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More iTunes 5 Info?

WMA is just a codec, Apple will support it, but they will not support MSFT DRM, plain and simple. Get over it already. The issue is not the codec it's the DRM.

If Apple releases a multimedia doc for the iPod such that it will hook into your Hifi System including your TV, and allow you to record and play movies on the iPod, that would be awesome. If they add TIVO style recording, that would be incredible. It would blow the doors off of MSFT Media PC and be a heck of a lot better, cooler and cheaper.

Another feature that I have been hoping for is that my digital camera and camcorder can plug into the iPod. Having all that disk space in real-time will make my camera that much more awesome. it will save me a bunch of money on memory cards etc and pay for itself. What an awesome feature that would be.

PS, having a color video screen for the iPod is over-rated. Don't really need one, no one is going to watch video on the go except maybe when they are making long trips that allow you to sit and watch the movie. In that case you would take your notebook with you and can use the iPod to feed it the movie, much better experience.
 
Originally posted by Freg3000


Edit: Obviously, something big is happening on Thursday. Most likely there will be a Steve Keynote, and he isn't just going to demo iTMS for Windows for an hour.
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i hope he says there will be updated iBooks. even a speed-bumped one.

need an iBook quick!
 
A thought

Originally posted by temptatino
.. wma playback & conversion in itunes is one of things needed to pull in windows users.
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I think the key word here might be "conversion". I was just thinking that maybe Apple has put in some conversion tool built in to iTunes that will allow Windows users to move their WMA collection over by having iTunes convert the tracks to another iTunes/iPod supported format, such as MP3 or AAC, etc. It would make perfect sense, since many people would not use it if their existing collection could not move over.
Users of desktop publishing software will know what I'm referring to with a similar scheme in Adobe's InDesign software. It allows you to open and convert existing QuarkXPress documents to InDesign, but does NOT let you work on the native XPress file (for obvious reasons). Adobe did that because XPress was/is king (that's another argument) in that arena and they knew users would not switch unless they had a method of accessing their legacy documents. Maybe Apple has done something similar here in the new iTunes?

Just my thoughts. 🙂
 
Listener Loans

When I heard about these, I didn't really have any idea what they were, but I was thinking that, instead of Apple loaning us music (which would be silly, really - no income for them at all, and we're wasting bandwidth) it might be something more along the lines of me being able to loan someone else the music, somehow temporarily taking it out of my collection and putting it in yours, just like a CD. When I want it back, I recall it. That might be a really good way to turn digital media files into the CD of the future. Give us the options of a CD and people wary of digital music will respond.

Nate
 
Listener Loans

I think I know what "Listener Loans" are. They are a way to manage, or share your own purchased music. As it stands, only 3 computers are permitted to listen to your purchased music. So let's say you burn a data CD with some protected AAC files and give it to a friend. They can listen to it as long as they have your password, but that is one more computer that is added to your allotment of 3 computers. That sucks since its only a couple of songs they are listening to. . .

Listener Loans is like letting someone borrow a CD. You send them your protected AAC files and a special "Listener Loans" password, and that computer has a certian amout of time to listen to the file before their permission expires. And it doesn't count towards the 3 computer limit since it's only temporary listening privledges.

makes sense, eh?
 
Recording accessory for the iPod yeah!! I hope (but don't expect) it will have "pro" specs, like 24 bit A/D conversion. Paired with a good mic, the iPod would make a perfect field recorder!
 
About listener loans and AudioHijack:
Weren't all these not too successful subscription based services streaming music to you on demand, which you could already back then record with AudioHijack (or the equivalent on the PC side)?

About WMA in iTunes:
How much use would it be for an average Windows user to be able to play his WMAs through iTunes but not being able to listen to them on his iPod? I know you can convert WMAs into AACs but with a similar quality loss as for converting protected AACs into MP3s, which supposedly is big enough to deter most people.

WMA support might very well come (both for iTunes and for the iPod) but support for protected WMAs most likely not.
 
well

Originally posted by mainstreetmark
Yeah - that's the only part I have trouble with. I don't really know what 'playlist' it's playing. Or, if you search for a song you want to hear, and don't clear the search box, you get to hear that song over and over. There should be a "Current Playlist" Source listed, that lists what's coming up or something - even if it's just a mirror of one of your preset playlists. And it would be neat if you could add to it. Sometimes I want to hear 4 songs in a row, but don't want to create a 4-song playlist.
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does not command L do it for you?
 
Re: Re: Audio HiJack...

Originally posted by temptatino
exactly.

there's no way that we're getting anything like true 'listener loans'. heck you can record your mac's audio source even without audio hijack just by running a cable from your speaker out to your line in. with the way the labels have been about licensing i don't seem them throwing caution to the wind with listener loans.
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But then, you can do the same to any record station in the country ... and of course any Internet Radio station in the world.

I should hope that the RIAA have realized that "if you can hear it you can record it" is a fundamental truism by now!
 
Listen Loans = Borrowed CD

I agree that listener loans are borrowed CDs...if the rumor comes to pass as true. It wouldn't be a bad program at all, and could be used to get libraries into the digital media game. The trick is to keep the original owner from playing it while it is on loan, I would think. Or, to still give the user 3 listening slots and one loan slot. You don't want anyone to be able to loan it out endlessly. It should be a friend to friend type thing, just like a CD.

Nate
 
Panther Countdown and other updates

Apple has consistently announced new products, at least major ones, by placing them in the marquee position on their website. Currently the Panther countdown occupies this coveted spot. I think it would be stupid to have a countdown up if apple is planning on releasing major new products between now and then. They would have to dedicate at least a few days for iTMS for Windows and the iPod updates to be on apple.com center position. This would greatly interfere with the Panther buildup and countdown so I doubt they will do it. My guess is that they will either announce that its coming but not here yet, or launch an entirely new site dedicated to the iTMS for Windows. Just some thoughts I had while avoiding my work. Does anyone else think this could be a problem?
 
