The Clash Of MP3 Players And iPods

In the music universe, being number one means having the best of everything. From storage
space and versatility to style and functionality, engineers have been moving towards the
realization of that need. Not since the mp3 players and ipods have we seen the most amazing
array of music devices available for audiophiles and techno rats.
It is interesting to note that MP3 players and ipods have always been mistaken for each other.
And as hard as the brand managers try to differentiate their product from competitors, society
has the last say on which product makes it and what its nickname will eventually become. MP3
players and ipods started out fairly the same; both are portable, audio players designed to
eliminate the need for compact discs. MP3 players and ipods play a variety of music file formats
from WAV, MP3, WMA, and MPEG to name a few. Both can also work as file storage devices.
However, MP3 players are flash drive storage devices only. They have a limited capacity of up
to 1 GB whereas ipods give the user a choice between a flash drive and a hard drive that can
store up to 60 GB in memory size.
The competition between MP3 players and ipods extend to the capabilities of the devices. The
features offered by MP3 players include an audio player, storage device, voice recorder
telephone directory and an FM radio. Though it sounds like a fully loaded car, you are actually
limited in terms of accessories. The wildest thing you can do to MP3 players is change the neck
strap. Ipods have a wider selection and gives you more freedom to personalize it. Aside from
being audio players, there are ipods that can show your pictures with its small LCD display. And
with the latest ipods that play videos, you will always have something to keep you company on
those stormy nights, alone in the car.
Ipods also give its user the freedom to dress up or dress down their units. There are websites
that offer stick-on covers for ipods like the ones at Decalgirl.com or Ipodstyle.com. Ipods can
also be used as a slight PDA since some fanatics have tinkered with these digital players and
used it to upload their address book and calendar from their computer.
Other accessories available to this device include waterproof cases, headphones, dock,
speakers, a home clock/radio system, battery pack, cassette adaptor, media reader and FM
transmitters. The list goes on and on as more people finds ways to enjoy their ipods.

With technology changing as often as the months do, it is no wonder that the once prized MP3
players are now only second – bit players to ipods. From just being portable audio devices, they
have come out of our pockets and have invaded clubs. The most favorite accessories of
hardcore music junkies are these docks that serve as a “mixing table” for tunes right from their
iPod’s playlist.
Club disc jockeys have a field day with this device since they can create new dance floor beats
with their trusty ipods bringing in the crowd thus spawning a new generation of digital mixers.
Even club patrons can get into the action by downloading their favorite tunes and taking it to the
mixing table for a spin.
MP3 players are not yet obsolete. It still is the next best thing to ipods and as long as there are
people willing to make do without the extra features, MP3 players will always be around. If you
are tight on the budget but would still like to carry your tunes around without lugging the heavy
compact discs then this is the device for you.
Yet, all hands down to the winner of this clash of the best audio device – the ipods. More than a
just an audio player, ipods have established itself as the icon of the digital age. Its popularity,
ease of use and huge potential has taken the music industry by storm. It has taken a life of its
own because it has created numerous gadgets and applications that appeal to the geeks,
yuppies, artists and fashionistas. As more and more people fall in love with ipods, engineers
will continue to work and deliver us the accessories that we can use to fully enhance our
beloved toys.

Show your iPod some love.

Headphones and Headsets

The earbud headphones that come with your iPod are just the beginning. Try noise-canceling or sound-isolating headphones for distraction-free listening. Take waterproof headphones into the pool. Or select from dozens of other styles.

Apple In-Ear Headphones with Remote and Mic

Cables and Docks

A dock provides a convenient and elegant home base for charging and syncing. And with the right cables, you can connect your iPod to your home stereo so you can share your music or to your home theater so you can watch videos on the big screen.

iPod nano Armband

An armband turns your iPod into a workout companion. Find the armband that fits your iPod and your taste. Then just strap it on, press Play, and hit the road or gym.

Cases

An iPod case doesn’t just offer protection from dust and fingerprints, it also lets you outfit your iPod with your own sense of style. Choose from just about every possible color, material, and design.

