TODAY'S TOURBUS TOPIC: CONVERT-O-RAMA!

In today's TOURBUS, you'll learn how to convert files, music and movies from one format to another. If you're struggling with Office 2007, trying to copy music from iTunes to your MP3 player, or seeking to preserve your old vinyl LP's and VHS tapes, I've got answers for you. Read on!

Convert Office 2007 to Other Office Formats

The march of progress has trampled yet another set of innocent bystanders... In their newest release of Microsoft Office, the nice folks in Redmond have changed the way that Office 2007 saves Word documents, spreadsheets and presentations. Files created with the Office 2007 versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint CANNOT be opened with older versions of Office software.

Here's the scoop on how to update your existing Office software so it can handle the Office 2007 format (for free), and a guide to some handy Office 2007 converter and viewer tools...

http://askbobrankin.com/office_format_converters.html

Convert iTunes to MP3 Format

It does seem unfair... you paid for those songs and now you can't play them outside of the iTunes environment, on hardware not supported by Apple, or on operating systems not supported by iTunes. Here's how to convert your iTunes music into MP3 format so you can play it when and where you like...

http://askbobrankin.com/convert_itunes_to_mp3_format.html

Convert Vinyl Records to CD

For audio purists, nothing compares to good old-fashioned analog recordings on vinyl records. The warm tonal attributes, those faint pops and crackles, the life-sized artwork, the simple act of setting needle to groove, they're all part of an immersive experience that is fading into history. Those old records are fragile, and every time they're played, it causes a slight degradation of sound quality. Here's an illustrated step-by-step guide to help you convert those vinyl records to CD so you can enjoy them for years to come... http://askbobrankin.com/converting_vinyl_records_to_cd.html

Convert VHS to DVD

http://askbobrankin.com/convert_vhs_to_dvd.html

Convert iTunes Videos to MPEG

Many people are frustrated when they purchase videos on iTunes, and then find out they can't take those videos with them on their portable video player, PDA or cell phone. Apple, provider of the popular iTunes service, has limited the software so it will copy purchased videos (M4Vs) only to video iPods -- also an Apple product. Some say this protects the digital rights of the copyright owners, but nobody disputes the fact that it helps Apple to keep a stranglehold on the portable player market. Here's how to convert your iTunes videos into the user-friendly MPEG format...

http://askbobrankin.com/convert_itunes_videos_to_mpeg.html

Convert WMA to MP3

So you have lots of music in WMA (Windows Media Audio) format... but of course it won't play on your iPod. Here's how you can convert WMA files to MP3 for your iPod...

http://askbobrankin.com/convert_wma_to_mp3.html

That's all for now, see you next time! -- Bob Rankin