It’s finally here! What you’ve been waiting for. First, the iPod played songs, then it displayed photos and then podcasts. And now it will even play videos! Wondering what I’m talking about?? The iPod Video, of course!

The iPod has forever changed the way people listen to music and the iPod Video is the evolution of the revolution. The iPod video has raised the bar higher, further enhancing the way you experience music. Packed with a host of amazing never-before-seen-or-heard features that will blow you away, the new iPod Video is slimmer, lighter and cooler!

It is available in 30 GB and 60 GB models starting at $299. The iPod Video can hold up to 15000 songs, full-color album art and up to 25000 pictures. So you have heard that song before; well now, you can see it as well. With the new iPod you can have your cake and eat it too! It supports up to 150 hours of video and has a 2.5-inch color display that lets you take your music videos wherever you go. So, trust me when I say this one is music not only to the ears, but to your eyes as well!

This iPod is under half an inch thick and the new 30 GB model is 45% more compact than the original iPod. Even the 60 GB iPod video is over 10% slimmer than the last 30 GB iPod. What’s even more amazing is that you now get up to 20 hours of battery life, (for the record, that is 5 hours more than before), a bigger display and another iPod color option, and that is sleek black! So many features in such a compact package! Well, as usual, with the iPod, less is more

But, that isn’t all. You can also read audiobooks and keep memories fresh with photo slideshows, complete with music. You can watch video podcasts, music videos and your favorite TV shows. You can even consult your calendar or look up an e-mail address. You can even find the time in another city, state or country. Heck, I wonder if it does the dishes, too??

The Apple click wheel lets you access everything with the touch of a finger. You can also control the volume and browse options using the touch sensitive screen. The ease of operating it just gives you one more reason to buy the iPod Video.

There’s also a neat list of accessories that you can use with your iPod Video. For instance you can get a wired remote to listen to FM radio, In-ear headphones, USB power adapter, leather case, AV connection kit, Universal dock, Apple remote, Camera connector etc.

So, if you are a music freak, don’t wait any longer, go buy an iPod Video. You won’t regret it. Happy humming!

Michael Moody is a successful Webmaster and publisher of http://www.buy-iPod.com. He provides information about various iPod products and accessories so you can read about them on the Internet in the comfort of your own home.

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Alright. So after all that hype about having a practical way of watching TV and movies while on the go, you have finally gone and bought yourself the new iPod. Now what?

Well, let’s see. There are so many options squeezed into one slim, 2.5″ LCD screen media center that it’s going to take a lot of time going over each one of them. So let’s do take it one at a time, shall we? This guide is going to take over all the options you’ve got and how to convert absolutely anything and everything - DVDs, TiVo video, messy AVIs, muxed MPEGs and more to iPod compatible video - all within OS X. And along the way, we’ll teach you a couple of iPod tips and tricks, too!

Handling Those Nasty Scratches

When you take your iPod out of the box, your first order of business should be to protect your investment. You don’t want any of those nasty scratches from appearing on your precious media box, do you? It’s a complete eye soar and one you can completely avoid.

The good thing about this new iPod is that its design is slightly different from that of the nano, which according to most users scratch easily. The new iPod has better chassis and doubled-layered, probably to protect the LCD monitor. But if you want to make sure that your iPod doesn’t show any scratches, most users recommend plastic cases, such as The Invisible Shield. If not, you can always get the white model, instead of the black one.

What Videos Can You Play?

Let us briefly go over the kinds of videos that your new iPod can support. According to Apple’s website, the video specifications of the new iPod are the following:

H.264 video: up to 768 Kbps, 320 x 240, 30 frames per sec, Baseline Profile up to Level 1.3 with AAC-LC up to 160 Kbps, 48 Khz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats.

MPEG-4 video: up to 2.5 mbps, 480 x 480, 30 frames per sec, Simple Profile with AAC-LC up to 160 Kbps, 48 Khz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats.

For the newbies, this might all sound a little too confusing. What’s with all the numbers? Don’t worry because chances are you only need to remember a few of those for you to get the most out of your new iPod.

