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MEDIA PLAYER
| APPLE 5G iPOD |
| P21,980 (30GB), P29,980 (60GB) | |
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Is this iPod as good as it gets?
All other MP3 players will be measured as to how much of an iPod it is. So what about this new iPod?
First, music. You definitely can’t go wrong with the iPod. The sound quality is superb and the interface is so intuitive that a four-year old can probably get it to work in no time. There is enough space even in the “smaller” 30GB version to hold a ton of songs. The earphones are the quintessential Apple set which renders very rich sound. The package comes with both the newest version of iTunes and Quicktime. As always, it can’t get any easier getting music into iTunes and then eventually to the iPod. It’s a thing of beauty, really.
Then, there’s video. Now, here’s the rub. The iPod screen is around 2.5 inches – big enough to be viewed comfortably but small when compared to true portable video players. One big, Philippine-sized hitch is the fact that Juan de la Cruz cannot purchase video (or music) from the Apple Store yet. So where does that leave you? You’re left with stuff ripped from your own DVD collection or your home movies. And even if these videos are playable in iTunes or Quicktime, it doesn’t mean they can be played on the iPod. iTunes won’t even allow you to drag a non-compatible video to the iPod.
What to do? You have to activate Quicktime (make sure it’s at least version 7.0.3), open the file, choose export to a resolution of 320 x 240, launch iTunes as soon as the exporting process is done, put the movie in a playlist and then drag it onto your iPod. Whew. The bummer here is the fact that the rendering process takes longer than your video! A 40-second video took us a few minutes to export. (Rendering time will vary though, depending on your system.) Alternatively, you can use a program called iSquint (third party stuff) that will render a minute of video in a minute assuming you’re using at least a 1.5GHz G4 processor. For the PC? No instructions yet on the Apple website.
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30GB or 60GB capacity, 320x240 video playback, optimized use of iTunes 6 and Quicktime 7.0.3, video output to a TV.
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One of the greatest looking and performing MP3 players out there. Add to that the ability to play MP4 video and you’re made.
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On the brighter side of the 5G iPod’s video capabilities is the fact that you can actually watch your videos on TV, albeit at half the resolution of a regular TV – that’s VCD resolution. That may not be much of an irritant to some, but video addicts may find reason to go “ugh”. Another sticky item is that the AV cable is “optional”, necessitating an additional purchase.
Physically, the 5G iPod is one of the sexiest iPods around, and definitely one that all the MP3 pretenders will try to emulate over the next few years. As always though, the metallic rear is prone to scratches. The good news is the iPod comes with a white leather case. It does offer a bit of protection, but gets dirty easily.
Should you get it then? We don’t see why not. It’s an excellent music player, and that’s the main reason you should get it. It’s also the reason why this iPod is officially called the “video-capable” 5G iPod and not the iPod video. Video playback is just icing on the cake.
- Erick Lirios
 Post your opinion or own review!
T3 Magazine Philippines - January - February 2006 Issue
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