Power and Car Accessories

Keep your iPod juiced up with power accessories for your home or auto. If your car doesn’t include a built-in iPod connection, you can listen to your tunes from your car’s stereo with some simple accessories.

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The Ultimate Guide to Video iPod

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?


Oh, we’ll be discussing how to convert your videos in a wee bit. But first, 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

Convert DVDs to iPod Video

Feel like just another pair of white headphones in the crowd? Want to watch something new on your iPod? If so, then you’re on the right page because here you will learn how to rip DVDs for your iPod Video, completely for free.


Getting Videos into your iPod

Well, it was bound to happen anyway. Everywhere people have discovered that they could get their DVD movies and TV shoes onto the new video iPod without charge. How do they do that? It’s simple really. In fact, if you have ripped a movie onto the PSP before, you probably already know how to get your DVDs into your iPod. The transfer process is not that much different and all you really need is a good DVD-to-iPod-Video converter to get the thing going.


DVD to iPod for PC Users

For starters, here’s a guide on how to convert DVD to iPod video using cucusoft iPod Video Converter + DVD to iPod Converter suite.


FEATURES:

• Rip DVD to iPod video directly (no need to convert DVD to AVI or VOB first)

• Convert AVI, WMV, MPEG, RM, RMVB, ASF, MOV, DIVX, XVID, MPG to iPod MP4 or H264 format

• Easy-to-use and fast conversion

• Can also rip DVD to AVI, DivX, VCD, SVCD, and MPEG


STEPS (Windows)

1. Download the iPod Video Converter + DVD to iPod Converter suite

Visit GoRipper.com to get the program file for the software suite. Once there, go to the Downloads section and follow the download instructions on the page that appears. Keep the window open as the file downloads. Afterwards, install and run.

2. Load your DVD

Cucusoft’s iPod Video Converter Suit has a neat, blue user interface that is intuitive and easy to use. There should be three buttons to the right of the interface that says: Video to iPod, DVD to iPod, and Quit (for quitting the program). Click DVD to iPod converter component before loading your DVD. To load your DVD, click ‘Open DVD’ button or choosing ‘Open DVD’ from the ‘File’ drop down menu. After loading, several titles will appear on the list. Here’s a tip: If you want to rip chapters or segments you like, you can also select ‘Open VOB or Mpeg’ or ‘Open IFO’ from the ‘File’ menu.

3. Selecting Files

The main file of the movie should be the longest title. If you don’t like to convert the other titles (usually the special features in your DVD), you can remove them by choosing that particular title, right-clicking and ‘Remove.’

4. Saving Video Files

At the bottom part of the list of chapter titles, you will see several more options. Look for the one that says ‘Subtitle’ beside a drop down menu box. Click on the arrow down radio button to set the ‘Subtitle’ to what you like. To ‘Output Folder’, enter the full path name or choose the path where you want to save your video files by clicking ‘Output Folder.’

5. Convert

To start ripping DVD to iPod video files, just click on the huge circular ‘Convert’ button at the bottom right side of the user interface. You do not need to set ‘Input settings’ and ‘Output settings.’


Of course, the cucusoft way is only one way of doing it. If you find that converting DVDs to iPod using cucusoft’s suite is too tedious, especially if you get into trouble during the conversion process, then you might want to check out this alternative way of converting videos to your iPod. Again, the PQDVD Converter suite is for Windows users only. The guide for Mac users can be found below.


LIMITS

• H.264 video: up to 768 kbps, 320x240, 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, 480x480, 30 frames per sec, Simple Profile with AAC-LC up to 160 kbps, 48 khz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats


HOW-TO

1. Insert the DVD

Once you’ve loaded up your DVD into your computer, the DVD might start to pay automatically through your PQDVD. However, if it doesn’t, you can click ‘File’ and ‘Open DVD’ to get it to play.

2. Configure Settings

Click around the DVD’s menu (right side of the PQDVD’s screen) to set up DVD playback as you like. Tinker a bit with the language features, subtitles, specific chapters, etc. Here’s a tip: If you have activated these options, they remain active throughout your converted DVD.

