What is iTunes sound? What is iTunes and how to use it
iTunes provides access to the company's online iTunes Store, allowing you to make purchases and rent movies. One of interesting features player is the Genius function, which analyzes the user’s media library and suggests, based on his preferences, songs and films in iTunes Store.
iTunes is compatible with everyone existing models iPod, iPhone, iPad and Apple TV. The player can be used to stream video files (including HDTV) and create a home collection (providing access to it from various devices, included in the “home” network), including both audio and video files, and photographs.
Functions
- Navigation by multimedia library, letter-by-letter search, data presentation in the form of a list of songs or albums, grid, Cover Flow.
- Organization media library (multimedia library), creating playlists, smart playlists, folders.
- Genius - iTunes service Store, which creates playlists and mixes of matching songs and makes recommendations based on songs in your iTunes library.
- Editing song metadata, such as “author”, “composer”, “cover”, etc.
- Record And import compositions from CDs.
- Playback music, movies, podcasts, multi-band equalizer, visualizer, mini-player mode.
- Purchase compositions in the company's online store.
- Synchronization from iPod, iPhone, iPad and Apple TV.
- General access- allows you to open access to the music library and listen to music from other music libraries in local network via DAAP protocol
Media library
Users must store their movies, music, clips, etc. in a personal iTunes library, which they can assign independently in the player settings.
Music
By default, iTunes uses music in AAC format, 256 kbps. This is the format in which all songs purchased through the iTunes Store are supplied. However, the built-in encoder can be configured for MP3 as well. In this case, for example, songs from CDs can be saved in MP3, AAC, Apple Lossless, AIFF, WAV formats. Optionally, playback of files in the Ogg Vorbis format is supported; the XiphQT codec can be installed independently by downloading from the official website of the Xiph.Org foundation.
Until December 2008, music purchased from the iTunes Store had a built-in protection mechanism and could not be transcoded to other formats regular means. But in December 2008 Apple of the Year announced the iTunes Plus standard, in which it removed copy protection and increased the quality of songs. On this moment All 6 million tracks in the iTunes Store have been converted to iTunes Plus format. Users who previously purchased protected songs can convert them to iTunes Plus format for free.
Movies
On May 9, 2005, a version was presented iTunes programs 4.8, which introduced video support. Users could copy their movies and clips to their iTunes library.
On October 12, 2005, when iTunes 6 was released, the first videos appeared in the iTunes Store: clips and TV shows. As of September 5, 2007, the iTunes Store features more than 550 TV shows and more than 70 films. Videos purchased through the iTunes Store are typically encoded at 540 kbps in the protected MPEG-4 (H.264) format and have a 128 kbps AAC audio track.
iTunes supports videos in QuickTime, MP4, 3gp and other formats.
TV shows
You can buy TV shows and series and watch them on your PC, Mac, Apple TV, iPod, iPhone or iPad.
Podcasts
There are audio and video podcasts (see: podcasting). Podcasts are distributed both free and with a fee.
Radio
You can listen to any of hundreds of online radio stations. This requires a stable Internet connection at a speed of 56 kbps (at least 128 kbps is recommended).
Audiobooks
Version 8.1.1.10 introduced the function of viewing audiobooks as music - by genre and artist.
iTunes Home Sharing
iTunes Store
iTunes Store is an online store for distributing digital audio, video, gaming media content, mobile applications and books. The store is accessed from the interactive shell of the iTunes browser.
Criticism
- In iTunes, as a media library, it is possible to group recordings by any parameter - artist, year, genre, etc., as in other programs of a similar class, such as MediaMonkey or Winamp, but the iTunes media library is not able to track changes in file system, and if the files were deleted or moved, the library will either have to be created anew, accepting the loss of some information, or used third party utilities (this limitation relevant only for Windows). However, if you enable the appropriate feature, iTunes allows you to automatically copy files to the program folder when you add them to your library.
- With the completion of any transaction (for example, downloading free content, automatic search album covers, creating a home library between computers) is activated by DRM. In total, according to official documentation, it is possible to carry out five bindings of one account to various computers. Possible so-called deactivating the computer, then activation is restored and the “counter” of bindings increases by 1. However, in case of fatal OS failures Windows activation“burn out” without the possibility of recovery, which over time can lead to blocking of the user’s account. There is an option to reset all links (performed from one of the linked accounts), but it can only be used once a year, which may not be enough.
- Inability to select folders monitored by the player.
