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Friday, December 12, 2008

Techno Granny Show, Digital Conversion with Moondog Digital, Ep 1

This episode originally broacast live on December 8, 2008. Listen to archived versions at: http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/tscmd/tc/30986 or:
www.positivelypittsburghlivemagazine.com
Following are show notes from Craig Kelter, Moondog Digital

History & Background - “So how did digital music become so popular so quickly?”
1. Shifts in technology need catalysts
a. Free music via Napster
i. Consumers whetted their appetite
ii. It’s free, I can’t complain
b. iPod
i. Apple wasn’t the first but they made it friendly
ii. Fit all the customer’s needs into a seamless solution
1. Ability to purchase music
2. Ability to browse Podcasts
3. Third party extensions (cases, docking stations, connectivity products, etc)
c. You’re the DJ
i. Playlisting – super easy “mixed tapes”
ii. Immediate satisfaction – assuming your collection is centralized you’ll never be without a CD that matches your mood
d. Mobility
i. Causes centralization of all music
ii. Pocket-sized devices that can be plugged into the car, home stereo, or left in your pocket

First Steps of going digital

1. Purchasing a music system/player
a. Questions to consider
i. How and when do I listen to music?
1. iPod-centric – means you plan to utilize the iPod as the mobile repository plugging your iPod into your car, home stereo, or docking stations around your house
2. PC-centric – the PC remains on at all times and devices around your home (including iPods) pull music from it
ii. Which features are important to me for a whole house system?
1. Music store integration
2. Watch videos
3. Music subscription services
4. Interfaces (TV, remotes, touchscreens)
iii. Which features are important to me for a portable device?
1. Music store integration
2. Watch videos
3. FM radio
4. Durability and ruggedness
5. Beyond my pocket uses
6. Wireless connectivity
Don’ts: Which iPod is best
2. Loading your music
a. Take an inventory of each media (CD, cassette, and LPs)
b. Determine if you want to
i. Make a total transition to digital by converting everything
1. Once and for all project that has long lasting implications based on the large amount of work
ii. Make a partial transition to digital by selecting favorites
1. Quick and simple way of enjoying your music
c. Review the music formats that are supported for your music system/player
d. Select software (or service) to handle the conversion considering
i. CD Information supplied (artist, cover art images, etc)
ii. Music format
iii. Issue reporting (CD scratches, etc)
3. Syncing your music and music system/player
a. Your PC serves as the home for your music
i. PC users – “My Documents/My Music”
ii. Mac users – “{user}/Music”
b. For portable players - music needs to be uploaded from the PC via manufacturer software
i. Auto-synching all available music to player is best as you aren’t required to manage what is loaded
c. For PC-connected systems – PC software links the music system to the available music on the PC
Don’ts: How do I buy music online and get that on my system/player; What is the best format for digital music;

Product Overviews

1. Portable music player
a. Apple iPod Family (iPod Classic, iPod Touch, Nano, Shuffle)
i. Benefits – iTunes music store and movie store, lots of third party accessories, simple interface, and Apple styling
b. Microsoft Zune
i. Benefits – less expensive than Apple products, wireless interactivity with other Zune owners to share music
c. Sandisk Sansa
i. Benefits – cheap, non-proprietary, solid value for price
2. Whole house
a. Sonos Music System
i. Benefits – wireless multi-room distribution, iPod-like remote, music subscription services available, simple setup
b. Logitech Squeezebox
i. Benefits – inexpensive, small wireless in-room display units, non-PC based music sources (internet radio, MP3Tunes.com integration)
c. Apple AppleTV
i. Benefits – wireless iTunes integration, 16x9 TV viewing, movie rental, movie playing

Moondog Digital’s Services
1. What we offer
a. Consumer services for CD/DVD/vinyl/cassettes (/consumers)
b. Eliminate the large amount of effort and time needed to digitize a collection
c. Utilize commercial grade software to create pristine music libraries
2. How we provide our service
a. Customer places order via website or phone
b. Moondog sends supplies to customer
c. Customer returns music to us via pre-paid FedEx Ground
d. Moondog converts CDs/DVDs/LPs/cassettes to digital form with accompanying metadata
e. Music is returned via DVDRoms/iPod/media server/hard drive along with the collection


Craig Telker
Moondog Digital
317-489-0151

ctelker@moondogdigital.com

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