3. Aspect Ratio

At this point, you have the option to adjust or modify the aspect ratio of your DVD. Note, however, that this can distort the picture quality of your video. You can also click on ‘record’ at this point, but you will be met with a message that tells you the main movie hasn’t started yet, which means that if decide to continue with the process, all you’ll be recording will be still images and short video clips. You can go ahead and do that, or wait for the main movie to load.

4. Begin the Movie

If you have chosen to wait until the main movie to begin or after you have recorded the clips, navigate the DVD menu to begin movie. To queue up the point at which you want to start recording, you can use the video playback controls for that. But if you want to record from the beginning, no need then to use the playback controls. Just drag the blue button along the bar at the bottom to start of the movie.

5. Record

Click the ‘Record’ button. The PQDVD will ask you where you would like to put the default output folder. You are given the following options: “iPod Video” folder on your Desktop, Desktop, C:\, Other folders:

Just select the folder in which to store your recorded files and once done, the movie will play at a fast-forward speed, recording the .MP4 file. When you want to stop recording, just click the ‘Stop’ button, or leave it running if you want to record the whole thing. At the end, a screen will appear, confirming that the recording has been successful and you have successfully converted your file.


DVD to iPod for Mac Users

As promised, here’s a quick tutorial that explains how to use Handbrake, a program that can rip DVDs into iPod compatible MPEG-4 video files.

REQUIREMENTS:

• An iPod Video

• Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later

• 500 mhz G4 processor or better

• At least 16MB of video RAM

• QuickTime 7.0.3 or later

• iTunes 6.0.1 or later


TUTORIAL

1. Set Up

First thing’s first, download the program file for Handbrake from any of these sites: VersionTracker.com, handbrake.m0k.org, and MacUpdate.com. After download, install Handbrake by just copying the program into your OS X Applications folder.

2. Load Video DVD

After Handbrake is installed, grab a copy of your favorite video DVD and put it into your computer. One important note: Handbrake can only convert standard video DVD’s that you would normally play in a DVD player. You can’t convert video files in any other formats, such as AVI, MPG, WMV, MOV, etc. Next, launch Handbrake, select ‘Detected volume’ and press ‘Open’.

3. Source Settings

Clicking on the ‘Open’ button will trigger Handbrake to start scanning your DVD. Depending on the contents of the DVD and the speed of your optical drive, this may take up to a minute or two. After scanning, Handbrake will select the longest title in the list by default. You can unselect that if that isn’t the content that you want. If you’re not sure which title to rip, you can click on the ‘Picture Settings’ button found at the bottom right of the Handbrake interface and manually step through several frames of the title to find what you’re looking for.

4. Destination Settings

Handbrake’s ‘Destination Settings’ has three settings you can modify: file format, codec, and file destination. For file format, select MP4 file so you can play this video on your iPod. For Codec, you can choose either AVC/H.2.64 or MPEG-4. For File Destination, just type in a name for the video file and choose its destination using the box provided. On average, you need about 300MB disk space per hour of video so try to choose a location that has sufficient space.

5. Video Settings

You have four options at this point. For Frame Rate, you can just leave the fps set to ‘Same as source’ or choose 29.97 as you like. For Encoder, if you choose H264 as your codec, you must also choose ‘Baseline profile’ for the Encoder. For Quality, set it to ‘Average bitrate’ and enter anything between 400 and 600. And finally, at the bottom part of the interface, you are given two boxes for Grayscale encoding and 2-pass encoding. Select 2-pass encoding if you really want a high quality file, but remember that it would take the encoding twice as long.

6. Audio Settings

This is where you click around for the language settings of your DVD. Language 1 should represent the language for the region you live in, which is English if you in America. Language 2 is usually secondary commentary voiced by the Director and actors. If you only want to convert the movie, just select None for this option.

7. Picture Settings

Your iPod wants video files that are 320 pixels wide by 240 wide. Turn on the ‘Keep aspect ratio’ button and decrease the Width to 320. Handbrake will automatically adjust the height to match the width.

And finally, click on the ‘Rip’ button and let Handbrake do its job. There are several variables affecting the encoding time, such as the duration of the video file, the speed of your computer, what other activity your computer is currently doing, the codec you selected (H264 or MP4) and if you decided to do a 2-pass encoding or not.

