Downloading, streaming, or encoding music and movies.
Media
How can I save videos off YouTube?
Episode 1334
Douglas fromDouglas discovered Dirpy, a website for downloading video from YouTube. Sometimes it freezes up, though. Leo says that Google may be trying to block it. There are plenty of others to choose from. The Chatroom says YouTube-DL is a good option. It's an open source program that runs from the command line of your PC. Leo also recommends KeepVid.
How can I publish a book on Apple iBooks?
Episode 1334
Noberto fromNoberto is a retired scientist turned self published author. He wrote and published his book through Amazon's Create Space and wants to expand to Apple iBooks. Leo says that using Create Space means he's stuck with just Amazon, and that really is the biggest place. Getting it on Apple iBooks can be done in a similar fashion. Apple offers iBooks Author for free. Apple will let him do self published works, but the key is to get it in the right format (ePub).
AT&T Is Buying Time Warner for $85 Billion
Episode 1333
AT&T is buying Time Warner for $85 billion. Time Warner includes HBO, CNN, TBS, TNT, Warner Bros, and more. The reason these carriers, AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, etc are buying media companies is because they don't want to be in the business of being a 'dumb pipe' for internet access. They want to be in the content business. It's expected that the deal will get regulatory approval without issue.
Can I change my YouTube channel name?
Episode 1332
Jason fromJason doesn't like his YouTube channel name and he wants to change it. Google says that if the channel is connected to Google Plus, it can be changed by clicking on the pencil icon next to the name. There's a limit to the number of times it can be changed, though. Jason should click on the user icon at the top of the YouTube page.
Why won't my phone play music I downloaded from SoundCloud?
Episode 1331
Greg fromGreg is running into issues with music he has downloaded via SoundCloud. He gets errors now that say "invalid file." Leo says those are MP3s, so the Samsung Galaxy S7 should play them just fine. It could be an issue with how the file is saved by the app. SoundCloud enables you to stream in SoundCloud, but not play it with an MP3 player. That may mean a bad download, or saving to a format that his player doesn't recognize, or it may even be copy protection.
Why can't my car stereo play TuneIn?
Episode 1330
Richard fromRichard has downloaded the TuneIn app, where he downloads podcasts and then listens to his phone. His stereo system doesn't support the mp4 stream, though. Leo says it shouldn't because mp4 is video. He can save audio as that, but it's not very widely supported. He'd have to reencode it to listen to it.
Leo advises just streaming it live. That way the phone can handle the encoding, not the car stereo. Leo also suggests going Bluetooth instead of the USB connection, if he can.
How can I find the best cable, internet, and phone service?
Episode 1329
Ricky fromRicky thinks his Triple Play package is just too expensive. What is the best provider for internet, cable, and telephone? Leo says that the only real advantage of a Triple Play package is that he'd get one bill. For a phone service, he prefers real phone service because in the event of a disaster, the plain old telephone service will continue to operate. Leo advises going to DSLReports.com because they will give him the best ratings on what is the best coverage and reliability. Leo also recommends talking to neighbors.
Is there a better media option than CDs?
Episode 1328
Louie fromLouie wants to know if there's a higher quality CD for audio. Scott says that SACD or Super Audio CD is one. It was meant to succeed CD, but online music distribution pretty much killed it. He can still get them online and they do offer better audio specs than CDs do. How do they compare to Blu-ray audio? It's just a different technology, with Blu-ray audio using PCM to store a lot more data, while SACD uses DSD. Blu-ray audio has better specs up to 24 bits, while CD audio is 18bits. He can also get greater dynamic and frequency range.
Is Family Sharing with iTunes Music better than a single account?
Episode 1328
Brian fromBrian's family shares a single iTunes account and he wants to know the advantage of going with family sharing. Jason says he'll gain the advantages of using different settings for different accounts, including setting buying limits, ratings, etc. The downside is that he won't get to share the iCloud space. Additionally, in-app purchases aren't sharable. So if it isn't broke, Jason says don't fix it. He should stick with what he has.
How can I listen to iHeartRadio in my Tesla?
Episode 1326
Bob fromBob would love to be able to listen to iHeartRadio in his Tesla. Leo says that the browser in the Tesla is pretty simple and not very good. There are plenty of hacks out there for it, so maybe there is one. The workaround is to connect to his mobile device and listen via Bluetooth.
