Filed under: iTunes, Software Update
iTunes 6.0.2 does automatic video conversion without Quicktime Pro
Even more newness in that almost 19MB update to iTunes 6.0.2 this week: automatic conversion of your videos to play
on your iPod. Now you don't need any third party machinations or a license for Quicktime Pro to convert media for your
happy little video playing iPod!The conversion is fairly slow (about the same rate as Quicktime Pro) but is really quite handy. Simply open up the Videos section in iTunes, right click on the video you want to convert in your video playlist, and choose "Convert Selection for iPod". If the video is already compatible with your iPod, iTunes will tell you that it doesn't need to be converted.
Now if only I could do direct DVD to iPod inside iTunes. A girl can dream right?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
andy said 4:01PM on 1-11-2006
It's cool, but there's still a need for conversion software like ffmpeg or squint.. This will only convert video that will already play in iTunes... so no avi or DiVX, etc.
I doubt you'll ever be able to convert DVDs directly from iTunes... but I'm positive you'll be able to buy movies at the iTMS one day (hopefully soon).
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Matt said 4:03PM on 1-11-2006
Wow. I am falling in love with itunes a little bit. This is amazing.
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Abiel Jaquez said 4:26PM on 1-11-2006
I've discovered that iTunes 6.0.2 allows you to set video's "Kind" property to "TV Show" directly within iTunes. For some reason, you still cannot change the "Season," "Show," etc. properties though.
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Stephen W. Carson said 4:50PM on 1-11-2006
Maybe this is old news but I just noticed that when right-clicking on a music video purchased from the iTMS there is "Convert Selection to AAC" in the spot where "Convert Selection for iPod" is in the screenshot above. I tried it and, sure enough, I now have an audio track as well as the original video (which was unharmed in the making of the song file). Not having an ear for such things, I couldn't tell if the quality of the sound was degraded in the audio file.
What is the use? I have a 4G iPod, so the song I bought as a video was stuck on my computer until I figured this out (or decided to spend another $.99 on top of the $1.99 I had already spent on the video).
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sean said 5:12PM on 1-11-2006
Related to andy's message: if you can make a QuickTime reference file to the movie, then it will convert the referenced file.
I have placed a QT .mov reference file into my iTunes Library, which then allows the referenced DiVX file to play. When I right-click on that video and select "Convert Selection for iPod", it started the conversion process. It was a long video, and I let it go for about 5 minutes, and it started showing progress in the progress bar.
For info on creating reference movie files, see: in the comments area, there's a link to an Applescript named Movie2iTunes (be sure to get the non-growl enabled version if you don't use/have growl). Or, if you have QTPro, you can do it there.
Of course, to enable DiVX playback in QT, you'll need to download the DiVX plugin ().
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sean said 5:15PM on 1-11-2006
Okay, links didn't come through in the last message...
Movie2iTunes is on www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20051013124423475
DiVX plugin is at www.divx.com/divx/mac/
Sean
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Stephen Antonucci said 5:55PM on 1-12-2006
The new iTunes release 6.02 has yet another new improved feature. You can now adjust the Video Kind located under the Option Menu to include TV Shows. Before this release you where only allowed to change it to either Movie or Music Video. Only TV Shows bought from iTunes Music Store came with the Video Kind set to TV Shows.
This will now allow your videos to show up in iTunes and the iPod in the right category. Videos bought from iTunes Music Store come with the Video Kind locked so you can not change it.
Stephen Antonucci
www.reelsmart.com
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Rob said 4:25AM on 1-20-2006
They will show up under TV Shows in iTunes, but no such luck on the iPod. You'll find out. We're unable to populate the "Show" field. That's why.
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