[mr breaker]

Is it possible to add an .avi movie to the itunes library?

I have a bunch of tv shows in avi format that play fine in Quicktime, but it won't let me add them to my itunes library.

[Koralatov]

I don't think you can do it, to be honest. I think it's a quite deliberate move on Apple's part to stop people filling their iTunes libraries (and by extension, their iPods) with stuff they've pulled off BitTorrent. The only way to do it, as far as I know, is to convert it into H.264 or MPEG-4. To do that, you'll need something like Videora iPod Converter, and a lot of patience as it'll take some time to convert your video across.

Edit: You might actually be better off with VisualHub. It's more versatile than Videora, and wouldn't needlessly crunch down the resolution to iPod proportions (which would look horrible full-screen on your Mac).

[Reggie Fowler]

open your .avi in iMovie and then export it to quicktime. then it's a .mov, .mpg4 or a variety of other formats for your ipod, iphone and the like.

[Raman]

My Pentax Optio S4i records movies in .avi format and I have no problem importing them into iPhoto. I have no idea why they would limit you from putting .avi's in your iTunes library.

[Koralatov]

Originally Posted by Raman 

My Pentax Optio S4i records movies in .avi format and I have no problem importing them into iPhoto. I have no idea why they would limit you from putting .avi's in your iTunes library.

I suspect it's to encourage people to buy their movies from the iTunes store, rather than getting them from more, ahem, affordable sources. Just think, if you could put DivX/Xvid AVIs you got off BitTorrent into your iTunes library, would you ever actually pay $2 an episode? Most people wouldn't. The difference between a DVD and digital is quite large (actually having a physical product being the most pronounced), but the difference between two digital formats is negligible.

[miawj]

Try (with a copy of your file):

just change the file type to MooV and creator to TVOD

or

in QuickTime Pro just "savie as" self-contained instead of exporting

or

use QuickTime reference files ("save as" reference movie).

[analogika]

Originally Posted by Koralatov 

I suspect it's to encourage people to buy their movies from the iTunes store, rather than getting them from more, ahem, affordable sources. Just think, if you could put DivX/Xvid AVIs you got off BitTorrent into your iTunes library, would you ever actually pay $2 an episode? Most people wouldn't. The difference between a DVD and digital is quite large (actually having a physical product being the most pronounced), but the difference between two digital formats is negligible.

That is probably the least likely explanation, as most people CAN'T buy video off the iTunes store.

[YukiYuki]

You should get a soft to convert files to another type. E. g. I use Tunecab.

[analogika]

Considering Tunecab is Windows-only, I doubt it's of interest to anybody here.

[voodoo]

Originally Posted by analogika 

That is probably the least likely explanation, as most people CAN'T buy video off the iTunes store.

In Apple's world most people live in the USA. Regardless of where most people actually live.

V

[Koralatov]

Originally Posted by analogika 

That is probably the least likely explanation, as most people CAN'T buy video off the iTunes store.

I tend to agree with voodoo on this one; Apple is exceptionally focussed on America--witness, as just one example, the fact that America got the iPhone five months before anywhere in Europe did.

Also, I have a feeling that Apple doesn't plan on keeping iTunes' video store solely within North American--it's most likely just a matter of time before they role it out further afield.

In light of this, I feel my original point stands.

[analogika]

Originally Posted by voodoo 

In Apple's world most people live in the USA. Regardless of where most people actually live.

V

Originally Posted by Koralatov

I tend to agree with voodoo on this one; Apple is exceptionally focussed on America--witness, as just one example, the fact that America got the iPhone five months before anywhere in Europe did.

Every time people bring that up like it's an accusation, it makes me laugh.

In Apple's world, it's a LOT easier to deal with the contractual and legal obligations of a single market of 300 million - which also happens to be the market they're most familiar with, being home turf and all - than to deal with individual contracts and laws of *each* of forty-some countries, all of which *together* comprise a population of about 300 million.

Has it escaped you that Apple's distribution model for the iPhone in Germany is currently being contested in a court of law, *despite* having had FIVE MONTHS of negotiations and lawyer whittling?

Do you really think that the iTunes Store not being available for all European countries is a matter of Apple not caring?

Let alone video distribution?

Either way, not germane to this subject.

[voodoo]

"In Apple's world, it's a LOT easier to deal with the contractual and legal obligations of a single market of 300 million - which also happens to be the market they're most familiar with, being home turf and all - than to deal with individual contracts and laws of *each* of forty-some countries, all of which *together* comprise a population of about 300 million. "

Yes? You are laughing at how silly our "accusation" is and agreeing with it at the same time.

You're just arguing over nothing.

Most likely reason in my mind that Apple doesn't support DivX and the avi container in iTunes et al is that Apple wants to push its own AVC and MPEG4.

More and more of pirated stuff is being distributed in that format so I can only assume Apple can be pleased with themselves. Pirated movies in AVC format in the mp4 container can easily be imported into iTunes.

V

[analogika]

Originally Posted by voodoo 

Yes? You are laughing at how silly our "accusation" is and agreeing with it at the same time.

Maybe my point didn't come across, so I'll make it a little blunter:

If it's an "accusation", rather than simply stating what the obvious and business-sensible strategy is, then HOW THE **** DO YOU SUGGEST APPLE DEAL WITH INTERNATIONAL MARKETS?

[voodoo]

Originally Posted by analogika 

Maybe my point didn't come across, so I'll make it a little blunter:

If it's an "accusation", rather than simply stating what the obvious and business-sensible strategy is, then HOW THE **** DO YOU SUGGEST APPLE DEAL WITH INTERNATIONAL MARKETS?

I guess *my* point didn't come across: since Apple considers the USA to be market no 1, 2 and 3 it isn't the *least* likely reason that Apple doesn't support DivX in order to prevent piracy.

It is quite likely if you imagine there is no world outside the USA, which is close to the POV of Apple, as we both agree on.

How Apple should deal with international markets? That's another issue entirely and has nothing to do with my point.

V

[kelso]

Visualhub hands down will solve that.

[CatOne]

Originally Posted by Raman 

My Pentax Optio S4i records movies in .avi format and I have no problem importing them into iPhoto. I have no idea why they would limit you from putting .avi's in your iTunes library.

Because the AVI container format is a Windows standard, and not an actual standard, perhaps?

[Chuckit]

"It's a Windows standard" doesn't really explain why they'd want it one place and not another. Seems more likely it's because iPhoto doesn't sync video with iPods, but iTunes does, and they don't want movies in unsupported formats in your library.