Downloading, streaming, or encoding music and movies.
Media
Why is my 64GB Thumb Drive Only 32GB?
Episode 1573
Mark fromMark uses thumb drives to transfer data and then format them. But when using 64GB drives, when he formats them, it formats to 32GB. What gives? Leo says it's probably either a counterfeit drive or a faulty drive that's losing sectors. Even if he bought it on Amazon, he could end up getting a counterfeit drive if not careful. But when formatting, the OS can decide to write off bad or unreliable sectors as well.
Can I Convert my CDs and not Lose Quality?
Episode 1571
Mark fromMark wants to know how he can convert his CDs and have them sound as good. Leo says that digital music records differently by using sampling. 44100 is CD-quality sound. 16-bit resolution is CD quality. But he can buy higher resolution samples like 24 bit. However, the files get large as a result, which is why compression has come into play. MP3, AAC, etc. Lossless is also possible with FLAC and Apple Lossless. Google Pixel XL can play back those lossless files with the right application.
How can I keep my music safe on my phone?
Episode 1568
Diane fromDiane is worried that if she has to reinstall the Samsung music player on her Android phone, that she'll lose all 4000 of her songs. Leo says that Android is designed to have music in a single folder accessible by any music app. So she should just use a different app. Leo likes Doubletwist. Can she back it up to her laptop? Leo says DEFINITELY YES! Before she does anything else, she should plug in her phone and drag those songs over to a computer or a backup hard drive. It would also be a good idea to backup her phone to the cloud.
Why won't my Walkman play?
Episode 1565
Peter fromPeter has an old Walkman, which is about 40 years old. But when he presses play, the cassette plays for one note and stops. Leo has a hunch that the motor in the walkman is probably worn out. If it can play other cassettes, that would point to the cassette that's gone bad. It could be fixed, but Leo suggests digitizing his entire cassette collection because the older they get, the more likely they will start peeling off the oxide coating and he'll lose his music. He should get a Crosley Cassette player and digitize them.
Can I set up my iPod to just play 30 second song clips?
Episode 1558
Travis fromTravis works out a lot and would like to grab 30 second snippets to work out by. Is there an app or function that will do that? Leo says that there is no function on the iPhone or iPod, but iOS12 has a feature called "Shortcuts," so he may be able to create a shortcut to play just 30 seconds of a song. Shortcuts works by daisy chaining tasks from apps. Some headphones have a skip button, where he'd tap the button twice to skip.
Are Macs easier to update?
Episode 1557
Shane fromShane works for the Schlage lock company and more people want the company to start using Macs. Leo says that volume licensing is not as complicated as microsoft, but Apple also doesn't have as good of enterprise level support either. But Apple will update the computer regularly. He doesn't have to install the updates — He could defer or even ignore them. It's not a good idea, though.
How can I upload my own music to the cloud?
Episode 1556
Mary fromMary wants to upload her own music to the cloud. What services would let her do it? Google Music and Spotify will both do that. Apple can also do this with iTunes Match. Once up in the cloud, she can then download the songs to her smartphone, or stream them directly. Amazon doesn't do that anymore, sadly.
How can I do a video podcast?
Episode 1555
Micah fromMicah is thinking about doing a video podcast and wants to know how to do that with his computer. Leo says it's probably better to just use his smartphone for the video. It's far easier and he can even live stream directly. The iPhone is really easy and he can even use iMovie or Clips to edit directly on the phone itself and then share it online.
What MP3 player should I buy?
Episode 1546
Charles fromCharles' CD player is dying, so he's thinking of getting an MP3 player. Leo says that physical media is fading away and going digital is a good idea. He can take all the CDs he owns and "rip" them into an mp3 format. But it's likely that everything he owns and wants to listen to are available now using music streaming services like Spotify, Pandora, or Apple Music. They're around $10 a month or $15 for a family plan.
What service should I use to digitize home movies?
Episode 1544
Stuart fromStuart inherited a box of old 8mm family films. He was thinking of digitizing it himself, but thought better of it. Now he's looking for an affordable and trustworthy service. Leo recommends ScanCafe. They will send him a box that he can stuff and send to them, and then they will not only scan them all, but they'll clean them as well. But the worry is shipping them. If the box gets lost, there goes a lifetime of memories. Leo says a big box store service gives better peace of mind because he isn't mailing them.
