How to Remove DRM from WMV

Windows Media Video (WMV) was developed by Microsoft and these files are playable using Windows Media Player. There are numerous portable media players available which support WMV playback. You can use a .WMV file for either streaming or downloading. Downloaded Windows Media Files come with the protection by the DRM License itself. If you try to play it for the first time on your PC, then Windows Media Player will try and look for the license on the PC.
It's explicable that you would like to remove DRM from WMV files. You can play a windows media video file without obtaining a license from the digital rights management server. There are several ways of achieving this task of removing of DRM from WMV. Here are a few of freeware to help you to remove DRM from WMV:

1. freeme2
freeme2 (Download freeme2) is a free and open source DRM remover. It is used to remove DRM from Windows Media audio and video files. freeme2 is a command line application. You need to learn how to use console applications to run it.
How to use freeme2 (drag-n-drop)
Drag-n-drop method is much easier than the one using command line console:
Put your DRM protected media files in the same folder as Freeme2.
Extract your license keys. You can do this with drmdbg. If you use drmdbg you can take the drm2-i.key file generated by drmdbg, rename it to drm2.key and copy it to the FreeMe2 folder.
Drag your sample.wma file onto FreeMe2.exe. It starts up and runs fine.
How to use freeme2 (command line console)
Put your DRM protected media files in the same folder as freeme2.
Run the Windows command console: Hit "Start"->hit "Run..."->type CMD->Hit the "OK" button.
Then, once in the command console, chage the directiry by using the "cd" command to the directory where your FreeMe2 is located.
Extract your license keys. You can do this with drmdbg.
Type the following in the command line console: "freeme2" (without quotes) and press the Enter button.
2. Aiseesoft Total Video Converter
Aiseesoft Total Video Converter is a powerful video and audio converter for all popular media formats including: WMA, WAV, WMV, M4A, M4P, M4V, AAC, M4B, 3GP, AVI, ASF, MP4, FLV, MP3, etc. so users can easily enjoy the DRM protected formats with their mobile players like iPhone, iPod, PSP, etc.
How to use Aiseesoft Total Video Converter.
Click "Add File" to import files to the program.
Click "setting" to customize the parameters for output audio and video.
When you finish all the necessary settings, you can start conversion. The selected files in the file list will be automatically converted one by one after you click Start button. if you convert files that bought from iTunes Store, you need to do some setting as the image shows.
please click here to learn the full guide.



3. AnalogWhole
AnalogWhole (Download AnalogWhole) is a free Windows application that allows you to consolidate all your music into iTunes as MP3 files. Any music that is playable in Windows Media Player can be re-recorded as an MP3 file. Just tell AnalogWhole where your music library is, and it will automatically re-record the files as an MP3 file. In addition, it will add the converted song to iTunes for you.
With AnalogWhole you can convert all those WMA or WAV files you have that won't play on your iPod into MP3 files that will play on iPod.
The way AnalogWhole works is pretty straightforward. Almost all PC soundcards have the ability to simultaneously play music out one channel while recording music on another channel. The standard Windows audio mixer component allows the output channel to be routed back into the soundcard input channel. AnalogWhole uses the COM interface to Windows Media Player to play the music file and while it is playing, it records it and encodes it as an MP3 file. All tagging info (i.e. artist, song title, album et cetera) is transferred to the MP3 file as well.



4. Automate unDRM.
Free DRM removal from .WMV, .ASF, .WMA (Windows Media audio/video files). Included in the download pack: drmdbg, drm2wmv, DecryptIt.
You can Download Automate unDRM here.
Automate unDRM v2.0 can't crack DRM license. You must have VALID license files on your harddrive and be able to play the DRM protected files without restrictions. Automate unDRM v2.0 is intended to be used to make fair-use backups only. Please do not abuse this rule.
Automate unDRM is used to automate the DRM removal process by drmdbg and drm2wmv. drmdbg and drm2wmv don't convert your original Windows Media audio and video files, they just remove DRM header of the media file, so you get lossless conversion of DRM protected media files.
Automate unDRM works only with Windows Media Player 9 or 10.00.00.3646 (unless you update your drbdbg.exe).

5. FairUse4WM
FairUse4WM (Download FairUse4WM) can't crack DRM license. You must have VALID license files on your harddrive and be able to play the DRM protected files without restrictions.
FairUse4WM is intended to be used to make fair-use backups only. Please do not abuse this rule. FairUse4WM is a GUI version of drmdbg (DRM removal tool). drmdbg doesn't convert your original Windows Media audio and video files, it just removes DRM header of the media file, so you get lossless conversion of DRM protected media files.
FairUse4WM supports Windows Media Player 9, 10, 11 (individualization version up to .3930).
Basic requirements: Only works on individualized DRM file.
Requires Windows Media Player (WMP) 9, 10 or 11 beta 1 and 2. Although there is no support for WMP 11 final. Works with both individualized content and some DRMv1 files. Does not work with Win98 or similar.
The program's functioning can be verified by stripping DRM protection from Demo files from ezdrm.com, as well as those from other Microsoft Solution partners.
Note that some Windows Media Player installations will have multiple ECC key-pairs, so you will likely have to "Extract Keys" using multiple licensed files. If you find a file that doesn't convert, try extracting keys with it. Once your whole set of keys is extracted, you will no longer need to run Windows Media Player per file.

Exclusive: Yahoo Exec Churn Continues, With Media Head Pitaro Ready to Bolt

Last week at a Goldman Sachs investment conference, voluble Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz tried to minimize the impact of the recent spate of significant executive departures at the Internet giant.

But, she noted: “There are a few more we’re going to lose.”

And Bartz is right–according to several sources with knowledge of the situation, Yahoo’s VP of Media, Jimmy Pitaro (pictured here), is expected to be leaving the company soon.

Rumors around Pitaro’s departure have been swirling, especially this week. Bartz and other execs are still trying hard to keep Pitaro, but sources said his departure was likely to another company.

If he goes, it will certainly be a loss for Yahoo (YHOO). Pitaro is a longtime veteran and experienced digital media exec, and has run a number of its key media properties, such as Sports.

He now presides over all its other powerful media properties, such as News and Finance. Pitaro reports to David Ko, Yahoo’s U.S. Audience head.

He follows a number of key Yahoo execs out the door recently, either via changes in structure or because of increasing dissatisfaction with management and the company’s moribund stock price.

Adding Pitaro to the pile will only increase pressure on Bartz, as well as U.S. SVP Hilary Schneider, to show investors that Yahoo has a clear plan amidst the executive turmoil.

