The iPod (with video) and new iMac G5--hands-on first impressions!
posted October 12th 2005 3:55PM
As reported by Engadget correspondent Paul Boutin:The video iPod won't disappoint. It feels slim and easy to hold even after two weeks spent with my nano. Video
playback is solid. They're not kidding about 30 fps without sputtering. You can't fast forward, but you can scroll back
and forth on a progress bar—just as you do with music—to jump forward and back in the video. Oh, and the black
model is going to be hot. Without the U2 model's red wheel it's less of an acquired taste.
The iMac hasn't changed much. It's a wee bit thinner and there's a camera eye / IR detector at the top. The eye is the
one thing that doesn't live up to Apple's usual panache. It seems an odd black dot in the middle of the iMac's white
forehead.
The remote control, which uses IR is very stylish. It has an iPod Shuffle look and feel and a set of controls set in
a circle that resemble the first iPods, but are marked differently. The on-screen menus for Front Row are also
iPod-like. One nice touch is the way Front Row blurs out the menu screen on a DVD (You know: “Operation not permitted”)
and puts a standardized iPod-like menu over it. My one gripe is that it’s not always clear which button to push on the
remote: plus or minus, fast forward or rewind, or something else? The Apple rep told me to press Menu to select the
video player from the main Front Row menu. Whoops - you have to press Play (>). Yes, even six buttons can be
confusing at first—unusual for Apple.
TV shows on the iMac are a grainy 320 x 240 that looks better in a small window than full screen. It’s not a TiVo
replacement, let’s be clear. It’s more like the BitTorrent copies of The Daily Show - a way to catch shows you’d have
to miss otherwise, and definitely more reliable than streaming. It’ll be a good alternative to needing to plop in front
of the boob tube once more shows become available. The iTunes interface is a lot more consumer friendly than finding
and downloading torrents. What it needs most are more shows!
The underrated announcement of the day is iTunes gifting. Those of us who are always evangelizing new bands or
you-gotta-hear-this songs to each other now have an easy way to push tracks on our friends and vice versa. Good thing
the recipient has to accept the gift, or I’d be jamming everyone’s libraries with Goldfrapp already.
Our correspondent Paul Boutin would like to thank Splunk (maker of network indexing software) for giving him the day off.
i don't know what's the fuzz all about. My Dell Axim X50v has been playing music, video, games, connecting to the internet, working as a book, a remote control, GPS unit, etc... since day one almost one year ago. With a 4GB CF and a 1GB SD, I have more than enough space for all of my "on the go" stuff.
^ How much is one of those babies?
Check this out. http://diveintomark.org/howto/ipod-dvd-ripping-guide/
It only took 24 hours!
nice start, I'm waiting for version 2.0. and for someone to hack mplayer or vlc on to it.
why do they have all the ipods using usb 2.0? why not firewire too?
It's all quite simple to me:
1). The 30GB version is only £10 more than the 20GB colour Ipod. It's also much smaller and easily pocketable than my present monochrome 3G 20GB.
2). I have more music than the average 'normal' person and have filled only 12GB of my 3G Ipod. That leaves around 15GB for movies and vids. My Sky+ Box (TiVo -a-like) has 40GB and, like any normal person, I've never filled that. Anybody who needs 80GB for a portable media player that can be set to swap content on sync must be considering an arctic journey or something.
3). No true audiophile would buy an iPod in the first place. 128kpbs tracks? What's the point of a true equaliser on something like that? Either get a Sondek or get real. These are for the regular music lover.
4). Apple is doing the same thing as usual. It's a little like the 'Mac or PC' decision we all have to make. If you need a machine that you can tinker with to the extreme, but is ugly and cumbersome and needs a lot of time to set up, then buy an Archos (and a rucksack). If you want an elegant, useful gadget that almost sets itself up and is backed by the best music (soon to be media) software on the market, but is limited in its broad application, then buy an iPod.
