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The 5th generation Apple iPod, or sometimes known as the iPod Video and that's how we'll refer to it throughout the review, just might be the best iPod that we've seen from Apple. They added lots of features and slimmed the device down in size compared to the already great 4th generation Apple iPod. Perhaps the most prized features of the 5th generation iPod is the video playback capability. Our full review will break down the iPod Video for you feature-by-feature to tell you if it's right for you.

To start, the iPod Video just physically looks different than previous iPod models if you are an avid iPod user. Novice users might not be able to tell the different if they've never used an older iPod. The very vibrant color screen is much larger than before and now measures 2.5-inches diagonally compared to the 2-inch screen on a 4th gen iPod. This added size to the screen makes it pretty decent for video viewing, but we'll talk more about that later. You may notice that the device is taller and wider than older iPod's as well, but you would be wrong. In fact, the way that the iPod Video is designed makes it look bigger to the eye, but it is actually the same size except for the thickness in which the iPod Video is much thinner. The iPod Video measures about 4.1 x 2.4 x 0.4-inches, which is about 30 percent thinner than the 4th gen iPod. The 60GB version of the iPod Video is a little thicker than 0.4-inches, but it's still noticeably thinner than the older iPod. In addition to the thickness, you may also notice that the iPod Video's face is totally flat as where the older
iPod's corners and sizes are rounded and larger. The iPod Video is also lighter than previous iPods, weighing in at about 4.8 ounces. The iPod Video does come in two color styles, white or Nano black.

At a casual glace, the iPod Video's gigantic color screen takes up most of the face of the iPod and when compared to an older iPod, the scroll wheel is a tad smaller on the iPod Video. This isn't a problem, but it does mean that you might have to do some extra scrolling with your thumb to
make it though a long playlist. In the past, the middle select button on the click wheel was a little raised, but with the iPod Video, it is now completely flat with the face. The display is very crisp and vibrant and plays video excellently.

The interface of the iPod Video hasn't changed a lot either. There are, however, nifty video
settings in the settings menu. You can change the video output to NTSC/PAL or to widescreen. There also isn't an option for contrast or brightness levels, but isn't a big problem because the screen looks awesome without modification. You can, however, change how long the backlight stays on (when you touch the iPod's controls, the backlight automatically turns on), so if you're outside where the backlight isn't needed, you can turn it off to save a little battery life.

The 5G iPod plays MP3, AAC, protected AAC, Apple Lossless, AIFF, WAV, and Audible audio files. The iPod Video is still inherently a portable audio player because in our opinion the audio features are far better than the video features. The iPod Video still doesn't come with a FM tuner, but now you can get that as an accessory from Apple. The iPod Video also does a good job of viewing pictures too. You can open the video file and you get a screen full of very clear thumbnails and you can either select one to view full screen or run a slideshow of them all. The 5G iPod also features all the little added extras of the iPod Nano, including the world clock, the screen lock, contacts, calendar, games, and other neat extras.

Now for the video part of the iPod. Lots of video content is currently available for download (for a small fee) off of Apple's iTunes 6 music store. You can get everything from movie trailers, music videos, movie shorts from Disney, and commercial-free TV shows from NBC and ABC (such as Surface, Lost, and Desperate Housewives). The 5G iPod can play video encoded in H.264, MPEG-4, M4V, and MOV up to 768Kbps, 320x240 pixels, and 30fps. It's easy to transfer video files to the iPod Video via iTunes and if the video won't play on the iPod, it won't let you transfer it. The uploadable video content also includes home movies, content picked from P2P networks, ripped DVDs for personal use, and video podcasts. Now your DVD movies won't automatically play on the iPod Video because they aren't in the right format. You'll have to use a program such as QuickTime 7 Pro to convert them to an iPod-friendly format. When you first go to play a video, there is a noticeable 3-5 second delay before it begins to play, but stopping and pausing causes no delay. There is also no delay when playing audio files.

Watching video one the iPod is not terrible, but it can be a little awkward and uncomfortable if you are watching anything longer than 30 minutes. The screen can be compared to watching a 12-inch TV from a few feet away. You can feed out the video signal to a TV using Apple's optional A/V kit and the compressed video will look not bad, but it will look exactly that, compressed. As regards to the audio side of the performance, it's never been better. As with past iPod's, the sound quality is excellent and very good at producing high and bass tones. Also, the included headphones can still produce ear damaging volume levels if turned up to high. For audio, Apple rates the 30GB and
60GB iPods for 14 and 20 hours per charge, respectively. For video playback, you can expect just under 3 hours for the 30GB and about 4 hours for the 60GB model. This is quite low for video playback compared to other dedicated handheld video players, but like we said earlier, the iPod Video is mostly an audio-geared device. Audio only battery life is excellent, one of the best ever.

There are a few things about the iPod Video that we complained about. For example, Apple no longer supports Firewire connections for syncing (but you still can use it to charge the battery) and you now can only use USB to sync. You better make sure you have USB 2.0 too, because if you don't, music (and especially video) transfer will take a long time. Using USB 2.0 we were able to transfer about 550 songs and video files in about 3 mins or at about 3MB per second. Also, Apple doesn't include the USB charging adapter in the box, but if you own an older iPod and have the power adapter, you can still use that. If not, you have to buy the adapter for another $29.99.
Apple does include a nifty little envelope for the iPod, but you'll want a better case for your iPod to prevent scratches to the delicate metal surface on the back and to the screen in the front. As with all other iPods, you can only put music that is not protected (ie- downloaded freely or from your own CD's) as the iPod does not support songs purchased from any online music store besides Apple's own iTunes Music Store.

In review, the Apple iPod Video is another excellent addition to the Apple iPod family. It's perfect for anyone who wants to upgrade from their non-color 4th gen or earlier iPod, you'll really be pleased with the difference. If you're primarily looking for a portable video player, however, you'll want to buy a dedicated portable video player because of the poor video battery life and other limitations. If you're primarily looking for an audio player and the occasional video playback, then the Apple iPod 5th gen is without a doubt for you.

Pros: Very stylish design, vibrant color LCD, supports audio, video, and photo playback, excellent audio only battery life, seamless iTunes integration, lots of added features, superb audio and
photo quality, great value
Cons: Mediocre video only battery life, no extras included (such as charging adapter or dock),
slight delay when starting a video
Editors' Rating:



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