ipod freezes after a maximum of 49000 songs

When Apple quotes any specific capacity for any iPod, that is based on the average 4 minute song imported in AAC@128kbps. If you are using one of the Lossless formats or a higher bitrate, your Classic will not reach the quoted capacity. Also, I don't think anyone's library has files that are limited to strictly 4 minutes in length.

And how many people have a library full of 1 minute songs? We're talking using an iPod in a manner that the average person would want to use it, not a specialized situation with a huge number of 1 minute files. You state in your original post that if you import at 128kbps, you can exceed the quoted capacity. I have explained to you why tht isn't correct.

Message was edited by: StarDeb55

Message was edited by: StarDeb55

Is this for real ???
I assumed a harddrive of 160GB holds 160GB of music.... and the amount of total songs was an estimation. Reading your story it means an iPod holds 160GB with a max of 49000 songs. This sounds like a firmware limitation/bug.
Even if every track just lasts 10 secs @ 96kbps and is 100kB, the iPod should fill up till it's full.... 160GB !
If 1,000,000 songs in total would be below 160GB, it should be able to store all 1,000,000

Message was edited by: LessRam

Your assumption about any hard drive capacity is incorrect. All computer hard drive manufacturer's calculate drive capacity in binary instead of base 10 math. What that calculation means is that the usable capacity of any hard drive is approximately 10% less than the stated capacity, so a 160GB Classic has a usable capacity of about 144GB. The following link explains this much better than I can.

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=30065

I HAVE EXACTELY THE SAME PROBLEM, but it starts well below the 49000 songs limit !!!
Both my 2 ipods 160G classic reboot continuously above more or less 21500 tunes loaded in autosync mode. If I load more tunes,
I need to go to disk mode, remove tunes until the 21500 limit is reached, and reboot to be able to use them again.
IT'S A REAL SHAME !!!
- iMac intel 24", OS X 10.4.11, ipod firmware 1.0.3, and iTunes7.5

That's terrible news. I bought an iPod because I wanted to place music on it. Now I understand out of the 160GB it probably holds just 49000 songs even if 100 GB is left unused........ They should change the firmware for that.

Now I understand out of the 160GB it probably holds just 49000 songs even if 100 GB is left unused........ They should change the firmware for that.

Yes but let's put things into perspective here.

49,000 songs ripped at an average user bit rate would prboably be in excess of 300GB, far more than the capacity of any current iPod.

Our friend DE VEYLDER is not the typical user as you'll see from his posts about one minute songs.

This song limit may well be a firmware limit such as the limit on storing a maximum of 1000 notes no matter what the remaining free space may be.

Out of my classic's 160GB (148.87 GB capacity), I have 123GB used between audio, video, photos, other (games, calendar) and it runs PERFECT. 43.76GB audio, 75.97GB video, 2.20GB photos, 1.32 other and 25.64GB free space...

I don't think there is an issue of over a specific amount of used space and having the ipod crash. It may very well be something in the firmware or the ipod itself that cannot handle over 49000 songs. Realistically, is someone attempting to fill the ipod with 49001 songs just to say that they did it? I'm sure even if I tried to create my own 1 minute songs or find 1 minute songs on CDs that I own, it would not even be worth my time to do so just to be able to say I have 49,000+ songs on my ipod. If that matters so much to you, try downsizing the 1 minute songs into a smaller bitrate and that may help the problem. You'll lose some quality in the audio files, but it sounds like you are more concerned with quantity and not quality...

My response was for LessRam, not you.

I understand your example, as Apple has their standard 4min 128bit song = 1 "song" on the ipod. I purchased the ipod 160GB for the same reason...

I doubt I ever will reach the 49000.... Knowing I only put albums I really bought in store on it. At the moment about 750 CD's. And not even 50% filled, at 192 AAC, VBR (which infact is not VBR :-))
But that's not the problem IMHO, if I buy 160GB I wanna be able to fill it with 160 GB, wether it's with 96kbps or 320kbps songs of 10 seconds or 10 minutes each......

SUPER FUNNY: This sounds infact like to Microsoft 1980s idea; "640 kB RAM is more then enough".