With regard to computers, I have a PC for work and two Macs at home. My next pocket entertainer will be an iPod.
First off, DivX/XviD *ARE* MPEG-4 compliant. What isn't compliant is packing the MPEG-4 video stream together with MP3 audio into an AVI container. That's a no-no, and just because thousands of P2P users have gone that route doesn't mean it would be smart for Apple to do so.
You can take your DivX/XviD AVI files and extract the MP3 audio and the MPEG-4 video, convert the audio to AAC, and repackage it as an MP4 file, and iTunes/iPod will be happy as long as the bitrate and resolution are within bounds. On your Mac you can just use ffmpegX to do this audio conversion and repackaging. On a PC you can use mplayer to dump the audio stream, itunes to convert it to AAC, and mp4box to repackage the AAC audio and MPEG-4 video into an MP4 wrapper. To make mp4box easier to use, check out the YAMB "Yet Another MP4Box" GUI. All of these can be found easily via VideoHelp.com
For converting DVDs straight to MP4 files for iTunes, check out HandBrake for your Mac - it does MPEG-4 or H.264.
http://www.slate.com/id/2127924/nav/tap1/
the truth...
Come on guys, if you want to really watch a movie you pack a laptop or a portable dvd player. Apple hasn't released this thing for full length feature movie marathons.
Good on you apple, I'm ordering one (as soon as I find out it's not going to scratch in the first 2 weeks you own it)
^ yeah really, i see it as a short clip video player, maybe something like a few episodes of skits or shorts like Red Vs. Blue or something. I doubt much people will walk a whole hour of video on something like this, or anything else. I can't tell yeah how some people can watch a whole movie on a PSP even.
My colour iPod was just 5 days old when the new Video iPod was released - not really my fault as my insurance company ordered it as my old iPod was bust. I am going to be fairly dissapointed if Apple dont unlock the video feature on the colour 4G's, from what I have read there is very little difference in the actual internal hardware of this new iPod 5G - even if the what are now 7 day old 4G ipod can only support 25fps - surley it's up to the consumer to decide if they want the feature?!
This is so messed up. i just bought my ipod photo 60g for 400 dollars a week ago. Now they show me this new version with 20hrs playback time and thinner and video feature...Feeling like to kill myself. :(
pfft im getting an ipod nano.. neh I dont care if it gets video.. but it is quite annoying how they hold back technology and you buy it and KNOW in like 6 months a new one will come out.. like seriously we all know they can have video, a/v out, radio, etc.. so why the hell not just get it over with now, and make new ones when you invent something NEW?? come onnn
To all of yall wondering if it converts video....
no
however, you can get download free video converting programs.. that will convert pretty much anything to mpeg 1 and 4.. i got 1 that's called winavivideoconverter
The best video encoder hands down available right now. Will encode anything to anything. You can even choose the files from dvds or your home movies. Enjoy. http://www.soft32.com/download_121313.html
"You can’t fast forward, but you can scroll back and forth on a progress bar—just as you do with music—to jump forward and back in the video"
Thanks for the info. I had heard from various people that you couldn't fast-foward/rewind which I thought was bs.
Lol. It's seriously ugly. What's wrong with you people? The 4G color iPod was and remains the best iPod in the market. Not this dumbass PVP-wannabe piece of ugly shit...
Does anybody know if the new ipod will play .mov video files or not?
I just ordered the new ipod a couple of days ago. I am vert excited and cannot wait. I have reciently discovered that i can just simply drag all my videos from limewire straigt into itunes. If you think that 1.99 is to much to pay for music videos you can always use an alternative source.
Do you think the 2.5in screen is big enough to read subtitles? I watch a lot of anime, and I am interestred in this thing!
I am a first time ipod buyer, so please pardon my ignorance. How do you charge this thing? Through the USB cable?
I just purchased the new ipod last night at a local apple store. Here are my impressions so far after using it for about 1 day.