First, let’s start with H.264 video. The highest video bitrate with the H.264 codec is 768 kilobits per second. The biggest picture size for your H.264 movie is 320 pixels wide by 240 pixels high, which is incidentally the exact dimension of your iPod’s screen. Your iPod can play H.364 video at framerates up to 30 frames per second. Every one of the applications that we’ll be using encodes with the Baseline Profile. Your audio needs to be encoded as AAC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48 KHz, and it can be in either stereo or mono. As long as you follow all the guidelines, your movie can even be a QuickTime movie or an MPEG-4 movie file.

The other option you have is the MPEG-4 video, which supports a much higher bitrate than H.264 video - 2500 kilobits per second. Using higher bitrates will also create larger files, which means that you’ll have less space for additional songs and movies, but more segments of your favorite movie. The biggest picture size for your MPEG-4 video is 480 pixels wide by 480 pixels high - three times as many pixels than your iPod’s screen in capable of displaying. Your iPod will shrink the picture proportionally so that everything fits on the screen. Again, the iPod can play videos up to 30 frames per second and your audio and file format options are the same as H.264 video.

So Which One is Better - H.264 or MPEG-4?

Well, that’s a tough question really as each format has their ups and downs. Arguably, H.264 is preferable considering how it offers high quality and a file size that is much smaller compared to MPEG-4. When it comes to picture quality, however, both formats are comparable, especially when encoded at the higher supported video settings.

As for speed of encoding, most people agree that H.264 video takes longer than standard MPEG-4. Take for example a two-hour movie. When you convert that to iPod using H.264 codec, the process could take considerably longer (especially with QuickTime Pro’s pokey Export: Movie to iPod video option).

Where to Download Videos for Your iPod

If you’re tired ripping movies from your DVD collection or you’ve used up all your movie files in your computer, then it’s probably time for you to look for other sources of iPod compatible videos. Below are some good sites that offer iPod video files that are both free and legal!

ChannelFrederator.com - If you like to watch short animations while taking a breather, this is the place to look in.

PodGuide.tv - It’s not called “PodGuide” for nothing.

Channel 101 and Channel 102 - Brilliant downloadable shows are up on offer.

The iTunes Music Store’s podcast section - One of the best things about the new iPod is that Apple has bundled it with their updates on iTunes. Now, you can download loads of free videos from the store for your daily dose of iPod-casting.

Apple iTunes - Sometimes you just have to go to the source of the source to find what you’re looking for.

Archive.org - This site is great for old videos and movies.

Watch iPod Videos on Your TV

Say what?! Yep, it’s true. And for some users who prefer widescreen as opposed to pocket-TV, this is the best thing about the new iPod. Now, outputting your iPod videos to any TV is easy. Just use a special video cable (and it doesn’t even be the one sold by Apple), output it through your iPod’s headphone jack, and voila! You’re a couch potato, baby!

If you’re more interested in watching videos on your TV, you may want to go with the MPEG-4 format since it can support the bigger 480 x 480 picture size. When you encode widescreen movies and output them to a TV, the pixel limit is usually 230,400 pixels. So when these larger images are displayed on your TV, you’ll get to see all those extra pixels.

Okay So You Can Watch Videos on TV, Big DealWhat About My Other Videos?

When you download video files from the web or file sharing networks, some of these files may not be marked as iPod compatible. Does that mean you can’t play them on your iPod? Well, the good news is that it’s easy enough to find out.

Tip #1 - Open iTunes

The easiest and less time-consuming way to determine whether a video is iPod-supported or not is to simply open iTunes with your iPod connected. Afterwards, drop the video file directly into your iPod’s library. If the video is copied into your iPod, it means it’s compatible. If it’s not, then your iPod won’t be able to play it.

To copy the video to your iPod, just select Manually manage songs and playlists in the iPod tab of your iTunes preferences.

Tip #2 - Add Video to the iTunes Library

The other way of finding out if your video files are iPod compatible is to add your video to your iTunes library. Just right lick the video and select Convert Selection to iPod. You will receive an alert from iTunes on your screen, telling you if your video is already compatible. If it’s not, your movie will be converted to a compatible H.264 video for you.

We should probably mention that you don’t really need to add videos to your iTunes Library in order to add them to your iPod. Just drag and drop videos from the Finder straight onto your iPod in iTunes. Again, make sure you’ve enabled the manually manage option.

