iPod: The Missing Manual, 8th Edition

Chapter 8. It’s Showtime: Video on the iPod

Video-playing iPods have been around since October 2005, when Apple’s standard iPod arrived with a video chip inside and a video screen outside. These days, every iPod (except for the tiny, screenless Shuffle) can handle moving pictures. But there’s one iPod that plays video especially well: With its high-resolution 3.5-inch screen, the iPod Touch seems like it was made for video, even though it handles music and the Web just fine, too. And the Nanos of late 2009 don’t just play video—they shoot it, too—mini-movies ready for YouTube, Facebook, or other video-sharing sites.

No matter which iPod you use, you’re not stuck just watching two- or three-minute music videos. As explained in the previous chapter, the iTunes Store has all kinds of cinematic goodies you can buy: full-length Hollywood movies and episodes (or entire seasons) of TV shows. You can even get some videos in the super-sharp high-definition format, which looks great on your 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 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, but sometimes you want to add your own flicks to your iTunes library. No problem, just drag the file from your desktop and drop it anywhere in iTunes’ main window, or choose File→“Add to Library” ...