iPod So does anyone notice any difference with the new DRM-free tracks?

[hvfsl]

I can't seem to access the new tracks at the moment (iTunes seems to be very slow ATM), but was wondering if those that can access the new tracks, can hear any difference.

I personally won't mind upgrading some of the soundtracks I have downloaded (like Pirates) because I can hear a lot of base distortion (it happens across different speakers and headphones) on the 128bit version, so I hope the 256bit one sounds better in this area.

 

[Krevnik]

They do seem to have better range, but I have never been great at telling the difference very often.

 

[alexprice]

When I upgraded this Music Video it changed the aspect ratio. Check the pic of DRM-Free on the left and DRM'd on the right.

Also check out the random errors.

 

[alexprice]

Some more screenshots....

 

[Krevnik]

Some more screenshots....

The errors are from the server load.

 

[winterdude010]

I can notice a difference in some of my songs, but not all. I am mostly uprgrading for the DRM-free aspect of it though.

 

[Mistershark]

I could definitely tell the difference in some older music such as Nat King Cole and the Beach Boys, but Coldplay is no better than before. I'm quite disappointed, though, as a few songs failed to download, and others refused to play with no hiccups. This makes me hesistant to update my iPod. Anyway, it just feels good to say "DRM-Free."

EDIT: The hiccups have stopped, phew.
EDIT2: I tried downloading the ones that failed again, and they downloaded fine. Double-phew.

 

[jdsam]

Has any one noticed how itunes recognizes which songs are upgradeable? The reason that i ask is since i have transfered purchased music between my two different libraries purchased music no longer shows up in the "purchased" playlist in itunes anymore. So, if itunes looks in that "purchased" playlist for music to upgrade to DRM-Free i have a a bit of a problem, i think. Alternatively, is there a way for me to move purchased music into that "purchased" playlist?

thanks j

 

[toomuchstereo]

I'm wondering what the actual Bit Rate is of the "Upgraded" songs. Standard iTunes fare is 128k I believe.

 

[arn]

I'm wondering what the actual Bit Rate is of the "Upgraded" songs. Standard iTunes fare is 128k I believe.

the DRM free songs are 256kbps

arn

 

[Krevnik]

I'm wondering what the actual Bit Rate is of the "Upgraded" songs. Standard iTunes fare is 128k I believe.

256kbit... Apple has stated this pretty clearly in their press releases/etc.

 

[iMeowbot]

Has any one noticed how itunes recognizes which songs are upgradeable?

The purchased status is in the iTunes database anyway (for example you can see it in the "kind" column when you look in the browser), so the automatic playlist isn't all that important.

If you would still like to recreate the playlist of your old purchased songs, you can make a smart playlist with the rule ‘kind contains Protected’. If you like, you can then drag those tracks to the original green Purchased playlist, or just refer to the smart list you just made.

For the new tracks, you can add a rule that looks for ‘kind contains Purchased’

 

[Nermal]

EDIT: The hiccups have stopped, phew.
EDIT2: I tried downloading the ones that failed again, and they downloaded fine. Double-phew.

Lucky! I've managed to download 3 tracks from a 20-track album since buying it 35 hours ago. It appears that Apple significantly underestimated the demand!

Edit: Finally successfully downloaded about 20 minutes ago.