iPod Video

Loud Orange Cat

Pro Member
indiePRO
Today at apple.com, they quietly slipped new 30GB and 60GB video iPods into thier lineup.

Here's some instructions on how to create video for it.

First, grab the new Quicktime 7.03 update which includes an "export to iPod" feature: H.264, 768kbps video, 128kbps AAC audio, 320x240 resolution, m4v extention.

1 minute of raw AVI: 211,094KB. After the H.264 conversion the filesize is 5,165KB.

I've already converted over all my features and will make them available for download soon.
 
the news said 105 hours of video. I dont see how you can get that quality of video 105 straight hours into 30gigs.

What I am amazed at is the fact a 4 GIG audio ipod is 299 bucks (or was it 8 gigs), but the new 30 gig ipod with video and is as slim as the nano ipod is the same price. 299 bucks for the 30gig and 399 for the 60 gig.

I just bought a 512meg rio for 99 bucks. I feel ripped off. :(
 
105hours is probably about right. Video doesn't encode at a consistent rate remember.. so while it probably averages around 5MB/min with that H.264 compression, some minutes might be 2MB, and some might be 8 or more..

But it would average out to be somewhere around 310MB/hour, which would get you at least 96hours on a 30gig drive.

That's more than enough for any plane ride.. :D


Note: just looked at the site, it actually says 150hours... but the footnote says that the estimate is based on 4 minutes of video at 768kb/s and 128kb/s audio. Its probably refering to the 60gig model.
 
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True, I'm getting some inconsistencies in the file sizes myself but they're slight. But Will has a good point... If you're on a plane, 96 hours of video is more than enough. So how many times are you circling the globe in that plane? :lol:

My work is already available in the iPod H.264 format now at my website if you'd like to download it to see the quality. The best part of this format is that they can be viewed on normal PCs or Macs with the standard Quicktime 7.03 viewer.
 
The part that I think is really outstanding is the reported battery life.. 20 hours?! Man, I wish my laptop battery would last even 1/5th of that! I think it barely lasts 1/10th.. grrr
 
WOW

That is awesome!

I'd say that the biggest downside is that few consumers know of this method right now, and most won't have "video iPods" (unless regular 30GB and 60 GB ipods are compatible).
 
Is that really a downside? How quickly can the market be saturated with the newest ipod gadget? iPod in general has probably been one of the most quickly assimilated pieces of technology. People will buy it, when Apple tells them to buy it.

Damn them and their overly successful marketing! :D haha
 
The next things they'll probably add to the iPod is...

1) SIMcard-based cell phone
2) Larger screen with soft-keyboard (including stylus) for emails, text messaging and web browser
3) pr0n (think of the market!)
4) AM/FM/Digital FM radio
5) Analog/Digital inputs so the iPod can record video and audio

Apple has successfully created a device that really has no limits. Future generations will probably contain functionality that we haven't concieved of yet that will make them mandatory for daily use.
 
What amazes me is the IPOD4gb is close to 299 while the video 30gb is the same price? Who is going to pay 299 for a 4GB when they can get a 30 with a tv screen?

My guess is the little ipods will be bargain basement priced to get rid of the stock.

I think this is a huge jump in technology. The only question I have is what format will it be? I think i read mpeg4. I dont even have mpg4 for my new HD camera. How do I convert over to mpeg4 layer? Is there a mpeg2 to 4 converter out there for free?

Can I only install video from online? Can you upload video from your computer or did they rig it for commercial downloads only?

Also, if you can upload from a computer, can you do it from a PC and not a Mac?
 
cool, thanks. i was at bestbuys yesterday and they had an open box for 269 (30gb)

I asked if it could be done and the saleperson asked another guy who said their is actually a free software on download.com that will convert it and will transfer it to the system.

I think Apple's orrginal intention was to make money off of the internet and not want people to do direct PC to Ipod uplinks. So in the future, they may try and alter that feature. Which is why the G1 Ipod player may be a good investment. But at the same time, Bestbuy was trying to bring the price down even more. I think they want to corner the market. It cost alot of money to make these things. I dont know if the guy was BSing me but he said it was fairly expensive just to weld in the NiCad rechargable (or whatever type of battery it was)

I have to admit, its a very nice looking piece of equipment. Only downside is, Its pretty heavy. It weighs about 3 pounds. May not sound like alot of weight, but it would be to heavy to stick in a T Shirt pocket or even a dressshirt. You might want to get a holster and put it on your belt.
 
King Goldfish said:
I asked if it could be done and the saleperson asked another guy who said their is actually a free software on download.com that will convert it and will transfer it to the system.
While I don't put much faith in what retail salespeople say just to sell product (personally, I haven't seen a 3rd party converter yet because Apple hasn't licenced it out yet), I'd stick with paying the measly thirty bucks and doing it right.

I've also noticed when converting anything to H.264, you might want to experiment with the sharpness filter. By default, there is no artificial sharpening during compression. I was playing around with this and setting this value to 3 or 4 really helps the picture quality (if the bandwidth is medium or high). Play around with it. Good luck!
 
Will Vincent said:
The part that I think is really outstanding is the reported battery life.. 20 hours?!

The 20 hours of battery life is for music only. With video, the battery lasts a substantially reduced 3 hours.

And that's for the 60 GB. The 30 GB batter life is less.
 
mrde50 said:
First, grab the new Quicktime 7.03 update which includes an "export to iPod" feature: H.264, 768kbps video, 128kbps AAC audio, 320x240 resolution, m4v extention.

A couple of notes. The QT conversion to iPod is sloooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwww. And as of now, there is no other way to convert a film to h.264 other than QT. For some reason, the iPod only supports the QT flavor of h.264, even though other programs will convert to that format.

Also, the iPod will support mpeg4, although the compression at the same bitrate is noticeably poorere quality.
 
King Goldfish said:
What I am amazed at is the fact a 4 GIG audio ipod is 299 bucks (or was it 8 gigs), but the new 30 gig ipod with video and is as slim as the nano ipod is the same price. 299 bucks for the 30gig and 399 for the 60 gig.

Actually the 4 GB Nano costs $249, or $50 cheaper than the new iPod video. You basically are trading better $$$-capacity ratio for a smaller form factor.

Personally, I'd rather have the video capability and the capacity. But I actually went with the 60GB version, so for me it's moot.
 
Ill wait and see if they bring the price down. Im pretty sure it will come down a little. I would like to get the 60gb IPOD as well. But if the battery for video only last 3 hours, why need all that space?
 
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