Friday, October 5, 2007
The Ultimate Guide to Video iPod
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 Deal…What 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 Richardson
Ian's website gives you the insider secrets about Video iPods. Please visit the site for more information on Video iPods.
http://www.selfseo.com/story-13657.php
An introduction to iPod Mini
The iPod mini’s quality was the click wheel, where four buttons were placed above the wheel. To use one of the buttons, a user had to drive the wheel edge inner over one of the labels. The click wheel system is now normally used in the fourth and fifth generation iPods and it is as well been used in the iPod nano. Above the wheel was the monochrome display, which offers the menus or information of the presently selected track. The new generation of ipods normally has a colored screen display.
The battery life of its first generation iPod mini was 8 hours, which led to some quarrel on its small duration. This problem was later solved with the second -generation models that had a battery life of 18 hours. Like the larger iPod, the iPod Mini as well supported a crowd of file formats like MP3, WAV, AIFF and other MP4 features. It maintained its perfect integration with the iTunes Music Store and the files being downloaded there. Software wise, the iPod Mini was as consistent as the innovative iPod units.
Besides if there was something high-quality to be said about this amazing iPod mini, it’s the choice it gave the consumers when getting a digital audio player. The Ipod mini struggled directly with most renowned players like Creative’s Zen Micro and the Digital Networks Rio Carbon. The smaller display was actually one line smaller than the last models, thus warning it’s on-screen track information show to title and artist only, taking the album information off.
As the Ipod family started to grow, the Ipod mini was laid to rest when Apple launched the opening of the iPod nano. The iPod mini did not then exist in the market and stopped its production. Though it looks the iPod Mini only stayed for a while, its sway as the initiate of the click wheel would always be remembered.
http://www.selfseo.com/story-19418.php
Thursday, October 4, 2007
The Future of The iPod Movement
But what will the future of the iPod craze look like in years to come? We already have the iPod Nano and at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas we saw the announcement of the Eyebud, which is a tiny head and eye mounted unit allowing you to watch music videos or Pod Casting with full motion video.
Well with all this technology, how can it advance any more? Well, glad you asked and here are some ideas regarding the future of the iPod and iPod Nano. I believe that the iPod device will eventually end up with several variations such as a wrist watch with a voice activated feature and become a holographic entertainment center and communication device (3G Video Cell phone too). It will be able to run whole seminars and University Classes on the table at Starbucks by simply laying it on the table and turning on the holographic professor.
All these technologies are moving forward now and soon we will see them all integrated into the newest versions of the iPod for your viewing pleasure. Isnt technology great? Stay tuned to the iPod saga as the story will be even better than this with future renditions. Think on this in 2006.
http://www.ipodresourcecenter.com/The_Future_of_The_iPod_Movement.html
The Future "Mobile Me" iPod from Apple and Intel
I was reading an article today and my light bulb finally went on - Blam! I really got how cool the Apple and Intel deal is
I spend a fair amount of my time working with startups and I am convinced that 95% of innovation occurs in small companies. Only a small percentage of these fledgling companies beat the odds and makes their cool idea into a reality. They used to go public but now they mostly get snapped up by bigger companies that are higher up the food chain.
Large companies spend a lot less on research than they did in years past. What little they do invest, they spend on making incremental improvements to existing products. They spend very little on research that is capable of producing major breakthrough results.
I almost forgot that big companies can still put together smart deals that can rock our world. I think that Apple and Intel did just that two years ago.
The breakthrough is not the recently released Mac that now has Intel inside, it is the next generation iPod.
The devices that are going to rock your world are the Mobile Me devices from Apple. Mobile Me is a new trademark that I think, Apple will use to describe new handheld devices that give you almost everything you want, all the time, wherever you want it.
I know what you want is a lot! And Apple is going to give it to you. When they do, I think you will reward Apple with even bigger buckets of your dollars. Why not? If they deliver you a phone music email video browsing fast broadband that is easy to use and easy to update; and all for under $500.
Lets look at what Apple and Intel have accomplished:
Music Player: very well done.
Video Player: good start, needs more pixels
Player Content: iTunes is well done, just needs a subscription plan
Cell Phone: weak start, Apple not committed yet, but Intel has can change that
Browsing/Email: not yet an iPod feature, but consider the Intel influence.
Mobile Broadband: Intel is betting the ranch on Wi-Fi and WiMAX
Intel is clearly betting its future growth on wireless networking. It blew billions on phone chips with little to show for it, then turned to wireless networking with a passion. A few months ago Intel launched a its Digital Communities Initiative, to help cities across the globe build their own wireless broadband networks. Intel is investing money and energy to encourage the spread of Wi-Fi and WiMAX.
