[Skybolt]

I have subscribed to many podcasts through iTunes, some videos as well.
Things have been going along just fine, but recently, I noticed that
some of my video podcasts are not showing up on my iPod. One is a new
subscription that only has videos starting in January 2008, one has many
episodes going way back, but the ones starting 8/1/07 don't show up (the
older ones do), and one only shows episodes on the iTunes store starting
in January 2008, but I had been watching previous episodes just fine
(the older ones must not be on the server any more). None of these are
labeled as "iPhone" "Apple TV" or anything in the iTunes store, so feel
they should play on my iPod. Has anyone else seen this? Anybody got any
ideas what I can do to get these episodes onto my iPod? They play just
fine on my computer.
Recently I took the time to "restore" my iPod thinking that might help.
No dice. I then deleted the offending podcasts and re-subscribed and
downloaded. Still no joy. Don't know where to go from here.
As a side note, I have recently noticed some video podcasts that do make
it to my iPod will show the progress (elapse time), but the screen is
black (particularly earlier episodes of the one where they don't show up
starting in August). And, one more little gem -- I have a movie that I
ripped from my personal DVD and put on my iPod, but now that I have
restored it, I am told it is not the right format (this is one of
several that I put onto the iPod). I know it did previously go onto my
iPod, because I have watched part of it. I even tried using the "convert
for iPod" feature in iTunes to convert it again, but no dice.
Anybody know what is going on here?
Thanks in advance!

[Skybolt]

O.K., here's a new wrinkle! I got fed up with the error messages I was getting, so I went into iTunes and marked the offending podcasts as "not new". Then I tried syncing again. I have iTunes set to sync "all unplayed podcasts". Still got the error message. So, I set iTunes to sync all "new podcasts". Still got the error message!!! What is going on here? Why can't I get rid of the error message! I don't want to delete these podcasts as maybe someday I'll get some time to sit at my computer and watch them. I just don't know when that will be. They turn up as errors even though they are not marked for syncing!
Has nobody else seen anything similar? Is my iPod dying? Is it iTunes? Or???

[albloom]

Skybolt, an iPod is lots pickier than is iTunes about the video formats
it will accept. Try hi-lighting an offending file and:

Advanced/Convert Selection for iPod-iPhone

Who knows? Might work?

[Skybolt]

O.K., I tried that again -- "Convet for iPod". It worked on some, but is very time consming -- I hav 56 items that will not sync. One subscription, the one in quicktime will not convert because it says "this format does not allow saving or conversion".

[albloom]

Hey! The glass is half full, yes?

Yup, video conversion can be slow.

For the stuff that did convert, don't forget to delete the original-format files
from your iTunes library. Conversion makes a duplicate in the new format.

For the one that plays in QuickTime, open it in QuickTime and, under the
Window menu, select "show movie properties." What does it say at the top
about the audio and video streams. Are they on separate lines? What format?
I suspect you'll see one line with audio and video MUX'd (multiplexed) in
a single stream. QuickTime doesn't "do" MUX. So iTunes can't convert it.

I suggest downloading the free iSquint (isquint.org). That is a one-trick pony
that converts several video formats to iPod-friendly form. If I want a video
in iTunes/iPod, I always run it thru iSquint or its big brother VisualHub.

[Skybolt]

Well, after doing everything I could think of, deleting and re-downloading, repairing permissions, resetting the SMU, marking as "not new" (which, by the way, still created the error message when I told iTunes to sync only "new" podcasts), and who knows what else, I called Apple yesterday. They were no help at all! They said since my iPod was out of warrantly by 140 days they could not help me -- even though I explained that it was an iTunes problem, not an iPod problem. They just brushed me off! The only thing they said was to un-install iTunes and reinstall -- which I have not done.

I did want to keep the episodes as I wanted to refer back to them, but cannot stand the error messages any more, so I just deleted them. I guess I am not meant to watch some of these podcasts. Two other things are weird, though, along the same lines. I have two audiobooks in my iTunes, and when I sync one time, I get told it can't put all my audiobooks on my iPod because I am not authorized. The next time I sync, they both sync just fine. It goes on like this every time! And, I get an error message that it can't sync the "timeline movie" because it can't be played -- I nave no "timeline movie"! I have no idea what this is! It is not in my movie folder on the hard drive, nor is it in my movie folder in iTunes! So I guess I'll still have error messages! I know I can check the box to "not remind me again", but what if there really does come up something that I want/need to know about?

Well, that is where I stand now. No episodes of certain podcasts on my iPod, nor on my computer. Ah, life!

Thanks for your responses, though!