audiobook bookmark dilemma!

GO TO ADMIN PANEL > ADD-ONS AND INSTALL VERTIFORO SIDEBAR TO SEE FORUMS AND SIDEBAR

lesotho

New member
Joined
Jan 13, 2005
Messages
1
Points
0
Hi,

first a little background:

i have the newest version of iTunes and i have a 4G 20GB ipod


the problem: whenever i'm in the middle of an audiobook and i turn off my ipod, i encounter a strange problem when i turn my ipod on again later. the problem is this--the ipod remembers where i was in the book (ie it seems to "bookmark" OK), but after about 30 seconds of playtime it goes wacky and switches to the beginning of the book, completely losing any information about what place I was at in the book.

i've experienced this with 5 or 6 different books now, and it's really frustrating...any suggestions?

btw, i'm sure i'm not the first genius to notice this (and i've already searched ipodlounge, ipodlounge forums, and google for help), so if you could point me to a message thread or website i'd really appreciate it

thanks guys!!!
 
Joined
Mar 16, 2004
Messages
17,743
Points
36
Location
New York
Welcome to the lounge. You may need to restore the iPod to correct the problem.

I have audio books from iTMS and audible.com and I don't have that problem with mine. I also have an mp3 audio book that I've converted to a bookmarkable file and still don't have that problem with mine. Maybe someone in the audible.com + iPod section has some info that will shed some light on the problem. If no other solution, restore it.
 

Podunk

New member
Joined
May 11, 2003
Messages
847
Points
0
definately sounds like you need to run the firmware restore.

If that doesn't work, you may have a hardware problem.

Thanks for searching first before posting. I think you didn't find an answer here because we've never had this problem before. Not that I recall.
 

dracomjb

New member
Joined
Oct 15, 2003
Messages
8
Points
0
Location
Melbourne, Australia
Website
www.mtgmelb.com
I have the exact same problem, but it does not happen all the time.

I used to think that it was related to the bookmark problem, but I have had the problem even after I have unplugged from an iTunes synch and started listening to an Audible book. Then I thought it was my car charger (griffin power pod), but when I stopped plugging in the iPod to the car charger I still had this problem happen.

The only common denominator so far is the iTrip. It also will only happen when the iPod is first turned on, it will start to play the book from the last position and then bang it will either skip to the start of the next track or start at the beginning of the current track. Either way if I stop and restart that audio track the bookmark is lost and the book starts from the beginning of the track.

I have never had the problem just listening with headphones/earphones.

It has gotten to the point that whenever I start to listen to a book I will note what the time point is so that if it happens I can quickly skim through to where I was, rather than trying to think where I was and having to skim listen to find the right spot.

Oh and one final note. The problem happened on my 3G and my 4G, although it appeared to be more often in the 3G.
 

robert

Retired
Joined
Oct 30, 2003
Messages
1,375
Points
0
Location
Atlanta
I have seen the same problem described in Apple (iPod) Discussion. Try a search there.

I play both m4b and audible files lots on my 4G with iTrip and with Griffin charger without problem. Same is true of the 3G that I had before. Try a partial restore, holding down the menu and select buttons simultaneously until you see the apple icon. If that doesn't correct the problem, painful as it may be, try a full restore which will erase your iPod.
 

dracomjb

New member
Joined
Oct 15, 2003
Messages
8
Points
0
Location
Melbourne, Australia
Website
www.mtgmelb.com
I don't understand why a partial restore or a complete wipe will fix a problem that has appeared on 2 separate iPods (1 a 3G and 1 a 4G). The 4G experienced the problem within a couple of days of purchase and has been updated to the latest version with the same problem again.
 

jaydee

New member
Joined
Apr 22, 2004
Messages
12
Points
0
I've had the exact same problem with a 3G iPod, but only with non-Audible audiobooks. A few minutes after resuming a listening session from a bookmark, the playback would stop and begin at the beginning of the audiobook (losing the previous bookmark!)

In my case, I found it to only happen with .m4b files of very large size (100MB and larger). The only way I've been able to solve the problem is to re-encode the audiobook to .m4b in smaller chunks such that the resulting files stay around 75MB or smaller.
 

Podunk

New member
Joined
May 11, 2003
Messages
847
Points
0
The iPod should play any Audible.com files fine. Format 4 should be no problem. Its all I ever use on hundreds of books and have never had the problem you describe.

As strange as it sounds that two iPods could be affected, I would still try the firmware restore. If you experience the same problem with different files, then the problem is somewhere in your iPod, be it hardware or firmware problem.

