Apple Launches iPod Video

After many days of debate, the truth is out: Apple just launched a video iPod. The new iPod has a 2.5-inch LCD screen, plus a 30Gb hard drive that can apparently store up to 150 hours of video. The 30GB version is $299, and there’s also a slightly larger 60Gb model for $399. Apple claims a slightly disappointing 3 hours of battery life when playing back video. There is a video out port, but you need to buy the AV cable to watch the video on an external TV.
 
The new iPod plays back video that’s (not surprisingly) stored in the H.264 compression format that Apple has been championing. I’ll be intrigued to see how this looks in testing: I’ve been very impressed with the samples I’ve seen and the testing that I have done, but what it will look like on a small screen at 320 by 240 resolution  is another thing completely.  There's also a new version of iTunes (version 6) that can play back video and includes the ability to buy episodes of some TV shows for $1.99.
 
 
UPDATE: It seems that iTunes can't convert videos into the H.264 format that new iPod requires. Apple has posted a how-to here on doing it with Qucktime Pro, and most video editing apps should be able to do it as well with the right settings.
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