Mac OS X Leopard - ARCAism

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CHAPTER 14 APPLE APPS INCLUDED WITH LEOPARD
NOTE While you can easily export your own iMovies and other QuickTime movies so that
they will appear in iTunes (and sync with your iPod/iPhone), Apple doesn’t provide a way to
import DVDs into iTunes. This could be because Apple sells movies on the iTunes Store, but it’s
unlikely. More likely is that importing movies from DVDs is somewhat legally ambiguous. From
a technical standpoint, it’s perfectly legal to make a copy of a movie you own—however, to
make a copy of a DVD, you must unencode the content, which may run afoul of the Digital Millennium
Copyright Act (DMCA—a sloppy little law passed by government officials who either
were getting big money from the MPAA, or more likely just weren’t paying attention). Most
right-minded people would agree that it’s fine, but the movie industry and some others tend
to disagree. Either way, if you wish to do this, it’s usually a two-step process: ripping the DVD
(or converting it for use from your hard drive), and then converting the video. I tend to find
that using HandBrake (http://handbrake.m0k.org/) to convert a DVD to M4V format ready for
my iPhone works just fine.
Sharing and Streaming iTunes Media
iTunes allows you to share your iTunes library with anyone else on your network. You can
enable this from the Sharing tab in iTunes preferences. This will allow your library to show in the
iTunes libraries of any other people on your network. Likewise, you can view and play songs
from other users on your network who are sharing their libraries.
NOTE DRM-protected iTunes Store files can’t be shared unless the receiving computer is one
of the five computers authorized to play back your iTunes DRMed files. In fact, if you attempt
to play one from an unauthorized computer, the music will stop.
Besides sharing your files, you can also stream your files. Music files can be streamed to Air-
Port and AirPort Expresses equipped with speakers, as well as Apple TV systems. Video can be
streamed to Apple TV systems. To stream your files, select the output source from the dropdown
menu in the lower-right-hand corner of iTunes.
To fully take advantage of Apple TV with iTunes, you must also set up Apple TV in the
Apple TV iTunes preferences.
Syncing iPods and iPhones
When you connect an iPod or iPhone to your computer, the device will show up as a device in
your iTunes library. Selecting the device will allow you to configure the settings, which will range
from simple for an iPod shuffle (Figure 14-5), to more complex for an iPhone (Figure 14-6).
After you set your settings, click the Apply button to resync your device with the new settings.