Yahoo declined to comment.

The iPod Family(Part 1)

We're hard pressed to say the iPod family's fallen on particularly hard times, but being under such excruciating public scrutiny can take its toll on any dynasty; especially in a year like 2005, the family shaken to its core by so many tragic deaths. From the humble beginnings of the iPod that began the legacy so many years back, all the way up to the tragic loss of the iPod mini just yesterday, we felt it might be time to take a visit to the iPod family cemetary on this early autumn afternoon.


iPod family Tree

2001


The first generation iPod-October 2001 - July 2002

2002

The second generation iPod-July 2002 - April 2003
But a few mournful months after the passing of the 5GB iPod and the birth of the 10GB iPod, came a new 10GB iPod and the 20GB, which started at $499. Perhaps one of the least well-remembered of the iPod family, this iPod included the first non-mechanical (solid state) scroll wheel, though the center and circumference buttons remained tactile. Perhaps most groundbreaking was the official Windows support (via Musicmatch Jukebox, ironically), though the wired remote, calendar, and artist search were all significant as well. Eventually this iPod would undergo tattoos by Beck, No Doubt, Madonna, and Tony Hawk before being committed to history in April of 2003.

2003

The third generation iPod-April 2003 - July 2004
This was the iPod—born of humbler pedigree—that grew up, provided for itself a higher education, and made its own way in the world. The third generation of the family rid itself entirely of mechanical buttons on its body, shed some of its baby fat around the waist down to 4.1 x 2.4 x 0.62-inches, and came forth at $299 for 10GB, $399 for 15GB, and $499 for 30GB. This was also the first iPod child to feature a remote connector and dock connector—which finally enabled USB 2.0. In September the 30GB iPod was priced at $399, and a 40GB model was released for $499.

Related theme:
The iPod family(part 2)
The iPod family(part 3)
The iPod family(part 4)
The iPod family(part 5)

Recommended Products For you:
DVD to iPod Converter for Mac
It's a specially designed iPod conversion program to Convert DVD to iPod touch, iPod classic, iPod nano, convert DVD to iTunes on Leopard.
iPod Video Converter for Mac
It can convert MP4, MOV, 3GP, AVI, RM, MPEG, ASF and FLV to iPod video with high output quality and various features .

BoomTown Clarifies Ron Conway’s Clarification of His Super Angel Fit

Now comes the backpedaling. Of course.

Today, well-known Silicon Valley angel investor sent a missive to his favorite missive publisher, TechCrunch.

It was a “clarification” to his earlier “leaked” email to Super Angels, in which he lambasted them for a controversial dinner at Bin 38.

At which one of his partners at SV Angels was in attendance. At Conway’s insistence, as it turns out.

Oops.

Thus, after the first decoding, here is the final one and then it’s time to leave this circus to the panel tomorrow at TechCrunch’s Disrupt conference:

Ron wrote: Last Thursday Tech Crunch published a leaked email from me to some angel investors who attended the Bin 38 dinner.

I would like to clarify some confusion from that email.

David Lee, my partner at SV Angel did not want to go the Bin 38 dinner. We talked and then agreed that he should go.

David Lee shares the same passion and satisfaction as I do in helping entrepreneurs bring their innovation to fruition and that’s why we work together and I am proud to call him a close friend and partner.

This is the last time I am going to say anything about this topic since we must focus our attention back where it belongs…with the entrepreneurs and helping them build great companies!

Translation: Jazz hands!

iPod Compatible Video

This article is divided into four parts separately introduce what is iPod Compatible Video, which video format is better for Apple iPod Video, is my video iPod compatible and how to make the video compatible with your iPod.

Part One: What is iPod Compatible Video?
Part Two: Which video format is better for Apple iPod video?
Part Three: Is My Video iPod Compatible?
Part Four: How to make the video compatible with your iPod?

Part One: What is iPod Compatible Video?
Firstly, I will introduce you what is iPod Compatible Video, iPod Nano Compatible Video such as iPod Video MP4, iPod Video H 264, the specifications page lists the following:
Apple iPod video specifications from their official website:
H.264 video, up to 1.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Low-Complexity version of the H.264 Baseline Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; H.264 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Baseline Profile up to Level 3.0 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats;
MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats.

That’s a little confusing, but there’s only a few numbers you’ll need to remember for each format.

The highest video bitrate with the H.264 codec is 768 kilobits per second. The biggest picture size for your H.264 movie is 320 pixels wide by 240 pixels high, the exact dimensions of your iPod’s screen. Your iPod can play H.264 video at framerates up to 30 frames per second. Every one of the applications that we’ll be using encodes with the Baseline Profile. Your audio needs to be encoded as AAC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48 kHz, and it can be in either stereo or mono. As long as you follow all the guidelines, your movie can be a QuickTime movie or an MPEG-4 movie file.

Your other option, MPEG-4 video, supports a much higher bitrate than H.264 video - 2,500 kilobits per second. Using higher bitrates will also create larger files. The result: you’ll have less space for additional songs and movies. The biggest picture size for your MPEG-4 video is 480 pixels wide by 480 pixels high - three times as many pixels as your iPod’s screen is capable of displaying. Your iPod will shrink the picture proportionally so that everything fits on the screen. Again, the iPod can play videos up to 30 frames per second and our audio and file format options are the same as H.264 video.

Part Two: Which video format is better for Apple iPod video?
That’s a tough question. H.264 is arguably better because it offers high quality and a much smaller file size when compared to MPEG-4. However, both formats look quite good when you encode your video at the higher supported video settings. One thing that most people will agree on is that H.264 video takes longer to encode than standard MPEG-4. This means that converting a two hour movie to iPod video can take considerably longer using the H.264 codec (especially with QuickTime Pro’s pokey Export: Movie to iPod video option). Still, I prefer the H.264 codec in most instances.

Part Three: Is My Video iPod Compatible?
Some of the video files that you download from the web or from file sharing networks like BitTorrent may be iPod compatible - even if they’re not marked as such.

The easiest way to determine whether a video can be played on your iPod is to open the file in QuickTime and select Window: Show Movie Info. In most cases your video should be iPod-ready if the format is H.264 or MPEG-4, the audio is AAC, and the size of your video is 320 x 240 (or smaller) for H.264 or 480 x 480 (or smaller) for MPEG-4. Also, look at the data rate and make sure it’s not over 900 kbits/sec for H.264 or 2600 kbits/sec for MPEG-4.

