iPod Video

IPods have been a great market hit since their appearance in 2001, almost 5 years ago. Since listening to music is one of the favorite activities of today’s individuals, the constant evolution of this device was an important request, so the new product presented a diverse range of new features, accessories and capacities. The iPod evolved from a simple and basic music player to a sum of music player, recorder, and photo viewer and now to a both music and video device.

The most important new feature of the latest generation of iPods, meaning the 5th generation, is the video. Basically, these inventive and technologically advanced, yet small devices support both MPEG-4 and H.264 videos at significantly high resolutions, which are not far from a VSH tape. Actually, in more precise terms, the H.264 codec can play video at frame rates up to 30 frames per second, video bit rates as high as 768 kilobits per second and pictures as big as 320 pixels wide by 240 pixels high. Comparing the iPod video with the TV 27 FPS or the movies 24 FPS, it is obvious that the small device it is much better. Regarding the audio qualities, comparing to a CD quality, the iPod video is superior. On the other hand, the MPEG-4 video supports a bit rate of 2,500 kilobits per second and pictures as big as 480 pixels wide by 480 pixels high, meaning three times the size of the actual screen (in comparison with the H.264 video, which supports pictures the same size as the screen pf the iPod).

The reviews on this item are so far, excellent – the quality of the motion images is great, with almost perfect colors, even when the device is connected to a TV set in order to watch a video. Even more, watching the videos on the actual iPod is possible due to a larger screen, which also allows the high visibility of sharp texts and photos. Still, even though the battery is claimed to last around 20 hours, which is an evolution since the last iPod model, the battery is much rapidly consumed when watching videos.

The range of improvements since the last model of iPod is impressive: the new video iPod comes with a new design, but in the same black and white colors and with a new set of accessories, which range from world clock, smaller earphones and a thinner slipcase to AC adapter and FireWire cable. Concerning the new package design, the iPod video comes with a new look: the box is flat and in a square shape; the color of the new box is black with silver accents, such as the Apple logo and the text.

The latest generation of iPods surprised the market in many ways: from the video capacities to the other improved features since the last model in 2005 and from the design and package changes to the wide and evolved range of accessories that are available together with the new iPod video. The evolution of the iPod shows an increased interest in constantly developing this device and always considering the needs and desires of the consumer. It is expected that the next generation of iPods to be even more optimized, with a lot of changes in the video settings and a longer capacity of the battery when watching videos.

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The iPod has been, since its release in 2001, one of the most innovative and popular digital devices in the world. Being produced by a strong brand such as Apple, the iPod became popular in a very short period of time. The popularity of the iPod was owed, besides the practical usage of the actual product, to the original ways of promoting and advertising of the company and, as well, to the aesthetical qualities that the product presented, ranging from the design features to the packaging.



Since the appearance of the product on the market, meaning the first iPod in 2001, the design of the product changed, but not dramatically; still, every model of the iPod came with new features, so the design and the package had to be adapted to these, in order to satisfy the consumers. The most important element that was considered by the creators when establishing the shape of the new device was the perfect proportioning. The new item was supposed to be light and easy, in order to be carried in all sizes of pockets, yet it had to look like a powerful and strong device. Even more, the necessity of providing a stable platform for the controls and the fact that the device was supposed to be managed easily by the customers, lead to the optimization of the perfect size and shape. The result was a device which was the right size in order to be held in the hand without difficulty and managed without effort. In the 5 years of constant research in order to find the right proportion for the iPods, the device ranged between the thickest model, expressed in the 2nd generation of iPods and the almost as thick 4th generation iPod to the more symmetric models of the 1st and 3rd generations.

Following these rules, the first 4 generations of the iPod managed the keep the right proportions that could permit the optimum use of the sound and later on, the photo features (even so, the iPod nano was considered to be too light and fragile). After the launching of the 4th generation of iPods, Apple were preparing to provide a new and even more innovative iPod, which was supposed to have a video feature, as well. At that time, the most significant concern of the producers was the fact that, due to the new iPod features, which had to permit a good visibility and a larger screen, the perfect proportions of the iPod might be ruined. As a result, the last generation of iPods is the thinnest of all; instead, the screen is larger, which allows videos to be watched much better.

Since the original model, the iPod's height and width have remained the same. Still, the corners of the new iPod video are sharper, in comparison with the rounded edges of the previous models. Even more, the center button of the device is flat, without any convex potions, which characterized the previous models of iPods.

The new iPod video comes in 2 colors: black and white, which adapt well to the color of the package, which is black and silver. With this colors (which are the same as the ones of the iPod`s nano colors), the new device seems improved and more refined. The black iPod has a chrome Apple logo, but the ear buds remain white, for both colors of the main device.

The iPod has been constantly modified in order to establish the perfect size for carrying and listening to music while walking and sometimes dancing. The iPod video presents, besides an obvious technical evolution that allows now watching videos on this small device, a new appearance, with different proportions, which are adapted to the most important request: good visibility. With a larger screen and thinner aspect, the iPod video turns out to be a stylish and aesthetic product, which slightly changes the image of the previous models, yet keeps the brand features intact.

