Downloading, streaming, or encoding music and movies.
Media
How can I control my mp3s in the car?
Episode 1432
John fromJohn has a new car and it doesn't have a CD player. It has a USB plug instead, but the music just jumps all around. Leo says that most car makers expect you to keep your music organized and play it from the phone. John's Corvette uses Apple CarPlay so his iPhone will interface with it really easily and he can play all his music via the iOS Music app. He can just tell it to play an album and it will play it. Or he can even tell it to play with no pauses between tracks, shuffle, create playlists, genre, and more. It's wide open in terms of options.
How can I use my tablet as a switcher for live streaming?
Episode 1431
Chris fromChris needs an app to create a live stream on a budget. Leo just saw a great tool on both Android and iOS that uses camera phones and Wi-Fi to connect and then uses one device to act as a switcher. He should check out Switcher Studio. It does just that, but it's currently iOS only. Cinemaker is another one. It also is just for iOS, but the Android version is coming soon. Chris could also look into Manycam.
Why are commercials so loud?
Episode 1425
Dave fromDave wants to listen to podcasts but he gets frustrated by how different the volume is from show to commercial and back. Rich says that's a common problem and he can get an app that equalizes the podcasts he listens to.
How can I rip a vinyl LP?
Episode 1424
Angelo fromAngelo wants to be able to rip old LPs and save them as MP3s. What is a good turntable out there that can handle that? He's getting overwhelmed with the choices. Rich says that ION Audio is the king of these, with the ability to rip to a computer or straight to a flash drive. That's where he'll want to go, and they're not that expensive.
Can I listen to an iBook audio book on another platform?
Episode 1423
David fromDavid wants to know if he can listen to an audio book with his iPhone as well as his Android phone. Leo says he should, unless Apple does something different to them when buying them off iTunes. But if the audio book is from Apple's iBook Store, it's copy protected with the ePub format. He would need to strip it in order to play it on another platform. There are programs and plugins that do that, but they tend to be fly by night. TunesKit has one called iBook Copy for Mac. It has a free trial.
How can I get ripped music onto my iPhone?
Episode 1418
Mike fromMike has ripped a bunch of CDs to a USB stick for his car, but how does he install them onto his iPhone? Leo says there is an import command in iTunes under the File menu. Then he just needs to point it to his USB stick. iTunes will then import them. Under preferences, he can also choose options that will enable iTunes to manage the library.
Total Solar Eclipse Will Occur on August 21, 2017
Episode 1412
The total eclipse is coming in about a week and Leo says nobody should ever, ever look at it directly with the naked eye. For tips, check out eclipse2017.nasa.gov.
Why does the Amazon Echo stop streaming?
Episode 1410
Tamar fromTamar has an Amazon Echo Dot. She'll be listening to streaming radio and then it will just stop working. Leo says that he's had the same problem and it could be that it hears the word stop and stops. But it could also be that the stream stalls and the Echo gives up. Leo discovered that when he used the Echo Show and could see the error message. When a stream stops, it could be a random stop of the stream to force it to restart. This is largely due to having to pay royalties for music that they play. But if it's stopping suddenly and after just a few minutes, then that's not normal.
Post Millenials Safer, But Depressed
Episode 1410
Studies show that post millennials, dubbed the iGeneration, are safer because they tend to spend more time at home and online. But they're not working, not going out, and frankly, they're more depressed and isolated. They're not hanging out with friends. They're dating at a later age. They're driving at a later age. And they're more likely to feel lonely. They also get less sleep as they stay up late at night. You can see more about the study in Atlantic Magazine.
How can I stream music to my TV?
Episode 1405
Leif fromLeif wonders if the Apple HomePod will be worth it. Leo says it's too early to tell, so it's a good idea to wait and see.
How can Leif watch TV using his Mac? Could he use TOSLINK? Leo says to use an AppleTV, and then he can AirPlay from his mobile device. It's easier and will see iTunes on the network.