Everything You Need to Know about the Video iPod

Okay, so this new iPod plays…videos?

When Steve Jobs first announced the new iPod a few months ago in a highly anticipated “special event” in San Jose, California, a lot of questions were raised, ranging from disbelieving “Play Videos? Are you nuts?” to thoughtful “What types of video would it play?”

Well, whatever questions you may have, we’ll try to answer them for you.

First up, let’s just make it clear that the model we’re talking about here is the 30 GB iPod, not the bigger 60 GB model. System requirements are: PC with USB port running Windows 2000 SP4 or Windows XP SP2; Mac with USB port running Mac OS X 10.3.9. List price is US$299, but you can probably find a better bargain at other online stores.



New Look, New Package


The new iPod no longer comes in the traditional “cube” packaging. Instead, it comes in a box that is quite similar to that of the nano – a thin black box with photos of the iPod on the front, back, and sides. When you open the box, you’ll find the iPod itself inside. Don’t be surprised by the seeming lack of accessories.


Accessories Galore!

Besides the unit, the box also contains a software disc, Apple stickers, a USB dock connector cable, a universal dock adapter, headphones, headphone covers, and a thin iPod case. Unlike the older models, you’ll notice that absent are the dock, remote, wall chargers, and AV cables – all of which you can purchase individually or bundled with your new iPod at an Apple Store. If all that you’re interested in with the new iPod is the video output, then the AV cables are a must-have. You can find them for around $20 online or at a retail store.


Bigger Screen, Better Viewing

Appearance-wise, what exactly has changed about this new iPod? Your first impression would probably be that the iPod somehow looks wider. In reality, however, the only physical update (besides the model being considerably thinner than the 4G) you’ll find is that the LCD is larger. From the previous 2” LCD, they’ve upgraded it to 2.5” LCD – a marginal difference, so to speak, but the difference is amazing.

The scroll wheel of the new iPod has also been reduced from the old model’s 41.67mm across to a mere 38.10mm. The face material of this new iPod is dual layered with a clear resin on top of white plastic, probably to prevent the LCD from damage and makes for a clearer-looking screen.


Oh No! Where’s the Headphone Jack?

If you can’t find the headphone jack at first, don’t fret. They’ve relocated the headphone jack so that it is now positioned opposite the hold switch. One change that has caused a lot of furor from long-time Mac users is the lack of Firewire support on these new iPod models. The technical specifications is silent on this, except that it requires USB to use it.


Video and TV on the Go


Physical updates aside, the biggest feature of this new iPod model is that it now plays video. What? What technologically revolutionary thing is Steve Jobs up to now? Does this new iPod do something radical with video playback to put PSP and other similar devices to shame?

Well, not exactly. The new iPod plays videos, and that’s about it. There is nothing remotely revolutionary about the way it plays video. Ah, but when you take the ease of use of getting videos onto those portable devices into account – that’s where the new Video iPod truly shines.

For all of PSP’s widescreen glory, you cannot yet output that video to an external display. The new iPod however makes video output seem like the easiest thing to do. What’s more, you can even hook up your iPod to your PC, open an Apple video store, and upload last night’s episode of your favorite TV show with one or two clicks of your mouse. It’s that simple.

For the new video content, there is a new “Videos” menu available on the iPod, and under that are options for “Video playlists,” “Music Videos,” “Movies,” “TV Shows,” and “Video Podcasts.”

As another plus to this nifty device, Apple has made the interface for playing movies extremely similar to playing music. Just click the middle wheel once and you control the volume with the scroll wheel. Click it a second time and you’re surfing through video.


What It Can Play

Here are the new iPod’s supported video formats:

• H.264 video: up to 768 kbps, 320x240, 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, 480x480, 30 frames per sec, Simple Profile with AAC-LC p to 160 kbps, 48 khz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4 and .mov file formats



Battery Life, Scratching Situation, and Other Miscellany

Apple advertised 14 hours of battery life for the 30 GB model. That’s for music, of course. That and provided that you play it at about ¼ volume.