While city-wide hotspots are a nice idea for laptop users, their real appeal is to users of a new generation of wireless device users. But wireless networking is based on open standard that is a direct competitor to proprietary cell phone networks. Who is going to build the cool new devices that need the wireless network? Why Apple, of course.
The chip maker can forget about Motorola, Samsung, Erickson, and Nokia competing with their own cell phones. That made Apple look awful good; a perfect choice for building device that really takes advantage of the new WiMAX features.
With the next-gen iPod, you will be able to move away from the download model and subscribe to real time media and entertainment. Forget satellite radio, take your iPod to the park and watch a movie, or listen to music feeds.
Since you are plugged into the net, place all the calls that you like call after all its free. Its all part of the basic service. If you feel creative, use the integrated camera to video conference with a friend or capture some scenes while you are on vacation to share with your family back home. Hey honey, look where I did today.... nah, Im alright, really.
If you think text blogs are cool, you will love the new generation of real time video iPod blogs. When news breaks youll have lots of on scene video blog to choose from to track the breaking news.
Apple Intel may be big but Mobile Me will be truly cool and very disruptive. I know they can make the technology work, lets see if they start spending to defeat the cell phone lobby and get politicians to back municipal WiMAX networks.
http://www.ipodresourcecenter.com/The_Future_Mobile_Me_iPod_from_Apple_and_Intel.html
Video iPod`s Accessories
Other accessories are the chargers, the earphones, headphones of different models. There is also a speaker especially created for the new video. You may also find different types of skins, sticker decals, carrying cases, pouches, remote control, iPlug 3.5 splitter, backpack w/ speakers and, of course, various connection cables and adapter very useful for the new video.
There are also different available adapters video cassette adapter for 3.5 mm devices, video 3.5 mm to RCA audio cable adapter, video car charger cigarette lighter adapter for Apple mp3 players, video USB black car charger cigarette lighter adapter, video USB travel/home charger adapter, video car charger adapter, video wall-car charger 12V-AC adapter.
You may also find different transmitters for the iPod video and this is the case of the video tune-free audio FM transmitter and the video WALL-II audio FM transmitter.
Various cables are also of great use and are needed while having the iPod video - iPod video firewire 1394 data dync dable for Apple video & mini, video retractable USB 2.0 data sync cable for Apple video, video USB 2.0 extension cable, video USB 2.0 data sync cable for Apple. You may also need iPod video USB data transfer key fob, extended battery pack w/ carrying case for the video, walet carrying cases, metal cases of different colors, protector shields of various colors.
There are also some other useful accessories for the new iPod video and you may choose from different types of cases - Kroo G5 belt clip leather cases, Kroo Melrose belt clip carrying cases, video Optimum Armband carrying cases.
You may also buy an video Cellet universal PDA holder and a special holder for the iPod especially designed for the car. Other accessories are also useful and have an interesting design video Cellet Rhinestones 100, Cellet Rhinestones assorted.
Some other accessories point out the new generation style technology video creative CB2530 bluetooth digital wireless headphones, iPod video Naztech boom station N20 speaker and docking station, video fold-up amplified portable speakers for MP3 and music players. Other accessories are video desktop dock cradle, iPod video idock desktop dock cradle for Apple w/ USB and FireWire.
All these accessories denote the fact that a simple portable audio device is of a great importance taking into account all different designs for the carrying cases and skins. The video has many accessories, some of them are designed for suiting the lifestyle, the preferences and the tastes of the customers. Others are needed for transferring the information, for adapting or other useful activities in the technologic domain.
Another important aspect to mention is the fact that all the accessories are especially designed for the thinner models of the video with a larger screen and smaller dimensions. The cases, skins and sticker decals have the role of pointing out the beauty, simplicity or vivid colors. On the other hand, they have a protective role and a decorative one, pointing out the personality, the lifestyle of the user. These aspects are extremely important for the younger users of the video the teenagers.
The other accessories are more or less needed taking into account how much into the fever of the the user is and how much he uses all the other activities related with the video. Anyway, in a world in continuous movement, almost all the accessories and special devices may be of great need for a modern person with a modern lifestyle.
http://www.articleco.com/Article/Video-iPod-s-Accessories/25455
What is the Ipod
Ipod is well suited for Macintosh computers that run on Mac OS X and PCs running on Windows 2000 or Windows XP. The ipod has iTunes included in it with which it is possible to transfer tracks from the CD to MP3 format. Once you connect the ipod to your PC you can transfer the music along with the play list.