Part Four: How to make the video compatible with your iPod?
If you have QuickTime Pro ($30 and worth every penny) or the latest version of iTunes (free!), this is, by far, the easiest conversion that we’ll talk about.

In iTunes, after you’ve added your video to the library, right click it. Select Convert Selection for iPod. iTunes will let you know if your video is already in the correct format. If it’s not, your video will slowly be converted to an H.264 video.

UPDATE: I’ve heard several complaints of iTunes creating iPod videos without sound. You should probably avoid using iTunes to convert your videos.

In QuickTime Pro, open your movie and, in the file menu, select Export… and in the export drop-down, select Movie to iPod (320 x 240) and click Save. QuickTime will create an optimized H.264 video with AAC audio.

You may want to go pour yourself a cup of tea or take a nap. If your file is large, QuickTime’s slow conversion process can take several hours.

If you’re an inexperienced user, I recommend using QuickTime Pro or iTunes because they’re absolutely foolproof. However there are other much faster, more powerful applications for converting your videos. Read on!

Don’t have QuickTime Pro? Aiseesoft iPod Video Converter!
Aiseesoft iPod Video Converter supports so comprehensive video formats including converting MPG, MPEG, MPEG2, VOB, MP4, M4V, RM, RMVB, WMV, ASF, MKV, TS, MPV, AVI, 3GP,3G2, FLV, MPV, MOD, TOD to iPod Video MP4, iPod Video H 264. You can customize your own output video by the settings function. For example, if you want a high quality video you can raise the values of Video Biterate, Audio Biterate and Audio Sample Rate, if you want a smaller file you can reduce the value.



If you want to make your DVD compatible with your iPod and even transfer your iPod video to Computer, you can choose Aiseesoft DVD to iPod Suite which is an all-in-one solution to convert DVD to iPod Video MP4, iPod Video H 264 and convert video to iPod Video MP4, iPod Video H 264. Moreover, it can transfer video from iPod to computer. You don’t need to worry about losing anything.
For Mac user, you can choose Aiseesoft iPod Video Converter for Mac and Aiseesoft DVD to iPod Suite for Mac.

How to Convert Video to WMV, AVI, MP4

Just try Aiseesoft Total Video Converter. Let’s see how effective the software conversion. The software can adjust CPU usage manually. The video length of 2 hours needs about 3-4 h conversion time.

The software can convert video to MP4, MKV, WMV, AVI and others like H.264, 3GP and DivX etc.. What is not said, that more experience is not as their own. You can download Aiseesoft Total Video Converter.

Step 1: Load Video
You can load your videos into the converter by clicking “Add File”


Step 2: Choose output info
This converter provides you many output profiles for you to choose, you can choose your output profiles according to your need. And also you can just choose a certain video format.


You can also adjust the settings of your output profiles. You can even save a certain settings as your own output settings.
Step 3: Conversion
Click “Start” button to begin your conversion and few mins later you can get your video.

Furthermore, the software has some editing functions such as trim, crop, watermark, and merge that are very useful in our daily life.

How to Put Photos on a PSP

What you need?
1. A PSP
2. A computer
3. A PSP to computer cord
4. Photos you want on your PSP

Step1, On your computer you will need to find the pictures that you want on your PSP.
Step2, You will need to create a folder on your desktop called PHOTO all in capital letters. Then, drag and drop the picture(s) you want on your PSP into this folder.
Step3, You will need to plug your PSP into the computer using the PSP to computer cord. Then, on your PSP go under the settings menu, and select the option that says USB connection. You should now be in USB mode on your PSP. .Now that your PSP is in USB mode, the computer should recognize it and open an options menu.
Step4, Your computer is displaying an options menu, select the option that says open folder to view files. Now, your computer should be displaying the folders on your PSP.
Step5, Open the folder that says PSP. Now, your computer should be displaying the folders inside of the folder named PSP.
Step6, Drag and drop the folder named PHOTO - the one with your picture(s) -into the folder named PSP, the one you are viewing. You're done; you've found out how to put pictures on your PSP. Now, go show your picture(s) off to friends, family, and whom ever you want.

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DVD to PSP Converter for Windows
Aiseesoft DVD to PSP Converter for Windows is a professional application that is designed to convert DVD movie to PSP on PC.
PSP Movie Converter for Windows
Aiseesoft PSP Movie Converter is a professional video to PSP converter for Windows that can convert all sorts of video formats to PSP video on PC.

Microsoft Snubs Verizon, Sprint With Windows Phone 7

Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) said a long-awaited operating system for smartphones initially won’t be available on handsets compatible with the cellular technology used by carriers that include Verizon Wireless (VZ) and Sprint Nextel Corp. (S).
The new operating system, Windows Phone 7, will initially work only with cellular networks based on a technology called GSM, said Greg Sullivan, senior product manager at Microsoft, who said the company decided to focus on that wireless standard because the company is “placing high-quality customer experiences above all else.”

GSM is the basis of U.S. networks operated by AT&T Inc. (T) and T-Mobile USA, and is widely used in Europe and other markets. AT&T will carry three devices running on the new Windows Phone 7 when it debuts in the U.S., according to a person familiar with the matter.

Windows Phone 7 won’t run on the cellular technology known as CDMA, which has a smaller position globally and is used in the U.S. by Verizon Wireless and Sprint.

Read the rest of this post on the original site

Shooting From Carol Bartz’s Hip: Apple’s iAds Are Just Awful, Which Is Why Yahoo Buys Them!

If you’re going to trash the competition in the online advertising business in a widely quoted press interview, it’s probably a good idea to check if someone on your staff was, you know, buying up the very product you dissed.

That’s precisely the case with Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz, whose shoot-from-her-hip stylings in a wide-ranging chat with Reuters published earlier this week took aim at–among many others–Apple and its mobile iAds product.

“That’s going to fall apart for them,” she said to Reuters, apparently referring to reports that the perfection-obsessed tech giant would involve itself in the creative part of ads on its service. “Advertisers are not going to have that type of control over them. Apple wants total control over those ads.”

At an Apple event in April, Apple CEO Steve Jobs was certainly insisting on beauty and usefulness, as well as deep interactivity within the app itself, unlike other mobile ads that take a user from the app to a Web site.

It’s definitely a clear strategic direction by Apple, exerting more control as they do with its App Store, and many are not going to like it.

Thus, Bartz, whose company has been lagging in the mobile ad arena behind both Apple (AAPL) and Google (GOOG), took the obvious shot.

Except, as you can see below, Yahoo (YHOO) bought one of many iAd last week within the Pandora music app, which went live this week, touting its Sportacular iPhone app.