At ¾ volume, the new iPod can be trusted to play and play for six hours straight without any problems before it gets into the “red” colored section of the battery indicator. That’s far from what has been advertised but for most people, that seems to be enough. For what it’s worth, the 60 GB model is rated by Apple for 20 hours of life (that’s 3 hours worth of video playback).


What About those Nasty Scratches?

People have been talking about crazy scratching on the iPod nanos. Now that the new iPod is constructed in much the same way and comes in black to boot, people are asking if they’d have to worry about nasty scratches with this new model. Well, Apply has included a soft carrying case with this model. That should take care of it. Black looks really snazzy, but if you’re more worried about scratches on your iPod than looking cool, you might want to get the white one as scratches on a white surface are less obvious.

Newly Added Features

Features that we’ve only seen for the first time with the nano can also be seen in this new Video iPod, which is definitely up to speed with the nano in terms of applications. What’s more, the new features are even better looking on larger screen.

The Video iPod has a screen lock, something that those of you (who are reluctant to store your entire schedule and contact database around where anyone could steal a peak) might enjoy. The screen lock allows you to create a 4-combination code that you use like a PIN.

The second new application of the Video iPod is the “World Clock.” This feature allows you to define several different time zones that you’d like to monitor. You can also have their date and time displayed along with a graphical depiction of an analog clock listed on the screen. This is great for those people who travel a lot or just want to stay connected with the rest of the world.

And finally, there’s a stopwatch – excellent for anal human beings. Oh, did I say anal? I meant, time-oriented individuals. Seriously, this new iPod feature will come in handy on a treadmill because now you can time your run down to the exact nano-second and listen to all your favorite songs while at it too.



It’s What’s Inside that Counts


On to the jucier bits of this new iPod. Taking this unit apart might feel a bit different than previous models, but that’s probably due to the overall design. Next to the nano, the new iPod is one of the first Apple products that use Apple’s entire in-house design.

You can open the unit using a flat, hard tool like a screwdriver, just like opening a nano, basically. The ideal tool to use should probably be a plastic device, however, to minimize damage to the case.

Once you get the iPod open, among the first things you’re going to notice is the Toshiba 30 GB hard disk, model MK3008GAL, which rotates off the main circuit board. Next is the battery which is super compact and actually affixed to the metal backplate. The battery sits above its own power management circuitry and right next to the headphone port and its driver circuitry.

After pulling away the ultra-diminutive hard drive from the main board, most of the major chips of this device can now be plainly seen. Notice the PortalPlayer 5021C-TDF chip. It’s actually the same chip that powers the iPod nano. Also similar to the nano is the 32 MB of Samsung (534-K9WAG08U1M) SDRAM that serves as the device’s buffer memory, the power management chip Philips CF50607.

The similarity with nano ends right there, because new to the iPod model is the prominently placed Broadcom “VideoCore” chip, the BCM2722. This is the chip that makes the Video iPod a real video iPod, considering how it does all of the heavy video lifting. It replaces the nano’s Wolfson audio codec and adds video processing and output.

This component serves as the heart and soul of the video output layer of the iPod. It does the TV output and decodes and displays the video content. It natively decodes H.264 and MPEG-4 video up to 640x480 which is noticeably higher than what Apple’s specs state are the maximum allowable video resolution.

Component Listings

The Video iPod contains the following components and their model numbers:

• LCD: Unknown manufacturer, model no. 1WX510015194, 320x240, .156-mm dot pitch, 2.5”

• Battery: Unknown manufacturer, model no. 5H27086

• CPU/media decoder: Portal player 5021C-TDF (audio decoding)

• Video decoder/driver: Broadcom VideoCore BCM2722 (video decoding, audio encoding, LCD, TV out driver)

• Power Management: Philips CF5067

• Voltage Regulator: National Semiconductor LM34910 high voltage (40V, 1.25A) step down switching regulator

• Audio Codec: Wolfsom WM87588G (Audio decoding, mixing, driving)



The new Video iPod might be fifth-generation, but it does share a lot of technology with the nano, taking care to absorb the strengths of the older model and mix in new ones to come up with a wholly different product. And with the Broadcam VideoCore chip, it tacks a new generation of mobile video, audio, and image processing technology.