Movies On Your IPod

Movies On Your IPod - The Next Digital Rights Battlefield?

The term "iPod" has become ubiquitous with "digital media player" for most consumers, and it's a credit to how Apple has built the brand and made it a household word. Where iPods used to be merely digital music players, they now cover so much more - from movies, to picture albums, even your favorite television programs.
By Steve Kadinski




The term “iPod” has become ubiquitous with “digital media player” for most consumers, and it’s a credit to how Apple has built the brand and made it a household word. Where iPods used to be merely digital music players, they now cover so much more - from movies, to picture albums, even your favorite television programs.

This has a direct impact on something you see in the news - the Writer’s Guild of America strike. The Writer’s Guild (WGA) is on strike (shutting down production of a lot of television programs) because of discrepancies in the way that residuals are billed on digital content distributed through the Internet, including through Apple’s iTunes online store.

Converting a movie you already own to play on the iPod is a bit tricky. There are compatibility problems lurking under the surface of the device, and it does take a bit of time. Remember that your time is also a valuable part of the equation - ask yourself how much two dollars of your time is actually worth before you start this quest.
Similar deals exist for VHS tapes and DVDs, but not for broadcasting streaming content on the Internet, and for sale through the iTunes music store and other digital outlets. That residual money is what pays for WGA members health insurance plans, mortgages and the like, and the writers are justifiably concerned about this.

Video, when it’s squashed down for digital presentation, uses an encryption/compression algorithm called a codec. There are several kinds of codecs out there, and the iPod will play a fair number of them. The most commonly used codec out there is called MP4 or MPEG4, and this is the native codec (with some tweaks) that the iPod uses. Make sure that whatever video converter you use gives you a preview function, so you can make sure that everything comes out well. Two “known good” converters are PQ DVD to iPod Video Converter, and ImTOO iPod Movie Converter.
Each of these software converts all of the popular video formats to iPod Movies MP4 (iPod video format MPEG-4) and they also convert audio files to iPod supported MP3, AAC, M4A file format. The conversion process happens automatically so all you have to do is set what format you want the movie converted then set the volume and the directory to save it in. Presto! You now have an addition to your iPod movies.
But as legal issues over piracy and copyright laws are beginning to be strict, many are concerned about the future of iPod movies. Will the users be made liable for home videos or ripped DVDs downloaded on their iPod movies’ play list?
The economics of iPod video distribution are very different and is dominated by the Hollywood moguls, including licensing and windowing agreements. Not to mention the progress of theatre shows to other markets like rental shops, pay TV, retail stores, free-to-air and now to iPod movies.

Once the digital video stream has been converted, you just drag and drop the file to your iPod and it’ll show up on the digital playlist, and you’re good to go. Now, be sure that you’re only doing this with DVDs you legally own, and be aware that there’s a movement afoot to make DVD copying software illegal, or harder to use. People getting paid for their work is a touchy issue - don’t be a pirate.
Creative issues aside, an iPod is a great way to share videos with your friends; you can show it to them on the little screen, or wirelessly connect to a digital media center, or just use the TV Out jack and wide screen options. Understand that digital video compression will make most of the videos come out a little darker than usual.

External speakers are also available for you to fully appreciate the audio sounds of the iPod movies you are watching. Add the optional audio cable so you can play music from iPod to your home stereo or use the S-video cable play VJ on your TV. You can also perform the same big-screen feat with iPod photo slideshows and iPod movies
If you want to know where to download free ipod movies check out our free tips for free ipod downloads here: http://www.squidoo.com/download_free_iPod_movies/