iPod Video Add-on Touted

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Stuck for ideas of what to do with those gigabytes of empty space on your iPod? Wonder no more. Fresh from CES is a prototype of a gadget which hooks up to everybody's favourite music player, to offer mobile playback on a 3.5" screen - ideal for catching up with your favourites on the move.

The prototype MoviePlayer has apparently been produced by the little-known manufacturer Nyko, with the firm slating its gadget for a potential spring launch on the market. It includes its own, colour screen to replace the smaller, monochrome one on the iPod itself and would hook up to the iPod via the dock port on the bottom. The firm also promises its software, for Windows and the Mac, will be able to convert any video format which can be played on the systems into one which can be taken on the move.

Apple have so far been reluctant to follow a path similar to the Microsoft backed Portable Media Centre (PMC) devices. The iPod Photo was a first step in this direction, and success of products like this, and PMC's, could push Apple further towards a full blown iPod video media player. Nyko's press release notes a variety of other iPod accessories that the company has announced at CES.

News source: infoSync

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(7 replies) #1 jmc777 on 07 Jan 2005 - 23:26

I fail to see the attraction in portable video devices. Watching movies on a 3.5" screen =

#1.1 Mav Phoenix on 07 Jan 2005 - 23:57

It would be nice for video out to a tv that's about it.

#1.2 IntelliMoo on 08 Jan 2005 - 00:00

Well, sure, such a small screen is tough to watch something on. But wouldn't it still be cooler than flipping through magazines or whatever when you have time to kill while out? (subway, bus, doctor's office, lunch hour, etc.) Seems it would be a cool way to catch up on movies or tv recordings from the computer while out.

#1.3 neufuse on 08 Jan 2005 - 00:27

well get use to it, beacuse people are pushing tv on cell phones now too

#1.4 lare2 on 08 Jan 2005 - 01:22

QUOTE

people are pushing tv on cell phones now too

If watching video on a 3.5 screen sounds weird, watching it on a cell screen is crazy.

#1.5 Cubiz on 08 Jan 2005 - 03:41

3.5" really ain't that small..

#1.6 j.reed on 08 Jan 2005 - 04:31

If you press it into your nose and corss your eyes you can get the illusion of a 55" TV set.

#1.7 NeoReader on 10 Jan 2005 - 20:23

J.reed, that's funny

i seriously could not stop laughing long enough for me to write a comment. (and I am not being sarcastic!)

#2 Suddenly_Dead on 07 Jan 2005 - 23:32

Portable video devices are fine, imho. The oddness is that you can buy a player with a similiar price to the ipod that has video built in (the H320, for ex.), which doesn't necessarily make this device all too important, I think. The prototype looks clumsy and bulky as heck. I suppose if you're hooked on the iPod's great look, interface, and online store though, this could be an interesting purchase though.

(3 replies) #3 SoulEata on 07 Jan 2005 - 23:43

This isn't just for iPod. The company plans on adapting it for other portable HD devices too.

iRiver doesnt need addon devices to watch videos.

#3.1 dp123 on 08 Jan 2005 - 00:15

iRiver is a company. Most of their players do not play video (but they have color screens). Their PMC and PMPs are probably their least sold devices.

#3.2 DeepThought on 08 Jan 2005 - 00:44

...because they are the newsest and most expensive. iRiver's PMCs (and Archos'... thing...) are about a billion times superior to a bulky, expensive addon to an expensive hard drive player who has a main selling point of design and slimness.

#3.3 SoulEata on 08 Jan 2005 - 00:55

the iRiver h3xx series does support video.

#4 bingham. on 07 Jan 2005 - 23:45

I can see that costing alot

#5 McG on 07 Jan 2005 - 23:53

ehh yeah....i dont know

(4 replies) #6 Rishdeep on 08 Jan 2005 - 00:23

Does look kinda bulky. Still pretty cool though...

#6.1 amdme3200 on 08 Jan 2005 - 00:33

That will fit in my pocket.

#6.2 joseph0324 on 08 Jan 2005 - 01:24

LOL, that looks horrible.

#6.3 roadwarrior on 08 Jan 2005 - 03:14

That looks like it is at most 3/4" wider and maybe 1/2" thicker than the iPod itself, so it is still rather small. The small size of the iPod itself is what makes things like this appear bulky when you only see a picture of it with nothing else for scale.

#6.4 roxics on 08 Jan 2005 - 08:18

Actually it doesn't look that bad. I was expecting an LCD that hung off the top in a weird nonfolding way. It is a little bulky but how could anything with a 3.5 LCD not be. Bigger the screen the better, but bigger the screen the less likely it will fit into your pocket. At some point you just have to accept.

#7 obake on 08 Jan 2005 - 00:49

Cooooooooool!

