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ipod-faqs >> iPod & iPhone Discussions >> iPod (Monochrome)

does ipod have live updating?

i've made a smart playlist in iTunes that displays 25 random songs that i havent played in at least 15 days, with live updating enabled. it works great in iTunes, gets rid of songs as they are played. but on my ipod it doesnt update - after a song plays it is still on the list. does this mean it will only change everytime i update it with iTunes?

i hope smart playlists are smart on iPods too...
[412 byte] By [MG315] at [2007-11-9 17:45:54]
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# 1 Re: does ipod have live updating?
I made a similar playlist, and as far as I can tell the iPod does not live update. But, I suggested that it should in a different forum and someone responded saying that it already does that.

http://www.ipodlounge.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=21372&highlight=new+firmware
drewmcd24 at 2007-11-15 14:07:55 >
# 2 Re: does ipod have live updating?
Originally posted by MG315
i've made a smart playlist in iTunes that displays 25 random songs that i havent played in at least 15 days, with live updating enabled. it works great in iTunes, gets rid of songs as they are played. but on my ipod it doesnt update - after a song plays it is still on the list. does this mean it will only change everytime i update it with iTunes?

i hope smart playlists are smart on iPods too...

That's odd, my iPod updates the smart playlists as it plays through them. For example, I have a Smart Playlist set up to play 1 hour of random new music (play count = 0). I use this during my lunch hour at work...perfect as I get to listen to new songs recently ripped into iTunes, plus it's a handy timer for my lunch break. When the playlist ends, my lunch is over. Looking at the same Smart Playlist once it's played the one hour of music, I notice the Smart Playlist has an entirely different set of songs in the playlist. (3G 20GB iPod, 2.1 firmware).
AndyH at 2007-11-15 14:08:57 >
# 3 Re: does ipod have live updating?
Weird my iPod dosent use live update
FaiNT at 2007-11-15 14:10:06 >
# 4 Re: does ipod have live updating?
The iPod does support live update of smart playlists. It just does it differently than within iTunes.

On iTunes, I have a playlist of songs that haven't been played recently. Once a song is played, it disappears from the list and is replaced by a new one.

When I listen to the same playlist on my iPod, the song doesn't automatically disappear from the playlist -- as long as I remain in the playlist. To get the playlist to update, just toclick the menu button a few times (you can still be listening to music) until you leave that particular list, then menu back to it. The song should now be gone from the list. Or, like Andy says, let the playlist play through completely and it also reloads.

I'm not sure why the iPod does it this way. Seems to me it could do it automatically, just like iTunes. But I do know that the playlist reloads itself with the new information as soon as I go back into it. Weird, but it works.

Cheers,

Chris
dcmacnut at 2007-11-15 14:11:01 >
# 5 Re: does ipod have live updating?
It's probably set up this way so you can go back to a song you just listened to to listen to it again. If it disappeared from the list than it would be a pain to track it down to hear it again.
slease at 2007-11-15 14:12:02 >
# 6 Re: does ipod have live updating?
dcmacnut has it right, you have to back out of the playlist on the iPod for it to update.

One thing, kinda of a silly point, but "live updating" doesn't refer to the playlist dynamically updating. At least according to the help file, all "Live Updating" does is it will add a song to a smartlist when you add new songs to the iTunes library if that song meets the smartlist's criteria.

Seems silly to me, as I can't imagine when you'd ever want that turned off. But do a search of the help file and that's what it says.

But as far as the playlists being dynamic--they'll update, if you back out of them and go back in--oh, it only works on 3rd gen iPods.

Adam
ashawley at 2007-11-15 14:13:01 >
# 7 Re: does ipod have live updating?
Okay, so help me with this...

I would like to play 1 hour of random music I have labeled "sleeping" (in the comment) each night before I go to sleep.The songs should updated randomly each listen. How do I go about doing it?

If you know the solution, you can stop reading and just provide it. I will be much obliged. If you'd like to see what I've done first, read on...

Smart Playlist:
----------------
Match: Comment : contains : "bedroom"
Limit to: 60 : minutes : random
----------------

(as stated previously, "Live Updating" is irrelevant since it only applies to newly added songs to the library)

OK, so the initial seed is fine. Exactly what I want. But when I listen to it on the iPod no matter how many listens or how much menu navigation, it's always the same songs in the same order.

Same thing in iTunes. When I play it I can see the "last played" attribute update until all of the songs have been played through, then jump to another playlist - play that- and then jump back and it's still the same songs.

::: iTunes 4.7 / iPod ? (has click wheel; bought 12/04) :::

Thanks. Any help is appreciated. I can't help but feel that Smart PLaylists are not as smart as they seem to be (I'd much rather just find out it's me who's being dumb :)
mhulth at 2007-11-15 14:14:05 >
# 8 Re: does ipod have live updating?
DISREGARD ABOVE: Problem fixed

Added:
Match: Last Played : is not : in last : 1 : day
mhulth at 2007-11-15 14:15:07 >
# 9 Re: does ipod have live updating?
Speaking of live updating, maybe someone can answer this...
I created a smart playlist on my iPod consisting off all U2 songs. It showed up in iTunes with the smart playlist icon and stayed that way for a few months. Today it shows up in iTunes as a regular playlist on the iPod. Any ideas? The criteria for the smart playlists were simple: artist is U2, not limiting the amount of songs. Thanks.
bonobaltimore at 2007-11-15 14:16:05 >
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