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The iPod video is known as the last generation of iPods, which surprised the market and the sales since its appearance. Basically, this new device is able to play videos. If this seems like fun, the technical part might need some guidance.



Firstly, you should know that both the PSP and iPod can play H.264 / MPEG-4 encoded videos with AAC audio tracks. Due to this fact, the resolution is rather limited, together with the limitation of the bit rates that you can use on the device. For the new iPod video, this limits means (for the H.264 video) up to up to 768 Kbps, 320 x 240 and 30 frames per second. For the MPEG-4 video, the limits are up to 2.5 mbps, 480 x 480 and the same 30 frames per second. Even more, the AAC audio bit rate is around 160 Kbps. After establishing these limits, the next step is to establish the source of the video, which can be either from a DVD or a video of the computer.

In other terms, the company Apple claims, in a purely informative ad which is posted on the official website, that the new iPod, as they call the new iPod video, can store 15, 000 songs, 25, 000 photos and not less than 150 hours of video.

If wanting to get a video from a DVD, then the first thing you should do is to insert the DVD in the device. After this, you should open (in case it doesn’t immediately open by itself) the DVD, using file and open DVD from the menu. Check the options in the DVD menu, to set up everything as you like, meaning language, subtitles or chapters. Begin playing the movie, using the DVD menu to navigate. When the movie begins, you should press the record button and select the folder in which you want to store the recorded files. When you want to end the recording, simply click the stop button and if the recording goes well, there will be a screen confirmation that you have converted your file successfully.

If you wish to convert a video from your computer to your iPod video, then the first thing that you should do is go to the menu file and click open video file. After this, your video is supposed to begin to play, the perfect moment to adjust the video as you like. Also, you can set the perfect moment to start the recording, using the bottom playback controls. When you decided this, click the button record and feel free to stop it at any time. After recording, just like in the case of importing videos from a DVD device, there will be a message on the screen saying that everything went on successfully.

If respecting these basic rules, the videos and movies will be stored carefully in your iPod and you will be free to watch them, at any time. Still, be aware of the fact that the iPod offers limited space and resolution, which means that you should be picky when deciding what to keep and what to delete. The new iPod video is a challenging and innovative product that combines music with images, offering, for the first time, the possibility of playing video on such a small digital device.

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The new iPod video seems to have been met with great expectations and hopes. The audiophiles were waiting for a better sound, those concerned with photos for a bigger memory, the video fans were expecting longer life battery. And the key word for all these expectation is quality.




Some of the groups of customers with different expectations got what they wanted, others are disappointed and have other expectations from the future editions of iPods. In many ways the customers were surprised by the new iPod video as many improvements were made as compared with previous editions. The previous generations of iPods had some disadvantages and maybe due to the customers’ expectations those aspects were improved.

The first aspect that was changed is the screen and its dimension. Then the quality of the screen, its clarity and the number of the colors are impressive. The dimensions of the screen are big enough for watching the favorite video, the favorite photos or pictures so that the time would pass easily. Another important aspect that should be taken into account while speaking about the improvements of the iPods concerns the quality of the screen and image as the usual obstacles of light, sunny indoor or outdoor does not represent a problem anymore. The fact that the memory of the new iPod video is so generous seems to be a bonus to the quality of the pictures. There are also some features that permit creating slideshows, fact that is very useful.

The long life of the battery of the new iPod video is impressive so that the 30 GB has 14-15 hours of music listening. The 60 GB has almost 20 hours of music audition. Unfortunately, this great news has another aspect that concerns the life of the battery in case of video playing. The battery life while video playing is only 2 hours so that long movies or other longer shows are not possible to be watched because of this impediment. Some customers suggest that the life battery would be longer taking into account its huge memory and probably these complaints will be taken into account while creating new generations of iPods.

Another aspect that was expected and received with great joy is the huge memory. In this way, other customers prefer the new iPod video only because of this very aspect. It gives the possibility of having all digital photos on the new iPod, classifying them in a photo album. The memory of the new iPod video 30 GB and 60 GB hold up to 15,000 songs and 25,000 photos. The possibility of holding vivid color album art is another advantage and great news for lovers of the art. The customers have also the possibility of viewing and reviewing up to 150 hours of digital video.

The new features may satisfy almost all requirements and may meet almost all expectations. Digital entertainment, the superior quality of the sound, the best technology in MP3 domain, great battery life and huge memory are only few features that are worth being mentioned.

The disappointments regarding the new iPod video may be the result of high expectations that belong to different categories of people with different preoccupations. This aspect may contribute to a great development of handheld video devices and may bring variation on the market. The edition of a new iPod video and the disappointments regarding the video features may be the expression of new needs and requirements on the market of iPods.

Even in the case of too many disappointments or disagreements with some features and the quality of some aspect are true, these may contribute to the development of future generations of iPods. In this way, all expectations may be fulfilled and other wishes and requirements may develop.

