until 2.1 comes out on friday, I remember when apple was solid....

[OrangeCuse44]

Are people losing artwork after downloading iTunes 8??? I spent hours upon hours getting that in order a few months ago...

[todash]

The documentation when you download says that the HD format only will work for Apple TV and not iTunes, was this mentioned somewhere before?

Apple TV:
• Renting or purchasing using Apple TV requires Apple TV software version 2.0 or later.
•*HD movies from the iTunes Store are designed exclusively for Apple TV and may not be transferred to iTunes

[devman]

I purchased a new office HD episode, and it downloaded both the SD and HD version? Anyone else experience this?

that's working as designed. it uses hd version for your mac and apple tv and the sd version for ipod and iphone.

[smartalic34]

Are people losing artwork after downloading iTunes 8??? I spent hours upon hours getting that in order a few months ago...

I believe they are, but it's far from everyone...

[corinhorn]

I purchased a new office HD episode, and it downloaded both the SD and HD version? Anyone else experience this?Me too. I wonder if it is a glitch or if it downloads the SD version to be able to put on iPods?