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Video iPod?

VHS-DVD-iPod

If I took a DVD to a friends house I wouldn't take my DVD player. I would assume he lived in 2004 and had one already.

This being said. Apple would love the the iPod to become so popular that most people had the dock abilities at home so you would just bring over your iPod and plug in to your friends set-up.

iSight hasn't accomplished this (no iSight for me because no one I know is smart enought to have one also) and I don't think the iPod will. If the above ever came to be true, I would love to be an Apple stock holder.
 
gauriemma said:
Nor can I. But there has to be. if not, what would be the real benefit? The main selling point of the iPod (outside of the capacity) is the portability. If you have to hook it into the dock, then hook the dock into a monitor, why not just use your computer?

There must be more to the story. Otherwise, I can't see the value in this 'feature'.
Click to expand...

If this rumor is true, of course. Because we could have found the argument why it can't be...
 
Alternative Idea?

I posted a thought on this site last year and maybe I will turn out to be right after all...

The Ipod would make a perfect DV hard disk recorder. Plug it into your DV camcorder and as well as spooling the footage to your tape, the camcorder writes it out to the iPod hard drive. Each take you shoot is saved to a seperate file and when you want to edit the footage you just plug the ipod into your Mac and the files are there - no grabbing footage - all your cuts and takes already nicely split into files. DV Camcorders already all send the start and stop signals as well as timecode nicely out of the DV port.

Your tape simply becomes a backup of the shoot and you probably wipe over it after a few eeks.

Sony already make a unit which does this. All Ipods probably have enough hardware to do this already - just a matter of new firmware. The Sony unit is around £1400 for a 20Gb unit - the Ipod would probably trash this product immediately - every serious DV enthusiast would buy one straight away for the time saving factor alone - image all wedding videographers having a backup written to hard disk of their precious wedding footage - makes sense really.

The ipod is small also which means that you can have it in your pocket as you shoot. There is also the small factor that you can only shoot 83mins (SP) on a DV tape - a 40Gb Ipod could record about 170 minutes!

(sorry for repeating a little of what has been said on the previous pages!)
 
iPod to use new video spec released at NAB

My guess is that should they add video capabilities, it will use the new video compression spec Apple showcased, as well as by several other vendors (not M$), at NAB. It was said to be scalable from Video on Phones to higher than current DVD quality.
 
cube said:
Unless this is fully multistandard, it sucks. PAL B/NTSC is not enough.
I, for one, need PAL B/PAL N/NTSC.
Click to expand...

Need? Aren't all TVs NTSC compatable? Are you seriously worried about quality? Think about TVs, your standard TV has a resolution of about 1024x768. All stretched out over how many inches? Unlike monitors bigger TVs don't get better resolution.

Secondly I assume they'll use the same standards as they did for the powerbooks.

However this does make me question the "dock." I assume it will be doing all the computing and decompression of MPEG-4 and so on. How big is it going to be?

However, this would be the greatest idea ever. Finally a reason to spend $500 on an iPod. While my music collection is a mere 10 gigs, I could easily spend 50 gigs on video. I mean honestly, I hate it when going to some one's house to watch a movie for them to say, "Sorry I don't have a dvd player. I do have crocodile dundee on VHS though!"

Yes, it happend. Seriously.

Let's just hope they are well engineered unlike the gen 1 ipods and the mini.
 
I hope the iPod mini gets a bigger drive for those of us who just want a good music player, and not this video nonsense. Figure out a way to boost battery life, and I'll be a happy camper.
 
Apple to introduce iFlicks DVD ripping software, with DRM, so the ripped movie can be transferred to one iPod. Plug the iPod into any TV via the new Dock, and you're carrying (some of) your DVD collection with you.

</loony theory>
 
ethernet76 said:
Need? Aren't all TVs NTSC compatable? Are you seriously worried about quality? Think about TVs, your standard TV has a resolution of about 1024x768. All stretched out over how many inches? Unlike monitors bigger TVs don't get better resolution.
Click to expand...

You are grossly overestimating the resolution of standard definition TVs. An NTSC TV has about 480 lines of effective vertical resolution (additional lines are specified, but are not visible, and used for things like closed catptioning, etc.). That's why 720 x 480 re-scaled to 4:3 (640 x 480) is used for DVDs. When you output anything higher to an NTSC display, say, from your computer, it's being scaled down. That's why you can't read anything.

HDTVs are a whole 'nother ballgame.

--Cless
 
Movie in iTMS?

Mattski said:
This would certainly fit in with the iTunes movie icon found in the iTunes package.

