Home > Consumer Reviews > Apple 30 GB iPod with Video Playback Black (5th Generation)

As of this writing, no reviews are from someone who actually HAS one of the new iPods (10/19). That is about to change....

My 40GB iPod's hard disk had been deteriorating for a while, until it stopped working altogether. That happened to be the day before the iPod video announcement (last Tuesday).

On to what you really want to know, and what you can't get from Apple's website, or reviews regurgitating technical specifications:

1) Can you actually enjoy watching video on a screen that small? What about the video quality?

In short, if you're holding the iPod as close to your face as you would hold an older iPod to really read what song is playing, the video quality is actually quite nice. The screen is noticeably bigger (the height is about the size of the old iPod width). If you're wondering how the quality comes out on an iPod screen (which is normally fairly pixelated), when you load a video it toggles into a mode much akin to when a computer plays a graphics intensive video game. It takes about 10 seconds for a feature-length film to load (i.e., between clicking play, and when it starts playing).

With regard to movies, the iPod doesn't support chapters. My guess is that people will eventually want movies distributed as folders, witch chapters being the individual files. This will allow chapter skipping. That said, once a movie loads, fast forwarding works very well.

I loaded a fairly graphics-intensive movie on there, at about the highest quality the iPod would allow. The actions scenes come out fine...about what you would expect for an MPGE4.

2) What the heck does this thing actually look like in your hand?

It is about the size of older iPods. It is thinner (a lot thinner, if, like me you are upgrading from a non-photo Gen4 40gb). The front is a flat screen, much like the iPod nano, but bigger. The clickwheel is a bit smaller than it was on older iPods, but bigger than that of a nano.

3) The screen

I have to say, the bigger screen is nice in and of itself. If you have longer track names (if you have live music, etc.) a lot more of the name will appear. This is a very nice subtlety since in oder to read a song title you don't need to wait......for....it....to.....scroll....

4) Is it worth it?

Jobs called this a regular iPod with "video capability." I'd say the video capabilities are a little better than that gives it credit for. I don't yet have a composite adapter, so I can't see how this comes out on a TV...

With regard to exporting video to TV, there ARE the following options:
TV Out (on/off)
Video Signal (NTSC/PAL)
Widescreen (on/off)

If your iPod is breaking, or is pretty old, I'd definitely upgrade. If you travel a lot or have downtime where you could hold the device pretty close to your face (train, airplane, etc.), I'd definitely get it. If you don't have much time to enjoy the video capabilities, then it probably isn't worth it.

5) Firewire

The tech specs didn't say anything about firewire, so I had been wondering whether it is supported. It actually is not supported at all. In fact, I tried connecting via my old firewire cable, and the iPod brought up a screen that said something like, "firewire is not supported. Please use the supplied USB cable."

6) The "case"

I saw that a case was included on the Apple website...basically the case, as you might suspect, is pretty bad. I got a 60GB model, and it barely squeezes into the case. That said, cases that support the new screen will likely be unavailable for 3 weeks or so (if what happened with the nano repeats itself), and so it is ncie to have SOMETHING to prevent you from scratching your new screen (which is now more important because it plays video).

Anyway, I hope this answers any questions you might have. I've tried to stick to differences between this beauty and the iPod photo.

If you're still on the fence, let me say this...go for it. It is really quite nice.

The iPod first appeared four years ago, and the features continue to grow, with each update.

The iPod with video playback was introduced on October 13, 2005. However, one should not necessarily consider this player a video player, but a great iPod music player, with video capabilities as a fantastic bonus. Nevertheless, the iPod with video playback is the most capable and feature-rich iPod ever produced by Apple.

Video Playback - The iPod plays back H264 and MPEG4 encoded video. The iPod's new display is larger than ever at 2.5 inches, giving it a resolution of 320x240. What video content can you play on your iPod? This area is limited, at least currently. You can buy music videos on iTunes at $1.99 per song, which will play beautifully on the iPod. Furthermore, Apple has made available select television shows, for download on iTunes. They cost $1.99 per episode, for titles including ABC's hits Lost and Desperate Housewives. You can also watch the episodes you purchase on your computer. If you want to put some of your own video, onto your iPod, you will need to use an application such as QuickTime Pro to convert the video to the specific requirements to play on the iPod. You can also find video podcasts, which will play on the new iPod. Even if you do not plan to view video on the new iPod, its primary purpose is to be used as the world's best music player. You can still benefit from the beautiful new display, for it will help you find your favorite music faster, and you can view the album art that accompanies your music.

