iPod maintenance
by Volker Weber
Thomas Cloer mentions two interesting utilities for your iPod. Both of them run on Linux, Mac OS X and Windows:
- goPod lets you remove the volume limit of 100 db imposed by EU regulations. Uncap the iPod and it will play as loud as the original US version. After uncapping you have to be extra careful not to crank it up too much. Did I mention how loud the iPod can play?
- YamiPod lets you manage your iPod from your PC or Mac and it provides you with functions Apple forgot to put into iTunes. It has an incredibly long feature list. Best of all, you can run it off the iPod. No installation required.
Comments
What? EU put legal limits on the VOLUME of an i-pod? ROFL
Holy crap, is there nothing better to do?
Look out, here come the volume police!!!
Tom
It's there to protect the kids, and I do not think it is generally a bad idea.
I've been an army medic in the early 90s and did, among other tests, hearing tests for incoming new recruits every 3 months. Most recruits were around 18-20. I've seen sad results. Don't know if the reason were discos, walkmen, car stereos, home stereos, but yes, there are significant differences in hearing among young folks, and it appeared to be related to their music listening taste.
The worst result, though, was for an old soldier who often worked at the shooting range. I heard the beep from his headphone outside the more-or-less-soundproof door and he still didn't push the button to indicate that he could hear the frequency. Wow.
I'm deaf...or at least going so. My hearing is that of a 60 year old which is pretty depressing given I love to sing and love listening to music. If only I had listened to Mum when she begged me to turn down my stereo.
Volume limiters on iPods are a good thing IMHO!
I don't ever listen to music above the 100 db limit on the iPod. However, I was frustrated with videos encoded with a very low sound level. Removing the limit let's me crank up the amplifier further so I can hear those at a higher volume.
I am still thinking about putting the limit back in to protect myself from accidentally raising the volume to high.
heheheh...I'll protect my own kids, thanks. ;-)
How many of the kids aren't hacking that restriction anyway.
My parents just didn't let me turn my stereo up...period. Finally I got a car and cranked that up, but I guess it was late enough to keep my ears relatively healthy...or I got lucky or whatever.
I just have a problem with government spending tax dollars to legislate blanket "protections" like that.
Normally I would be suspicious of some kind of money connection as the real reason for a law like that, but admittedly I can't find one with limiting the volume on an i-pod...gotta be there somewhere, though.
