[angelmb]

Noob alert !!!

I don't know iota about the underlying technology behind it, but isn't the option to convert files to AAC 128 kbps a feature to save disk space?, I mean, doing it adds over one GB on size to my brother's iPhone music library. Please enlighten me as to how is that possible.

I've uploaded a video capture here, just over 100 KB on size. iTunes UI is in spanish, but it's pretty straightforward.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1763527/nuts.mp4

So, before conversion it is 5,2 GB. After conversion it is 6,8 GB.

This is how much the iPhone music library actually weights.



I would love to know what's wrong with this.
TIA.

[FireWire]

I think that option is only used when syncing with iPod or iPhones. It is probably creating two versions (one for iTunes and one smaller for iPod) so that's why it's using more disk space.

To reduce your total library size, you would have to select a different import settings, then reconvert all your Library (which will take a while). Then you delete the original copy.

[angelmb]

Thank you for your insight.

There is indeed an iPhone 4 being synced here. My brother told me this was not happening yesterday when converting the library to AAC 128 kbps and afterward syncing the iPhone. Why would it be happening today then?, I am lost here.

[Spheric Harlot]

There is a setting to automatically convert material synced with the iPhone to 128 Kbps to conserve space ON THE IPHONE. That only shows up when an iPhone/iPod is connected, and it converts on-the-fly as it copies.

If you use the Special menu item, then that will convert songs in your library and add them to it, increasing its size as those songs now appear twice.

Your friend used the former; you're trying the latter.

FWIW, 128 Kbps is unacceptable sound quality to me - I wish there were a setting to convert to 192 on the fly when syncing an iPod.

[angelmb]

I guess I should have elaborated more about this… haste makes waste.

Screenshots were taken with the iPhone connected to the Mac. The whole AAC playlist weights 5.4 GB, which is rightly shown when you firstly attach the iPhone to the Mac. Once the sync process hits step 5/5, size for audio jumps to the aforementioned 6,9 GB whereas no additional music is being add to the iPhone. So we don't know what those additional one and a half GB make for.

The music being sync is not his whole iTunes library, but a playlist. Albeit I guess that doesn't mean a thing.




With the iPhone connected to the iMac but no sync being underway.



Once the sync is done.




Does this make any sense or am I babbling like a little fool trying to expose the issue?

[angelmb]

Stop the presses !! The converted items show a bitrate of 256 Kbps, so I guess we've just found the culprit.

[cgc]

This was only an option when an iPod Shuffle was connected...when did Apple add this (and it's about time)?

[Spheric Harlot]

I think in iTunes 10.

The option to convert upon syncing is NOT what angel is using, though.