How to Use iTunes

The most popular music player everywhere: iTunes. Many, however, say that iTunes is very difficult to use or is simply inferior to other media players. This is far from true as iTunes literally puts everything you ever need for media into one convenient package. It can play music files, it can play movie files, it can be organized into many different categories, it can play radio, it supports podcasts and of course, it has its famous iTunes store.

Assuming you have iTunes installed on your computer, this article will guide you through each of the features above. If you don't have iTunes installed, simply download the application and install it with all the defaults; don't let iTunes be the default player if you're simply testing the application! This can easily be changed on Windows through "Set Program Access and Defaults" (or equivalent).

To play music files, open up iTunes and you have many different ways to access your files. You can drag and drop the files into the main Music playlist (under Library), manually select through File-Open, or have iTunes automatically add entire Folders through the File menu. The fact that there are so many options to open music files adds convenience (I can assure everyone that the ability to drag and drop and adding entire folders is excellent and each serves a purpose). After adding the files into the Library, you play it by simply double clicking it. How the music is played can be changed in the Preferences; the most notable feature is the sound checker, the ability to detect how loud the music is and automatically ensure all music plays at about the same volume!

To play movie files, make sure the file is Quicktime compatible as iTunes uses Quicktime to open files. If it is, then it's added to the Library like a music file and can be played in the same way. It will open a new window for the video, double clicking will put it into full screen mode.

To organize files, make sure each file has your personal preference or defaults; for example, Album name or ratings. Create a playlist on the left-side by pressing the plus-sign and naming a new playlist. Drag and drop any file into the playlist and you'll have created your own album. If you prefer, click on individual categories above the files to automatically organize all the files based on the category. If a category you want is not shown, right click over the area to enable it. If you have a lot of music, it may help to add a "Smart Playlist". From this, you can automatically filter certain files and add them to a playlist.

To play radios, enable the radio from Preference. Then, select what genre you enjoy and select a station. If you have high speed, select the highest bit-rate you can find to ensure top quality music. This is a great way to listen to free music if you're tired of your own. Another way to get free files is through Podcasts. Podcasts are like music/video blogs that you can subscribe to. After subscribing, anytime a new file is featured on the "blog", it will automatically be downloaded to your computer and you can listen/watch the file anytime. To subscribe to a podcast, find a feed (usually an .xml) and add the link to Advanced-Subscribe to Podcast. You can change how you download Podcasts in preference.

Perhaps the most important feature in iTunes is its built-in store. If you have a valid credit or debit card, you can access the iTunes store and buy music whenever you want. Search for whatever you want; popular files are usually always available and other albums are added constantly. The most important thing you need to know about iTunes is the difference between DRM and DRM-free. DRM music are not marked with a plus sign while DRM-free is. DRM-free is generally more expensive but there are no limits to where you put those files and are higher quality while DRM files have limits. I highly suggest buying DRM-free music but if you only need the file in one place and don't intend to use it for anything else (I don't, but I don't know for sure in the future), then you DRM may be for you!

Before buying, I highly suggest changing the method to Cart; do this in preferences. By using Cart, you can double check your music, look at recommended music and listen to previews before really deciding to purchase. To buy, simply click "Buy ..." and iTunes will automatically download the files; if you want to create a playlist, it'll do that too!

With all these features, it's pretty clear that iTunes is one of, if not the, most effective media player