Basic guide to buy ipod

iPod Basics & Purchasing Guide

So, you are looking to purchase an iPod?  take the time to read this brief editorial which will at best help you get the most out of your new iPod, & at the least, help you avoid mistakes & misconceptions. This editorial is written out of my personal experience with iPods.

1. what is an iPod?

An iPod is a MP4 player, not a MP3 player. basically, the MP4 format is a proprietary format only recognized by Apple products, such as iPods & QuickTime™. In order for music to play on an iPod, it must be in MP4 format. Apple's music download site, iTunes™, offers music only in the MP4 format. The iTunes™ program which comes with an iPod will convert MP3 music files to MP4 format, so they will play on your iPod. An iPod won't play MP3 files, neither will Windows Media Player play MP4 files. Both the Nano & Video iPod will store & display photos, but a video iPod is needed to play video files.

® Apple hosts the world's largest music download site called iTunes™. As of March 2006, over 1 billion files have been downloaded for use in iPods.  amazing. This site offers music files for 99 cents each, & you need not download an entire album, but can select only the music files you need & download it in to your pc. The iTunes™ program in your pc is the vehicle by which files are loaded in to the iPod. basically place your iPod in to its dock (which is attached by USB to your computer), start iTunes™ & your iPod is updated automatically with new music, playlists, Podcasts & so forth. i have tried other music download sites & have not found any which i am liking as well as iTunes™, even though they may offer music cheaper than iTunes™. A basic search will locate alternative music download sites.

2. what is iTunes?

there's a variety of other files obtainable on iTunes™ called Podcasts. These are audio or video files which include news broadcasts, informational programs, comedy programs & plenty of others. The great majority of Podcasts are free, & others are not.

3. What You Get

iPod with battery

iPods come with the following:

A generic pouch for the earbuds

Earphones (called "earbuds")

iTunes™ program CD

A docking station (to transfer files & charge the iPod)

Instruction manual

that is all.

Every iPod user will need a case, & they strongly recommend a screen protector.

4. What You will Need

5. Using iPods in your Car

Both the iPod Nano & 5th generation (5G) Video iPod are susceptible to scratching, & the black units seem to show scratches worse than the white ones. This is true of both the iPod housing & the screen. Nothing is worse than having your iPod blemished with unsightly scratches, especially when it is easily avoidable by using a case & screen protector. Having your unprotected iPod floating around inside your purse or in your pocket will absolutely cause your iPod to quickly accumulate scratches both on the housing & on the screen. Be warned! This is not  a defect, but  the way it is.

Most people quickly realize that it would be great to be able to have their iPod play music through their car stereo. No longer would they have to mess with CDs or tapes. How plenty of CDs would you have to carryover to have your entire music library with you in the car? You can take it all in the palm of your hand with an iPod. So, how does two play music through their car stereo? there's several options.

First, there's cables obtainable for most car stereos which plug in to the iPod & the other end of the cable plugs in to a port on the back of the stereo. Removal of the stereo is usually required to accomplish this task. Also, the wire used to connect your iPod is exposed. It does, however, sound great! Some car stereos have a line input on the faceplate. In this case, all two needs to do is use an adaptive cable from the headphone jack of the iPod to the input on the stereo. In both of these scenarios, the iPod will run on its internal battery unless a car charger is used as well.

Second, (and by far the most popular) method, is to use an FM transmitter to transmit a signal from your iPod to your FM radio & play it as if it were a radio station. there's a variety of FM transmitters from several manufacturers. they recommend using a unit which is a dock & not a plug in to the iPod port. The plug-in units consume power from the iPod battery & seem to produce a weak signal resulting in poor audio quality. A docking unit (such as the Griffin RoadTrip™) holds your iPod in place, charges the iPod & produces a strong signal. The RoadTrip™ also features a removable FM module which allows it to plug in to your pc. You can therefore listen to FM radio through your pc without having to install program.

6. Using iPods at Home

Docking your iPod is the preferred method, & there's a variety of docking solutions obtainable. The iPod docks in to a base which charges the iPod, & an output jack on the base connects the iPod to your stereo by a cable. Some units offer remote controls for your iPod & others do not, but often these remotes are weak & have very limited range & field of reception. they have found that some tv or stereo programmable remote control units can be programmed to work with certain iPod docking systems, while others work partially or not at all. it is worth trying if you have a programmable remote.

iPods can easily play through your home stereo. two can basically use an adaptive cable which plugs in to the headphone jack of the iPod & in to the stereo input of your stereo. In this setup, the iPod is operating on battery power unless the iPod is also plugged in to a charger.

there's speaker systems which contain their own amplifier & operate as a stand-alone unit with an iPod. These are not all created equal. Our testing has found that a high price does not always equal high quality. they have found $150 systems which in our opinion sound significantly superior to $400 units. it is best to listen to the various systems before making your selection; or if buying online, follow the recommendations of the seller IF they have tested the systems & can provide you with recommendations based on testing results.

Some docking units also have a video output for use with the 5G Video iPod, which allows two to watch videos or photos stored in the iPod on a tv. they have found that the picture quality is poor on large screen televisions, but ok on a smaller screen. Using a dock with S-video output will provide a far superior picture than units using an RCA connector. As of now, iPods do not support high definition.

there's alarm clock radios (such as iHome™) which permit you to go to sleep listening to your iPod & wake up to it as well. they have tested the iHome™ & others, & found iHome™ to be our unit of choice.

7. Loading Movies in to Your 5G Video iPod

An easy solution for this is to convert your own DVDs in to a format that the iPod can play. This can be accomplished by means of a program product called a DVD to iPod converter, such as Cucusoft, Lenogo & others. it is a simple routine. Put a DVD in your pc, start the converter program & let it convert the movie to iPod format. Then, move the converted file in to your iTunes™ video list. The next time you dock your iPod to your pc, it will load in to your iPod. Some converter programs will also convert AVI, MPEG, MPG, WMV & other pc video formats for use on an iPod. This can permit you to convert your relatives videos & view them on your ipod. IPod movies are great for entertaining kids on the road, for the business traveler stranded at an airport or for long airplane trips.

When the Video iPod first came out, I gave it a high ranking on the "Dumb-O-Meter." Who wants to watch a movie on a 2.5 inch screen? However, after having used two, i have recanted my original opinion. it is now my iPod of choice. Unfortunately, iTunes™ & other MP4 download sites usually have little to offer in the way of legal movies which are formatted to play on an iPod. ITunes™ does have some short films, music videos & tv shows, but not much else.

DVD converters they recommend are obtainable here.

8. iPods & your PC

The music files for your iPod are stored in two places: in your PC in the iTunes™ program, & in your iPod. If your PC crashes & you loose your hard drive or have to reformat, you will loose EVERYTHING contained in your iTunes™ folder, including all of the songs you have purchased from iTunes™. Furthermore, iTunes™ does not offer the means to re-download songs you have purchased for free. You will have to buy them again. Neither does the iPod come with a means to load files in to a pc. Fortunately, there's program programs which permit you to copy the contents of your iPod in to a PC or from two iPod to another. These programs are usually titled "iPod to PC", or something similar. If your pc crashes, you will kick yourself for not having this program to restore your music files back in to your pc.