After downloading the only available torrent of Hang Drum music I could find, I was shocked to discover that iTunes wouldn’t read the Ogg files it contained. I was so close to losing a ton of respect for Apple until I searched Google for a solution. Hoorah for the xiph.org open-source community!
Simply visit their site and download QuickTime Components binary package. After opening the .dmg file (Windows users should be able to just download and run the .exe file), copy XiphQT.component to ~/Library/Components (user-only) or to /Library/Components (system-wide). Update: Randy Cox noted in the comments that on Snow Leopard the path to copy the file is actually /Library/Components/
If iTunes is open, restart it and wallah! You’ve got .ogg support in iTunes!
To be blunt, the fact that you need to install a third party application like this into an AUDIO PLAYER should make you lose a ton of respect for Apple anyway. What you have after all is a work around. There’s no reason Apple should not have included this in the first place except their own desire to vendor lock you into their own DRM laden codec.
I agree that it’s lame Apple didn’t add Ogg support to iTunes, but I’m not going to dwell on it. The fact that it was so easy to add Ogg support tells me Apple didn’t intentionally try to prevent it from being possible.
Microsoft, Apple, and Linux/Unix all have their strengths and weaknesses. Sticking to only one and refusing to use the others is being ignorant at best. I was anti-Apple for a long time, but I’m happy I opened my eyes to all my options instead of judging each one by using the other as a starting point. Microsoft and Apple are businesses. I expect there to be things I don’t like or disagree about with them.
Hey, thanks for the link to Xiph. I too had an song I scoured the net for and when I finally found it realized I couldn’t play OGG files in iTunes. One exe download and I’m up and running. Awesome! Thanks again!
You’re welcome, Ara! Glad I could help.
Needed this, thanks for the information & link.
You’re welcome, Trevor! Thanks for stopping by!
I followed instructions, but it’s still not working. I have a newer machine, and I’m not an idiot. What the hell?
Hi Mike,
Are you getting an error? Were there any problems installing the package? Any other troubleshooting information you can provide would help in finding a resolution.
hey, just tried to follow the instructions to get some ogg.s playing on itunes on my mac, but i didnt work (thanks for the work around by the way!) can you help?
i downloaded the Xiph files and put them in the /library/component directory (which i created), and then opened itunes, but nothing seemed to happen. do you have to link the file type to itunes somehow? have i done something wrong?
any help would be appreciated!
thanks.
hey, it is the next day, and they work!??? hmm, maybe the traditional “shut down and leave it overnight” technique works? errrr .. anyway, thanks for the advice!
R.
Haha, you’re welcome Ricardo! That method works all too often. And people say computers don’t have a mind of their own!
so im kinda a noob. can you explain what to do after to dl xiph? thanks
Hi James,
If you’re on a Mac, simply open the .dmg file that you downloaded. After opening it, you should see
XiphQT.component. Drag this to your desktop.Now go to Finder -> Applications -> Utilities -> Terminal and open Terminal. Now type the following commands, pressing Enter after each one:
cd Desktopcp XiphQT.component /Library/Components/If you get a permission error, add “sudo” to the beginning of the second command and type your Administrator password when prompted. I hope this helps!
Thank you sooo much… ^____^
Now I can play that ogg files on my iTunes..but still,it can’t be added to iPod =____=
You’re welcome, Alicia! I wish I had a solution for adding OGG’s to an iPod, but I don’t.
To install the XiphQT component in Snow Leopard, the path is a little different. In Snow Leopard there is no /Library/Components directory. Instead, copy the file into /Library/Quicktime.
Thanks Randy! I’ve updated the post.
Raam, check the path once again. In the article you’ve got it wrong …….just so you know ;o)
Perhaps you could provide the correction?