Size of new iPod - Does the picture of the new iPod make it appear larger to you? Well, it did to me. The iPod looked wider, in the photos I saw. However, it is not. The height and width of the iPod are identical to the previous generation iPod with click wheel. The only change in dimensions is the depth. The new iPod is actually thinner than what came before it! Yes, this 30 gig iPod is thinner than the previous 20 gig photo model by 30 percent. What does all this mean? The iPod continues get smaller, making it even easier to carry.

Capacity - This 30 gig iPod has room, for a lot of entertainment. With storage, for up to 7,500 songs, 12,000 photos, or 75 hours of video. The great thing I love about my iPod is that my music, photos, and video only take up about 15 gigabytes. However, I use the additional space to backup data, from my computer. This is incredibly helpful, and could be a real saver, if something happened to your computer. See, the iPod functions as an external hard drive, so you can backup all sorts of data. The 60 gig version is available, for $100 more, so if you want to use it for lots of video, or you have an enormous music collection, you may want to consider that larger version, which also sports longer battery life.

New Software Features - Apple has added features, to the new iPod besides video support. First, they have a clock feature, which quickly allows you to view the time, in up to four different time zones simultaneously. Furthermore, there is a stop watch, and a screen lock, which you can enable to keep people from snooping on your calendar and/or contacts.

Battery - The battery life is one of the most important specifications that you, as an iPod user, are going to care about. This 30 gigabyte iPod sports a battery that will last up to 14 hours, when playing only music. Also note that repeatedly changing songs manually, and turning on the backlight will use up your battery considerably faster. Furthermore, the iPod's battery lasts a maximum of two hours, when playing back video. This version of the iPod no longer includes an adapter to charge the iPod, at an electrical outlet. You will have to buy that adapter separately, or always charge the iPod via USB 2.0. The charging works fine, from your computer's USB 2.0, but if you're traveling you might want the ability to charge, with the adapter. Also note that the iPod no longer supports syncing via firewire cable. You will have to use USB 2.0.

Mac or PC? This iPod works beautifully with either a Mac or PC. The iPod syncs your contacts, video, and music via the iTunes software.

Podcasting - The iPod continues to support podcasting. Podcasts are internet radio broadcasts, and there are thousands covering nearly every subject imaginable, and more are coming out every day. Podcasts are quickly becoming popular content on iPods around the world. Check them out, for this iPod supports Podcasts out of the box. There are also video podcasts, so with the new iPod, you will be able to watch video podcasts, on the iPod's display.

Appearance - The iPod is beautiful, but the back's chrome finish is prone to scratches, and the screen can become scratched as well. It is a very good idea to protect the back of the iPod and the screen in some way. There are many cases and protectors out there, and you will surely find something you like. The new iPod is available in a black or white finish. The black color is quickly becoming the most popular, but the white iPod is still the signature color. Do note that the black may show fingerprints and scratches more than the white iPod, much as a black car shows these blemishes more than a lighter colored car.

Audiobooks - I'm always using my iPod, to listen to audiobooks. You can store literally hundreds of audiobooks on here that you buy from iTunes, or Audible. The iPod even has a feature that can slow down or speed up the reading of the audiobook, so that you hear it at just the right pace.

Output - The iPod connects to your PC or Mac via the dock connector at the bottom of the unit. You will connect the included cable, to the computer via a USB 2.0 port. Furthermore, accessories are being made that will also connect to the bottom dock port, and you may purchase Apple's Universal iPod dock, for easy syncing to your computer. The dock (available separately) also includes s-video output, so you can show off slideshows and video, on a television. There are also iPod A/V cables available that allow composite video and audio output, for connecting your iPod to your television. This might interest you, not only to display slideshows on a television, but also to display TV shows or music videos on a television, which you purchased from iTunes.

Overall, this is another excellent product from Apple Computer. The design is elegant, simple, and intuitive. It will provide hours of entertainment and convenience. Enjoy your iPod experience.

