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Plugin For Winamp Allows Downloading From iPod
slicenglide writes "A newly released plugin for Winamp allows you to copy music from your iPod to your computer. Wired has picked up the story and includes a link to the WinAmp plugin page where you can grab yourself a copy. "
iPods store the music totally openly in the directory structure. You can download the music from any file browser that can see the disk - like the command line on OS X for example. It's hardly rocket science.
""Using it with third-gen iPod and Windows ME," wrote Brian Cape in the Winamp forum. "Absolutely superb, no problems at all." "
No problems at all with Windows ME? It's a miricle!
Of course I didn't read the article, so there might be something to it ... but I suspect it's not that hard to get the files via a Linux installation. The only platform I have that I have had trouble pulling the files off of the iPod on is Mac.
I talk about stuff.
It's nice to see dumb people self filtering themselves out of the iPod user base.
To copy songs from your iPod on mac os x, open up the terminal and type:
/Volumes/name_of_ipod/iPod Control/music
:)
# Change directory to the ipod music directory. (I'm not sure if iPod Control is the exact name I'm not on a mac at the moment, but it's similar.)
cd
# View the files on the iPod
ls
# Then copy whatever the files called.
cp name_of_file
No plugins, downloads, whatever required
Maybe this is news for Winamp users - I doubt it, but I don't use it myself. But there has been software to download songs from the iPod to your harddrive for ages. The inability to do so is pretty much limited to iTunes, every other application dealing with the iPod (and there are dozens) enables you to do that. One popular example for Windows is EphPod. Lots and lots more can be found for multiple platforms at iPodlounge.
Personally, I use foo_pod, a plugin for the foobar2000 audio player. It's quite powerful, including such features as automatic conversion of formats the iPod doesn't know (e.g. ogg or shorten) and automatic generation of audiobooks. For what it's worth - Wired seems to care - foobar and foo_pod are yet half as small than Winamp and that plugin is. Hah.
Switch back to Slashdot's D1 system.
But isn't that illegal?
You are going to make jesus cry.
N
"I used to have that really cool,funny sig
Of course they allow you to copy music off of them. They're just plain old firewire/USB hard drives as far as your computer is concerned.
/. article.
The only gotchas are that the files are hidden, and the music's filenames are hashed for fast access from a metadata database. Thus when you copy the files back, you have to regenerate their names from their ID3 tags or the metadata database, as this winamp plugin does. You can do this as simply as dragging your music back into iTunes with the 'copy imported music' setting on, and there are plenty of other utilities that do it that have never gotten a
Meh, I wouldn't say I was dumb, I just never investigated iPods in enough depth to discover that you can't take music off the thing. I wonder how many people know about that when they get one, it probably surprises a few people.
This is hardly new nor interesting. There are plenty of programs that work with the iPod other than iTunes. Behold just a few:
- Anapod Explorer
- PodUtils
- GTKpod
- GNUpod
And rhythmbox, for example, offers nice integration of music management and iPod operability -- if that's what is supposed to have made this newsworthy.
Here is a direct link to the homepage for the winamp iPod plugin.
We have many other features than just copy to hard drive, mlipod provides fully fledged iPod management. Go check it out!
Will - Lead dev for mlipod
It's nice to see that assholes aren't however.
A friend of mine has been using this plugin for months, and prefers to use it in favor of iTunes. It's hardly new though, the earliest release listed on their Sourceforge filelist is from April 2004.
I agree with you. If I had bought an Ipod, I would have assumed you could copy tracks back and forth, just like you can with any other MP3 player (that I've used, anyway). I don't really *get* the whole Ipod thing (why all the fuzz over a simple music player?), so I never bothered to buy one.
I don't really *get* the whole Ipod thing (why all the fuzz over a simple music player?)
Because ITS MAED BY TEH APPAL!!!!1!one! Obviously anything that ITS MAED BY TEH APPAL!11one!!three! has to be the only thing in the entire world you should ever own. Even if it is overpriced, DRM crippled, uses a non-standard patent-encumbered format, requires software that only works on MacOS or Windows and is one big cross-promotional tie-in to an online music store that over-charges. It's ITS MAED BY TEH APPAL111oneone!!?seven! and that's all you need to know.
There are a ton of programs that already let you do this. Perhaps the coolest in my eyes is a program called SharePod which runs directly from the iPod hard drive, and so requires no installation. It is for Windows only, however, which is the only limitation.
/
http://sturm.t35.com/sharepod/
There are also about a dozen alternatives here, on iPodlounge.com
http://www.ipodlounge.com/index.php/ipod-software
Kudos to the WinAmp guys for doing this though, I'll probably check it out to see how they did it.
It supports open, industry standards like OGG Vorbis. Also, the "DRM" is used by a wide number of vendors, giving me the choice of at least 8 on-line music stores to purchase or "lease" music from.
I simply plugged it into my Windows XP laptop and it worked--no software to install. Just press the "sync" button from Windows Media player 10.
Copying music off is as easy as copying music on.
Best Buy can have you arrested
1) any iPod, if initialized using Windows (meaning it's FAT32 formatted), is a standard USB Mass Storage Device that you can plug into any windows box that supports those and start using it as a removable HDD
2) nothing prevents you from downloading your DRM-free songs from your iPod using only Windows Explorer. However, iTunes arranges all music files in 32/64/128/256 (something like that) folders named 00 through FF (in hex). So your Metallica - St.Anger tracks would be scattered in some 10 folders or so... and it's not that easy to compile the whole album by hand. iPod uses its internal database to find files. All this winamp plugin provides is a convenient way to copy files from your iPod back to your hdd by parsing through this database file and renaming files using the template specified.
