Certain video podcasts not playable on 5.5 gen iPod?
I have subscribed to many podcasts through iTunes, some videos as well. Things have been going along just fine, but recently, I noticed that some of my video podcasts are not showing up on my iPod. One is a new subscription that only has videos starting in January 2008, one has many episodes going way back, but the ones starting 8/1/07 don't show up (the older ones do), and one only shows episodes on the iTunes store starting in January 2008, but I had been watching previous episodes just fine (the older ones must not be on the server any more). None of these are labeled as "iPhone" "Apple TV" or anything in the iTunes store, so feel they should play on my iPod. Has anyone else seen this? Anybody got any ideas what I can do to get these episodes onto my iPod? They play just fine on my computer.
Recently I took the time to "restore" my iPod thinking that might help. No dice. I then deleted the offending podcasts and re-subscribed and downloaded. Still no joy. Don't know where to go from here.
As a side note, I have recently noticed some video podcasts that do make it to my iPod will show the progress (elapse time), but the screen is black (particularly earlier episodes of the one where they don?t show up starting in August). And, one more little gem -- I have a movie that I ripped from my personal DVD and put on my iPod, but now that I have restored it, I am told it is not the right format (this is one of several that I put onto the iPod). I know it did previously go onto my iPod, because I have watched part of it. I even tried using the "convert for iPod" feature in iTunes to convert it again, but no dice.
Anybody know what is going on here?
Thanks in advance!
Recently I took the time to "restore" my iPod thinking that might help. No dice. I then deleted the offending podcasts and re-subscribed and downloaded. Still no joy. Don't know where to go from here.
As a side note, I have recently noticed some video podcasts that do make it to my iPod will show the progress (elapse time), but the screen is black (particularly earlier episodes of the one where they don?t show up starting in August). And, one more little gem -- I have a movie that I ripped from my personal DVD and put on my iPod, but now that I have restored it, I am told it is not the right format (this is one of several that I put onto the iPod). I know it did previously go onto my iPod, because I have watched part of it. I even tried using the "convert for iPod" feature in iTunes to convert it again, but no dice.
Anybody know what is going on here?
Thanks in advance!
Comments
Thanks for helping!
Have my list at home (I'm at work) but they are Anthony Bourdain (new -- just started in January), Food Guru (have been watching for some time, but the new ones are the offending ones -- the older ones do not seem to be on the server any more) and, I think it is Cooking Up a Story (can see some of these on iPod, but the recent ones don't sync. Notice a trend here?
Thanks for helping!
I have a 5th generation iPod video. I will download the Food Guru ones and check it out myself.
Hang on...
Dave
Has nobody else seen anything similar? Is my iPod dying? Is it iTunes? Or???
1. When iTunes is set to sync "all unplayed podcasts" it will transfer all podcasts with a play count of zero. When you marked your offending podcasts as "not new" you did not change the play count. It is still at zero so it will be transfered over to the iPod. To do what you want this way you will have to modify the play count.
2. To do something similar to marking the podcasts as not being new is to uncheck the check box for the offending episodes. Then you will have to tell iTunes not to sync unchecked tracks. The pain with this method is that you will have to uncheck each and every offending podcast episode before you do your syncing.
3. IMO, the best method to do what you want is to go into the podcast tab and set iTunes to sync all unplayed podecasts or "selected podcasts". Go through the resulting list and check all the podcasts you want to sync and uncheck the podcasts that are giving you the error. -- This is what I do for podcasts that are actually Quicktime streams.
When I uncheck the episodes, I still get the error - iTunes is giving me an error message for something it should not be trying to sync at all!
After doing everything I could think of, deleting and re-downloading, repairing permissions, resetting the SMU, marking as "not new" , and who knows what else, I called Apple yesterday. They were no help at all! They said since my iPod was out of warrantly by 140 days they could not help me -- even though I explained that it was an iTunes problem, not an iPod problem. They just brushed me off! The only thing they said was to un-install iTunes and reinstall -- which I have not done.
