[faramirtook]

iTunes 4.8


Not in Software Update yet, or so I think.

It finally shows the artwork of the playing song, not the selected one, and there's a mysterious button that I have not figured out what it does yet.

[HOM]

First of all, you have been able to toggle between selected song and currently playing song by clicking the text area.

Second, the new button is supposedly for playing videos full screen now that iTunes can now play and organize videos.

[sunrain]

I'm not showing it in Software Update either, but I went to the downloads section of Apple's site and I'm downloading the dmg as I type.

iTunes 4.8

[sunrain]

From the dmg readme file:

What's new in iTunes 4.8 iTunes 4.8 includes new Music Store features and support for transferring contacts and calendars from your computer to your iPod (requires Mac OS X version 10.4 on your computer).

[sunrain]

Originally Posted by HOM Second, the new button is supposedly for playing videos full screen now that iTunes can now play and organize videos.

Yup.

[torifile]

I don't like this. iTunes was great because it did one thing and it did it well. I hated that it was the conduit for photo syncing and now it's got videos too? Appealing to the lowest common denominator (those computer users who LIKE WMP).

I hope Apple doesn't go too far afield with this insanity.

[sunrain]

I guess my most optimistic self says that they're setting themselves up to split iTunes into two separate programs down the road; one for audio and one for video. After all, calling iTunes by its name will get a bit ridiculous before too long if they add much more video functionality.

[LAmezq3984]

they fixed the album art glitch in 4.7.

[meowza]

Originally Posted by sunrain I guess my most optimistic self says that they're setting themselves up to split iTunes into two separate programs down the road; one for audio and one for video. After all, calling iTunes by its name will get a bit ridiculous before too long if they add much more video functionality.

I'd agree/hope so as well. I mean what's the point of having the Artist and Album categories for a video? Unless we are only talking about music videos here...which brings up a whole new question.

[meowza]

Try dragging a PDF into iTunes 4.8, you get a little book next to the name. How many things can iTunes handle now?

[dviant]

I haven't dl'd it yet, but now it can manage videos and PDFs too?? That's odd. Especially since iPhoto can also handle video (from my camera at least). It's all so hodgepodge and redundant and neither of the names now really fit exactly what the app does. Seems like a split and/or rename are inevitable.

Video in iPhoto concept at least makes some sense being that apps focus is "all things camera related". iTunes was pretty much "all things iPod related" but now it's hard to say. Seems like a poorly thought-out transition of what iTunes + iPod + movies could/will become. Will be interesting to see how this shakes out.

[julesstoop]

iTunes has been able to handle PDF for a while now. Usefull for adding album art but especially lyrics or music notation to a song.

[nato64]

iTunes/iMedia/iAwesomeness or whatever it is now seems to clue into iPods being video capable. my prediction: all iPods get color screen and photo/video capabilities in the next revision.

i like it.

[torifile]

Originally Posted by nato64 iTunes/iMedia/iAwesomeness or whatever it is now seems to clue into iPods being video capable. my prediction: all iPods get color screen and photo/video capabilities in the next revision. i like it.

I don't think it's a coincidence that you like the idea of a kitchen sink approach to iTunes and that you also like Mail 2. Interesting....

[Nick]

Looks like iTunes is slowly being preped for the iTunes Video Store?

You can now organize and play a library of video clips right inside iTunes!!

http://playlistmag.com/features/2005...es48/index.php
(Link Fixed, weird how it brought up MS before?)


Of course this would mean that a iPod Video would be on the way too?

Given all the hardware updates recently and Tiger what else is it that will wow the audience at WWDC?

[Wickers]

Your link is busted (you have one too many 'http://' in there) and it takes me to www.microsoft.com when it fails at pulling up a page.
LOLLERSKATES!

[sunrain]

There's already a thread covering a lot of the same topic discussion. I feel the urge for a merge?

http://forums.applenova.com/showthread.php?t=6635

[BlueRabbit]

Well, I think as long as the new video/whatever features don't mess up iTunes' current functionality/simplicity, it shouldn't be too much of a issue. The problem is, it's going to be near impossible to do that.

Right now, it seems as though iTunes is taking over iSync's functionality - I bet iSync will disappear soon, with its functionality going to iTunes. This will make it a lot simpler to transfer music to the Motorola iTunes phone and whatnot.

Also, it's really weird how iTunes can play a movie full screen, when Quicktime can't to the same thing on the same movie.

[FFL]

Originally Posted by sunrain There's already a thread covering a lot of the same topic discussion. I feel the urge for a merge? http://forums.applenova.com/showthread.php?t=6635

good idea - DONE

[Nick]

It's about the future iTunes Video Store. On demand video in H.264, own your TV shows like the DVD sets you can buy, feature length films buy or rent (ala iTunes music videos that you can't save even with QT Pro) with the full screen functionality now there.

Of course this means DRM for video and deals with the motion picture and TV industies.


Also, it's really weird how iTunes can play a movie full screen, when Quicktime can't to the same thing on the same movie.

--- Again this is pointing to consumer oriented video. Quicktime Pro is for professionals and can play full screen. This is for consumers that will pay in other ways (for content)??

