MacFixIt Answers

MacFixIt Answers is a feature where we answer questions e-mailed to us by readers. This week, we have questions how to find the currently installed version of Java on your Mac, a question on whether the Mac can be used as a media center for Blu Ray content, and fixing broken lyrics on an iPod Touch.

Question: Finding the installed Java version

MacFixIt reader "macdad614" commented in a recent article on Java updates:

On VersionTracker I asked why the JavaForMacOSX10.5Update7.dmg is so large. Is the reason that it is two updates? I suppose I now will have to update my OS from 10.5.6 in order to install this. The second part of my question (on VT) was where Java can be found so I can determine which version I have.

Answer:

The update for OS 10.5 is larger because it does contain updates for two versions of Java. To see what versions of Java you have installed, go to the "Utilities" folder and open the utility "Java Preferences". You should see the overall version listed there (ie, 5.0, 1.4.2, etc), but if you want the specific build version you will need to highlight one of them and click the "Options..." button. In the resulting window you will see the version followed by the build (ie, 1.4.2_22) in addition to the bitness of the java installation.

Question: Blu Ray limitations on the Mac

Following our recent article on managing Blu Ray media on the Mac, reader "Scott" asks:

Does the Mac Mini support Blue Ray? I have the apple TV box and would like to add a server to the multimedia section. I am opposed to Windows media server and would like to add a MAC to the media center.

Answer:

No Mac has the ability to play Blu-Ray discs. With third-party software you can use Macs to burn Blu-Ray discs and author movies; however, you cannot use Macs for Blu-Ray playback. This may change soon, but if it does then current computers will have to be upgraded with Blu-Ray players in order to take advantage of the Blu-Ray capabilities of the OS.

Question: Fixing broken lyrics on an iPod Touch

MacFixIt reader "Jay" asks:

I did a restore [on my ipod touch] and now no lyrics show on the ipod, and yet the songs do have the lyrics tag which I added most of with "Get Lyrical". iTunes shows the lyrics when I do the get info. When I changed a character in the lyrics and resynched, the lyrics for that song do appear. Is there a way to fix this without redoing all of the lyrics in every song?

Answer:

The lyrics are stored as metadata attributes for the audio file similar to the artist and genre info, and it sounds like some small formatting glitch or other incompatibility is preventing them from being transferred to or read by the iPod. If you use iTunes to slightly modify them (ie, add a space at the end of the lyrics) you are essentially re-saving them properly. You might try another utility, or an update to "Get Lyrical" (if one exists) to see if redoing the lyrics helps. Optionally, with the lyrics tab open you can probably go through your entire library using the "next" button at the bottom of the window and just make a small change like adding a space at the end of the lyrics. It will be cumbersome, but should work. Using iTunes directly is probably the most compatible method.

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