I did want to keep the episodes as I wanted to refer back to them, but cannot stand the error messages any more, so I just deleted them. I guess I am not meant to watch some of these podcasts. Two other things are weird, though, along the same lines. I have two audiobooks in my iTunes, and when I sync one time, I get told it can't put all my audiobooks on my iPod because I am not authorized. The next time I sync, they both sync just fine. It goes on like this every time! And, I get an error message that it can't sync the "timeline movie" because it can't be played -- I have no "timeline movie"! I have no idea what this is! It is not in my movie folder on the hard drive, nor is it in my movie folder in iTunes! So I guess I'll still have error messages! I know I can check the box to "not remind me again", but what if there really does come up something that I want/need to know about?
Well, that is where I stand now. No episodes of certain podcasts on my iPod, nor on my computer. Ah, life!
Thanks for your responses, though! I'm still open to suggestions, as I would like to see the now deleted podcasts.
Thanks aresee for your help. After I marked them as "not new" I tried syncing "all new " podcasts, no luck. I guess I did not look at the play count, but marking them as not new and then only syncing the new podcasts should work -- if not what it its purpose?
The "problem" is that the new/not-new status is actually three or more states. Not just the two that is implied by the presence or absence of the blue button.
1. New, untouched, never played. The blue button is displayed. The play count can be ignored because it will always be zero on new podcasts.
2. Started but unfinished. The blue button is not displayed. The play count is zero.
3. Finished. The blue button is not displayed. The play count will be one or greater.
Apple assumes that you will want to finish listening to an unfinished podcast. So it lumps states 1 & 2 together as unplayed podcasts. Notice that iTunes syncs "unplayed" podcasts, not "new" podcasts.
When I uncheck the episodes, I still get the error - iTunes is giving me an error message for something it should not be trying to sync at all!
On the iPod Summary Tab did you uncheck the 'Sync only checked songs' checkbox?
I did want to keep the episodes as I wanted to refer back to them, but cannot stand the error messages any more, so I just deleted them. I guess I am not meant to watch some of these podcasts. Two other things are weird, though, along the same lines. I have two audiobooks in my iTunes, and when I sync one time, I get told it can't put all my audiobooks on my iPod because I am not authorized. The next time I sync, they both sync just fine. It goes on like this every time! And, I get an error message that it can't sync the "timeline movie" because it can't be played -- I have no "timeline movie"! I have no idea what this is! It is not in my movie folder on the hard drive, nor is it in my movie folder in iTunes! So I guess I'll still have error messages! I know I can check the box to "not remind me again", but what if there really does come up something that I want/need to know about?
Well, that is where I stand now. No episodes of certain podcasts on my iPod, nor on my computer. Ah, life!
Thanks for your responses, though! I'm still open to suggestions, as I would like to see the now deleted podcasts.
Sorry about your frustration and the other problems, you may have to do a restore on the iPod. But are you sure that you do not have a "timeline movie" somewhere? It could be anywhere in your libraries.
But back to your original problem. I still think your best bet to do what you want (especially as I do this with Quicktime streams and High Def video podcasts) is to go to your iPod Podcast Tab and set up your podcasts to Sync all unplayed episodes of selected podcasts. (Check the Sync checkbox. Select 'all unplayed' in the drop down menu. And click the Selected podcasts radio button.) In the box below check all the podcasts you want to sync and uncheck the podcasts you do not want to sync.
Good Luck
I did a small sample test of your last suggestion. I had 3 or 4 offending podcasts, I "got info" and they all had a playcount of 0. I went into the podcast tab and told iTunes to sync all unlplayed podcasts from selected podcasts, and then I selected all of them. Results were the same as previously. Still won't sync those podcasts.
A new episode of one of the podcasts in my list showed up overnight and will not sync. I "got info" and it is an MPEG-4 video file, playcount 0, low complexity, sterirm 64kbps, 640X360 and has a codec of H.264. This is similar to every one of the episodes of all the podcasts that will not sync. What is wrong here??? I did right click this one and tell it to convert for iPod, and that worked. However, it inconveniently puts it into my movie folder where I will have to remind myself to go to watch it. But at least I will be able to see it!
As to timeline movie, I did a spotlight search and did, in fact, find it. It was buried way down in unknown albums! I deleted it, emptied the trash, ran spotlight again, did not find it. Still, when I sync my iPod, I get the error message that it can't be synced because it can't be found. How can I get rid of that error? FWIW, I have not restarted the computer. Think that might help?
