Switch from iPod to Zune

^M00:00:01 [ Music ] ^M00:00:10 MR. Bell: The Zune HD is one of the year's coolest gadgets and one of the best alternatives to the iPod we've seen. But with so many people invested in their iTunes media collections, switching from an iPod to a Zune seem like a daunting task. So here's a few tips to make things run smoothly. First let's talk about your music collection. When you download and install the Zune software from zune.net, the installer will automatically seek out all the music files stored on your PC's My Music folder. In the majority of cases this is where your iTunes music collection is stored so any compatible aac and mp3 files should get sucked right in. Now, if you still have some protected aac files you purchased through iTunes, you'll have to upgrade them to a drm free version in order for the Zune software to play them. To see what songs might be affected launch the iTunes store and click on the iTunes plus link in the top right. If you have songs to upgrade, iTunes will list them here and give you a chance to buy the unrestricted versions. Of course, if you don't feel like giving Apple any more cash you also have the pain-staking option of burning songs to CD and then ripping them back into your computer using the Zune software. If your iTunes collection is stored somewhere other than your My Music folder or even on an external drive, you can add the location to the Zune software by diving into the software settings then select collection. Click the add folder button next to music and locate your music folder. The same trick also works for videos, pictures, and podcasts. Okay. So one of the big stumbling blocks for the iTunes to Zune switch is the play list dilemma. ITunes doesn't make it easy to export them and Zune doesn't go out of their way to rescue them. So the best solution I've found is a light little free application you can download from code.msdn.microsoft.com/itunestozune. You open it up, give the location of your iTunes library file and your Zune music folder, and all your play lists should show up with an option to convert them to Zune. If you're big into the iTunes smart play list feature, Zune has a similar feature called auto play list where you can automatically generate dynamic play lists based around certain criteria. Then there's podcasts. There's a good chance that Zune already pulled in your podcasts when it loaded the music to your iTunes folder but don't take that to mean you're subscribed. Look in the podcast section of your music library and if your podcasts show up take the extra step of selecting them and hitting the subscribe button. If your podcasts don't show up or you want to subscribe to more podcasts, you can search for them in the podcast directory of the Zune Marketplace. Now for the bad news. Those movies, TV shows, and audiobooks you purchased through iTunes, those aren't coming with you. Blame Apple or Hollywood or the Writers Guild but there's nothing you can do about it. Fortunately this is usually the kind of content you'll use once and never revisit, but it still stings that you have to leave it behind. That said if you'll be getting your audiobooks through a service like Audible, you can load those on to the Zune HD by using Audible's own standalone software which you can grab from audible.com. So there you go. Some tips for making the switch from iPod to Zune. For cnet.com, I'm Donald Bell. ^M00:03:16 [ Music ] ^M00:03:19