You can also add songs and videos to your iPod’s library from any computer that has iTunes. Just make sure that you’ve enabled the manually manage option in iTunes. If your iPod was originally formatted on a PC, you can add files from both PCs and Macs. However, if you have a Mac-formatted iPod, you’ll only be able to add files from other Macs.

Tip #3 - Open the file in QuickTime

Alternatively, you can also find out if your video is iPod compatible if you open the file in QuickTime. Next, Select Window: Show Movie Info. In most cases, your video should be iPod-ready if the format is H.264 or MPEG-4, the audio is ACC, and the size of your video is 320 x 240 (or smaller) for H.264 or 480 x 480 (or smaller) for MPEG-4. Also, look at the data rate and make sure it’s not over 900 kbits/sec for H.264 or 2600 kbits/sec for MPEG-4.

In most cases, the bitrate reported by QuickTime would include the video stream and the audio stream (normally 128 kbits/sec) so don’t wonder if the video is shown to have a higher bitrate.

I have a lot more information available at me website, be sure to click by and have a look.

Thanks for reading and I hope you find this information useful.

Ian’s website gives you the insider secrets about Video iPods. Please visit the site for more information on Video iPods.

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It seems that every where you look these days, someone is carrying an ipod. Either it is for listening to music or now to watch a movie! The new iPod video, which is of a convenient shirt or pocket size, has many options and some of them are absolutely surprising. Apart from the usual options of the iPod - music player, photo viewer, and voice recorder - the new iPod video has several options that may seem revolutionary for some people or useless for others. These options make an iPod video first of all a video playback device, photo and music device. For example, it plays music videos, even TV shows or, a remarkable initiative - ABC hits like “Lost” and “Desperate Housewives”. Even Pixar shorts and popular Disney are available for the new iPod video.

The new iPod video is a refined device with refined features for the interested customers. The new video features are very well thought out and displayed on a thinner iPod. Besides, the resolution is up to 320×240, fact that may represent an advantage in an era of other handheld video options. On the other hand, the new iPod video has better volume with no static or clipping when turned up to the maximum volume. You may also connect you iPod to the home or car stereo without worrying about the quality of the sound.

Another option concerns the fact that the new iPod video has a large color screen. Besides, the display is refined, as you may see the images even in bright indoor light or in the sunlight. Another aspect regards the battery life that may last 14 hours or even 20 - it depends on the model you choose.

The specialists suggest that the main use of the iPod video will be the short videos, funny elements taken from life. The argument for this fact is that the iPod videos are too small for being watched by too many people at the same time and require more attention than the audio programs. A possible disadvantage is the fact that many iPod videos may be used by teenagers for porn videos, fact that may help the porn industry to develop its programs and success.

Some other options may come immediately after the complete success of the presented ones. The great success may be ensured for the company and especially for this daring project without even having clear and certain proofs from the consumer market. Besides, the options on the new iPod video may be tempting for those who prefer not to mix the mobile with video options. This aspect may represent the next step in the video evolution although there are lots of skeptic opinions about these new trends in the television industry.

Another important aspect of the new options of the iPod video is the fact that you may encode video from a DVD. You may also connect the iPod video to a TV and for this operation you may need some items - an iPod compatible video, a video capable iPod and an A/V cable. The next operations concern your skills in selecting the right options on your video iPod: you should choose video setting from the menu, then you have to adjust the video playback style you need. Another step concerns the TV signal specific for your country. Special information regards the way you plug the red, yellow and white RCA plugs: the red one into TV yellow RCA jack, the yellow into the white one and the white into the red RCA jack.

From this point on you may select on your video iPod the movie, show or video music you want to watch. You have to select the option TV on and after a status screen appeared on your iPod, the video is played back on the TV. You may also control the volume levels from the iPod volume control.

Other options regard the photo display on the TV set using the AV cable, mentioning the fact that the photos are remarkably clear an maybe a little brighter than other displays.

Geri Stogsdill is a freelance writer specializing in healthy lifestyle information. For more iPod video tips, visit us at http://www.ipodmovievideo.com/

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