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Ipod Video
basics

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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?
ell, let!s see. There are so many options s"uee#ed into one slim, $.%& '() screen media center
that it!s going to ta*e a lot of time going over each one of them. So let!s do ta*e it one at a time,
shall we? This guide is going to ta*e over all the options you!ve got and how to convert absolutely
anything and everything + )V)s, TiVo video, messy AV,s, mu-ed .P/0s and more to iPod
compatible video + all within 1S 2. And along the way, we!ll teach you a couple of iPod tips and
tric*s, too3
Handling Those Nasty Scratches
hen you ta*e your iPod out of the bo-, your first order of business should be to protect your
investment. 4ou don!t want any of those nasty scratches from appearing on your precious media
bo-, do you? ,t!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 doubled5
layered, probably to protect the '() monitor. 6ut if you want to ma*e sure that your iPod doesn!t
show any scratches, most users recommend plastic cases, such as The ,nvisible Shield. ,f not,
you can always get the white model, instead of the blac* one.
What Videos Can You Play?
1h, we!ll be discussing how to convert your videos in a wee bit. 6ut first, let us briefly go over the
*inds of videos that your new iPod can support. According to Apple!s website, the video
specifications of the new iPod are the following7

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H.264 video: up to 89: ;bps, <$= - $>=, <= frames per sec, 6aseline Profile up to 'evel
?.< with AA(5'( up to ?9= ;bps, >: ;h#, stereo audio in .m>v, .mp>, and .mov file
formats.
MPEG-4 video: up to $.% mbps, >:= - >:=, <= frames per sec, Simple Profile with AA(5
'( up to ?9= ;bps, >: ;h#, stereo audio in .m>v, .mp>, and .mov file formats.
@or the newbies, this might all sound a little too confusing. hat!s with all the numbers? )on!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.
@irst, let!s start with A.$9> video. The highest video bitrate with the A.$9> codec is 89: *ilobits
per second. The biggest picture si#e for your A.$9> movie is <$= pi-els wide by $>= pi-els high,
which is incidentally the e-act dimension of your iPod!s screen. 4our iPod can play A.<9> video
at framerates up to <= frames per second. /very one of the applications that we!ll be using
encodes with the 6aseline Profile. 4our audio needs to be encoded as AA( audio up to ?9=
;bps, >: ;A#, and it can be in either stereo or mono. As long as you follow all the guidelines,
your movie can even be a Buic*Time movie or an .P/05> movie file.
The other option you have is the .P/05> video, which supports a much higher bitrate than A.$9>
video + $%== *ilobits per second. Csing 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 si#e for your .P/05> video is >:= pi-els wide by >:= pi-els high +
three times as many pi-els than your iPod!s screen in capable of displaying. 4our iPod will shrin*
the picture proportionally so that everything fits on the screen. Again, the iPod can play videos up
to <= frames per second and your audio and file format options are the same as A.$9> video.
So Which One is Better H!"#$ or %P&'($?
ell, that!s a tough "uestion really as each format has their ups and downs. Arguably, A.$9> is
preferable considering how it offers high "uality and a file si#e that is much smaller compared to

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.P/05>. hen it comes to picture "uality, however, both formats are comparable, especially
when encoded at the higher supported video settings.
As for speed of encoding, most people agree that A.$9> video ta*es longer than standard .P/05
>. Ta*e for e-ample a two5hour movie. hen you convert that to iPod using A.$9> codec, the
process could ta*e considerably longer Despecially with Buic*Time Pro!s po*ey /-port7 .ovie to
iPod video optionE.
Where to )o*nload Videos +or Your iPod
,f you!re tired ripping movies from your )V) collection or you!ve used up all your movie files in
your computer, then it!s probably time for you to loo* for other sources of iPod compatible videos.
6elow are some good sites that offer iPod video files that are both free and legal3
ChannelFrederator.com + ,f you li*e to watch short animations while ta*ing a breather,
this is the place to loo* in.
PodGuide.tv ,t!s not called FPod0uide& for nothing.
Channel 101 and Channel 102 + 6rilliant downloadable shows are up on offer.
he iune! Mu!ic "tore#! $odca!t !ection + 1ne 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 iPod5casting.
%$$le iune! Sometimes you Gust have to go to the source of the source to find what
you!re loo*ing for.
%rchive.or& + This site is great for old videos and movies.

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Watch iPod Videos on Your TV
Say what?3 4ep, it!s true. And for some users who prefer widescreen as opposed to poc*et5TV,
this is the best thing about the new iPod. Now, outputting your iPod videos to any TV is easy. Hust
use a special video cable Dand it doesn!t even be the one sold by AppleE, output it through your
iPod!s headphone Gac*, and voila3 4ou!re a couch potato, baby3
,f you!re more interested in watching videos on your TV, you may want to go with the .P/05>
format since it can support the bigger >:= - >:= picture si#e. hen you encode widescreen
movies and output them to a TV, the pi-el limit is usually $<=,>== pi-els. So when these larger
images are displayed on your TV, you!ll get to see all those e-tra pi-els.
O,ay So You Can Watch Videos on TV- Big )eal.What /bout %y Other Videos?
hen you download video files from the web or file sharing networ*s, some of these files may not
be mar*ed as iPod compatible. )oes that mean you can!t play them on your iPod? ell, the good
news is that it!s easy enough to find out.
i$ '1 ($en iune!
The easiest and less time5consuming way to determine whether a video is iPod5supported or not
is to simply open iTunes with your iPod connected. Afterwards, drop the video file directly into
your iPod!s library. ,f the video is copied into your iPod, it means it!s compatible. ,f it!s not, then
your iPod won!t be able to play it.
To copy the video to your iPod, Gust select .anually manage songs and playlists in the iPod tab of
your iTunes preferences.

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i$ '2 %dd )ideo to the iune! *i+rar,
The other way of finding out if your video files are iPod compatible is to add your video to your
iTunes library. Hust right lic* the video and select (onvert Selection to iPod. 4ou will receive an
alert from iTunes on your screen, telling you if your video is already compatible. ,f it!s not, your
movie will be converted to a compatible A.$9> video for you.
e should probably mention that you don!t really need to add videos to your iTunes 'ibrary in
order to add them to your iPod. Hust drag and drop videos from the @inder straight onto your iPod
in iTunes. Again, ma*e sure you!ve enabled the manually manage option.
4ou can also add songs and videos to your iPod!s library from any computer that has iTunes.
Hust ma*e sure that you!ve enabled the manually manage option in iTunes. ,f your iPod was
originally formatted on a P(, you can add files from both P(s and .acs. Aowever, if you have a
.ac5formatted iPod, you!ll only be able to add files from other .acs.
i$ '- ($en the .ile in /uic0ime
Alternatively, you can also find out if your video is iPod compatible if you open the file in
Buic*Time. Ne-t, Select indow7 Show .ovie ,nfo. ,n most cases, your video should be iPod5
ready if the format is A.$9> or .P/05>, the audio is A((, and the si#e of your video is <$= - $>=
Dor smallerE for A.$9> or >:= - >:= Dor smallerE for .P/05>. Also, loo* at the data rate and ma*e
sure it!s not over I== *bitsJsec for A.$9> or $9== *bitsJsec for .P/05>.
,n most cases, the bitrate reported by Buic*Time would include the video stream and the audio
stream Dnormally ?$: *bitsJsecE so don!t wonder if the video is shown to have a higher bitrate.

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