I'd start with another firmware restore, and after that, I'd contact Apple support.
 

bordeaaj

New member
Joined
May 20, 2003
Messages
153
Points
0
I also have had this problem periodically with audible.com books on both my 2nd and 4th gen ipods. I now try to notice where I am in the book before I turn off the ipod but it always seems to happen when I have forgotten to do so. I have tried the partial and full restore but it still happens once in a while. I have heard that the program MarksMan is a good way to keep track of bookmarks but I am always away from my computer when it happens so I end up just scrolling around until I get close to where I left off. So far it is just a minor annoyance but if it happened most of the time it would be infuriating.
 

clusion

New member
Joined
Jan 25, 2005
Messages
13
Points
0
Age
45
Location
Atlanta
Damn I have this exact same problem as well.

I'm gonna try breaking the book into a few small chunks, maybe that will help. Who knows..i'll keep you updated..

-Neil
 

thtv01

New member
Joined
Aug 19, 2003
Messages
12
Points
0
Age
54
I've had this problem on 2 ipods

I'm convinced that this is just an on going bug with the whole ipod line. This problem occurred a lot with my 2nd gen ipod so I had Best Buy replace it under my service agreement. They replaced it with a 4th gen ipod and I still see the problem every once in a while. Luckily it's occurring less than it use to on my 2nd gen. I've pretty much just learned to live with it. Me and my son always check the book time when starting it back. I've seen too many other people complain about this for it to be anything other than a ongoing bug that Apple just has not figured out how to fix. Whether it's a hardware bug or a software bug I don't know. If I had to guess I'd say it probably a software bug. I just keep hoping that it will eventually get resolved. At least my current ipod only does it a couple of times a month.

That's my 2 cents on this issue....
Thanks
Tim
 

Podunk

New member
Joined
May 11, 2003
Messages
847
Points
0
so what is exactly is the problem you are having, thv and clusion?

I don't think there are any common problems here that aren't identified and a solution, or at least a workaround is provided here.
 

clusion

New member
Joined
Jan 25, 2005
Messages
13
Points
0
Age
45
Location
Atlanta
Basically whats happening is I listen to part of an audio book, 10 minutes, half an hour whatever, then i stop the book. and turn off the ipod or listen to other music. However when I go back to listen to that same audio book it'll resume from where i left off. Unfortunetly after about two minutes it'll stop playing the book and go back to the main menu..and i'll have to manually go back to the audio book and hit play on the book again. And it'll start from the very beginning of the book instead of where I left off. This happens everytime I resume an audio book. So it's kinda annoying, book is encoded in AAC (m4b) with stereo mode. Not sure whats causing the problem...it is a little annoying i just have to remember where i left off and go back to that point every time..

-Clu

Podunk said:
so what is exactly is the problem you are having, thv and clusion?

I don't think there are any common problems here that aren't identified and a solution, or at least a workaround is provided here.
 

robert

Retired
Joined
Oct 30, 2003
Messages
1,375
Points
0
Location
Atlanta
Bet some of you are accidentally brushing the > or < . SOME of the sporadic and infrequent nature described above suggests that.

Try:
1. Using the hold button
2. Getting a poly cover that is raised above the buttons so that they are not as easily brushed.
3. If jogging or doing something that creates an unsteady hand, use only the bottom 3/8 of the wheel to change volume (so that you don't accidentally bump the < or > on a click wheel. Just figured that out today when trying to change volume while jogging. Accidentally bumped the >.

Otherwise, a full reset or, failing that, a visit to the Apple store for an exchange under warranty.

I have yet to lose a book mark on aa or m4b file on my G4 unless I accidentally hit the > or <. Owned since Oct 04.

Not so on my dearly departed 3G. I found its > and < buttons extremely sensitive to accidental activation.
 
Last edited:

clusion

New member
Joined
Jan 25, 2005
Messages
13
Points
0
Age
45
Location
Atlanta
I thought about that to. I put that theory to the test, put hold as soon as I hit play, tried it maybe 10 times and the problem still happens. I consider myself a power user so somehow this #### always happens to me :) I buy the best of the best, and there's always something about it that dosen't work quite like it should.

Could you point me to any articles on resetting the ipod? Any firmware updates maybe?? I'll try apple support first. Also this is a 230mb harry potter audio book i am listening to. I should test one of my smaller 50 meg ones to see if the size of the file has something to do with it.

-Clu

robert said:
Bet some of you are accidentally brushing the > or < . SOME of the sporadic and infrequent nature described above suggests that.