Version history
Apple regularly updates iTunes, trying to keep up with the latest trends in the world of multimedia entertainment. Currently the most relevant iTunes version is version 11.0.1.12, with support for a wide variety of devices, including the company's latest developments - iPad 3 and iPhone 5, Apple TV (2012).
Links
- Official page (English)
- Official page (Russian)
And I decided to watch a couple of films on it. You have to use it, otherwise it will gather dust again.
I went to the iTunes Store. I rented two films that I had been wanting to see for a long time.
The iPad offered to start playing immediately without waiting for loading. Great! I poured out the popcorn, poured the coffee, inserted the AirPods and pressed Play.
Was sent.
Once again. Many different times until both films disappeared from the library - due to the end of the rental period.
Thank you, Apple.
Why rent movies at all?
If you can rent a movie on iTunes, it's trivial cheaper.
Admit it, you don’t want to watch most films a second time. Blockbusters, thrillers, comedies - many of them are enough for just one viewing. This is fine.
If you like the movie so much that you want to watch it again and again, then buy it forever, no question. But most often rental helps spend less money for the same thing. By at least, this is how I motivate myself by clicking on the button in the iTunes Store.
Example? "All the Money in the World": 449 rub. per purchase, 199 rub. for rental. Save 250 rubles per viewing.
Or here "Murder in Orient Express» : 399 rub. per purchase, 199 rub. for rent. Saving 200 rubles. It’s like a penny, but in percentage terms it’s half as much.
At the same time, the quality of picture and sound in films rented does not differ from those purchased. So in theory, rental on iTunes is very pleasing.
It’s just implemented in such a way that you don’t want to use it.
What is the difference between renting an iTunes movie and simply purchasing it?
All movies on iTunes are sold with FairPlay DRM protection. That is, you can only play them in iTunes for Mac and Windows, as well as in the built-in iOS video player, where they are added automatically after purchase.
To play, you must be logged in to the same Apple account ID from which the purchase was made. In the case of Mac and PC, you need to additionally authorize the device in iTunes.
All this leads to the fact that you won’t be able to download a movie, throw it on an Android smartphone or throw it to your friends, regardless of piracy laws (ouch). For us lovers Apple gadgets, It's not a problem. There is Apple TV, iPad, iPhone, the same MacBook, where you can play a purchased movie once or twice.
With rentals, everything is a little more complicated.
iTunes movie rentals have more stringent play rules. For example, they have a built-in timer that prevents them from starting after the rental period has expired. There are additional restrictions on interacting with the video and audio stream. You can't watch one such film from several Apple devices simultaneously.
Until the middle of last year, Apple did not allow you to watch rented films on any of its devices other than the one from which the rental was paid for. After the first launch, the film was deleted after 24 hours, that is, there was exactly a day to complete the viewing.
It’s good that these restrictions have been relaxed.
Why pay for movies at all?
This is where I step into a minefield, because I'm sure most of you instinctively don't pay for digital versions of TV shows and movies. This is the sad Russian reality, in which the idea don't pay for someone else's work considered normal.
Yes, I pay for movies. For TV series too. Let their creators earn billions, and my measly two hundred rubles will dissolve in them. But I supported them with a ruble, got acquainted with the product and got my hour or two of entertainment. This is an equal exchange.
Behind each film there are hundreds, and sometimes thousands of people - all of them also want to make money. Just like you and me. Many of the harsh and unpleasant restrictions in the world of digital properties began as methods of combating piracy, not out of the greed of studios and distributors.
Besides, I love good high-quality Dolby sound, which is easy to appreciate even in AirPods, not to mention home theater. And I also prefer original audio track, because Russian dubbing is most often offered in dull stereo. Not to mention the fact that the dubbing itself and its voices always leave much to be desired.
In the iTunes Store, movies in 95% of cases have the original multi-channel soundtrack and good subtitles for those films where words in another language are difficult to comprehend by ear. Switching all this is convenient in the built-in player, it takes two seconds.
So, in terms of playing movies, there are no complaints about Apple - everything is really convenient. But according to mechanics it is rental makes you suffer so that sometimes you wonder.
Why do I pay for rentals and suffer?
From the moment of payment, a 30-day period begins, after which the film is deleted from the devices and is no longer available. You have to buy it again.
If you start playback (iTunes prompts you to do so immediately), the retention period is reduced to 48 hours. There are two days left to watch the film. Not much, but it should be enough unless something unexpected happens in life.