What adds a level of irony here is that Bartz, in another interview in The Wall Street Journal this week, continued to compare Yahoo to Apple and herself to Jobs, when insisting investors be patient with the Silicon Valley Internet giant’s continued lackluster performance.

According to the Journal:

“Apple’s stock-market capitalization was ‘dead a– flat’ for a number of years after Mr. Jobs returned in 1997, Ms. Bartz said in a wide-ranging interview on Wednesday. ‘You don’t come in and do fairy dust. You upgrade technology, you see what drives engagement,’ she said.”

Bartz has used this comparison a lot over the last year–although I am not sure it is the best idea unless she is certain there is a golden iPod-like innovation coming out in the end for Yahoo.

The iHoo? I think not.

BoomTown has a call into Yahoo PR, on whose last nerve I am working this week, for an explanation.

And here is the lovely iAd Yahoo bought:

Apparently Yahoo’s Bartz Didn’t Get the Memo About Avoiding Land Wars in Asia

How can BoomTown put this as delicately as Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz would?

How about this: Her actions in regard to the Internet giant’s Asian relationships are about as bad as it gets these days.

After losing Yahoo Japan’s search business to Google (GOOG) last month, followed by the loss of a major South Korean site’s search business, Yahoo is poised for a third strike with its partner in China, the Alibaba Group.

Sources close to the company said it is likely Alibaba will either partner with another search technology for sites that are now powered by Yahoo (YHOO) or build it internally.

That inevitability became crystal clear after Bartz gave an interview to Reuters that was posted yesterday.

In it, she claimed that the Alibaba Group “constantly” was asking Yahoo about repurchasing its 40 percent stake in the company and she was always putting its execs off with a big, fat no.

Alibaba, which has been in several word wars with Yahoo since Bartz took over, begged to differ, noting there was only one legitimate offer and that Yahoo engaged in discussions over it.

Not exactly a no.

Said an Alibaba PR spokesman in a statement:

“We made an offer that included a partial sale and a specific plan to maximize the value of their remaining stake. That offer was rejected, and they countered with a very different proposal, which we found unjustifiable, and we terminated the discussions.”

Bartz then stuck the knife in deeper in an interview in The Wall Street Journal, published today, noting, “I personally think what is happening is [Alibaba CEO] Jack Ma would like to go public and like some of his stock back.”

That’s probably true, given that the eventual IPO of Alibaba’s Taobao online retail unit will boost value of Yahoo’s stake.

Still, Bartz’s words were as impolitic as a public company CEO could make, especially after a series of gaffes related to its partner in China.

Alibaba has made no bones about wanting it and Yahoo to go their own separate ways, with one exec saying in an interview last week, “Why do we need a financial investor with no business synergy or technology?”

While such noise has all the signs of a negotiating tactic, the growing tensions between Yahoo and Alibaba are quite real, and born from a series of uncomfortable encounters between Bartz and Ma.

Remember, this is the same exec who sold off a piece of Alibaba to former Yahoo co-founder and CEO Jerry Yang, and with whom he had, and continues to have, a cordial relationship.

Yang is on the board of Alibaba, which is about to become another point of conflict after Bartz also said in the Journal interview that she “probably” would join it.

Said an Alibaba spokesman about that:

“Regarding reports of Carol Bartz seeking a board seat, we have no notice of that and also no notice of whether she intends to replace Jerry or seek an additional board seat.”

Now, that’s a nice welcome!

While sources said Alibaba is loath to have Bartz as a director, Yahoo does have the right to another seat on the four-person board, which also includes Masayoshi Son, the powerful Asian investor who was apparently behind the ending of Yahoo Japan’s search technology partnership with Yahoo.

It was Son himself, one of Yahoo’s earliest investors, several sources said, who jump-started the deal with Google CEO Eric Schmidt.

Why? According to numerous sources, the SoftBank founder had also soured on Yahoo management and its ability to monetize the very successful Yahoo Japan site.

While it might seem unusual that Yahoo Japan will be using Google’s search, it is not actually owned by Yahoo, which holds a 35 percent stake in the publicly traded company. SoftBank, the giant Japan-based Internet service provider and cell phone provider, has a stake of around 40 percent in Yahoo Japan.

As for NHN, which is South Korea’s largest Internet search engine, with a 65 percent share, it said in late August it would dump Yahoo technology and use its own after its deal ends later this year.

“We desperately need an advertising platform that’s more flexible and effective, with closer ties to the local market to respond to advertisers’ expectations promptly,” said NHN CEO Kim Sang Hun about ending its Yahoo relationship.

While each of these Asian situations are different, as Bartz will surely point out, it all adds up to trouble, given Yahoo has signed a deal with Microsoft (MSFT) to take over its search technology going forward globally.

Sources at Microsoft said management is exasperated at the turn of events, especially in Japan, which seemed a certainty for Yahoo to maintain as a partner.

The software giant has been trying to see if there are any ways to block the Google-Yahoo Japan deal via regulators there, which is a long shot.

“Not ideal,” said one source close to the situation. “That would be an understatement.”

In this noisy war in Asia, perhaps understatement might be a good strategy going forward for Yahoo.

How to Put Youtube videos on iPod, PowerPoint ,etc for free

This guide will show you how to download video content from numerous sites (youtube, Google Video,etc) and convert videos to iPod on Mac using two methods. It is pretty simple for according to the following statements.
iPod, iPhone accepts mp4 video detail as follow: MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per sec., Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48 kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats.
PPT accepts: mpeg, asf, avi, wpl. wm, wmx, wmd, wmz, dvr-ms, mpv2, mp2v, mov, etc

1. Using free online YouTube converter
The first method is using a website to convert youtube video to iPod or powerpoint for free, Of course, you can also convert other media videos.
This is good for you when you only have one file to convert or you can't install the programs necessary for conversion. My favorite is zamzar converter.
You don't even need to download the video file to your computer. Enter the URL of the video to the box, choose the format you want to convert youtube videos to (iPod accepts mp4 video. So choose the format 'mp4'), and Enter your email address , then click 'convert'. The output file will be sent to your mailbox after the conversion.



Another free online converter I like is media convert.
But you can't convert big video files using free online converters. It is up to 100MB. And the quality of the output files is so.

Tip: How to put pictures and photos to iPod, iPhone
1. Download iTunes from http://www.apple.com
2. Plug your iPod in to iTunes
3. Make a folder on the computer with all of the photos you want on your iPod (Name it something you with remember!)
4. Click on the iPod icon in iTunes
5. Click on the Tab "Photos" on the top.
6. Check the box "Sync photos from:"
7. Chose the folder all of your photos are in.
8. Click apply, then eject your iPod and enjoy your photos!

