Chip Tarver's Ipod Information - iPods and DVDs

Story courtesy of http://sltrib.com/lifestyle/ci_3428345


With video iPod, DVDs and fave shows are close at hand

By Vince Horiuchi - Salt Lake Tribune Columnist - 01/22/2006

Watching television on a 2 1/2 -inch video screen seems as strangely satisfying to me as watching shows on a 61-inch screen. That's the effect the new video iPod had on me. I just have to stop running into people while walking down the street with it. I got the iPod recently, and being the TV whore that I am, the first thing I did was load TV programs on to it, not music. And as Apple guru Steve Jobs would say, the experience was as smooth as "butter." Well, for the most part.

So what makes Eva Longoria just as attractive looking like a pixie on a matchbook-sized screen as opposed to seeing her on a big-screen TV? Perhaps it's the novelty factor - the thought that you can enjoy recorded television anywhere, at any time. It particularly makes sense for people who ride Trax or are waiting for that connecting flight. Just one tip: Don't drive with it on - that is, if you want to live. Regardless of how you watch mobile video, the idea is catching on with fans who want TV shows and movies on the go.

Last week, Apple chief executive Jobs said 8 million videos have been sold through its iTunes Music Store since the video iPod was introduced Oct. 12. What Jobs once stated would never be a part of his iPod - video - is now becoming a major force for Apple and has involved big deals with NBC, ABC and music video producers. You can now download episodes of "The Office," "Commander in Chief" and old "Saturday Night Live" sketches from iTunes for $1.99 per episode as well as video podcasts and music videos.

Meanwhile, other big players like Yahoo, Google, CBS and other video services are offering downloadable video for the computer, Sony PlayStation Portable and the video iPod. But how easy is it to get "Lost" on that little fifth generation iPod? As easy as 1, 2, 3. Turn on iTunes, click on the video you want to watch and wait for the download. Then plug your iPod into your computer to automatically transfer the file. The video is already formatted to play on the iPod, so there is no need to convert it first. The video is crisp and the sound is clear. You also can plug it into a television (with a set of $30 cables you have to buy separately) and use the iPod like a portable VCR.

There are hiccups, however, because the iTunes software is a little clunky at times. For example, you can't sync more than one iPod to the software for people with separate playlists, and you can't make separate folders for different types of shows, like having a "Sopranos, Season One" category. But what people really want to know is how to get their first-season DVD of "The Dukes of Hazzard" on their iPod. That gets tricky and complicated - after all, Apple and the movie studios aren't keen about people ripping their DVDs onto a mobile device.

The process takes two lengthy steps: One to rip the DVD and convert it to a video file, and another to convert that file to one that can be read on the iPod. (I'm not going to mention which software because I like my job and I'm allergic to prison sheets.) It can be done, it just takes a lot of patience and know-how. But when it's done, the video is nice, and you can take Gilligan and the gang with you wherever you go.

Even with the smaller 30 gigabyte model (there also is a 60 gigabyte version), I was able to store a season each of "Arrested Development," "The Office," two seasons of "Curb Your Enthusiasm," two movies, my home videos and a bunch of music and still only use up a third of the hard drive.

That's enough entertainment to be at the inlaws for a whole weekend and never be bothered by them. No wonder this technology is skyrocketing in popularity. ---

Television columnist Vince Horiuchi appears Mondays and Fridays. He can be reached at vince@sltrib.com or 801-257-8607. For more TV insights, visit Horiuchi's blog, "The Village Vidiot," at http://blogs.sltrib.com/tv/. Send comments about this column to livingeditor@sltrib.com.

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Lots more articles and reviews like this are at http://www.ipods-and-onlinevideo-reviews.com.

Chip Tarver