Apple is logically not interested in or concerned with the problems of our lives. But what about her own mistakes?
So here's my situation. There is an iPad and two movies rented from iTunes.
I put both on download. It's indecently slow. After 40 minutes, the files are downloaded at 5-6% each, although the Internet at home is 60 Mbit/sec. Okay, I won't wait, I'll start playing. iTunes warns that the movie will be deleted after 2 days. I agree.
And then it pops up error:
To play a movie via AirPlay, it must be fully downloaded.
I'm confused because the iPad only has AirPods connected. I knock them out. Same error again.
Now I'm confused. At this download speed, the movie will only be downloaded by tomorrow morning. OK, let’s say I’ll watch it in the evening, just in time before it’s automatically deleted.
I'm trying to watch my second rental movie with my AirPods turned off. I get exactly the same error. And a timer started for 48 hours.
I'm already angry because I have two films that are impossible to watch now, but they swing terribly slowly. I leave the iPad and do other things in the hope that everything will be downloaded during this time.
That evening I pick up my tablet and see a happy message:
I open “Video”, and indeed, both films are not loaded at all. I try to launch any, I get the same AirPlay error. I reboot the iPad, kick the AirPort router, and set it to download again. I go to bed.
Watching a movie from an iPhone is not at all the same, but you don’t have a Mac at hand. After a dozen attempts to fix something, I give up this useless task, because time is more valuable.
In the evening of the second day both films are removed from my library. I couldn't watch any of them.
Morality? Let’s compare my experience with those who don’t worry and watch movies on the Internet. Free, not entirely legal.
The result? I wasted 450 rubles, wasted time and nerves. Because I wanted the filmmakers to have my two cents. Because I wanted to support what Apple itself and the distributors are mercilessly fighting for.
The end of the story is predictable. I ended up watching both films. With crappy sound and a slightly worse picture, but fast, convenient and easy.
It's very sad that movie piracy is more respectful of your time than the most famous digital store films in the world. Apple, what the hell.
So be careful with your rental. It could be pain
From the very beginning website opposes piracy in any of its manifestations. Good creativity and work in any form must be paid if you want to get acquainted with it.
But the fact that Apple doesn’t bother with a bunch of shortcomings and errors in its own video rental service is not at all encouraging.
Okay, I threw money away, even if it was small. I'll survive. Only another person will look at this tin and decide: oh come on. And he’ll go watch repressed “rips” on sites with porn advertising. One-zero is not in favor of the law and simple respect for the work of other people.
Draw whatever conclusions you want, but I’m done with renting on iTunes for now. A it's a pity. And this is indicative of everything that is now being done in Cupertino.
One of the main advantages of Apple products is the versatility and portability of their devices. The developers have made sure that users can easily synchronize their iPhone with their computer using a program such as iTunes. This application allows you to transfer and edit media files. It is quite easy to use, since iTunes is equipped with a wide range of convenient functions. All that remains is to figure out how to connect and register with iTunes.
iTunes is not just a utility or add-on, but rather a huge media combine that includes a user store of music, movies, books and many other useful things. Have an extensive base for modern iPhone or an iPad is a very necessary solution. In addition, it is not necessary to purchase paid content: the essence of the store is not at all in the sales and distribution of media files (although this is important for developers), but in the complete or maximum possible disposal of pirated copies and fakes. This desire is completely justified and, naturally, brings certain benefits.
Multifunctional and intuitive clear interface iTunes saves user time
iTunes is a file sharing intermediary between PC and mobile device user who provides the ability to sort by in the right order videos, photos, audio files on storage media, play music and videos directly on your computer. All such operations with a PC cannot be done without connecting to this program. Additionally, iTunes is required to activate Apple devices.
Connecting an iTunes account
For inexperienced users Apple devices there are many questions about how to register in iTunes without credit card. It's actually simple:
Device registration
Final stage iTunes installations allows you to immediately launch the application
Setting synchronization options between PC and tablet
After the above manipulations, the data is transited, and iTunes services become available to the user.
Why iTunes may freeze when syncing with an Apple device
There may be several reasons:
You can fix the problem by updating the application version, disabling automatic synchronization and checking your PC for malware.
The program has a bunch of disadvantages, at first glance. Why is it useful on Windows, for example? There is a possibility that it will freeze on this system. But if you think about it, not everything is so critical. The user is not deprived of the opportunity to connect the device to a computer and manage their files and media via Wi-Fi. And, most importantly, do it without extra costs time to search and install drivers. From this perspective, iTunes takes on a completely different status.
