iPod: The Missing Manual, 7th Edition

Chapter 8. It's Showtime: Playing Videos

Video-playing iPods have been around since October 2005, when Apple's standard iPod arrived with a video chip inside. These days, any iPod (except for the tiny, screenless Shuffle) can handle moving pictures. But there's one that displays video especially well. With its high-resolution 3.5-inch screen, the Touch seems like it was made to play video, even though it does music and the Web just fine, too.

No matter which iPod you're using, you're not stuck just watching two- or three-minute music video clips, either. As explained in the previous chapter, the iTunes Store has all kinds of cinematic goodies to buy: full-length Hollywood movies and episodes (or entire seasons) of certain TV shows. Some of these are even available in the super-sharp high-definition format that looks great on the TV or computer screen. And yes, there are also thousands of music videos, just like the kind MTV used to play back when it, uh, played music.

This chapter shows you how to get all these videos from computer to iPod—and how to enjoy them on your own Shirt Pocket Cinema.

Add Videos to iTunes

The iTunes Store is chock full of videos to buy. But sometimes you've got your own flicks you want to add to iTunes. No problem. Just drag the file's icon from your desktop and drop it anywhere in iTunes' main window, or choose File→“Add to Library” to locate and import your files. Once you get videos into iTunes, you can play them in iTunes or copy them to your iPod.

Movies ...