Pros: Beautiful design
thin
light (LCD is larger and more useable in real life), and has nice resolution/crispness when watching videos).
Cons: Power adapter is not included. Battery gets drained very fast when watching videos (Im not sure if Ipods battery indicator is innacurate but after watching a 1 hour show, the battery indicator empties to about 20%, but when the backlit is turned off again, the battery strength goes up. Screen isn't wide so don't expect to watch widescreen content with the ipod. It WILL hurt your eyes. Watching full screen contents are no problem. SO far these are the pros and cons I have. It is stil a wonderful little device and I'm still discovering more goods/bads about it. p.s. Perhaps the bitrate the video is encoded affects the amount of battery it consumes. I will test out different bitrates later on.
Micho, I converted an episode of Bleach (anime) into mpeg4 using a below average bitrate and the subtitles are very readable. Of course it all depends on the different fansubs and the fonts they use, but with the one I use it was pretty easy to read. Of course with the higher bitrate, it will become even better.
does the ipod video scratch like the nano on the front or screen? if it doesnt then im gettin one. i dont care about how bad the video because like steve jobs said "it does video" but its main purpose is for playing mp3s
For all of the people whining look at the differences from the last 1:
* 10GB more space
* Thinner
* "does" video
* bigger screen
all of this for £10 more. Whats to complain about?
it isn't really a video iPod, just an iPod that plays video,and for a first time iPod buyer, like me, I think it's great.
OK - so I broke down and bought the 60gig iPod with Video. AWESOME!!! As soon as I found that I could convert video that I already have to an iPod friendly format with PSPware - then just drag it to the library I was hooked. I bought it and converted away. Needless to say, the video on the conversions isn't the greatest, but it's good enough. I am happy to say that the output to my TV - even the widescreen high-def, isn't as bad as I thought it would be. In fact - it's easily watchable. The downloads from the iTunes store are much better. I am on the road a lot for my job - I just need to find a way to easily hook up to hotel TVs that don't have AV inputs and I will be set. 3rd party manufacturers? Listening?
Question, Dan (or anyone else):
When you hook up the ipod to TV, does the TV screen show exactly whats displayed on the ipod screen? For example, does the TV display the Menu screen, video playlist, audio playlist, etc.? Or TV Out is limited to just watching videos on the TV?
Thanks
#164 why would u get a nano when u could get a 30 gb ipod for only 50 dollars more... thats more than 7 times the capacity.. this isnt a video player.. its an ipod that plays videos.. i ordered mine because my mini wasnt cuttin it any more.. plus ur gettin 10 gigs more than the last gen, lonnger battery life, thinner, and sexy black.. all for the same price and when i get bored ill put a video in there.. im not kissin apples ass but i dont understand when people say its better to get a 4gen ipod.. and did i mention... sexy black.. haha
FOOLS.......YOU'RE ALL FOOLS! mmmmuaheaha I'm not replacing my 30Gb photo till the real iPod Video comes out with a widescreen and Front Row capabilities, how dope would that be to bring your iPod and Dock & Remote over to a friend's or family members house and put on a media show! COOOOL! and I'm not replacing my iMac G5 till the MacIntels.....these new iMacs were just a ploy to keep people buying them still, the real goodies are yet to come!
I'm loving my new 60GB (white) video iPod! At first, I had a bit of trouble converting my avi and mpeg movies to a format that the iPod will work with: I followed a tutorial for using ffmpegx to make H.264 movies, and that didn't work (wouldn't download to the iPod). However, I soon found that people were having success using ffmpegx's "PSP" format (instead of choosing "H.264" in the drop-down). That worked great, although I upped the audio bitrate from the rather low default (watch out, ffmpegx saves these "PSP" video files with nonsensical filenames). It's too bad that H.264 wouldn't work, because I hear it gets better compression. But I'm happy, because now I've got a number of my avi/mpeg music videos converted and running on my iPod! And isn't it cool that the same format works with iPod and PSP? That should mean we'll see plenty such files on the p2p networks soon.
