Movies On Your iPod - The Next Digital Rights Battlefield?

Apple's iPod has transformed from a digital music player to a digital media player par excellence. Now in its fifth generation, the iPod brand covers devices that play music, display pictures of album covers, allow touch based interfaces, and even play your favorite movies and television programs, all available through the Apple Music Store. Beyond the commercial options, you can also download copies of your own video programming to your iPod through the iTunes music store.

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.

For one thing, it is not so easy to convert DVD into iPod movies because of the possibility of incompatibility with the software. Secondly, you can be sure of the quality of your iPod movies.

If you've decided that, like Tim Taylor on ToolTime, the best way to do it is to do it yourself, you need to find a piece of software called a "codec ripper" - you can find several types on the internet by using Google to search for terms like "codec ripper" and "homemade iPod videos". Make sure that the software states, up front, that it supports the iPod video format, and be aware that not all of these things are created equally.

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.

One of the nice things about these two packages is that they also convert audio files to iPod supported MP3, AAC, M4A file formats, which is handy when you want to make sure the audio synchronizes properly with the video. The user interfaces allow you to select what formats you want things converted to, and where the converted file will be saved; at that point, you can drag and drop the music to your iPod through the playlist creator with ease.

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?

For now, iPod video economics are set by the Hollywood production companies, because the cost to produce and create those programs is very high, while the cost of distribution can be very cheap - and they want to make sure that they make money doing their jobs. This is an area that's going to change rapidly over the next ten years.

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

Article Source: http://www.rightbiz.com

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