All these improvements and new features are a great success and a new step in developing new video devices with the possibility of watching TV shows and TV series of great success. The new iPod video meets the expectations of the customers and especially the busy lifestyle, accommodating the crazy rhythm of the modern life.

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The new iPod video was one of the most surprising products of 2006, due to the fact that iPods didn’t include the video feature, since the launching of the 5th generation of iPods in 2005.



Still, the natural comparison the customers (and not only) made was the one between the play station portable, also known as the PSP and the new model of the iPod series. PSP is basically a handheld game console which was produced by the company Sony Computer Entertainment, back in 2004. The public’s reactions to this new device which was rather different than almost everything on the market was very good, due to the fact that the small device allowed customers to play famous games, and, at the same time, watch clips.

Comparing the batteries of these 2 devices or, better said, the life of the batteries, it is a fact that the PSP device lasted much longer than the iPod. While playing a movie, the battery of the iPod dies after almost 2 hours and a half, while the PSP battery lasts up to more than 7 hours, which is a big plus.

Comparing the audio quality, it must be said the fact that both the devices provide a good audio quality; still, the iPod video turned out to provide a slightly clearer sound than the play station portable. This is due to the act that the audio in the iPod video file is encoded into AAC audio. On the other hand, the PSP seemed to have more bass in some cases, but overall, the difference was not that relevant and significant. The video quality of the 2 devices is another subject worthy to discuss and debate upon. It is known the fact that the PSP has a much larger screen. Even so, in this case, the large size advantage does not equal a better picture: the iPod manages to show a very sharp picture and sharp and clear text (even long ones). On the other hand, when discussing the difference in the video conversation, the fact is that a video iPod takes around 12 hours to encode a video, while the play station portable only needs a bit under 3 hours to do the same thing.

Comparing the 2 devices, it is obvious that they both have advantages and some flaws. Even though the video quality seems better on the iPod video device, the PSP presents a longer life of the battery and faster ways to encode videos. Still, the iPod is a smaller device, so it is natural that some features are not that optimized as in the case of the PSP. Even more, due to the fact that it is smaller, the iPod is much easier to transport and to use in various occasions. The studies even showed the fact that both items are sold mostly in vacation periods, meaning the fact that the customers use them as an entertainment item in their both summer and winter holidays.

The 2 devices, even though they are similar in many ways of their practical usage, present both pros and cons or advantages and disadvantages. Depending on the customer’s needs and desires, they can choose the one that best fits their necessity, available time or quality expectations.

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The new iPod video became famous due to its huge memory and the capacity of playing video, due to its slim design and longer life battery. Still, there are voices that point out some disadvantages and highlight different negative aspects.

Taking into account that there are few perfect things made by the human hand, these aspects may be used by the iPod video creators for further improvements. Therefore, the customer’s reviews are very important and the suggestions may be really taken into account.

The fact that the screen is bigger is great, but the surface is easy to scratch, aspect that is more in the cons category. Although the image is excellent and the clarity screen may be easily compared with the TV set’s screen quality, there are still some problems with freezing video images. There is a great achievement the fact that the light, sun or other previous obstacles are annihilated, but another important problem is the unresponsiveness in some cases.

The dimensions of the new iPod video are great, but there is no way you may watch it with more than several persons. Anyway, it was designed for personal not collective needs and you may still share your photo album and music or video music preferences with one person. The flat screen is large enough to enjoy your favorite videos.

Although the life battery is longer, the complaints concern the short battery life for video. And this complaint may be balanced by the fact that the video is played with no flaw. The pros of the new iPod video are considered the cool look, the impressive number of features, the great organization of the music menu so that you may even rank your favorite songs. The cons of the new iPod video are considered the absence of FM option, the fact that no cradle is included, the impossibility of connecting the iPod video to the computer and the cost.

The amazing new features concern the sound quality – it is clearer and stronger with a bass that is stronger articulated, the sound is also louder than that of the previous generations. The other good features are the easy control, the video feature is classified with “great”, but the flaws regard the interruption of the sound between the tracks, being blanked out. There are still other suggestions regarding the battery life, taking into account the amount of music that the new iPod video has.

The pros may be gathered together pointing out the thin and attractive enclosure with a great display, the best sound, 15-20 hours of music, new clock and the time in other parts of the world. The cons highlight the incompleteness of the video integration that suggests the experimental project aspect, absence of the new games, no changes in the interface, the smaller screen than expected especially for video features edition. Another disadvantage concerns the slow transfer of photos direct from the camera.

Some critics point out the fact that the design and the features of the new iPod video may be seen from different perspectives. Therefore, the complaints and the satisfaction may be contradictory. These aspects may be seen from a movie lover perspective, an audiophile or photographer or even from a simple consumer with no great expectations. That is why you may find musician’s reviews or video addicted reviews that are in contradiction. You may decide in which category you may be situated for deciding if the new iPod video is worth the money or not.

From the same point of view, you may say that as a music player the new iPod video has superior quality of sound. As a screen for the photo album, the clarity of the screen may win the competition with any TV set’s screen. As a movie player, the iPod video is below the expectations, but it may be considered a great step in the video technology.

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Labels: iPod video