iPod Video - Need Information

[AndrewCharron]

Im hoping to pick up an iPod video used for christmas, but I want to know from real people what the iPod videos are like. I could look up a review, but it wouldnt be the same. What should I know about the iPod videos? Things like:

Battery Life - Is it decent enough that I could bring it to school, watch some videos on the bus or between classes, and still ahve enough to get home?

Playing Videos - Is it easy to convert diffrent types to the iPod format? IE: I have a bunch of TV episodes, in RMVB and AVI that I want to be able to put on there to watch, is it easy to convert and what are the chances that it wouldnt work?

Songs - How long would it take to convert my 2gb of mp3s (All legal, by the way, I ripped from my CD collection) to the iPod format?

Warrenty - If I bought the iPod from the US, and im in Canada, would I still be able to send it in for repairs or replacements? How long does the warrenty go for? What can I do if the warrenty runs out?

Sizes - What sizes do they come in and whats the best value?

And anything else you might want to mention, or your opinion like "its not worth it". Thanks guys.

 

[aaronlidman]

Let me start off by saying off i have a 5G not the 5.5G which is currently out. The 5.5 has some better features.

Battery Life - watching video 2-3, music ~8-10

Playing Videos - Converting isn't hard, just takes sometime to figure out which settings work best for you. AVI has been cake, RMVB has been a bit harder for me, i haven't tried it in a while but last time i have to convert to mpg and then .mp4

Songs - ipod takes mp3s, no ipod format. It will take a little while to check for gapless playback thought like 2-3 minutes max.

Warrenty - Don't know about the entire Canada/US thing. I believe warranty is 1 year.

Sizes - 30GB & 80GB, i think 30GB is plenty, best value for me.

I'd just like to add, i thought i was going to watch lots of videos on this but really after the first 2 weeks, i hardly watch any.

 

[AndrewCharron]

Yeah, but I want it mostly to play videos for the long bus rides, since I have almost every episode of south park, futurama, family guy, etc. Thanks for the info, ill keep that in mind.

 

[trxjw]

I'd just like to add, i thought i was going to watch lots of videos on this but really after the first 2 weeks, i hardly watch any.

I think I'd probably be the same way, thats why I'm having a hard time deciding whether or not I want to get one of the larger iPods instead of the Nano. I like having a lot of music on my iPod, so I was leaning towards the 8Gig Nano, but it's the same price as the 30gb iPod video.. so I can't find any reason not to get the video other than the size of the Nano.

I think I'll just suck it up and get the 2 or 4 gb nano.. I'd never need all my mp3's at once.

 

[Aurelius]

Battery life: For the updated video-capable iPods, they estimate about 3.5 hours of video playback alone when using the 30GB model, and up to 6.5 hours with the 80GB model. Music time is also extended from 14 hours (30GB) to 20 (80GB). The 30GB will be good enough if you're not going to watch a large amount of video - say, 3-4 shows - and still want plenty of music time afterwards. 80GB otherwise. Just remember, though... if you're a student, you should socialize when you can, not just watch back episodes of South Park.

Converting videos: don't know about RMVB, but there are definitely tools out there that streamline the process of converting videos. Last time I looked, people were pointing to an app called Videora for Windows PCs, but it may have been eclipsed by now. I use iSquint or (if the app demands it) Handbrake on my Mac.

Songs: As was said, the iPod can play MP3s natively. It can also play AAC (protected or not), AIFF, Audible, WAV, and probably one or two other formats I'm neglecting. Just drag your songs from their folder(s) over the Library icon in iTunes and it'll import them. But tag your songs properly! You don't want to lose track of a song just because someone put "+++RIPPED BY SEPHIROTH13+++" in the ID3 tag for the artist.

Warranty: It's 1 year. Apple honours the warranty internationally for any portable device it makes, including iPods and laptops... just don't make a trip to Burkina Faso and expect to get a replacement.

Size: Look at the sum total of your music and video collections right now. If you'd fill up the majority of a 30GB iPod with what you already have, you probably want an 80GB model. You need room to breathe!


Other considerations:

Get. A. Case.

You may think you'll take good care of the iPod, gently put it in the pouch you're given by Apple, and so on... but especially if you're fairly young, you're going to do something you wish you hadn't: you'll drop your iPod, let something fall on top, or put it in the pocket with your extra-sharp keys. Since you're going to watch a lot of video, you should definitely get a case which lets you watch video without removing the iPod but which also protects the screen itself. I'd recommend the Marware Sportsuit Convertible since that would let you watch video but also have a protective cover over the iPod when you're just listening to music or stowing the iPod in a safe place.

 

[GreyMatterTripp]

got the 30gb ipod and its nice, converting takes a bit of time but the creative version of the Ipod is kind of big and clunky and I can stick this thing in my shirt pocket. Video playback looks nice, though honestly I've been downloading so much and searching for decent podcasts that I have not even watched any of the Simpsons, Movies, or music videos I've put on here but oh well going back to work tommorow and I'll get some use in the field with it. Right now I've got my PC so it doesn't make sense to watch video on it.