We bought an ipod video 30gb and the creative touch (40 gb) (recently). Also purchased the muvo and the toshiba gigabeat. The gigabeat died within a few days. The muvo is great for a flash player. But the ipod has some real problems.

The creative is better than the ipod for us because of file sharing and file backups. The ipod will attach to ONE COMPUTER ONLY and it KNOWS if you try to get it to work with another. This caused us a lot of grief when we switched computers. Then the new computer we attached it to died and getting the music back off of the ipod was a real pain. If you are able to even get the files back off the ipod (it doesn't like to go that direction, apparently) it still will lose a lot of the tag info in the music library. (Wanna type all that in by hand?) Plus, since Apple's music file format is proprietary, we can't share files from the ipod to other players. (Does not play well with others! :-)

The creative players do not have any of these problems. They will work on ANY new computer and accept imports of a variety of file formats. You can make as many backups of your music library on as many hard drives on as many computers as you like.

Another difference is the sound quality and volume output. Creative players drive headphones with higher impedances and also have superior sound. Also, creative players have EQ settings that actually work! They sound very different, but the ipod EQ settings pretty much all sound the same. Furthermore, the creative players have custom EQ settings available if you don't like the presets that come with the player.

The ipod is more attractive and a bit smaller than the creative, but such things don't concern me since I'm looking for the highest quality sound I can get. Unfortunately, few mp3 players on the market today are really audiophile quality, and the ones that are are only available in Korea. Apparently the US market is more concerned with "features" and "style".

There are a few problems with the creative software. It has some bugs but is easy to use. The ipod's software is also easy to use. Both interfaces are easy to use, but the creative touch can sometimes be too sensitive. It does have a sensitivity setting that helps a bit with that.

Both the ipod and creative would be much better if they had a line out instead of just the regular headphone jack. I would be happier also if the creative could handle lossless compression formats, too, but this is not a major concern.

What player a person buys really depends on their priorities. I have no need to watch videos on a portable player (Although creative has a video player, too). I'm looking for non-proprietary file formats and good sound quality. I've seen a lot of my friends with ipods suffer the consequences of having the single computer attachment problem and proprietary file format issues. That can be a very serious problem. I understand there are third party software programs out there that may help some of these issues, but it still is a very suboptimal situation to have to deal with.

For those of you that are about to break down and get a MP3 player (like I did), let me share a couple things about the iPod 5th Generation with Video.

1) Best Value of all the players!!!

For the 300 bucks retail, you can't beat it. The iPod Nano goes for around 50 bucks less, and it only has 4 Gb. The shuffle is cheap, but has no screen. And the other brands like iRiver, HP and Creative have some nice features compared to the non-video iPods, but generally have less storage, and you still don't get the video of the 5th Gen.

2) Is 300 bucks really 300 bucks - No! (you'll want accessories)

Think of the iPod as being like a cell phone. You get the phone, go to use it, and realize that all you got was the phone. No car adapter, no hands-free for driving, and no case to protect the phone. Well the iPod is no different. If you're like me, you'll get into your iPod the moment you upload your first 100 songs into it. Let's break it down...

2a) You need a computer.

This may sound silly, but a friend of mine won an iPod last month, and couldn't use it because he didn't have a computer at home. Hopefully you have a computer at home, and if you're still using Windows 98 as your operating system, either you're getting a new computer, or the iPod will get dusty.

2b) Charging the iPod.

The iPod comes with a USB cable that allows you to charge the iPod while connected to your computer. Now think...how are you gonna charge your iPod after using it on the plane, or at the beach? No home computer = dead battery. Cost of a 120VAC wall outlet charger can run around 30 bucks.
TIP - go to TJMaxx or Marshalls, and look around the accessories area for a knock-off brand home charger that could be as cheap as $13).

2c) Using the iPod in the car requires hardware too.

There are two choices: I) Use a cassette tape adapter to connect into the headset port on your iPod, or II) Get an FM transmitter attachment. This allows you to tune your radio to an obscure station, like 87.9FM, set the attachment to the same frequency, and your iPod will play through the radio. The first option, the cassette one, is better, but how many cars after 2000 have cassette players in them. RECOMMENDATION - the Monster brand FM transmitter with car charger cable, which goes for around 80 bucks. Connect from the cigarette lighter socket into the data port on your iPod, and not only does it let you use the iPod in the car, but unlike the AirPlay2, the FM transmitter draws power from the car, instead of the iPod. Think of your road trip from NYC to Ft. Lauderdale, using the AirPlay2, and the iPod goes dead in South Carolina and all you have left is two kinds of music - Country & Western (Thank you Jake & Elwood :)

2d) Protective Cases are a must!!!