This also means that you can not simply copy mp3 folder to iPod and play them... you have to update the database. This is why you have to use iTunes (or this winamp plugin or similar util) to upload music to your iPod player.
Yes, it's stupid, compared to the way iRiver players handle files and folders.
3) I've been using this plugin for about a year now, this is hardly news. I recommend NOT to use it to upload files to your iPod, it once corrupted its database and I had to erase it and copy all the music again.
4) there is also a plugin for Total Commander (my shell of choice) that provides similar functionality:
http://www.totalcmd.net/plugring/ipod.html
iTunes by default rips your Cds to non-protected m4u (AAC) or optionally, Mp3. Only tracks bought from the iTMS will be protected by default.
I think this plugin is more intended as a utility to allow people to use their iPods to carry mp3s between PCs without the rigmarole of zipping them into an archive.
I have been a user for about 10 years. This ends Feb 2014. The site's been ruined. I'm off. Dice, FU
Total Commander can see the files on the iPod using this file system plugin. (link to download may be broken, but plugin can be found elsewhere...)
;)
TC is all you really ever need, and can replace explorer quite effectively with loads of added bonuses.
I've also used a neat OS X util called Senuti (iTunes backward) to be able to copy from and to the iPod and do all sorts of other cool things.
(Next to zsh and vi, it's the cheese!)
As much as I support OGG Vorbis, and have nearly all my music on my iRiver, I think calling it "industry standard" is way off the mark. MP3 is by far the most widely supported format, and therefore closest to being a de facto standard. The only other competitor is WAV.
Dude, have you been living in a cave???? Haven't you seen those commercials with the cool shadows dancing in front of pretty colors? This is the best tech since Intel released the Blue Man Group.
/. crowd had to get one. I mean when living in your mothers basement, you REALLY cannot afford to let any chance to look cool pass you by ;-)
Ipod wasn't really meant for those who understand DRM, vendor tie-down, or patent encumbered propietary formats. Its meant for joe-six-pack. However, once it became sooooo cool, even the
"reality has a well-known liberal bias" - Steven Colbert
Of course you can. It's just that some people find the fact that the filenames and subdirectories are structured to be fast and efficient for the player that keeps track info in a seperate database file, rather than easily human readable. Winamp (and indeed anything else) reads the intact header info on the files to get that for you.
There's really a sliding 'geek' scale that goes something like this:
0: doesn't care what they look like on disc, as going looking for the files directory is magic voodoo stuff.
1: annoyed that the filenames are munged up, making it useless for most purposes.
2: not that bothered, since they can work around it with the id3 tags. However, possibly irritated that they should have to anyway.
"I Know You Are But What Am I?"
Ipod wasn't really meant for ...It's meant for joe-six-pack.
I don't believe that anything from Apple Computer is meant for "Joe Six-Pack". It's made for "Megan and Justin Portfolio" - the generic upper-middle-class arts-creative-type person. They have the money to pay the premium Apple price, the ability to best use the advanced design and interface character of Apple products, the distaste for technical details, and the subtle contempt for those who would feel the need or desire to skirt the restrictions imposed by Apple for the benefit of the product/company/community/class. They truly believe that bypassing DRM is bad because they feel that they are or more likely, someday will be making their well-heeled living off high priced 'intellectual property'.
The "Joe SixPack" type middle-class Chevy-truck Saturday-night-watching-wrestling-on-TV people are using their Walmart CD players for portable music needs. They wouldn't buy Apple products even if they were in the same price range, simply because their inherent social inferiority complex alienates them from image that is created by Apple's advertisements.
Intel didn't release the Blue Man Group. They escaped on their own using an elaborate, yet pleasant sounding series of PVC-lined tunnels.
Yeah, you got it all figured out. But what's this? I'll bet you'll be pretty confused by my case. I have and use an ipod, but keep it concealed. I replaced the headphones with normal crappy looking headphones. No one who sees me would know I have an ipod. If I don't want and don't let anyone know I have an ipod, it can't possibly be a status symbol, right?
So why do I have it? To listen to music. It works well. Previously, I purchased another mp3 player, only slightly cheaper, and had continuous problems with it. And even when it was working as intended, it was harder to use. The ipod is something like half the size and weight, easier to use, more reliable, and the support (which I used once) is vastly superior. Possibly the smoothest technical support experience I have ever had in my life.
I used to bulls-eye womp-rats in my pants
The iPod's Music folder is hidden only in the Finder. On a Mac you can still get to it easily enough via the shell or an alternative file browser; go here:
/Volumes/[iPod's name]/iPod_Control/Music/
There are a bunch of folders with names like "F00", "F01", "F02"If you want a nice GUI tool to do this, on Mac there is "iPod Access" and "iPodRip" (both shareware), and there is the free program "gtkpod", which I use on my Linux box at work to listen to my iPod songs.
Apple really doesn't lock you out of your iPod, which is one reason why I love it! Of course, mine's HFS+ formatted; is it hard to do this on Windows?
We apologize for the inconvenience.
I've already mentioned this before, and it looks like I'm going to have to mention it again. It was not Apple's original idea to "prevent" music uploading from MP3 players, but it was the natural result of two factors:
Apple's continued "hiding" of the song files from the rest of the file system is simply legal cover to defend themselves from the RIAA. Do you really think Apple could have gotten the Music Store off the ground if the iPod more openly supported uploading?
Those who complain about affect & effect on