Check it out:
/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/Resources/iTunes-movie.icns
Click to expand...

does that mean we may possibly purchase music TV or even movie from iTMS to be playback and store in the ipods? :p
 
AhmedFaisal said:
Unless it supports high compression/high quality codecs such as DivX its a pretty useless feature. Sure, I bet it will support Apple MPEG4, maybe MPEG1/2, Pixlet, DV and some of the other standard codecs that Apple uses in the MOV container. However besides MPEG4 non are high quality/high compression and with all due respect, nobody besides Apple uses their MPEG4 format and the quality sucks compared to other MPEG4 derivatives such as DivX, XviD and 3ivX.
Another issue is decoding power, the ARM CPU that the iPod uses doesn't have enough punch to natively decode video so they will have to use external decoder chips. Which will those be?
Also will that player accept AVIs with MP3 audio (which QuickTime doesn't) and Ogg Vorbis audio which has become increasingly popular for Audio in Video files.
As far as I am concerned I don't see this feature bringing any additional sales unless above is true, because:
There is portable/non-portable players out that decode DivX AVIs in any format (DivX3,4,5, MPEG4-ISO, XviD, 3ivX), the non portable ones are combo DVD/DivX Players. Also I know from two manufacturers that both their portable and non-portable players will soon support advanced containers such as OGM and MKV.
So for playback alone, especially since it doesn't have an optical drive and it requires an external screen I fail to see the "Must have factor" given the limitations it most likely will have.
It might become a different issue if I could hook my iSight to the iPod and take pictures and record movies and voice stuff with preview on a color LCD in the iPod. For playback alone, Apple would have to do a lot of things they have not done in the past in order to make people want to buy the iPod.
Regards,

Ahmed
Click to expand...

Finally, someone who reads the article AND understands it :)
 
Man you guys jump all over the guy who says "charge by wireless firewire," however I doubt any of you are physicists. Basically all electro-magnetic waves (radio, light, etc.) are just oscillating energy. The purpose of an antenna is to capture some of that wave. It is completely POSSIBLE to charge a device off of an EM wave, this is what solar power is after all. However due to the way a wave spreads out from the source, whatever portion of the wave you would be capturing would be too small to make charging a battery possible. You would have to be radiating at huge power consumption levels to get to a device say.. 5m away.

Energy: u=1/2?E^2+1/2(B^2/?) (J/m^3)
Power: S(ave)=1/2?cE^2=1/2(c/?)B^2=EB/(2?) (W/m^3)

However, it would be feasible to charge a device with say ... a plate where you could just put it down onto every day. This technology already exists, my toothbrush charges without ever (electrically) touching it's charger. Those who say it can never be done, obviously haven't studied much about Poynting Vectors.
 
Jacknusa said:
Not looking at the technichal aspect of it...

If Apple could figure out a way to use the iPod as a video display device, I think the music industry would be all ears (and eyes).

The "problem" for the music industry is that music videos are essentally a 100% cost item. there is no direct revenu derived from a music video - they are paid for by the record lables and then given free to MTV VH1 etc.

Enter ITunes store AV with the following pricing structure:

Song: $.99
Video: $1.99

I think the music industry would be tripping over them selves, not to mention it would open up some interesting possibilities to those of us who produce music videos...

For what it's worth.

jack
Click to expand...

Just so you know I've posted this comment a lot myself and don't you all forget it!

Please let's stop saying who wants video? You sound like people debating the value of seeing fuzzy images of distant events on a distorted 5 inch screen (early TV) or playing 'games' that involve manipulating colored blocks with a keyboard (early computer games). Mobile video will blow audio away.

I'll cetainly watch video from a few inches on a 2.5" screen if given the opportunity. With headphones and 20/20 vision it's not a problem at all.

Audio only's so '99.

As for 'what will Apple invent' - they buy the iPod technology from a well known third party. I forget the URL but I'm sure it's in the thread somewhere. Just look to see what's available and then wait for Apple to impliment.
 
jared_kipe said:
Man you guys jump all over the guy who says "charge by wireless firewire," however I doubt any of you are physicists. Basically all electro-magnetic waves (radio, light, etc.) are just oscillating energy. The purpose of an antenna is to capture some of that wave. It is completely POSSIBLE to charge a device off of an EM wave, this is what solar power is after all. However due to the way a wave spreads out from the source, whatever portion of the wave you would be capturing would be too small to make charging a battery possible. You would have to be radiating at huge power consumption levels to get to a device say.. 5m away.

Energy: u=1/2?E^2+1/2(B^2/?) (J/m^3)
Power: S(ave)=1/2?cE^2=1/2(c/?)B^2=EB/(2?) (W/m^3)

However, it would be feasible to charge a device with say ... a plate where you could just put it down onto every day. This technology already exists, my toothbrush charges without ever (electrically) touching it's charger. Those who say it can never be done, obviously haven't studied much about Poynting Vectors.
Click to expand...

I'm a physicist (well I have a degree in Applied Physics and one in Microelectronics and Computing). You're talking about Star Trek stuff. An energy beam would be a danger if it were to carry any serious power at all (imagine that energy as monochromatic light and you'd have a laser capable of burning holes in things). Plus the 'holy grail' of energy conversion is an efficient way to turn 'heat' into useful energy again. The only ways we have of doing that are ridiculously inefficient (hence the limited use of Solar Panels - they don't work very well).

