How the iPod with Video Played Video (2005)
Profile of the fifth-generation iPod with video (2005): 30 and 60 GB models, 2.5-inch screen, battery ratings, iTunes 6 video and the 2006 80 GB update.
The first iPod for video
The iPod with video, as Apple presented the fifth-generation iPod, was announced on 12 October 2005 and was the first iPod able to play video. It came in 30 GB (US$299) and 60 GB (US$399) versions, in white or black, and the larger model could hold more than 150 hours of video. Apple said it would ship the following week.
Screen and formats
Video played on a 2.5-inch colour LCD with a resolution of 320 by 240 pixels. The iPod accepted H.264 video at up to 768 kbps at that resolution, and MPEG-4 video at up to 2.5 Mbps. Apple rated the 30 GB model at up to two hours of video playback and the 60 GB model at up to three hours. Apple also sold an AV cable (US$19) for connecting the iPod to a television, along with a Universal Dock (US$39) and the Apple Remote (US$29).
Video from iTunes 6
iTunes 6, announced the same day, gave the new iPod something to play. The store offered more than 2,000 music videos, six Pixar short films and episodes of US television shows including "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives", each for US$1.99, and episodes could be bought the day after they aired.
A brighter screen in 2006
On 12 September 2006 Apple updated the model with a screen 60 per cent brighter and adjustable brightness, and added an 80 GB version rated at up to 6.5 hours of video. With iTunes 7 the store began selling games for it at US$4.99 each. On 5 September 2007 the iPod classic took its place.
Video specifications
| Announced | 12 October 2005, as the first iPod able to play video |
|---|---|
| Screen | 2.5-inch colour LCD, 320 × 240 pixels; 60 per cent brighter from September 2006 |
| Video formats | H.264 up to 768 kbps at 320 × 240, 30 frames per second; MPEG-4 up to 2.5 Mbps at 480 × 480, 30 frames per second; in .m4v, .mp4 and .mov files |
| Video playback | 30 GB: up to 2 hours; 60 GB: up to 3 hours. Late 2006: 30 GB up to 3.5 hours, 80 GB up to 6.5 hours |
| Video storage | 60 GB: more than 150 hours. Late 2006: 30 GB up to 40 hours, 80 GB up to 100 hours |
| TV output | Composite video through the headphone jack with the Apple AV cable; S-video from the iPod Universal Dock |
| Photos | JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, PSD (Mac only) and PNG |
Figures from Apple's published technical specifications. Where Apple lists only inches and ounces, metric values are converted and rounded.
How to identify it
The iPod with video is the fifth-generation iPod: its full specifications and the way to recognise it are on that page.