Getting music, video, podcasts and (probably most important) games onto your iPod touch can be done properly following a few easy steps. You also have the choice to set up iTunes on your computer to sync content in your library, or you can manually manage the media you put on iPod touch.


Syncing Content from iTunes

You can get music, video, and more onto iPod touch by syncing content from iTunes. You can sync all of your media, or you can select specific songs, videos and podcasts. Set iTunes to sync iPod content:


1- Connect iPod touch to your computer.

2- In iTunes, select iPod touch in the sidebar.

3- On the Music, Movies, TV Shows, and Podcasts tabs, select the content you want to transfer to iPod touch. For example, you could set iTunes to sync selected music playlists and the three most recent episodes of your favorite video podcast.

4- Click Apply. Only songs and videos encoded in formats that iPod touch supports are transferred to iPod touch.

If some of the songs you transferred to your touch don't play, the song may have been encoded in a format that iPod touch doesn’t support. The following audio file formats are supported by iPod touch (including formats for audiobooks and podcasting):

- AAC (M4A, M4B, M4P, up to 320 Kbps)
- Apple Lossless (a high-quality compressed format)
- MP3 (up to 320 Kbps)
- MP3 Variable Bit Rate (VBR)
- WAV
- AA (audible.com spoken word, formats 2, 3, and 4)
- AAX (audible.com spoken word, AudibleEnhanced format)
- AIFF

Supported video file formats include H.264 (Baseline Profile Level 3.0) and MPEG-4 (Simple Profile). What the iPod touch doesn’t support is WMA, MPEG Layer 1, MPEG Layer 2 audio files, or audible.com format 1, according to the Apple.

A song encoded using Apple Lossless format has full CD-quality sound, but takes up only about half as much space as a song encoded using AIFF or WAV format. The same song encoded in AAC or MP3 format takes up even less space. When you import music from a CD using iTunes, it is converted to AAC format by default. Using iTunes for Windows, you can convert non-protected WMA files to AAC or MP3 format. Apple encourages iPod touch owners to use this ability to their advantage, if they have a library of music encoded in WMA format.

Lastly, if there are more songs in your iTunes library than you can fit on your iPod touch, iTunes offers a way to create a special playlist to sync with iPod touch. iTunes fills the playlist with selections from your library, after which you can add or delete songs from the playlist and sync again.


Getting Apps and Games from the App Store

All the fuss mentioned above isn't necessary when trying to get an app onto your iPod touch, as you can search for, browse, review, purchase, and download applications from the App Store directly to iPod touch. You can also install applications you’ve purchased or downloaded through iTunes on your computer when you sync with iPod touch. Applications you download and install from the App Store on iPod touch are backed up to your iTunes library the next time you sync the touch with your computer.

Note: To access and use the App Store, your iPod touch must join a Wi-Fi network that is connected to the Internet. You’ll also need an iTunes Store account to download applications. To get an iTunes Store account, open iTunes on your computer, and choose Store > Account to set one up.