Actually, I just thought of a way to do what you originally asked for.
J.River has to ability to create a "custom" sync device. Typically, you just create the device and assign it to whatever you have plugged into the computer. However, instead of assigning to an mp3 player you can actually assign it to a directory instead. When you "sync" the device, it copies over all the music and creates playlists in that directory. If you have your laptop hooked up over a home network, just create your custom device on your home machine, assign it to a specified directory on your laptop, and you're done.
iTunes sync to laptop
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I only have one music library, and it fits on my drive, so I haven't investigated this, but I know that you can set up any drive letter (and perhaps any network path) as a "portable media player". I also know that you can set up a portable media player to have conversion properties, so that it'll automatically convert your lossless files to mp3 when you sync. Any more than that, though, I don't know and would have to direct you to their forums.Surreal wrote:I echo the comment about finding a sync solution. Keep the lossless stuff on the home rig, carry the compressed stuff on the laptop. I'm sure J.River Media Center may be able to do that.