Putting light aside you'd be looking at other more or less energetic forms of EM radiation and frankly, a house where narrow beams of ionising radiation are being used to charge things doesn't sound like fun. As for lower energy bands - Radio Frequency waves at high energy are used to cook meat. Enough said?

As for your toothbrush - it works via electromagnetic induction. There's no energy beam (the contact is made when a loop in your toothbrush enters the field of the charger - it won't work over long distances).

Remote power is a very nice idea but a way off. We'd use it for spaceships (which waste almost all their capacity carrying fuel for energy) before we used it for iPods.
 
Whatever aspect of video they implement, I think it is time for some Mac only features to try entice some switchers. So far iPods dont really force people to change their computer, at least till their PC dies from using the iPod so much
 
I've been dreamin of the iTunes music store to sell music videos for a long time. Now those I would actually pay to download.And new iPod to play them on, I would have to have one! Oh man please let this be true. Don't let me down Steve!
 
Trowaman said:
Other features I think the iPods could currently use right now:

-Color LCD
-Ability to browse you iPhoto library
-Radio

The one thing I would love to see is the iPod working with iPhoto. And the best way for that to work would be for it to show through a tv. Give me that feature and I'll buy the biggest iPod Apple offers.
Click to expand...
 
jared_kipe said:
Man you guys jump all over the guy who says "charge by wireless firewire," however I doubt any of you are physicists. Basically all electro-magnetic waves (radio, light, etc.) are just oscillating energy. The purpose of an antenna is to capture some of that wave. It is completely POSSIBLE to charge a device off of an EM wave, this is what solar power is after all. However due to the way a wave spreads out from the source, whatever portion of the wave you would be capturing would be too small to make charging a battery possible. You would have to be radiating at huge power consumption levels to get to a device say.. 5m away.

Energy: u=1/2?E^2+1/2(B^2/?) (J/m^3)
Power: S(ave)=1/2?cE^2=1/2(c/?)B^2=EB/(2?) (W/m^3)

However, it would be feasible to charge a device with say ... a plate where you could just put it down onto every day. This technology already exists, my toothbrush charges without ever (electrically) touching it's charger. Those who say it can never be done, obviously haven't studied much about Poynting Vectors.
Click to expand...

and we would all grow brain tumors then die
 
Penman said:
I'm a physicist (well I have a degree in Applied Physics and one in Microelectronics and Computing). You're talking about Star Trek stuff. An energy beam would be a danger if it were to carry any serious power at all (imagine that energy as monochromatic light and you'd have a laser capable of burning holes in things). Plus the 'holy grail' of energy conversion is an efficient way to turn 'heat' into useful energy again. The only ways we have of doing that are ridiculously inefficient (hence the limited use of Solar Panels - they don't work very well).

Putting light aside you'd be looking at other more or less energetic forms of EM radiation and frankly, a house where narrow beams of ionising radiation are being used to charge things doesn't sound like fun. As for lower energy bands - Radio Frequency waves at high energy are used to cook meat. Enough said?

As for your toothbrush - it works via electromagnetic induction. There's no energy beam (the contact is made when a loop in your toothbrush enters the field of the charger - it won't work over long distances).

Remote power is a very nice idea but a way off. We'd use it for spaceships (which waste almost all their capacity carrying fuel for energy) before we used it for iPods.
Click to expand...

You must have misread, I said it was possible, not feasible. Plus I was speaking of non coherent waves, not beams, hence the m^3. I'm sure a beam (coherent packets) has an energy measure in linear or square meters. I also know that my toothbrush is induction, point was that it was wireless. I was thinking of a way of wirelessly charging an ipod, by having a plate where you could drop it every day. You see, if you were to have just this one spot on your desk you could put the ipod, that would take care of wireless charging, and wireless firewire would take care of syncing.
 
All these features being discussed would be cool, but I'm still quite happy with my 3G 20 Gigger - it'll be good enough for me for quite a while yet! I think I'll just wait until the iPods have color screens, video capabilities, better batteries, built-in wireless FireWire and a built-in iSight. :cool:
 
I don't see why the same thing can't be done with video that can be done with audio. We rip CDs and put them on small portable players because carrying around a CD player with the CDs is too cumbersome. Well, why not ripping DVDs and putting them on a small portable player because carrying a DVD player with the DVDs is too cumbersome? I'm not particularly interested in watching movies on a 3" screen either, especially since most stuff I watch has subtitles, but I'm very interested in being able to carry around a single device that I can plug into a TV.

There's just the small issue of how you would legally rip DVDs. Most of the video I want to watch isn't actually DVD, so it doesn't bother me, but to sell the idea I think Apple either needs to sell the movies online, or convince whatever the appropriate association is to let them let people rip and covert the DVDs.

And while we're dreaming, why just NTSC and various of PAL compatibilities? How about HDTV?
 
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