iTunes is much more than a digital music jukebox. It's capable of handling many different tasks involving digital media. Some of iTunes' most popular features include buying music and vidoes online, burning CDs, and syncing files with your iPod or iPhone.

But one of the lesser known functions hidden within iTunes is the ability to convert audio files.

Why would you need to convert an audio file? Converting audio file types can be useful in many different situations. Here are a few examples:

• You have an AAC file in iTunes that's not compatible with your Zune that can play MP3 and not AAC files.
• A WAV file needs to be emailed to a client for approval but it's too big. You need to convert the file to an AAC so it's small enough to easily send via email.
• You are making a music video and want to use a song you got online as the soundtrack. However, the editing program won't import the song because it doesn't support MP3 or AAC.
• You need to remove the DRM (Digital Rights Management) from an AAC song you purchased from the iTunes Store (see step #7).
  

Many programs that convert audio files into different formats are pretty complicated and usually cost money. But not iTunes. iTunes is simple, fast and best of all... free.

Tutorial: Converting Audio File Formats in iTunes




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The biggest American reality show on TV has finally joined the iTunes platform. Fox Broadcasting, Fox Interactive Media and FremantleMedia signed an exclusive deal with Apple to bring American Idol audio and video performances to iTunes as single song-sized snippets available the day after they premiere on air.

Audio performances of the top 24 contenders run 99¢ per song, and videos of the top 12 finalists performances will be priced $1.99/each from March 11.

Apple will also become one of the show's premiere sponsors and maintain a branded presence on AmericanIdol.com, where some free streaming performances can be seen.

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Labels: Itunes, Music, TV

According to reports, Apple is close to announcing plans to make Fox and Disney movies available as online rentals via iTunes (US). Apple CEO Steve Jobs is likely saving the official announcement for his Macworld Expo keynote on Jan. 14.

Customers would pay a fee to download titles viewable on computers, iPods, iPhones and presumably Apple TV devices that would expire after a short window of time. Netflix, Amazon.com and Blockbuster's Movielink are competitors in this space.

Wal-Mart, however, has thrown in the towel. Wal-Mart.com quietly pulled the plug on its video download service late last month as Hewlett Packard decided to discontinue the back-office technology that powered it. The service, popular with studios because it offered variable pricing, struggled with compatibility issues. Wal-Mart downloads could not be burned to DVDs or watched on video iPods.


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AT&T is making Napster's entire music catalog (5 million songs) available for direct-to-mobile purchase in mid-November via a new service called Napster Mobile. While not compatible with the iPhone, the catalog will be accessible via AT&T's network for the price of $1.99/song or 5 tracks for $7.49.

Matchbox Twenty's new album "Exile on Mainstream" will kick off the service.


Two things strike me as odd about this deal:

1. It's kind of weird that AT&T didn't try to integrate any music system on their phones with iTunes. They already have a pretty solid relationship with Apple. In the US, AT&T is the only approved mobile carrier for the iPhone.
   
   
2. When it comes to music, are people really ready to leave their iPods behind and just use their phones? Maybe if you have an iPhone, otherwise, probably not. The media player built into my brand new BlackBerry Curve sucks so bad that I just bought an iPod Touch.
   

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With the impending release of The Darjeeling Limited, Wes Anderson (Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou) fans everywhere can get a taste of what's to come with his short film Hotel Chevalier.



The 13-minute short film is a prequel for Darjeeling stars Natalie Portman and Jason Schwartzman who play estranged lovers that meet one last time. Hotel Chevalier is a free download on iTunes (US).

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Labels: Itunes, Movies

According to Billboard magazine, a deal to make The Beatles' back catalogue available for sale online with iTunes is "virtually settled."

Paul McCartney told Billboard, "I don't want to pre-empt anything, but we're well on the way to something happening there, which is very exciting."

Some reports say McCartney is rumored to be making over £200 million from the deal.

Efforts to clear The Beatles' music for digital distribution have been previously held up by a long-running feud between Apple Inc and The Beatles' label, Apple Corps. Both sides finally settled the dispute in February, paving the way for distribution via iTunes and other digital retailers.