2. Using iPod video converter for Mac
The Second Method is using iPod video converter software to convert Youtube videos to iPod on Mac for free.
For this you need the following:
1. A video to download.
2. iPod Video Converter (Mac OS X version / Windows PC version).
Step 1: Download the videos
The downloaded file might be two formats: avi and flv . iPod and iPhone only support mp4 format. So you need to convert the videos to MP4 files.
PowerPoint understands .avi. If it the file is .avi, you do not need to convert it to put it on PPT. But most videos will probably be in .flv format. You can't embed Flash in PowerPoint. These will need to be converted to .mpeg or .avi format.
To do these conversions, you will need video converter which is capable of doing the conversion.

Step 2: Converting The Video to iPod, iPhone, Powerpoint, etc
Great, now you have located the file and downloaded it to the desktop. What's next? Well, you need to open up your freshly installed Aiseesoft Video Converter for Mac.
Click the "Add File" button to add the video files that get from the video sites to the program by automatically selecting an appropriate encoder for the video files you want to convert to.
Select the output format on the output format list. Aiseesoft iPod Video Converter for Mac can convert videos to almost all popular video players like iPod touch, iPod classic, iPod nano, iPhone, Apple TV, PSP, PS3, Youtube (web), Creative Zen, iRiver PMP, Archos, various video mobile phones and many other digital video and audio players. If you want to put videos to PowerPoint, you need to convert the videos to avi or mpeg formats.
This process only lasts a few minutes at the most.
If you want to convert several videos into one file, what you need to is to click'merge into one file' option . As we know, the mp4 format is high conpatible with iPod, iPhone, Apple TV, PSP, so it the best format for converting to iPod, iPhone, etc.

BoomTown Talks Girl Geek at Facebook Hack Event

This Saturday, BoomTown gassed up the Mini and motored on down to Facebook’s newest building in Palo Alto, Calif., for a Developer Garage and Hackathon, which the social networking giant did in partnership with Girls in Tech.

The goal was to focus on women developers, although there were plenty of dudes in attendance, as per usual at any all-night nerd-off.

While there, event wrangler Randi Zuckerberg fobbed off to me a panel for lady geeks she was slated to moderate, which was a decidedly risky move on her part.

Here is the video of that panel, which included: Facebook Engineering Director Jocelyn Goldfein; Meebo co-founder Sandy Jen; Jennifer Pahlka, founder of Code for America; and Catherine Herdlick, a game producer for Electronic Arts (ERTS).

How to change iPhone Wallpaper

Here are the easy steps you can take to change iPhone Wallpaper easily.

Make preparations:
Step 1: Find an image that you would like to use as wallpaper from iPhone Wallpaper.
Step 2: Right-click on a PC or control-click on an Apple computer and select "Save As" to save the image to your computer. Save it to your "My Pictures" folder or iPhoto library on a PC or Apple respectively, or wherever you prefer to store your images on your computer as long as you will be able to easily locate it.
Step 3: Connect the iPhone to your computer with the USB cable and wait for iTunes to launch itself automatically. Click on the "Photos" tab in the side panel.
Step 4: Click on the "Sync Photos From:" tab in the "Photos" menu on iTunes and locate the folder where your photos are stored. Select all of the images that you would like to transfer your to iPhone. Click on "Sync" in iTunes to transfer all of the photos to your iPhone.

Change iPhone Wallpaper
Step 1: Tap Settings on the iPhone’s home screen:



Step 2: Tap the Wallpaper tab:



Several tabs should appear, including one that says Wallpaper. You can tap any of the tabs to select wallpaper for the iPhone. The Wallpaper tab features a collection of pictures supplied by Apple. The other tabs feature pictures you have added to the iPhone, including those taken with the iPhone’s camera.



Step 3: Tap any picture. A preview screen of the wallpaper will appear, along with the words Move and Scale at the top. You can pinch and reverse pinch the picture to resize. The transparent bars at the top and bottom simulate the bars for the clock and Slide to unlock that will eventually display on top of your wallpaper.
In the example below you can see that the heads of the two peoples will be partially covered by the top bar:



To fix, I will reverse pinch to expand the picture, then drag the picture so that their faces appear in the center:


Step 4:
Tap Set Wallpaper to finish.
To view your new iPhone wallpaper, put the iPhone to sleep by pressing the sleep button on the top of the iPhone. Then hit the home button to wake the iPhone, and you should see the wallpaper.
Note the position of the clock and Slide to unlock transparent bars. If you’re unhappy with the position of the wallpaper, repeat the steps above.

Exclusive: Facebook Snatches Another Google Ad Exec (This Is Getting Ridonkulous!)

Facebook–in its ongoing quest to poach as many Google execs as possible–has hired a well-regarded and upcoming ad sales and operations exec, Emily White (pictured here), away from the search giant.

White once worked for former Google exec David Fischer, who bolted to the social networking giant in late March to take a job as VP of Advertising and Global Operations.

Fischer worked for former Googler Sheryl Sandberg, who is now Facebook’s COO. (You get the Silicon Valley daisy-chain pattern here, right?)

Thus, White will work for both of them again, this time running the business and monetization side of local on a global basis.

According to her profile on LinkedIn, White is still employed at Google as a senior director of emerging businesses in its marketing and advertising unit.

But she began her stint at Facebook this week, a move which she and also Facebook confirmed after a Friday night email from BoomTown.

White, 32, has been at Google since 2001.

How to Rip DVDs to iPod, iPhone, etc. with Handbrake

Do you want to watch your DVDs on your iPod, iPhone or Apple TV? Here's a guide which explains how to use an excellent software - Handbrake to rip DVD's into MPEG-4 video files.

Requirements:
1. VLC player (Handbrake 0.9.3 and higher)
2. iTunes 6.0.1 or later
3. QuickTime 7.0.3 or later
4. 500 MHz processor or better with at least 16MB of video RAM
Step 1: Download Handbrake
Download Handbrake from here and install it. Handbrake is free. If you already have Handbrake installed, please check to see if your version is out of date. Several new improvements have been made recently to the program, specifically for the iPod and iPhone.