Anyway, thanks again for working with me on this. Getting frustrated, as you can imagine!
Thanks again for your additional input. As to items 1 - 3, I have known that, and that is not the problem. iTunes will sync "new" podcasts or "unplayed" podcasts. I have tried each way.
I did a small sample test of your last suggestion. I had 3 or 4 offending podcasts, I "got info" and they all had a playcount of 0. I went into the podcast tab and told iTunes to sync all unlplayed podcasts from selected podcasts, and then I selected all of them. Results were the same as previously. Still won't sync those podcasts.
Now deselect the offending podcasts. iTunes will no longer attempt to sync these podcasts to your iPod.
A new episode of one of the podcasts in my list showed up overnight and will not sync. I "got info" and it is an MPEG-4 video file, playcount 0, low complexity, sterirm 64kbps, 640X360 and has a codec of H.264. This is similar to every one of the episodes of all the podcasts that will not sync. What is wrong here??? I did right click this one and tell it to convert for iPod, and that worked. However, it inconveniently puts it into my movie folder where I will have to remind myself to go to watch it. But at least I will be able to see it!
Yep, if you want to watch these podcasts on your iPod this is what you'll have to do.
As to timeline movie, I did a spotlight search and did, in fact, find it. It was buried way down in unknown albums! I deleted it, emptied the trash, ran spotlight again, did not find it. Still, when I sync my iPod, I get the error message that it can't be synced because it can't be found. How can I get rid of that error? FWIW, I have not restarted the computer. Think that might help?
Sounds like you deleted the file with the Finder. iTunes keeps a listing of all its songs in a separate XML file. When you deleted the file from the Finder iTunes did not know of the deletion and still expects to find it where you found it. I don't know off of the top of my head, but there are solutions to removing bad iTunes links. -- The lesson learned here is that for Apple managed media, like iTunes and iPhoto, you add and delete form the application not the Finder.
Anyway, thanks again for working with me on this. Getting frustrated, as you can imagine!
Now deselect the offending podcasts. iTunes will no longer attempt to sync these podcasts to your iPod.
Yes, but, some of the episodes of specific podcasts actually do sync. If I deselect the podcast, then none of the episodes will come over. Quite a conundrum!
Sounds like you deleted the file with the Finder. iTunes keeps a listing of all its songs in a separate XML file. When you deleted the file from the Finder iTunes did not know of the deletion and still expects to find it where you found it. I don't know off of the top of my head, but there are solutions to removing bad iTunes links. -- The lesson learned here is that for Apple managed media, like iTunes and iPhoto, you add and delete form the application not the Finder.
You are correct about the finder! I do know and understand what you are saying about doing things in the app rather than in the finder -- one of my soapboxes about iPhoto! When I do a search in iTunes for 'timeline" nothing comes up. So, we are back to the XML file, I guess. However, where do I find the XML file? I have my itunes on an external drive. I can see the XML file on the external, and on the internal, and if I open either one it opens in TextEdit and if I tell it to "find" it does not find a "timeline" entry. How would I find/edit this file?
You are being very helpful, and I appreciate your input very much. We are getting closer to a resolution than I have ever been!
Wondering, though, why spotlight did not find it?
Thanks again for your input!
The XML file? I would look at the date modified and pick the one with the most believable date. I suspect the XML file on your external drive will be the correct on. And sorry, I can't help you on editing this file.
Yes, you are in a conundrum if you want to continue syncing those episodes that will play on your iPod even though the podcast includes episodes that will not play. I see your choices as continuing what you are doing and to either watch the episodes on your Mac or to convert the podcast episodes into movies for your iPod. Fortunately for me, my podcast producers are consistent in their encoding and I do not have your problem. I can get away with either syncing or not syncing a complete podcast.
The XML file? I would look at the date modified and pick the one with the most believable date. I suspect the XML file on your external drive will be the correct on. And sorry, I can't help you on editing this file.
I have the same exact problem with podcasts that used to sync and now do not.
Looking back, this problem seemed to have started when I upgraded to the latest Itunes software- could this be the culprit?
Note, I do get a message when I connect to sync stating that certain Podcasts were not transfered to my ipod because they cannot be played back...