Why register with iTunes: the benefits of joining
We list the main functions that this application is designed to perform:
The program's capabilities are extensive, which is one of its advantages. Everything is aimed solely at simplifying the process of synchronization and “communication” between devices.
Where to download and how to use iTunes on a computer
You can download and install the program on your PC from the official Apple website. At the first launching iTunes creates a media library, the placement of files of which is chosen by the user himself. Subsequently, several media libraries can be used at once, if this is convenient for the user when synchronizing his iPhone and iPad. Any files from your computer are loaded into the media library. It doesn't matter how they got there: from iTunes store or some other way. Please note that some files will not be displayed. This means the file format is invalid. More precisely, the device simply does not support this format. The solution to the problem is to install special application, which will work with a similar format.
Synchronizing iPhone, iPad, iPod with iTunes: step-by-step instructions
To set up synchronization of your smartphone with iTunes you need to:
In the future, the application will already know what is stored on your device, i.e. consistency between the device and the PC has been established. You can disable synchronization with iTunes, as well as notification sounds (ringing sound), at any convenient time.
What does it mean to rent a movie on iTunes?
Once you've signed up for iTunes, you can rent movies from the iTunes Store. You can play video files on any of the available Apple devices. The rental period is limited to 30 calendar days. However, if you start playing the file, the rental option expires exactly one day later, after which the video is deleted from your library.
How to sync music and photos on your computer and phone
You can transfer any file to your iPhone, but you can’t open it. However, after defining the device in the program, it can be used as a flash card.
iTunes lets you send all your files at once to a selected device
In addition, you can send music and movies all at once, rather than selectively. To do this, you need to select the necessary items in the “Music” and “Movies” tabs, respectively. This must be done after all processes in the program have completed.
Picture quality for 1080p movies Apple, stands up to the highest resolution consumer Blu-Ray Disc format available today.
According to Ars Technica, despite the significantly smaller file size, 1080p movies from iTunes have good quality Compared to the Blu-Ray format at an identical level, they demonstrate excellent clarity and color saturation.
The test was conducted using still and moving images from the movie 30 Days of Night, which was played on Dell monitor U2312HM with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. The film was downloaded to MacBook Air from iTunes, the laptop was connected to the monitor via DisplayPort, and the Panasonic DMP-BD65 served as a “testing ground” for the Blu-Ray version of the film.
The size of the download from iTunes was 3.62 GB, it included sound Dolby Digital 5.1 and stereo AAC track. The Blu-Ray Disc version is 50 GB, adding a DTS-HD option to standard sound Dolby Digital 5.1. The disc also includes special video and other features. additional functions.
The results of the test indicate that the H.264 compressed media file from iTunes is close in image sharpness to Blu-Ray, although in scenes with a lot of detail, anti-aliasing provides a softer picture. In general, the differences are noticeable only if viewed from a very close distance and compare each pixel - from a normal viewing distance the differences are not noticeable.
Color is another highlight that iTunes media boasts, showing a good level of saturation and accuracy compared to the Blu-Ray version. It should be noted here that all the most modern displays capable of reproducing color scheme Blu-Ray discs, so this test does not have the same great importance.
One of the areas where Blu-Ray beats out its iTunes competitor is contrast—encoded video exhibits limitations at the extreme ends of the spectrum. However, in the above images, the brightest parts of them look good, but the small nuances and shadows in the Apple video lose. Video compression is often limited to the visible spectrum to save space, and iTunes products use this.
Another space-saving feature is the smoothing out of grain and noise - these are factors a "large" Blu-Ray movie doesn't need to worry about, so when panning frames or highly detailed scenes Apple version looks more grainy. Unlike photography, where noise is generally an undesirable factor, grain in moving images is a factor in films that makes them look more like an "old movie."
Achilles heel most compressed formats Video is characterized by smooth color transitions, and the H.264 format is no exception in this regard. In the Blu-Ray version, the cloudy night sky looks natural, with smooth transitions colors, without stripes and spots with clear boundaries. In the iTunes copy, banding appears due to large "steps" between gradients, which ideally should change smoothly.
Overall, despite some shortcomings, the new 1080p format for iTunes users looks good and seems reasonable to use, especially considering that it saves a lot of space and eliminates the need for physical media.