Step 2. Insert DVD
Grab a video DVD and put it into your computer. Handbrake can only convert standard video DVD's that you would normally play in a DVD player. If you have a DVD-ROM with video files saved on it as individual files (AVI, MPG, WMV, MOV, etc), Handbrake will NOT be able to convert these files. Handbrake only wants standard video DVD's.
Depending on your computer's preferences, the DVD Player application might automatically open. If it does, just quit it. Only one application should be accessing the DVD at a time.
Launch Handbrake. A screen asking you to select a DVD will appear. Select the DVD you've inserted into your computer and press the Open button.



Step 3: Download VLC player
What version of Handbrake are you using? As of version 0.9.3, Handbrake will no longer natively rip DVDs. Weird right? I wonder if they were getting some pressure from the movie industry. But don't give up on Handbrake just yet. You can still use Handbrake 0.9.3 to rip DVDs, you just need to install VLC on your machine first.
If you see the VLC screen like the one shown below, then you need to download and install VLC.



VLC Download Page:
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/

The VLC media player is a highly portable multimedia player for various audio and video formats (MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, mp3, ogg, etc.) as well as DVDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols. It can also be used as a server to stream in unicast or multicast in IPv4 or IPv6 on a high-bandwidth network. Handbrake now uses some components of the VLC player and it must be installed if you want Handbrake to read DVDs.
The VLC media player is a highly portable multimedia player for various audio and video formats (MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, mp3, ogg, etc.) as well as DVDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols. It can also be used as a server to stream in unicast or multicast in IPv4 or IPv6 on a high-bandwidth network. Handbrake now uses some components of the VLC player and it must be installed if you want Handbrake to read DVDs.
After you download VLC, you need to install it on Mac:
VLC for Mac OS X is distributed as a disk image. Download the .dmg file, open it, and copy VLC to your hard drive (for instance the /Applications folder). Open VLC by double-clicking on it.

Step 4: Source Settings
Handbrake will now scan your DVD. This makes take up to a minute or two depending on the contents of the DVD and the speed of your optical drive.



Title: By default, Handbrake will select the longest title in the list. However, this may not be the content you want.
Movies: If you are ripping a movie, the longest title is usually the main feature.
TV Shows: If you are ripping a DVD containing TV shows, you should see a list of several titles all about the same length. The shorter titles on the DVD are usually the video backgrounds used in the DVD menu screens and DVD extras like movie trailers. Unless you are a graphic artist, you probably don't want these tracks.
The shorter titles on the DVD are usually the video backgrounds used in the DVD menu screens and DVD extras like movie trailers. Unless you are a graphic artist, you probably don't want these tracks.



If you only want to rip one title but aren't sure which one, you can click on the Picture Settings button (bottom right of the Handbrake interface) and manually step through several frames of the title to see what it looks like.
NOTE: Sometimes Handbrake is unable to see every track on a DVD. We've noticed issues with very old DVD's from the mid-1990s (before the days of fancy menus and Bonus features) and some newer DVD's like Stealth. There are different techniques and methods to authoring DVD's Sometimes the tracks get nested in weird ways that prevents Handbrake from seeing them. Other DVD ripping applications like Mac The Ripper and OSex might be able to see these tracks. Look for the longest track. That is probably the main feature.

Step 5: Destination Settings
The Destination section has 3 settings you can modify: file format, codec and file destination.
File Destination: You can name your file and choose its destination using this box. Try to pick a location that has sufficient disk space to store the ripped file. On average, you need about 1 GB per full length movie.



Step 6: Select A Preset
Handbrake has a variety of handy DVD ripping presets for iPod, iPhone, Apple TV, Xbox, Sony PSP and many more. Just select a preset and Handbrake will automatically fill in all the settings for you.



If you plan on watching this DVD on your iPod, iPhone or even Apple TV, we suggest you select iPod High-Rez and drop the average bitrate to 900 kbps. This will give you a nice high quality file that will work on both big (HDTVs) and small screens (iPod/iPhone) and won't take up a ton of hard drive space.



Step 7: Picture Settings
Click on the Picture Settings button to launch a separate window. The only thing you really want to do here is to compensate for interlaced or grainy, compressed looking video. Handbrake will have adjusted everything here for you based on the preset you selected.
Sometimes video files will have horizontal lines in them. This is called interlacing. To get rid of interlacing, try turning on the Deinterlace option and select "Fast." The image below is animated and will toggle between when the deinterlace option is turned on or off. You can really see the difference around the edge of the flipper.


Denoise will help get rid of graininess and Deblock will help clean up blocky or compressed looking video. Experiment and try to make your video clip look the best possible.
NOTE: Your iPod really only wants video files that are 320 pixels wide by 240 wide. If you don't plan on watching this ripped DVD on anything else, you can mess around with the settings. Turn on the "Keep aspect ratio button" and decrease the Width until it says 320. Handbrake will auto-adjust the height to match the width. If your video source is 3:4 (full-screen), the height will be 240. For wide-screen content, the height will be a lower number. This is fine and isn't something to worry about.
But if you plan on watching this video on your TV with an Apple TV or an iPod Video dock, then you should keep the video size big. If you don't have the money for an Apple TV, there's this amazing iPod video dock called the Keyspan TuneView. If you want to hook your iPod Video up to your TV, you should check out the TuneView.



Step 8: Rip
Finally! Click on the Rip button and stand back. The encoding time will depend on several variables including: the duration of the video file, the speed of your computer, what other activity your computer is currently doing, the codec you selected (H264 or MP4) and if you decided to do a 2-pass encoding or not.



Handbrake will attempt to provide you with an ETA. The time will increase if you Pause the encode or do anything that will hog the processor like start a 3D render in Maya. We suggest you do your DVD ripping overnight or at a time when you don't need to use your computer.
Handbrake will attempt to provide you with an ETA. The time will increase if you Pause the encode or do anything that will hog the processor like start a 3D render in Maya. We suggest you do your DVD ripping overnight or at a time when you don't need to use your computer.



Step 9: Import Into iTunes
Connect your iPod Video or iPhone to your computer using the cable it came with and open iTunes (Applications > iTunes).
Drag and drop the video file into your iTunes library, or select Add to Library... from the File menu.
Make sure the video file you just added to iTunes is in a Playlist that will get synced to your device.
Select "Sync"
The sync may take a few minutes. Once the import completed, you could find the file which is ripped by Handbrake on your iPod or iPhone.

Will HP Now Stand for Hanky Panicky or Should It Settle With Hurd Over Oracle and Make It All Go Away?

Doubtlessly, in some business tome to come, it will all be depicted in glorious detail.

