Ipod Basics & Purchasing Guide
iPod Basics and Purchasing Guide
Then you want to buy an iPod? Take time to read this short article which will at best help you get the most out of your new iPod, and at least help you avoid mistakes and misunderstandings. This Articles are written from my personal experience with iPods.
1st What is an iPod?
An iPod is a MP4 Player, not an MP3 player. Basic MP4 format is a proprietary format which is only recognized by Apple products such as iPods and QuickTime ™. For music to play on an iPod, it must be in MP4 format. Apple music download site, iTunes ™ offers music only in MP4 format. ITunes ™ software that comes with an iPod will convert MP3 music files to MP4 format so they can play on your iPod. An iPod can not play MP3 files, neither will Windows Media Player play MP4 files. Both the Nano and Video iPod will store and display photos, but a video iPod is needed to play video files.
2nd What is iTunes?
® Apple hosts the world's largest music download site called iTunes ™. In March 2006 over a million files have been downloaded for use on iPods. Pretty amazing. This site offers songs for 99 cents each, and you do not download an entire album, but can only select the music files you want and download them to your computer. ITunes ™ software on your computer is the vehicle by which files are loaded into the iPod. Place your iPod in its dock (which is attached via USB to your computer) is to launch iTunes ™ and iPod automatically updated with new music, playlists, podcasts and so on. I've tried other music download sites and have not found any that I like and iTunes ™, although they can offer music cheaper than iTunes ™. A simple search will find alternative music download sites.
There are a number of other files available on iTunes ™ called Podcasts. These are audio or video files, which includes news broadcasts, informational programs, comedy programs and many others. The vast majority of podcasts are free and others are not.
3rd What you get
iPods come with the following:
iPod Battery
Earphones (called "earbuds")
A generic bag for the earphones
A docking station (to transfer files and charge the iPod)
iTunes ™ software CD
Instruction Manual
That is all.
4th What you need
Every iPod user will have a case and we Strongly recommend a screen protector.
Both the iPod Nano and 5th generation (5G) Video iPod susceptible to scratches and the black units seem to show scratches worse than whites. This applies to both the iPod housing and the screen. Nothing is worse than having your iPod damaged with ugly scratches, especially when it is easily avoided by using of a case and screen protector. During your unprotected iPod floating around in your purse or pocket, will definitely get your iPod to quickly assemble both residential and scratches on the screen. Be warned! This is not really a bug, but just the way it is.
5th Using iPods in your car
Most people quickly realize that it would be nice to be able to have their iPod play music through their car stereo. No longer would they have to fiddle with CDs or tapes. How many CDs do you want to have all your music library with you in your car? You can take it all in the palm of your hand with an iPod. So how do you play music through their car stereo? There are several possibilities.
Firstly, there is cable to most car stereos, which plugs into the iPod and the other end of the cable connected to a port on the back of the stereo. Removing stereo normally required to perform this task. Also, the wire used to connect your iPod is exposed. That does sound good! Some car stereos have a line input on the front plate. In this case, need all one to do is to use an adaptive cable from the headphone jack on the iPod input on the stereo. In both these scenarios, the iPod is running on its internal battery, unless a car charger is used as well.
Second (and by far the most popular) method is to use an FM transmitter to send a signal from your iPod to your FM radio and play it as if it were a radio station. There is a wide range of FM transmitters from various manufacturers. We recommend using a device that has a dock and not a plug in the iPod port. The plug-in units power from the iPod battery and seems to produce a weak signal, resulting in poor sound quality. A docking unit (Such as the Griffin Road Trip ™) holds your iPod in place, charges the iPod and produces a strong signal. The Road Trip ™ is also equipped with a detachable FM module that allows plug into your computer. You can listen to FM radio through your computer without installing any software.
6th Using iPods at Home
iPods can easily play through your stereo. One can simply use an adaptive cable that connects to the iPod headphones into the stereo inputs of your stereo. In this setup, iPod operating on battery, unless the iPod is also placed in a charger.
Docking your iPod is the preferred method and there is a wide range of docking solutions available. IPod docks into a base which charges the iPod and an output jack on the base station connects the iPod to your stereo via a cable. Some devices offer remote controls for your iPod and others do not, but often these remotes are weak and has very limited scope and in receiving. We have found that some TV or stereo programmable remotes can be programmed to work with some iPod docking systems while others work partially or not. It's worth a try if you have a programmable remote.
Some docking units also have a video output for use with 5G Video iPod, which allows one to view videos or photos in iPod to a TV. We have found that image quality is poor on a big screen TV, but ok on a smaller screen. Using a dock with S-video output will give a much better picture than devices using an RCA jack. What do iPods do not support high definition.
There are speaker systems that contain their own amplifier and acts as a stand-alone unit with an iPod. These are not all created equal. Our tests have found that a high price does not always equal high quality. We found $ 150 systems, which in our opinion sound significantly better than the $ 400 units. It's best to listen for the various systems before making your choice, or if buying online, follow the recommendations of the seller IF they have tested the system and can give you recommendations based on test results.
There is alarm clock radios (like iHome ™) which allows you to sleep listening to your iPod and wake up to it so well. We have tested iHome ™ and others; found iHome ™ to be our unit of choice.
7th Loading film into your 5G Video iPod
When the video iPod first came out I gave it a high ranking the "Dumb-O-Meter." Who wants to watch a movie on a 2.5 inch screen? But after using one, I have withdrawn my original opinion. It is now my iPod choice. Unfortunately, iTunes ™ and other MP4 download sites usually have little to offer in the way of legal movies that are formatted to play on an iPod. ITunes ™ have some short films, music videos and TV shows, but not much else.
An easy solution for this is to convert your own DVDs into a format that iPod can play. This can be done through a software product called DVD to iPod converter, Cucusoft, Lenogo and others. It is a simple process. Insert a DVD into your computer, start the converter program and let it convert the movie to iPod format. Then move the converted file into your iTunes ™ video list. Next time you dock your iPod to your computer, it loads in your iPod. Some converter programs will also convert AVI, MPEG, MPG, WMV and other computer video formats for use on an iPod. This may allow you to convert your family videos and watch them on your ipod. IPod movie is great for entertaining children on the road for business travelers stranded in an airport or for long airplane rides.
DVD converters we recommend are available here.
8th iPods and your PC
Music files to your iPod is stored in two places: in your PC in iTunes ™ program and in your iPod. If your PC crashes and you lose your hard drive or have to reformat, you lose TOTAL contained in your iTunes ™ folder, including all the songs you purchased from iTunes ™. In addition, iTunes ™ offers no opportunity to re-download songs you bought for free. You'll have to buy them again. Nor does the iPod come with a means to load files to a computer. Fortunately, there are software programs that allow you to copy the contents of your iPod to a PC or from an iPod to another. These programs are usually titled "iPod to PC" or something similar. If your computer crashes, you kick yourself for not having this program to restore your music files back on your computer.
IPod to PC programs we recommend are available here.
About the Author
iPhone and iPod Video and Audio Cable for TV