Before I bought it, I was concerned by forums such as this that said the iPod has "no fast forward! omg!" That was a bit misleading, since (as this article mentions) you can in fact use the wheel to quickly move foward and backward in a video (just like in an audio track), you just can't speed it up to 2x or faster speed... a feature that's not very high on my list.
Overall, the new iPod is fantastic so far. And if you don't need 60GB, the 30GB model is noticeably thinner and lighter, IMO.
ok here goes i got the ipod video and i cant seem to convert my avi and mpeg to mpeg 4 without the quicktime pro !! what a waste ! y sell sumthin so uselss APPLE !! even pics dun go through !! i have an iaudio with a video player, FM, a voice and FM recorder , it stores pics and also it shows up and a removable drive on my comp to add to it, its plays for a good 18 hours !!! what a work of art IAUDIO ! i say all ull ppl out there who want an ipod dun buy it for the name but the IAUDIO X5 has all the features of the ipod AND MORE !!! but its just 20 gb :(
what annoys me is this
- AC power adapter not included...
- Crappy cover- plastic sleeve, scratches galore.
- All the add ons cost lots of money (obviously)- camera connector, dock, remote, iTrip FM transmitter, av cables (to hook up to a tv)...good case...etc...
One question-
What's the video like when enlarged on a tv?
I have had my iPod with Video for a week as of today. I have kept it inside the sleeve Apple provided, and both inside my Marware laptop bag.
The thing already has significant scratching, including on the screen. It's really quite hard to believe.
Not sure if this has been cleared up by aanyone or not, but you CAN fast-forward and rewind. Simply hold down either left or right arrows.
ATTENTION POTENTIAL BUYERS
I have had my iPod with Video for eight days as of today. I kept it inside the sleeve Apple provided, and used a microfiber cloth to clean the screen.
Like annoyed's, mine also has significant scratching, including some on the screen that already affect the picture. I'm sending it back to Apple this afternoon (they waived the restocking fee), and buying a used shuffle until they remedy this issue with a scratch-resistant case.
Rob me please. That's what you're saying if you use this on any subway system. NYC, DC, etc. Period. Same with walking on the streets. Holding an ipod with video in front of you shows off the 'goods' you have, increasing your risk. Of course, the same thing is true of other ipods. If you can't live without those d@mn white headphones ("earbuds"), at least hid your cherished ipod in your pocket/bag/etc. to make it more of an effort for people to jack it from you.
And, to the poster who claimed there have been no reported thefts on the D.C. metro.. try again. Unfortunately they have been- read the MPD crime stats or call their headquarters and ask how "safe" it is to carry your beloved around.
D@mn sad, but..true.
Im sorry to say, maybe I got a lemon, my story is a nightmare.
I went ahead and purchased the video ipod 60 gig and had way too many problems. My needs are very different than most people.
Most of my graduate classes in the arts are all video taped. I have over 10 years worth of footage. All this footage was transfered to my computer. Therefore I have 30 Gigs worth of over 120 video clips that are approximately 60-90 minutes in length a piece.
First I was told that all I would need to do is convert my wmv to mov, m4v or mp4 (mpeg4.) I understood it to be a simple process. I was also told quick time pro would handle it.
I went nuts trying to find a converter that was simple. So after 4 hours of getting the run around from Apple, I was told I had to convert my wmv to AVI so that it would then in turn work on quicktime pro.
Fine, I proceed with a 4 minute test clip. It took 3.5 HOURS to convert. But worse, when I attempted other AVI files there would be no picture and was thus redirected to another codec utility.
Okay so fine, I use MPEG DIRECT (3rd party.) I get a 10 minute clip on ITUNES and it works on my ipod. Immediately I plug it in with my digital camcorder RCA plugs and theres sound no picture.
I go to an apple store retailer and was shown & told it must be the apples' proprietary rca cables. So fine, I buy one.
