Video iPods: Evidence they are in the distance? [Archive]

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mtinderholt

2004-08-12, 09:45

PortalPlayer chip now includes image processing. More evidence that something could be coming down the pipe? Or just a horizontal expansion into a new market by a small company?

http://money.cnn.com/2004/08/10/technology/techinvestor/lamonica/index.htm

Mac+

2004-08-12, 10:25

nice find mtinderholt - I'm hoping for iPod evolution! (but I think most people here know this) ;)

hmurchison

2004-08-12, 12:33

Still a far cry from offering video on iPods. The chip is but only one vital component. You have to have support for multiple codecs and a color screen with fast refresh. I think "distance" is the opperative word here. We'll need a few years more of advancements before portable video is as silky smooth as audio.

BarracksSi

2004-08-12, 22:17

How long until we see 200-gig iPod-sized hard drives?

I wouldn't waste my time with a video iPod until I can fit thirty or forty movies on it. I already spend enough time enjoying my 10.7 days of music.

InactionMan

2004-08-12, 22:34

I was talking to my dad the other day and out of the blue he said, "you know what's great about the iPod? It does one thing and it does it really well". This from a 55 year old corporate executive who only started using a computer at work two years ago and that was only because the board members insisted that he did. If Apple has people like that thinking about the iPod and how great it is why would they want to muck it up with features? The iPod plays music and it plays it well. PortalPlayer can add whatever features they want to their chips, I just hope Apple the iPod the way it is.

Purgatos

2004-08-12, 22:51

Why even bother?

I wouldn't want to look at still pictures on a 2" diagonal screen, movies would be ludicrous.

I just can't see a logical way to have portable video other than just taking DVDs from my house to someone else's ;) .

Portability means a small screen, a small screen means watching movies is a pain.

Jobs is right, trying to build one is just foolish.

Messiahtosh

2004-08-12, 23:21

People watch DVDs on their 4 inch in-car screens. :|

DMBand0026

2004-08-12, 23:23

I have to agree with Purgatos on this one. A video iPod is a really bad idea. I hope it doesn't happen.

Barto

2004-08-12, 23:29

I can see it happening... just not in the short term. Obviously viewing photos and videos on a 2-3" screen not very useful, BUT a video out port could make it useful. An expanded iPod dock could include it... turning your iPod into a proper AV component, perhaps?

But even I don't think it's a near future thing.

spk2913

2004-08-15, 18:21

I think Apple must get into the video market. This would establish Quicktime as the default codec in the industry and relegate Windows media to also-ran status. They've already done this with music. Look at Harmony trying to crash the party.

I commute to work via train for an hour each way. I'd love to have a video iPod with a Tivo-type function that could record Daily Show or Conan every night so I can watch it the next morning on my way to work. Or Apple could open up an online video store where you could purchase/rent episodes of all the shows that are popping up on DVD. Lunch breaks, plane rides and commutes make the possibility of a video ipod very exciting.

I think several things need to happen before the ipod will be a reality. The first being the dependability of OLED displays which are cheaper to produce than LCDs and consume less power due to their lack of a backlight for viewing. In the meantime, LCDs are working just fine for these products http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/06/04/video_players/

Ryan

2004-08-15, 21:10

You have to have a much faster connection than even the faster DSL. Maybe its feasible in Japan, with fiber all over the place, but in the U.S., most connections top out at 3 megs, with some DSL going to six and a bit of cable at ten.

You wouldn't get anywhere near the (somewhat)instant gratification you get with music. I just think its a very limited market. People want to watch TV on a TV.

Kickaha

2004-08-15, 21:57

You have to have a much faster connection than even the faster DSL. Maybe its feasible in Japan, with fiber all over the place, but in the U.S., most connections top out at 3 megs, with some DSL going to six and a bit of cable at ten.

Explain HDTV then.

;)

Bottom line: any home that has digital HDTV coming in can get a digital videostream.

dfiler

2004-08-16, 10:23

Hasn't this been true of the iPod's chip for quite a while now?

I'm having serious deja vu.

Now back to the standard:
"Neato!"
"But no one wants to watch a 2.5 inch TV"
"Neato!"
"But no one wants to watch a 2.5 inch TV"

;)

BarracksSi

2004-08-16, 10:43

OK, so, someone would want to watch Conan O'Brien on their vidiPod during their morning commute.

Couldn't you get the same entertainment by having it as an audio track? It's a talk show, and even though it's Conan, there's not really anything that you'd miss by not having video to watch.

Wonder if they'll ever have that on iTunes -- the previous nights' TV shows. But, I'd hate to pay money to get something that's so disposable. I'm sure that there are other ways to record talk show audio.

spk2913

2004-08-16, 18:10

So Conan was a bad example. Think Sportscenter. The previous evening's 11:00 pm Sportscenter every morning on your way to work. That's what I'd like to have in my pocket.

I think the major point to note is that these "video ipods" are already here http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/05/27/sony_mp3_vid_player/ it's just that they're not designed by Apple. I, as I'm sure most of you, prefer Apple products for their design and ease of use. If I were to pick up one of these "video ipods" for my commute I'd rather it be of Apple origins.

BarracksSi

2004-08-16, 22:43

Well, yeah, I'd expect Apple to do it right. I think we're conflicting on personal tastes, though, so there's no practical one-side-or-the-other way to discuss video iPods.

Personally, I can't think of much video that I'd want to see on a small screen instead of a regular TV. But, I'm not much of a TV person anyway, so it's no big deal to go without it while I'm away from home (heck, some nights I never turn the thing on).

This makes me feel old... ;) I'm so used to talk & sports radio (maybe from spending so much time in my car) that I don't feel like I'm missing anything by not seeing video.

spk2913

2004-08-20, 15:47

BarracksSi, you're absolutely right. It takes different strokes to move the world. I haunt these boards in the hopes of hearing some rumblings of an Apple video ipod. Because the alternative right now is this: http://www.pmcplayer.com/iriver/index.html

Now, what's wrong with that picture. You just know it's going to suck. And all it will play is .wmv files. Just another attempt, similar to MS's HD-DVD efforts, to corner the video codec market. I hope Apple does it and does it better. Maybe it's not everyone's cup of tea but judging by the waves of models coming out it might be enough to get Apple to take a stab.

Barto

2004-08-21, 01:19

People said the same thing about tablet PCs. A widespread belief in a market for a computer isn't always based on reality.

windowsblowsass

2004-08-21, 01:56