Apple Video iPod
Every once in a great while a
product comes along that so completely redefines the
marketplace that it is nearly impossible to recall
the landscape before the product was introduced. One
of the most recent examples of this was the
introduction of the original Apple iPod in the fall
of 2001. Was the iPod the first digital music player
on the market? Certainly not, far from it on fact.
But an innovative user interface, savvy marketing
and an immensely intuitive means to load content
onto the device all combined to create the perfect
storm that soon made all other digital music players
irrelevant.
Video To Go
Not wanting to settle for just
catering to the listening pleasure of millions
around the world, the fifth generation iPod, most
commonly referred to as the video iPod, was
introduced in the fall of 2005 to stimulate the
visual senses of those on the go as well. This
generation of iPod player handsomely integrated a
480x480 pixel (2.5") 65,536 color display, perfect
for displaying color album art, still photographs or
most impressively, MPEG-4 and H.264 video. External
connections on the iPod unit also allow it to be
connected to a TV if broadcasting to a larger
display is in order. (If the unit is connected in
this manner it should be noted that due to data
compression, the quality of the video displayed on
the television is more similar to that from a VCR
rather than the razor sharp images on the smaller
iPod display.)
Filling Up the Video iPod
Tens of thousands of video
podcasts are widely available on the internet as
well as over 2,000 video programs from the on-line
iTunes store. The content from the iTunes store
includes classic television programming from
yesteryear (Knight Rider anyone?) to movies to
current first-run TV programming. The number of
items in the iTunes video iPod store continues to
grow daily and most items are priced at $1.99.
Additionally you can easily download your own home
movies for enjoyment on the go. It should be noted
that DVDs that you own are considered copy protected
content and as such technically it is illegal to
download them to your iPod even though by law you
are allowed to make legal copies of DVDs you own for
backup purposes. Many software program are available
which allow you to copy your DVDs to the video iPod
and the decision of whether or not to take that
route is left to the individual user.
Putting It All Together
Although it may not be the
revolutionary product that its predecessor was, the
video iPod is a solid chain in the evolutionary link
for this personal multimedia device. The
60Gb video iPod can store up to 15,000 songs,
20,000 photos or 150 hours of video content ensuring
that music, slideshows, audiobooks, video podcasts,
music videos as well as your favorite TV shows and
movies will all be at your beckon call at home or
wherever the road may take you.
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