Audible + iPod User's Guide

[Podunk]

I'm sure a few of you will appreciate this. I've installed it and its fantastic.

http://roub.net/blahg/archives/geeky/audible/

Until Audible improves their website, this will at least make navigation their website more efficient. It lets you open pages in new windows/tabs. It lets you browse a lot faster because you don't have to wait to go BACK every time. And you can open the second page in a sorted list without losing the results of the first query.

fka parannoya

iPod: 15 gig 3G with 2.1 / 6G iPod Mini / Shuffle-512mb

iTunes for Win 4.6 (w/Audible Download Helper plug-in)
Computer: Win XP

[sgk118]

does anyone know of a fix or shareware app that allows you to download NY Public Library audiobooks to a Mac based iPod?

They appear to require a windows only application called OverDrive Media Console. here's a link to the new section on the libraries website: nypl.org

[Podunk]

there is a seperate (and recent) thread on this already.

[Bat-Hound]

I must be losing it. I'm scouring the Audible site looking for whatever plug-in I need to download to use Audible with iTunes 4.9 for my Mac, and all I can find is the following:

Download the Audible Otis plug-in
Download the palm OS5 plug-in
Download the Rio plug-in for Forge & Carbon

What should I be looking for here? I guess I'm just not understanding!



thanks!

[moriond]

Bat-Hound,

You don't need any plug-in to download from Audible to your Mac. Downloads will just get added to your iTunes Library automatically if you check Copy Files to iTunes Music folder when adding to Library under the advanced panel of your iTunes preferences.

On PCs you can either use the Audible Manager (which predated iTunes for Windows) with its Download Helper plug-in or iTunes. The advantage to using the Audible Manager over iTunes is in burning multiple CDs for audiobooks -- the process is more automated with the Audible Manager. Assuming that you don't want to take control of start and stop times to ensure that chapters, etc. break nicely, the Audible Manager will set up all the start and stop times for each successive CD. So if you were on a PC and had the Audible Manager you'd still probably download through iTunes, but keep the option of using the Audible Manager to burn your CDs.

[Bat-Hound]

Originally posted by moriond
Bat-Hound,

You don't need any plug-in to download from Audible to your Mac.

Thanks, moriond! That's exactly what I wanted to know!

[raynebair]

Well that explains my question. I'd never seen an audiobooks folder on my iPod before yet everyone kept talking about it. The problem...I have a 3g iPod. Does anyone know if there will be a firmware update to include this feature for those of us using older iPods?

[dordale]

raynebair--

The last firmware for 3g's (version 2.3) does add an audiobook menu to the main menu. If I remember correctly after installing the firmware, you do have to go into settings and turn the audiobook menu on.

dordale

[raynebair]

Thanks! I just updated so I'll be checking it out.

[ygor]

Originally posted by Podunk
blue, I added a sentence to the section above to try to clarify. The short answer is no.

That is no longer true with PodCasting features.

Interested in details ?

[moriond]

Originally posted by ygor

That is no longer true with PodCasting features.

Interested in details ?

Right now this solution only works for Macs, but it's true that you can even "go one better" if you make your own audiobooks, since you can choose to embed images, and even links to relevant web pages, too, in addition to chapter markers.

Does anyone who has purchased recently released audiobooks from the iTunes Music Store know whether these show up with the new chapter marks labels? (That is, are they labelled with tags like Chapter 1, Chapter 2? The Free iPod Book and Back to School Guide (currently at the top of this forum page) implies they do, and the sample teaser for Paolini's Eldest at the iTunes Music Store is laid out that way.

It's a pity that users cannot separately customize the chaptertool information of these audiobooks from Audible and the iTMS the way one can for homemade audiobooks.

Incidentally, this may be another difference between iTMS and Audible to be added to Podunk's Guide: Audible doesn't have any plans to change their chapter marker system. You can still navigate to chapter breaks with the shift-control-right[or left] arrow keys (for PCs; Macs use shift-command-right[or left] arrow) in iTunes, but the chapter breaks won't show up with the small pull-down widget that shows up next to the main time-display window as an alternate way to navigate.

[ygor]

Originally posted by moriond
Right now this solution only works for Macs, but it's true that you can even "go one better" if you make your own audiobooks, since you can choose to embed images, and even links to relevant web pages, too, in addition to chapter markers.

Do you mean that PodCasts do not work in Windows iTunes/iPods or are you referring to the Chapter Tool Beta ?

[moriond]

Originally posted by ygor
Do you mean that PodCasts do not work in Windows iTunes/iPods or are you referring to the Chapter Tool Beta ?

I was referring to the fact that ChapterTool beta is currently only available for Macs, although a Windows version is coming.

[Hrothgar]

Originally posted by moriond
Originally posted by ygor
Do you mean that PodCasts do not work in Windows iTunes/iPods or are you referring to the Chapter Tool Beta ?

I was referring to the fact that ChapterTool beta is currently only available for Macs, although a Windows version is coming. [/QUOTE]

Late to the game here, but just want to confirm where things stand now. As a Windows user (and a future 5G iPod owner), is it in any way possible at this point for me to rip my audio book/radio drama/spoken word CDs in such a way that they will appear under the Audio Book menu on the iPod and/or contain chapter stops, embedded images, etc.?

I've read of the solution of creating a smart playlist excluding these genres for shuffle purposes, etc., but it's an inelegant solution compared to having all of this content under a separate menu heading.

[Hrothgar]

Originally posted by moriond
Originally posted by ygor
Do you mean that PodCasts do not work in Windows iTunes/iPods or are you referring to the Chapter Tool Beta ?

I was referring to the fact that ChapterTool beta is currently only available for Macs, although a Windows version is coming. [/QUOTE]

Late to the game here, but just want to confirm where things stand now. As a Windows user (and a future 5G iPod owner), is it in any way possible at this point for me to rip my audio book/radio drama/spoken word CDs in such a way that they will appear under the Audio Book menu on the iPod and/or contain chapter stops, embedded images, etc.?

I've read of the solution of creating a smart playlist excluding these genres for shuffle purposes, etc., but it's an inelegant solution compared to having all of this content under a separate menu heading.