McCartney is doing a press tour for his new album, "Memory Almost Full," his first to be made available for download and streaming on PCs and mobile phones. The album is due June 5 on Starbucks' new Hear Music label. Starbucks previously announced that the McCartney album will be available on its Hear Music section of Apple's iTunes Store.

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Last week Sony Pictures Television made its programming available for the first time in Apple's iTunes Store (US).

Episodes from current shows "'Til Death" and "Rules of Engagement" as well as from classic series including "Starsky & Hutch," "Charlie's Angels," and "NewsRadio" were added to iTunes' offerings for $1.99 each.

Season 1 from Spiderman, the animated series, was also added to iTunes. The series features Neil Patrick Harris (Starship Troopers, Doogie Howser), Ian Ziering (Beverly Hills 90210) and singer-songwriter Lisa Loeb.

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We've all seen the EQ setting in iTunes, but not many of us know exactly how to use it to its full potential. In this article, Rich Tozzoli, Senior Editor of Surround Professional Magazine breaks each EQ slider down and helps you get the most out of your music.


Tutorial: Demystifing the EQ sliders in iTunes


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Thinking about upgrading to Microsoft's new operating system Vista? If you own an iPod, you might want to hold off on Vista... at least for now. Last week, Apple posted a warning on their website stating that customers using Windows Vista may experience compatibility issues with iTunes.

According to Apple, the latest version of iTunes (7.0.2) may work with Windows Vista on many typical PCs, but don't be surprised if it doesn't work and messes up your iPod in the process. Apple advices Windows users to wait and not install Vista until after the next release of iTunes. A new version of iTunes should be released sometime this or next month. If you've already upgraded to Vista and are having problems with iTunes, you might want to check out a utility called iTunes Repair Tool for Vista.

Apple has already identified several Vista compatibility issues with iTunes 7.0.2 and earlier. Here are some of the most common problems:

• iTunes Store purchases may not play when upgrading to Windows Vista from Windows 2000 or XP
  
  
• Cover Flow animation may be slower than expected
  
  
• Contacts and calendars will not sync with iPod
  
  
• iPod models with the “Enable Disk Use” option turned off may be unable to update or restore iPod software, and make changes to iPod settings
  
  
• iPod models configured to Auto Sync and have the “Enable Disk Use” option turned off may require being ejected and reconnected to resync
  
  
• Ejecting an iPod from the Windows System Tray using the “Safely Remove Hardware” feature may corrupt your iPod. To always safely eject an iPod, choose Eject iPod from the Controls menu within iTunes

If you really can't wait to install Vista, Apple suggests you consider the following precautions:

• Users should deauthorize all iTunes Store accounts, enable Disk Use on all iPod models, uninstall iTunes and perform a clean install of Windows Vista (Highly recommended but not required).
  
  
• They should then proceed to reinstall the latest version of iTunes, open iTunes and choose Authorize Computer from the Store menu in iTunes.
  
  
• A customer who has upgraded to Windows Vista and is still experiencing issues playing iTunes Store purchases should download the iTunes Repair Tool from Apple.com

Adam Anderson, a spokesperson for Microsoft's Windows division, said the company did not believe iTunes users "should stop using Vista for these reasons." He also said that Microsoft has a dedicated team working with Apple on getting iTunes running smoothly on Vista, and it will keep at it "until they have the program running to the quality level they're shooting for... We are also committed to ensuring that all partners, including Apple, receive all the resources they need to ensure that their applications work with Windows Vista," he said.

Apple has sold more than 90 million iPods since the product was first announced in October 2001.

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The iTunes Music Store has released a FREE 25 minute "mix tape" track. The folks at iTunes have declared November to be "Hip/Hop History Month" and are offering this track to help celebrate. This will be the first completely legal mixtape. Apple is also offering the individual tracks that inspired the mixtape for sale.

For now on, each month DJ Big Young will release a new STREET OFFICIAL MIXTAPE comprised of Hip/Hop music sold in the iTunes Music Store. You can download the free November 2004 Mixtape Volume #1 here.

Labels: apple, Ipod, Itunes