#8 cswadner on 08 Jan 2005 - 00:53

cool cool, will be interesting to see how this one pans out

#9 lare2 on 08 Jan 2005 - 01:20

I love the Ipod for hearing music, but if I wanted to watch videos with a gadget, then I would rater buyed a Portable Media Device

#10 eminem213486 on 08 Jan 2005 - 02:30

anyone notice how it looks like an ipod at the bottom of the controls? i think thats where it will go... and the dock connector is on the other side.... if so. its pretty small...

#11 tele-fragd on 08 Jan 2005 - 02:38

Stupid. With no tv-out there's no way that many people will buy it.

(4 replies) #12 Serenis on 08 Jan 2005 - 03:01

It's somehow ugly... I prefer my iPaq for watching movies on the go

#12.1 roadwarrior on 08 Jan 2005 - 03:19

I hope you have an iPaq with a microdrive or a very large flash card, or you aren't going to have enough storage for more than a couple hours of video.

#12.2 IGx89 on 08 Jan 2005 - 03:32

With the right compression, you could fit a lot more than a couple hours on a Pocket PC/Palm. I compressed 6th Day to about 120mb in WMV, and it was quite watchable on my Pocket PC. With 1gb CF/SD cards selling for under $70 now, you can make your own pocket video player for relatively little money.

#12.3 roadwarrior on 08 Jan 2005 - 04:18

Which was exactly my point. One movie (roughly two hours) is about 120MB at a size compatible with an iPaq. Most iPaqs don't have more than 256MB without some sort of add-on memory, so you aren't going to fit more than a few hours on there.

#12.4 IGx89 on 08 Jan 2005 - 04:50

(my post was a prime example that if you're debating about whether or not to go to bed or keep posting on Neowin, you should probably go to bed

)

(1 reply) #13 SlakeT on 08 Jan 2005 - 03:42

Yet another apple products following in the footsteps of Microsoft.

#13.1 pogz on 08 Jan 2005 - 03:50

The prototype MoviePlayer has apparently been produced by the little-known manufacturer Nyko

(2 replies) #14 Cube on 08 Jan 2005 - 04:02

ugly as hell, why doesnt apple be more practical and just let its own screen do the video playing

#14.1 roadwarrior on 08 Jan 2005 - 04:15

Take a second and read the original post. This is NOT MADE BY APPLE!

#14.2 advancedboy on 08 Jan 2005 - 20:14

And not only that wise-ass, you didn't read the fact that the iPod has a

monochrome (mon-o-chrome):
- A black-and-white image, as in photography or on television

screen.

Unless you prefer to watch black and white pixelated movies?

(3 replies) #15 shichiroji4 on 08 Jan 2005 - 04:48

That just goes to show how versatile the iPod is. Fake competitors simply don't stand a chance.

#15.1 SquareSoft0 on 08 Jan 2005 - 05:34

Ya, the fake competitors don't stand a chance, too bad the real ones by Creative, Sony, etc. do stand a good chance.

#15.2 JaggedFlame on 08 Jan 2005 - 16:53

That just goes to show how versatile the iPod is. Fake competitors simply don't stand a chance

Oh, you mean fake competitors like iRiver who one-up this "versatility" and play video out of the box?

#15.3 Dayon on 09 Jan 2005 - 00:30

It's not right out of the box. You need to spend like....30 seconds updating the firmware! What a hassel!

(1 reply) #16 TGD on 08 Jan 2005 - 06:45

I've never seen the point of things like this. It's kind of like how the PSP can play movies, I don't get why you would ever want to watch something on that small of a screen.

#16.1 Dayon on 09 Jan 2005 - 00:31

Well, the iRiver H320 has an even smaller screen, and I have no problems watching things on it. I mean, if I'm holding it just 2 feet from my face, it's fine.

#17 fmatt on 08 Jan 2005 - 07:26

I like the sound of it! But it sounds a bit on the $_$ side of things..

Although Portable Media Center's and iRivers can already do this..

#18 stardotstar on 08 Jan 2005 - 07:53

sounds cool, $$$$ though.
Would be nice if this device would have converted to a tvout

#19 JonathanVP on 08 Jan 2005 - 08:12

Way kewl!!! Wan't it!

#20 mr.dan on 08 Jan 2005 - 09:24

I'm assuming that all this does is interface with the iPod to stream the movie file and then the player takes care of the rest. Seems rather pointless...

#21 McG on 08 Jan 2005 - 12:56

i dont see any point to this...except that it will appeal to like .000000001 % of the gadget market

(1 reply) #22 Gobelet on 08 Jan 2005 - 16:27

Can you hook ANY iPod on it? Since it's not using the embedded screen, and only uses the iPod as a storage device (well, it seems like that's the goal), I hope so... I could use my 4G on it... And I'd buy if it's not really really expensive

#22.1 JZolloXP on 08 Jan 2005 - 19:38

I'm assuming you can only connect the iPods with a dock connector (3rd Gen, 4th Gen, Mini)

#23 robpears on 09 Jan 2005 - 17:27

would be nice if u could plug it into your tv as well as the screen! or a mini projector lol

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