Defeating Audio Hijack for listener loans is very easy. All Apple has to do is insert an audio digital watermark in their "loaned" songs. Something similar to the periodic watermarks on airline videos, but make it audio...something to the effect of "Copyright Apple Computer" in the background every 30 seconds or so.

Annoying, yes. Would it work, yes. Would you want to listen to a burned CD with this periodic message? I think not!!

EDIT: I see that arn already mentioned this above (sorry, I confess to not having read every single post before offering my opinion).

My 2 pesos....
 
Re: Panther Countdown and other updates

Originally posted by Turismo86
Apple has consistently announced new products, at least major ones, by placing them in the marquee position on their website. Currently the Panther countdown occupies this coveted spot.
Click to expand...

How many windows users pay attention to what Apple has up as their banner?

I think the countdown hypes up Panther for Apple users. . . iTMS for Windoze is another story. . .

-rik
 
Originally posted by stingerman
WMA is just a codec, Apple will support it, but they will not support MSFT DRM, plain and simple. Get over it already. The issue is not the codec it's the DRM.
Click to expand...

Umm, actually ... WMA is a codec, but also a wrapper for other codecs (just like Quicktime).

By far the easiest way of supporting WMA on Windows is to hook into the WMP code already there. Which, of ccourse, does support the DRM features. On the Mac? I don't know. Even MS hasn't gotten their WMA+DRM code out the door for us yet.

On the iPod? As Arn said, this rumor says nothing about that, but then I'd hate to be told, "Sorry, you can't synch that song with your iPod; it is WMA". If iTunes supports WMA then I imagine the iPod will, too, in short order.

Will the iPod support WMA DRM? I think that this is actually a fairly easy task, as much a certification process as a technological hurdle. So, yes, I expect the iPod will support WMA/DRM unless Apple determines doing so is not in its interests.

Remember, though, that, at least for now, the iTMS exists to fuel sales of iPod and the Mac platform overall. It's primary goal is NOT to promote AAC, nor to destroy WMA, nor to be the #1 music source in the world for time and all eternity. It is to sell profitable items such as the iPod and other hardware.

In the same vein, the iPod does NOT exist to sell iTMS. The iPod and iTunes supporting WMA allows the iPod to be somewhat service-agnostic (get your tunes from BuyMusic if you have a pain fetish; your iPod will still play them).
 
Originally posted by redAPPLE
i hope he says there will be updated iBooks. even a speed-bumped one.

need an iBook quick!
Click to expand...

In a Music event? Doubtful. Possible, but way down on the list of possibilities.

Remember the April event? We had iTMS and iPod enhancements for an hour. No PowerBook G5s then, remember?
 
riker,

True that very few Windows users look at apple.com, thats why i think there may be a new website launched for the iTMS for Windows. Also i think its big enough news for the company that it would be put in the center spot of the website, I think apple would like everyone who visits their site to know that they just launched the first cross-platform legal music service with support from all major record labels. This then means that it would interrupt the Panther buildup, so i'm leaning toward no announcement until after panther launches.
 
Re: Itunes 5 could be in panther already

I was just wondering if you could connect the optical out on the g5 into the audio in to record stuff at high quality? You know... plug an optical cable to the out on one end and to the in on the other? I'm not interested in doing it... just if it can be done.
 
Re: Panther Countdown and other updates

Originally posted by Turismo86
Apple has consistently announced new products, at least major ones, by placing them in the marquee position on their website. Currently the Panther countdown occupies this coveted spot. I think it would be stupid to have a countdown up if apple is planning on releasing major new products between now and then. They would have to dedicate at least a few days for iTMS for Windows and the iPod updates to be on apple.com center position. This would greatly interfere with the Panther buildup and countdown so I doubt they will do it. My guess is that they will either announce that its coming but not here yet, or launch an entirely new site dedicated to the iTMS for Windows. Just some thoughts I had while avoiding my work. Does anyone else think this could be a problem?
Click to expand...


I don't think Apple is going to let a minor website-firstpage-"conflict" interfere with important product releases.

If iTMS-Windows is ready to go, they can't afford to wait!

Anyway, they could just let the two ads change randomly at every load/reload - they've done this before.
 
Originally posted by arn
note: the rumor claims WMA on iTunes, not the iPod.
Click to expand...

So the "real rumor" must be import (conversion) and not support of wma in iTunes. Otherwise, it seems to me it makes little sense for iTunes to support playing wma files, but not the iPod. Remember, Apple doesn't make a dime on iTunes, so we should think about the products Apple might be trying to sell by supporting wma in iTunes...
 
ennerseed,

Thanks! The command L works great! I never new about this command.

It brings you to the current playing song in its playlist from the playlist that you played it from.

Before I knew about the Coomand L thing I was confused as to what playlist a song was playing in.

This solves that problem 😀
 
Maybe Microsoft will have Windows Media Player 9 ready by then, and make it available as a plugin for quicktime. Then you automatically have support for WMA in iTunes, browser plugin support for WMV (as they showed at WWDC).
Maybe we will never have to use that WMPlayer interface again! 🙂
 
Three more days 🙂

It's going to be a long three days. I can't wait to see what they have up their sleeve.
 
If this means the iPod will support WMA, there's little change anyone will catch up to iPod's marketshare. Excellent move. I'll believe it when I see it though. It's seems too good to be true.
 
Turismo86:

I totaly agree

they could put the countdown timer in one of the four spots on the bottom for the few days after itms is released
 
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