And here are three real-life scenes where BoomTown would desperately have loved to be a fly on the wall:

First: The boardroom perusal of the contents of the eight-page letter from former Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) outside contractor Jodie Fisher, sent to former CEO Mark Hurd, which set in motion the circumstances of his ouster–including the odd investigation into that personal relationship that only managed to turn up dicey expense reports.

Second: The welcome-to-the company-and-screw-HP pep talk that Oracle (ORCL) CEO Larry Ellison delivered to Hurd in appointing him co-president and also a director of the database giant.

And third: The furious HP board racing to the door to file a lawsuit against Hurd for the move.

What happens next should be interesting, especially since the idea of settlement has never been one of the tools in Ellison’s wheelhouse, who is doubtlessly egging Hurd on here.

And, after yet another curveball thrown up by Hurd, it is probably not what HP’s board is angling for either.

But perhaps–after all this mishegas–it is precisely what the tech giant should do, focusing instead on finding a new leader to compete with challenges from companies, such as, well…Oracle.

As it was obligated to do, the lawsuit that HP has filed runs through all the typical charges in cases such as this–almost all of which center on the use of confidential information and how Hurd was paid off not to do exactly what he has done.

It certainly is a lot of money–estimated to be about $35 million, depending on HP’s stock price–and hinges on a two-year confidentiality agreement Hurd agreed to.

HP is correctly avoiding any noncompete language, since California–the state where both Oracle and HP are based–shoots holes in those kinds of defenses.

Instead, as it noted in its lawsuit, HP alleges that Hurd “cannot perform his job at Oracle without disclosing or utilizing HP’s trade secrets and confidential information.”

Of course he cannot, but this should not keep HP’s board from settling, as much as it will pain it to do.

Such a move could not have been helped by Ellison’s typically outrageous remarks about how HP treated Hurd, calling the break between them “the worst personnel decision since the idiots on the Apple board fired Steve Jobs many years ago.”

And then yesterday’s statement by Ellison: “By filing this vindictive lawsuit against Oracle and Mark Hurd, the HP board is acting with utter disregard for that partnership, our joint customers, and their own shareholders and employees. The HP Board is making it virtually impossible for Oracle and HP to continue to cooperate and work together in the IT marketplace.”

Of course, that’s just the kind of let’s-go-to-the-mattresses noise that HP needs to ignore, now that the longtime partners are clear rivals after Oracle’s $7.4 billion acquisition of computer maker Sun Microsystems.

This purchase put Oracle directly into the server and data-storage-systems business for the first time.

That’s the real reality for HP–and not the delicious “Real Housewives of Silicon Valley” reality show this has turned into.

And–as much as I would like to see Ellison upending a table onto HP board member Marc Andreessen–no amount of legal and public wrangling with Hurd is going to change that.

If it could not work with him any longer–a corporate psychodrama about which there is still much unsaid–HP needs to move on.

Of course, Hurd should not get off for manipulating the bad situation so deftly either, and perhaps should offer to return some, if not all, of the severance paid for his silence.

Or, it could all just come out in open court and give the world a glimpse into all the twisty machinations that got us here.

Which, as you might imagine, is just fine by me–although not so much for the shareholders of HP.

How to import video from camcorder to Mac

You may be ready to make a movie after you capture great footage with your FireWire camcorder. In this condition, you need import your camcorder to your Mac. More specially, you need to connect your camcorder to your Mac, and then copy footage from the camcorder into iMovie. And when you import video into an iMovie project, it would divide your video into individual clips for the easy editing.



Part 1. How to Import Video from a Camcorder to your Mac
Step 1: Connect camcorder to your Mac computer with cable (USB/Wifi)
Step 2: Select mode of camcorder such as PC/Computer mode.
Step 3: iMovie will automatic open Import window.
Step 4: If DVD Player automatic open. just quit DVD Player first.
Step 5: So now, you can review your video or select "Import All"(make sure your switch is set to "Automatic").
Step 6: If you select "Manual", you can import some clip to iMovie
Step 7: If you import from Tape based device (DV/HDV), iMovie will automatic revise tape and import all
Step 8: iMovie automatic create thumbnail video after complete import

Part 2. Tips:
iMovie automatically detects your camcorder
iMovie will automatically detect when you have a FireWire camcorder connected. If you see the message No Camera Attached, make sure your camera is turned on and properly plugged in to your computer via a FireWire cable and that your camcorder is set to VCR, VTR, or Play mode. You can also click the Connection Help button for more suggestions.
iMovie supports different video formats
When you create your project, choose the appropriate video format depending on your needs. For importing video from your camcorder, choose between DV, DV Widescreen, HDV 1080i, and HDV 720i. For recording from your iSight, select iSight. If you will be copying MPEG-4 files from your PDA or phone, select MPEG-4.
Import directly to the iMovie timeline
You can import footage directly from your camcorder to the iMovie timeline rather than to the Clips pane. This is a quick and easy way to get your footage into your iMovie project. You can then edit right in the timeline. From the iMovie menu, choose Preferences, click Import, and then choose the option Place clips in Movie Timeline.
If you're importing video that is already edited
Instead of importing your video as separate clips, you can set iMovie to import your video as a single clip. This may be useful if you're importing a movie that you've already edited and you just want to change a small portion. From the iMovie menu, choose Preferences, click Import, and then deselect the "Start a new clip at each scene break" option. If you prefer, select "Limit scene length to" and set a limit for the number of minutes. This will ensure your imported files don't get too large, in case you'll be copying clips between iMovie projects.
What you need to make a high-definition video with iMovie
High definition video is quickly becoming the format you see broadcast on TV. An HD camcorder stores more pixels than a standard camcorder, letting you see more detail in your video footage. iMovie supports importing and editing video from HD camcorders (HDV 720p and 1080i), so you can make movies just like the pros-and it's a great way to archive your most precious life events in the highest resolution possible .
Using video from an MPEG-4 camera
Many digital still cameras, PDAs, and mobile phones let you record short videos in the MPEG-4 format, a standard compression that is used to significantly reduce the file size of video. While iMovie doesn't know how to import video from these devices directly, as it does with FireWire devices, you can still use the MPEG-4 files once you've copied them to your Mac. Just drag them into the iMovie Clips pane using the Finder or import them using Import from the File menu.
Monitor the remaining amount of hard disk space
Digital video clips use a large amount of hard disk space. For example, five minutes of DV footage uses approximately 1GB of space. The same amount of HD video can occupy between 2GB to 4GB, depending on the format and footage. To save hard disk space, import and edit your video in sections instead of trying to do so all at once. You can see how much space remains on your hard disk by using the monitor located in the lower-right corner of the iMovie window.
Using video from your connected or built-in iSight camera
You can record video directly into your iMovie project with your iSight camera. That’s to say, you can add clips to your project spontaneously while you're working on it. Just connect your iSight camera to the FireWire port of your Mac and you're ready to start recording. If you have more then one camcorder connected, such as a camcorder and an iSight,- or you have an iMac with a built-in iSight-choose iSight from the pop-up menu that appears when you switch to camera mode.

