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Apple Releases Major iTunes Update

shunnicutt writes "Apple has released iTunes 4.5 (and iPod software 2.2 and QuickTime 6.5.1) and relaxed some iTunes Music Store restrictions: now tracks you purchased can be authorized to play on up to five other computers, instead of three. However, they reduced the number of times you can burn a playlist to an audio CD from ten to seven. Another new feature is iMix, which allows you to publish playlists on iTMS, including comments on each track. The iTMS also offers a weekly free single for download." crazney adds "This release also changes their network sharing protocol in a way that breaks the open source iTunes sharing applications that have been released (based on my work on iTunes 4.2's DRM)." kefoo writes "Among the new features is Apple Lossless Encoding, which claims to compress losslessly to half the size of uncompressed CD quality audio." Hm, and I was about to re-rip all my CDs at 320 kbps MP3 ... Update: 04/28 14:56 GMT by P : I just tested, and I can listen to previously de-DRM'd AAC files from playfair, but I cannot use either playfair or FairTunes any longer. The former "Couldn't get DRM key for user," and the latter produces a blank file.

15 of 910 comments (clear)

  1. Global Compression Format War by seanadams.com · · Score: 4, Funny

    I asked my G5 to play itself at a game of "Global Compression Format War". It started by launching a powerful attack out of Germany, targetting every continent simultaneously. Then Washington fired back at Germany, and within a few months OSS bases around the world joined the fray. The record industry suffered heavy casualties, but just as things were looking really grim, a coordinated nerve gas attack on their behlf, out of California, neutralized their enemies... but only temporarily. Norway distributed a powerful antidote... the secret formula was banned in the US though, so manufacturing was moved to India. And on it went with this simulation... util after exhausting every possible scenario, it concluded:

    "The only winning move is not to play."

    Can't way to see how Apple tried to lock people in to a lossless format... best of luck to you guys, and have fun pissing away your resources on this stupid game.

  2. OK... by Short+Circuit · · Score: 5, Funny

    Apple Lossless Encoding

    So let's bring out the ALE and get drunk celebrating. ;)

  3. Re:iTunes 4.5 is a screen hog by lacrymology.com · · Score: 4, Funny

    "nefarious Jobsian plot to make us buy those gigantic cinema displays"

    As with many things in life (bigger budgets/more expenses, bigger houses/more junk), the bigger your screen gets, the more apps you will run... thus nullifying the larger screen's real-estate.
    -m

    --

    #
    # Modus Ponens
    #
  4. Re: losslessly to half the size of uncompressed CD by seanadams.com · · Score: 5, Funny

    can't you get that kind of compression(get 40mb wav into 20mb file) with just zip&others

    Absolutely, for WAV files which are half silence.

  5. Re:Missing: Basic Features by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Is that real Queueing, or a workaround?

    Ummm...does it matter? What constitutes "real Queueing" for you? It fuckin queues a track. Sounds real enough to me.

  6. Re:This whole limit of computers... by SydShamino · · Score: 4, Funny

    There is no noticeable sound degradation reripping at 160k MP3.

    At least not to me, a mere mortal. Perhaps an audio god could detect a difference. But they wouldn't recompress anyway - they'd store them all as uncompressed raw audio after hand-ripping them from the original masters they borrowed from the publisher.

    --
    It doesn't hurt to be nice.
  7. Re:iTunes 4.5 is a screen hog by kfg · · Score: 5, Funny

    . . .bigger budgets/more expenses, bigger houses/more junk. . .

    May I humbly offer the suggestion that you acquire Self-Restraint 1.0?

    It's free.

    KFG

  8. Re:Slight change in the rules... by Chazmyrr · · Score: 5, Funny

    "I am altering the deal. Pray I don't alter it any further."

  9. Re:iTunes 4.5 is a screen hog by darc · · Score: 5, Funny

    >May I humbly offer the suggestion that you acquire Self-Restraint 1.0?
    >It's free.
    >KFG

    Free as in beer? Or Free as in speech?

    Sorry, I couldn't RESIST.

    --
    Tired of legitimate data sources? Try UNCYCLOPEDIA
  10. Re:Apple lossless by stere0 · · Score: 3, Funny

    The extension for the lossless codec is .m4a (yes I checked), these are two short sample files (440 Hz, 1s).

    They're right, it's lossless, I can't tell the difference between the two! :p

    --
    Trollem mirabilem hanc subnotationis exigiutas non caperet
  11. Re:iTunes 4.5 is a screen hog by eyeye · · Score: 2, Funny

    Additionally, the app now also features a cool track melding feature


    Yeah but you have to grab the screen with your hand and concentrate.
    --
    Bush and Blair ate my sig!
  12. Re:By the numbers by SB5 · · Score: 2, Funny

    What? Apple sells sesktops, laptops, and servers?! This is shocking news!

    Yes, and they have been going belly up for 20 years too!

    --
    If what you are reading sounds funny, or sarcastic, lame, or stupid
    it is because it is supposed to be. just laugh
  13. Re:iTunes 4.5 is a screen hog by djcatnip · · Score: 4, Funny

    It's free.

    I've seen a demo of that, but.. I was unimpressed. There's no documentation, either. ;)

    --
    I make these: http://beatseqr.com
  14. Re: losslessly to half the size of uncompressed CD by Darkninja666 · · Score: 2, Funny
    To a marketer, 60% is just 10% more than 50%, so that's pretty close (those with more than third grade math will, of course, note that 60% is 20% more than 50%, but I wouldn't even attempt to explain that to a communications major for fear of encountering glazed-eye syndrome).

    Hah. I will trade you a DBA for that Comm major.

    I once had to explain the concept of adding a negative number to a positive number, and why 1 + (-1) = 0 instead of 2. I found it very scary when that DBA got the "glazed-eye syndrome".

    --
    Secure multi-mediation is the future of all webbing...
  15. Re:iTunes 4.5 is a screen hog by kfg · · Score: 4, Funny