When the ipod or ipod nano is connected to your PC initially, it identifies the computer as home computer. Thus every time you connect, your ipod will automatically download the music stored in on the PC. Try connecting it with a different computer. The moment you do it, your ipod will tell you that it is connected to a computer that is different from the home computer and will ask you if you are interested in removing its contents and link it with the music library of the new computer.
You can link more than one ipod with your PC. Every ipod provides an exclusive identification code to your computer. This allows you to derive the benefit of automatic transfer of music to the ipod inspite of the fact that you share the computer with another individual using ipod.
Apple has designed all ipods and ipod nanos to suit the active lifestyle of its target group. They can be carried in your hand or put into the pocket even while running or any other outdoor activities.
As for storage capacities, ipods vary from 512 MB to 80 GB depending on the rate of compression of your songs. For instance, twenty GB is comparable to over 5000 four-minute songs, or more than 500 CDs. However, you will have to update your ipod manually if you have more music than the capacity of your ipod.
Ipods provide very good quality sound. The powerful amplifier can produce as loud a sound you wish to produce. You can get all information on www.nanospot.org. You can also even out the song volume with the check feature in the ipod. The in-built battery of the ipod can support it for anything between 10-20 hours depending on the model of ipod you own.
Your ipod can also double up as your computers hard disk. This feature helps you to transfer files from your PC and take it with you wherever you travel. Moreover, you need not worrythe ipod is intelligent enough to treat your data and music files separately. There is no chance of one overlapping the other. What more The ipod also has a digital watch to help you maintain your schedule wherever you go.
http://www.articleco.com/Article/What-is-the-Ipod/39300
You Are A Pod Person. Ipod Highlights For The Tech Challenged
The iPod is a portable digital music and video player made by Apple. Apple designed the iPod to work with the iTunes media library software, which lets users manage the music libraries on their computers and on their iPods. iTunes can automatically synchronize a users iPod with specific playlists or with the entire contents of a music library each time an iPod connects to a host computer. Users may also set a rating out of 5 stars on any song, and can synchronize that information to an iTunes music library. Apart from iTunes there are also several third party applications available that can be used to transfer songs to the iPod. iTunes lacks the ability to transfer songs from iPod to computer because of legality issues, although there are third party programs that tackle that issue.
The iPods other than the iPod shuffle have five buttons
1. Menu which backs up one level in the menus
2. Play and Pause which plays or pauses the track in play
3. Previous which skips back through tracks in play
4. Next which skips forward through tracks in play
5. Center the button in the center of the scroll wheel this selects a menu or a menu item
A Hold switch also exists on the top of the unit. Setting this switch to display orange will make the buttons and scroll wheel unresponsive, so that users do not activate them accidentally.
There are many varieties and types of iPods. Do not get confused when you go shopping for your new portable music device. Shop and compare and if you are computer challenged, do a little research. An iPod and a run of the mill MP3 player are not the same thing. Before buying, know what you are looking at before going to the store. Also, another good thing to remember when shopping for an iPod is that when you download music off of the Internet, it is most likely not free. Most legal music download sites will charge some fee per downloaded song. In addition, be careful and know what you are downloading before doing so. Not all of these sites are the same.
Fourth and fifth generation iPods, second generation iPod minis, iPod nanos and iPod shuffles automatically pause playback when headphones are unplugged from the headphone jack. They however, do not start playing again after insertion of the headphones by default.
The iPods with FireWire ports can be put into FireWire Disk Mode, in which it behaves like a FireWire hard drive without any of the additional iPod functionality.
An iPod unable to start due to either a firmware or a hardware problem displays the sad face.
All iPods come with headphones with white cords and earbuds, the color matching that of the initial iPod. The white cords have become symbolic of the iPod brand, and advertisements for the devices feature them prominently. Despite the fact that new generations of the iPod now appear in black as well as white, the cords remain white. In addition, you can spice up your plain iPod by purchasing all sorts of decals and skins for your device. There is no need to have a plain iPod when you can personalize it to your hearts content.
Some users add extra bass to the standard white headphones by using Griffin Earjams a clip on accessory that makes it possible to insert the headphones into the ear, using soft rubber adapters. However, using Earjams can be uncomfortable to some users with sensitive ears. Apple themselves have an alternative to the default earphones the in ear headphones, which have significantly better sound quality and bass response, and also come with different size caps for comfort.
There are three models of iPod on the market today. These are under
iPod 30 GB and 60 GB.
iPod nano 1 GB, 2 GB, and 4 GB.
iPod shuffle (512 MB and 1 GB).
http://www.articleco.com/Article/You-Are-A-Pod-Person--Ipod-Highlights-For-The-Tech-Challenged/46562