Why the Music Business Needs a New iTunes–Or Something: Universal Music Sales, Profits Drop Again

As Apple (AAPL) gears up for its music-themed event, a reminder of how the music business is actually doing: Not too well. At least if you use the world’s biggest music company as a proxy.

Universal Music Group just reported a sales increase of 2.8 percent in the last quarter. But if you adjust for currency fluctuations, the company, owned by France’s Vivendi conglomerate, saw sales drop 3 percent. Meanwhile, cash flow, measured via EBITDA, dropped no matter which metric you want to use –either by 9.9 percent or 17.3 percent.

The slightly good news is that Q2 was less bad for Universal than Q1: For the first half of the year, sales were down 5.4 percent (or 7.9 percent) and EBITDA declined by 24.6 percent (or 28 percent).

What happened? The same thing we’ve heard for the last decade, according to Vivendi’s press release: Digital revenues are up, but not enough to counter “reduced demand for physical product.” Perhaps an iTunes overhaul can help….

Best 5 MP3 players

There's no one-size-fits-all MP3 player that's perfect for everybody. Some people need a small MP3 player for the gym, while others need tablet-size players with wide-screen video playback. Whatever your interests are, these five MP3 players broadly represent our current favorite portable music gadgets. If you're looking for your first MP3 player and you want to start at square one, then take a look at CNET's MP3 player buying guide.

Zune (second generation, 80GB, black)



The second-generation, 80GB Zune from Microsoft offers tremendous value for the money, as well as innovative features such as wireless sync, RBDS FM radio information, Wi-Fi music sharing, and subscription music support (Zune Pass). We know the Zune name was dragged through the mud last year, but the second-generation Zune 80 does not disappoint.
Price: $237.49 - $249.99
Filed in: Best 5 MP3 players.

Apple iPod Nano (third generation, 8GB, red)



The latest version of the Nano is no longer the feature-crippled cousin to the iPod. Now in its third generation, the iPod Nano delivers every feature found on the iPod Classic, only in an exceptionally smaller and thinner format. The Nano's best assets are its crisp screen, attractive interface, sturdy and lightweight design, as well as a rechargeable battery that can play music continuously for as many as 24 hours.
Price: $199.00 - $199.00
Filed in: Best 5 MP3 players

Archos 605 WiFi (30GB)



If you're looking for an MP3 player that also makes for a fantastic portable video player, the Archos 605 WiFi is one of the most advanced gadgets around. With it's touch screen interface, gorgeous high-resolution screen, and integrated wireless video and music downloads, the Archos 605 WiFi is one of the best portable distractions money can buy. If you frequently find yourself on the road or in the air with nothing to do, consider the 605 a must-have.
Price:$259.00 - $299.99
Filed in: Best 5 MP3 players

Creative Zen V Plus (4GB, black)



One of the first flash-memory players to break into the 16GB range, the Creative Zen V Plus packs a monster wallop into an ultracompact space, and the vivid OLED display is viewable from any angle. Features include an FM radio, voice and line-in recording, photo and video playback, and compatibility with subscription WMA tracks.
Price: $99.99 - $149.77
Filed in: Best 5 MP3 players

iRiver Clix (4GB, second generation)



The iRiver Clix is the perfect slim and sleek MP3 player for those who find the iPod Nano too stifling, but the Toshiba Gigabeat too bulky. This player comes packed with extras such as an FM radio; a voice recorder; an alarm clock; support for subscription content as well as OGG and Audible files; and photo, video, and text viewing. The Clix includes SRS Wow sound effects, it has good battery life, and it's priced competitively.
Price: $150.95 - $168.99
Filed in: Best 5 MP3 players.

Recommended Products
Audio Converter for Mac
Convert video to MP3, convert audio to any audio format. Aiseesoft Audio Converter for Mac is a program designed just for Mac OS X
Audio Converter for Windows
Convert video, audio to MP3, M4A, WAV, AAC, AC3, and WMA etc. And these audio files can be played on all kinds of different MP3 players and audio players.

Exclusive: Facebook Blocked API Access to Ping After Failure to Strike Agreement, So Apple Removed Feature After Launch

It’s not as mysterious as it seems, this mini-controversy about finding friends on Facebook for Apple’s new social music network.

According to sources familiar with Facebook’s platform, the social networking giant essentially denied Apple’s Ping access to application programming interfaces that would allow it to search for an iTunes user’s friends on Facebook who also had signed up for Ping.

Normally, this API access is open and does not require permission.

That is, unless some entity wants to access it a lot. In that case, Facebook requires an agreement for reasons primarily centered on protection of Facebook user data and, of course, infrastructure impact.

With 160 million iTunes users, that could potentially mean a lot of impact.

Sources said Apple (AAPL) and Facebook conducted negotiations about an agreement, but could not come to terms.

At the launch event in San Francisco yesterday, Apple CEO Steve Jobs complained to me about what he called “onerous terms” that Facebook had demanded for the friends connection and suggested using search or email to add friends to Ping.

But, at the same event another exec, Worldwide Product Marketing SVP Phil Schiller, said to me in a video interview that one could use Facebook to find friends on Ping.

In fact, Apple still included the ability to find Facebook friends in its demo onstage and also after it made iTunes 10 available for download.

It also currently claims this on its Ping page: “Find even more music fans with a quick search, by sending email invites, or by connecting to your Facebook account.”

But you can’t actually do that on Ping right now.

Sources said Apple went ahead with a plan to access the Facebook APIs freely, but Facebook blocked it since it violated its terms of service.

When that happened, it seems Apple pulled the plug on the connection with Facebook friends.

But maybe not for long. Sources also said the companies were still in discussions about putting the more robust Facebook Connect feature in Ping.

Because, in the end, it is all about connection.

BoomTown has requests into both Facebook and Apple for a comment.

Earlier today, Facebook said:

“Facebook believes in connecting people with their interests and we’ve partnered with innovative developers around the world who share this vision. Facebook and Apple have cooperated successfully in the past to offer people great social experiences and we look forward to doing so in the future.”