I go back home to do the bulk of transfers. Any video longer than 10 minutes wont play! I got a still image with only sound.
I had enough and had it refunded.
I was then told the video ipod is meant for downloading videos from itunes and sure short clips. It is not to be used as a dvd player type.
Therefore until they fix this problem, Im sticking iwth my traditional pre video Ipod.
Finally, I find it appauling that Apple removed the 9 pin input from the top of the ipod. After all I own tons of gizmos such as Ifm, Italk, etc. . They should put out a converter of some sort as companys such as Belkin, Griffith etc, have supported their product by coming out with TONS of accessories.
Until I see a rendition that satisfies playing more than 10 minutes worth of footage and an adapter, APPLE wont be making a dollar from me.
At the same time, if Bill Gates comes out with WMV portable player, I will test it out.
I was willing to go thru the process of converting everything as I like IPOD, however this experience has taken ALOT of telephone time, travel time, and frustration.
Just my 2 cents.
Al, do a web search for ffmpeg, which is a free video conversion tool.
That ought to be a single-step process, albeit with a little bit of settings-fiddling.
However, detailed instructions on how to convert video to iPod-compatible formats abound on the net.
any1 here now how to put videos into the new video ipod?????????????? cause i really need to know?????????
Picked up the ipod video and am very impressed. I hadn't intended on jumping to this gadget because I couldn't see using the video functions...until I saw it.
Video looks good on the player and more than acceptable on a big TV (I have a 50" HDTV). Probably looks perfect on a regular TV.
Form factor is very nice on my 30 - and I've kept the film that came on the face in place until protectors come out for it. I figure it will scratch like the nano.
Now, more video content!
BTW, it is not hard to encode your own stuff for the ipod, just takes a bit of time.
You can use Nero 7 to convert straight from your DVD to your iPod using the "Convert to Nero Digital" mini-program. Assuming you have the DeCSS driver installed on your machine... otherwise you'd have to rip the VOB files from your DVD first... then use Nero 7.
If Nero 7 doesn't work for you... use the "SUPER" video encoder, which will encode damn near anything you throw at it into anything you want including the H.264 codec.
Or just use Quicktime Pro and convert to iPod! :) (which takes FOREVER)
NOTE: For the people debating the use of Firewire to USB... I don't care what websites you have that compare the two or what specifications are given for each technology, from MONTHS of personal experience USB has been just slightly faster on the PC and Firewire has been the same if not a tad bit faster on the Mac. But regardless, the speeds are barely noticible so what's the big deal? :)
I downloaded xilisoft video converter to convert my videos into the correct ipod format and it is all working well except that it doesn't convert the whole movie. It seems to have a maximum time of 5 minutes, when the movies are sometimes 50 minutes. I'm not sure if it's itunes or xilisoft. Can someone please help me out.
Everyone needs to remember that
IT IS FOR PLAYING MUSIC.
ipod create a music player and then keep upgrading it until they think :
lets make the ipod better for our customers.
so the add pictures and video capabilities.
i love the new ipod and am very impressed because now i have a portable music, picture and video player.
(Though i am disappointed at the fact that you have to charge your ipod from your p.c.
come on apple !)
I own the video iPod G5 60GB. The iPod's screen is fragile be careful. I keep and take care of my G5 iPod like a baby but the screen is all scraped. I called Apple; they told me that there is nothing they can do about it. "Because your iPod is black and the material we us I suggest you put a plastic cover on it to prevent more scrapes”
My tips (for Mac users only):
- download "Handbrake" to turn any DVD into an MP4 file (use 480pixels for length) of high quality and you can watch it on on big screen TV using the dock "S" port. It takes me 45 minutes to turn a full-length DVD into an MP4 with my G5. Encryption doesn't matter to the free "Handbrake". I have 30+ movies on my iPod, including all of Star Wars, the extended LOTR trilogy and many more.
