by Steve Kadinski

The term "iPod" has become ubiquitous with "digital media player" for most consumers, and it's a credit to how Apple has built the brand and made it a household word. Where iPods used to be merely digital music players, they now cover so much more - from movies, to picture albums, even your favorite television programs.

This has a direct impact on something you see in the news - the Writer's Guild of America strike. The Writer's Guild (WGA) is on strike (shutting down production of a lot of television programs) because of discrepancies in the way that residuals are billed on digital content distributed through the Internet, including through Apple's iTunes online store.

For one thing, it is not so easy to convert DVD into iPod movies because of the possibility of incompatibility with the software. Secondly, you can be sure of the quality of your iPod movies.

If you still want to rip an existing DVD movie on to your iPod video, start by downloading software available on the web but be careful! Choose only those that support the iPod video format. Look for features that are easy to use and fast,brief interface and design

What this means for you is that what's going to be available on the iTunes store for digital content is likely to change over time. For example, NBC Universal (the production house behind Desperate Housewives and Heroes, as well as Battlestar Galactica) has withdrawn from the iTunes music store. Others may follow suit, trying to set up their own branding options.

In light of this, knowing how to load your own copies of digital media on the iPod from DVDs you already own, is important - it lets you stand up for the WGA, by making sure that what you purchase actually supports them.

Copying an existing DVD to iPod formats means that you need to "rip" it to an MPEG 4 with (preferably) an AAC sound codec. There are software packages that can do this, and do it seamlessly.

The economics of iPod video distribution are very different and is dominated by the Hollywood moguls, including licensing and windowing agreements. Not to mention the progress of theatre shows to other markets like rental shops, pay TV, retail stores, free-to-air and now to iPod movies.

Aside from the iPod movies, the TV shows that can be played on the iPod video are endless. Right now, Desperate Housewives rule the iPod video landscape. Another great ipod feature is the video pod cast, users don't just watch pod casts but they can also create their own.

Creative issues aside, an iPod is a great way to share videos with your friends; you can show it to them on the little screen, or wirelessly connect to a digital media center, or just use the TV Out jack and wide screen options. Understand that digital video compression will make most of the videos come out a little darker than usual.

The licensing agreements made are there to keep everyone afloat - producing television shoes costs nearly two million dollars an episode for a lot of them, for example, so shooting an entire 22 episode season is 44 to 45 million dollars invested, and the investors want to see a return on their money.

About the Author:

If you want to know where to download ipod movies read all there is to know about free ipod downloads here: http://www.squidoo.com/download_free_iPod_movies/. Ipod Movies. PC Satellite TV.

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