Try:
1. Using the hold button
2. Getting a poly cover that is raised above the buttons so that they are not as easily brushed.
3. If jogging or doing something that creates an unsteady hand, use only the bottom 3/8 of the wheel to change volume (so that you don't accidentally bump the < or > on a click wheel. Just figured that out today when trying to change volume while jogging. Accidentally bumped the >.

Otherwise, a full reset or, failing that, a visit to the Apple store for an exchange under warranty.

I have yet to lose a book mark on aa or m4b file on my G4 unless I accidentally hit the > or <. Owned since Oct 04.

Not so on my dearly departed 3G. I found its > and < buttons extremely sensitive to accidental activation.
 
Last edited:

Podunk

New member
Joined
May 11, 2003
Messages
847
Points
0
clusion said:
Also this is a 230mb harry potter audio book i am listening to. I should test one of my smaller 50 meg ones to see if the size of the file has something to do with it.

-Clu
OH, well, gee that's your problem. Its the file not the iPod. The iPod bookmarks work fine with Audible books or iTunes books. When you do it yourself to make your own .m4b files, there are many variables that can be wrong.
 

thtv01

New member
Joined
Aug 19, 2003
Messages
12
Points
0
Age
54
All of my books have been from Audible and I still had the problem. The problem being similar to what others have stated except mine did not play for two minutes or anything near that before either going back to the menu or jumping to the next book or part of a book. Some times it would do it even after I have just paused the book to get gas or run in a store for a few minutes. I'd get back in the car, press play and it would hesitate for a secord or so then boom. Jump back to the menu or the next book directly below the one I was listening to. As I stated before it happened a lot on my 2nd gen ipod which Best Buy ended up replacing for me on the service contract. Which was very cool since I had it for more than 2 years. On my new 4th gen ipod I've seen the very same thing happen except it doesn't happen as often. Maybe a couple times a month which I can live with. I use it every single day for books and music.

On my 4th gen, In the car I use a direct connect to the stereo using a PocketDock line out. No FM mod or tape thing. On my old 2nd gen I always direct connected to the stereo via the earphone plug. So i don't feel either of those caused the problem.

I currently use itunes for my syncs. I've also used MC 9 & MC 10. Doesn't seem to matter what I use the problem persisted. I've always used the most current ipod firmware as well.

So as I've stated before. IMO this is a bug that Apple is aware of but can't seem to fix. I've seen tons of other peoples post the exact same problem for all different gen's. I've seen other people post just like me that Apple even replaced their ipods. Again that's just my 2 cent. I still love my pod and couldn't live without it so I just always pay attention to the time everytime I hit play for a book.

Thanks
Tim
 
Last edited:

Podunk

New member
Joined
May 11, 2003
Messages
847
Points
0
Thtv,
Thanks for clarifying. I wasn't sure if you had the generic "lost bookmark" that occurs during deep sleep.

It sounds like in your case, I'll also assume that you have restored your iPod's firmware to no avail.

I have not seen "tons" of people with this problem, but I have heard of it a few times here. I remember one poster who had this problem persistently, then Apple replaced his iPod and he never had the problem again.

So in that case, if firmware is current, your files are supported files, it must be your individual hardware unit. If you've already done a firmware restore and the problem persists, I would contact Apple support, because something else is wrong.
 
Last edited:

arsolot

New member
Joined
Jul 10, 2003
Messages
220
Points
0
Location
Arizona
I've had basically the same experience as thtv01 describes in a couple of posts before this one.

I've been using my 2nd gen iPod for a little over two years. I'll regularly lose my place in books that I've acquired from Audible. Just as he says, the iPod will skip to the next item in the playlist, or will go to the iPod's root menu if there's nothing next in the playlist. This most typically occurs in the car, just as thtv01 describes. I also have a habit of making sure I know the place in my book before I push "play."

While I'm sure that the above is fascinating to all who have the pleasure of reading it, with the above background, I do have a couple of comments that may have some utility:

1) The above scenario happens w/ Audible books, ONLY. I've listened to many, many books that I've obtained on CD from my library or that were given to me as gifts. These "homecooked" .m4b files NEVER lose their place.

2) When I first was experiencing this issue, I contacted Audible. I was gently informed that this was a "hardware" issue (read: Apple) and that I needed to go through Apple to resolve it.

3) Audible suggested that some type of power surge or maybe static electricity would cause the loss of the bookmark. While an interesting suggestion, it of course does nothing to explain why my loss of bookmarks occurs exclusively w/ Audible files and thus never w/ files that I've ripped to my iPod.
 
Top