- use The "DIVX doctor" - free too, to transform your full-length AVI movies into .mov movies(10 minutes). Import them into iMovie, then into iDVD and burn a good quality DVD. From there, to Handbrake and MP4.
That takes the computer about 6 hours, but I can do other things during that time and it's 10 times faster than exporting avi to MP4 with Quicktime pro. I'm afraid to say so, but Quicktime sucks!
- I got a plug-in called Flip4Mac (that one wasn't free, but not very expensive) that allows you to import a PC wvm file directly into iMovie, then you proceed as usual (iDVD, Handbrake, MP4).
It's so easy. Have fun and enjoy that video iPod to the fullest. By all means, protect the device. I have a leather cover (I forgot who makes it) with a transparent, strong screen cover and a wheel cover that still allows control through it. My iPod does not have a scratch. I've had it since the first day it came out.
Forgot to mention, but you can watch your movies on a large screen TV using the dock video-S port. If you make them full quality with Handbrake (1000 bitrate, full stereo, at least 480 pixels), they 'll look as good as the real thing. Amazing.
I have never been on the MAC "bandwagon" but I recently bought my first iPod ever...the iPod Video.
1.) The video is excellent...for a small portable device. It isn't nothing like my 42" plasma, nor is it even like my 27" tube set; but it's excellent for something that I can take around and watch video content on. I'm pleased with it. Of course the PSP has a bigger screen and I'm sure movies would look MUCH better on that screen...if only you don't get tired of swapping 2gb Memory sticks to watch a movie life would be perfect!
2.) There are several programs (some free) to convert video to an Apple compatible format. So far I haven't found ANYTHING that I can't watch on my iPod video.
3.) The video playback cuts the battery life considerably. I don't know what the official specifications are, but I have personally gotten over 3 hours out of my iPod watching music videos and TV shows. To be fair, this wasn't constant use, but I still think this is excellent. I recently purchased a power connection (12volt) that should make my airplane video play INDEFINITE!
4.) iTunes is nice, but I agree with most of you that I can't see paying for something that's free. Where iTunes comes in handy for me is when I'm looking for an old or little known song that I can't find anywhere else. To the best of my admittedly small downloading knowledge, iTunes just simply can't be beat in this regard!
5.) Before buying the iPod I recently purchased the Bose QuietComfort headphones so I haven't even tried the included headphones and can't comment on that.
5.) As for the price; I actually went to buy an iPod NANO but with the prices being so close and the much EXTRA capacity and capability of the iPod Video the choice for me was obvious. YES there are smaller MP3 players out there, but I don't think there are many choices that match the capabilities of the iPod Video.
Not only am I happy with my purchase, I have also recommended the iPod Video to 3 friends (Apple should give me a commission)! I'm also buying one for my son soon. Money to burn? I don't think so, but right now I want the best and in my opinion this IS the best gadget of it's kind out right now. Just my opion so take it for what it's worth.
I had the pleasure of holding and experiencing the iPod Video. Talk about impressive. Solid, fast, sleek, beautiful and even addictive. I held it just once, and it seems to be calling my name daily. I own a small video biz and what a better tool to show off my wares. I want one and I want it now. Apple has this way of putting "kick-ass" products on the market, then as soon as you decide to buy, Apple seems to put an even more "kick-ass" product out there. They sure have a way of driving the consumer to feel as if they need their product. I feel as if I genuinely need the iPod video after holding it once for about 3 minutes. I don't know how they do it, but I'm glad they do it so very well! Apple, I have been a fan of yours since the IIe, now I have video business which uses your products exclusively. My name is David and I'm and Mac Addict.
I can get photos and songs on it just fine... but I can't figure out how to get music videos on there. Can someone help me out?
No the new ipod does not support Divx or Xvid Videos
and The New Ipod 30,60 Gb Video's Battery lasts only 15 hours for music and 2 hours for video playback.
Which is why i returned my ipod back to apple and wasted 30$