Why else would they add videos to iTunes? As everyone is pointing out this redundant in many ways other than if you could download content. I mean think about it: you can listen to mp3s with quicktime (This used to be ~the only way), but you can not buy iTMS music with quicktime. Of course there is the organizational aspects but that would mean that Jobs has seen the value of having a video library which would then get back buying clips and maybe even carrying them around with you. iPod Video

[BuonRotto]

Good point about the transition from QT Player being the catch-all to iTunes apparently assuming this role to some extent. Another way of looking at it may be that iTunes is increasingly replacing iSync.

I understand why Apple is doing this since iTunes is a trojan horse in some respects. Still, I'm quite ambivalent at best because as others have said, I like the do-one-thing-but-do-it-well approach. I suppose if Apple gets enough clout and brand loyalty out of iTunes, especially on Windows, it may open the door to more devices than just iPods. That in turn may justify eventually reversing the trend and making more specialized apps for movies and/or photos that are akin to iTunes and the iTMS, or spun off from them. At least I hope.

[Robo]

I don't think it's bad that iTunes can play video files now. I mean, it'd be nice to organize video files and the like, and having a "music playing app" and a similair "video playing app" seems a bit excessive.

It does make an iTunes Movie Store seem more likely, though. I mean, I'm pretty sure it's coming, but now we know it'll be through iTunes and not some other, thoroughly unnecessary app.

I think that the "iTunes" moniker seems a bit odd, now that it also plays videos, but I don't think there'd be much of a point to change it now. Plus, "iMedia" sucks. "iTunes" is catchy.

I hope for a video store before too long, and for the mythical iPod video, as well, but whoever said video playback across the board in the 5G iPod is kidding themselves. If the iPod does eventually get video playback, it'll be in a special model with a larger form factor (and pricetag).

[Nick]

Originally Posted by BuonRotto Another way of looking at it may be that iTunes is increasingly replacing iSync.

But, that not necessarily the wrong way to go. Think about this the other way around, from the device perspective. Where do you distinguish one type of device from another. Are you going to have separate apps for the iPod Video, iPod Phone (with a camera of course). As someone already pointed out you can capture video (and audio by the way) with a still camera and vise versa with a video camera caputuring stills. A phone can be an organizer, still camera, video camera, audio recording device and a phone with contacts to be synced as well. And with the storage / tranportation / video, audio player aspect of the i-Devices it's even less clear where to distinguish.

From the content perspective are you really going to want a separate app for viewing the music video of a song as opposed to the song itself. Isn't this kind of artificial (in this case at least)? Or for that matter have to buy them with two separate apps from different online stores? How about also buying Srgt Peppers Lonely Heartsclub band the movie at the same time at the album. Or the sound track to Lost in Translation when you buy the movie and get 10% off when bought together?

[Paul]

What is missing from this image?


There is a deliberate space between the "video" badge and the end of the name column. Just enough space for one of those iTMS arrows. Before the update those arrows were there regardless of the type of the file and just did a manual iTMS search from the title (and other tags, if available). Something is definitely brewing.

Also, it seems only .mov files will work in iTunes, I have a bunch of .mpg movies in iTunes (GI JOE! PSA), but I have to change the extensions to .mov for them to display. Annoying.

[Brad]

And why is this in Speculation when it's publicly available? Moving to Apple Products.

[Nick]

The merits of the product are different than the implication on future products. There are clear implications as to all sorts of things to come with this minor update. I'm not quite sure why they merged in the first place. Oh well.

[Nick]

Originally Posted by Paul What is missing from this image? There is a deliberate space between the "video" badge and the end of the name column. Just enough space for one of those iTMS arrows. Before the update those arrows were there regardless of the type of the file and just did a manual iTMS search from the title (and other tags, if available). Something is definitely brewing. Also, it seems only .mov files will work in iTunes, I have a bunch of .mpg movies in iTunes (GI JOE! PSA), but I have to change the extensions to .mov for them to display. Annoying.

Very interesting. More interesting that the iTMS link isn't there yet. Clearly it will be someday otherwise they wouldn't be offset. I think we can see something come of this at WWDC.

Notice also that the Read me file that accompanies the installer, it notes very undescriptively that iTunes 4.8 "includes new Music Store features" What are these features currently. I mean the video stuff so far is not "Music Store" just new features.

Also .mov is what apple is using for H.264 samples it has posted. Clearly only accepting only one type of extention implies that there is a specific purpose to this whole move to video. i.e. it is designed to accept .mov content as a standard file type from some future source. If they were really thinking about helping us organize our videos they would accept .mpg etc. especially since apparently it is capable of playing these (if you change the extension).

[Paul]

The iTMS is now selling videos.
http://apple.slashdot.org/apple/05/0...?tid=176&tid=3
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/M...mId=52656 014
whats more is that the video badge is not offset in the iTMS version... so chances are that the offset in the library is deliberate and not a bug.

[Nick]

Ahah,

So technically we were right to assume they were going to sell videos from iTMS. However I think this is just the tip of the iceberg. It almost seems like an accidental exposure of this feature. Apparently you can buy them now but the 0:00 min thing seems like an error that would pop up in an unintentional listing.

Interestingly they do not transfer to a current iPod but they show up in playlists intermixed with songs. Playlists of course are used to determine which songs will be transfered to an iPod.

I still see an iPod Video coming!!!

[nato64]

Originally Posted by torifile I don't think it's a coincidence that you like the idea of a kitchen sink approach to iTunes and that you also like Mail 2. Interesting....

HAHA i should start a thread of the things i DON'T like about apple lol.

does anyone sense that iTunes 5 could be this magical update? we are WAY overdue for a major update of iTunes...