The iPod has video, please protect your screen. When you buy it, it only comes with a soft leather sock. And the Apple stores and other retailers do not have the leather cases with screen protectors on hand yet. ADVICE - DO NOT REMOVE THE PLASTIC FROM YOUR IPOD UNTIL YOU HAVE A SCREEN PROTECTOR!!! Scratching the iPod's screen is not covered by the standard warrantee, and ruins any video you watch on it. From what I found as I searched for a case, the only cases Apple plans to offer are cotton tube-sock types, again, you can't see through these things, what good are they??? I recommend going to a 3rd party website like [...]. Cost of a iPod jacket can run upwards of 35 dollars, depending on your preference.

Bottom line - if you want the flexibility to use the iPod in the car, charge it without your PC and protect it with a case, expect to spend an additional 100+ bucks.

3) Do you want the extended warrantee? YES YOU DO!!!

Think about it, you're already dropping four bills on the iPod, the chargers, the FM transmitter and the protective case. For the extra 50+ bucks, you get the AppleCare plan for iPods. It's essentially unlimited coverage on your iPod for 2 years. And if you're getting this for your son/daughter, keep in mind - you're paying for it, not them, and they probably won't respect it for the amount you paid for it. Just do it for peace of mind. I was at a retailer over the Thanksgiving weekend, and a sales associate told me that countless 5th Gens were coming in for screen repairs, and most of the customers were less than happy when they found out they had to pay for the replacement, even if they only bought the thing a week prior. Get the warrantee.

4) iTunes and video uploads cost money too, even if you have the videos already.

I'm speaking of those "mpeg" commercial clips we all e-mail around for a 30 second laugh. I tried to upload them, and failed miserably. I found out that most mpeg files are "MUXED", or MULTIPLEXED. You'll know if your files are MUXED if they can't add to the iTunes library from your PC, or if you are lucky enough to get them into the iPod, the video plays without sound, or vice-versa. HOW TO FIX THIS - you need a couple of things. 1) You need QuickTime 7 Pro on your PC. Most of the PCs have QuickTime 7, but not the Pro version. Cost for the Pro version is $29.99. 2) This only enables conversion of video files to iVideo versions. You still need to fix your MUXED problem. This requires another software patch from Quicktime... Sorry, I forgot how much I paid when I wrote this.

Note - Quicktime is owned by Apple, what a surprise.

All in all, you could find yourself spending over five bills, like I did.

And if you ask me if it's worth it. I would say "yes" every day of the week and twice on Saturdays!

This is the first iPod I've ever owned, having never really given the new technology a chance to replace my affection for CDs. When I finally relented and bought this product, I immediately began to wonder how I ever lived without it. I have over 400 CDs, and took the time (and it did take a lot of time) to put the stuff I wanted from each of them. The result is that I have my entire music collection at my fingertips at all times, and have not used even 20% of the memory.

The obvious great feature (in terms of music, at least) of the 30 GB iPod is the ease at which you can listen to any or all of your favorite music. One very nice, sometimes overlooked, aspect of the iPod is the shuffle feature. With over 1500 songs on my iPod, I can hit the shuffle button and I instantly have the equivalent of my own radio station, with the added advantages of having NO songs I don't like and having zero commercials. The shuffle does not seem to be completely random (I tend to get several songs from the same artists in a relatively short period of time), but that is a minor problem.

Given the iPod's thin design and portability, you can take it wherever you go. I've got a car adapter for it, a home speaker system, and of course the headphones. Because of that it's literally replaced every other sound system (radios, CD players, etc) I own. As a huge fan of music I've been amazed at how much my music experience has been enriched by this product.

Of course I've only highlighted a small part of the iPod. I plan on loading pictures onto it soon, and you can download video as well. It's even got a few games. In short, this is quite possibly the best entertainment investment I've made in quite a while.