The new iPod is not called the iPod video for good reason. It seems to lack certain features you would expect from a video player, such as fast-forward and rewind. That last bit is heresay, but what I do know for sure is that iTunes has a way to go before the real iPod video makes its debut. iTunes video playback, by default, is in the album art viewer in the bottom-left. For a music video, or something else you’re not really watching, this works, but for an episode of Lost? I don’t think so. Full-screen is a button away, which is somewhat funny to me because QuickTime doesn’t support full-screen without going pro or an annoying script hack.

Then there’s the issue of the iTMS content. Five shows may not be much, but it’s a start. The issue of HD is difficult, because I prefer HD over standard def, and I do notice the difference, especially when watching it on my computer (which is the majority of the time). The trouble is, of course, that HD would take quite long to download compared to standard, even when using h.264. The other problem is the iPod - it can’t play an HD file nor store very many on it. Thus, in order to allow transfer to the iPod, there are a few possibilities:

  • The local machine would scale the video down as needed
  • The download would include an HD version and a SD version
  • The store offers two versions: HD and SD

Each of these has problems. The first would take extra time in to process the video, on the order of hours for slower machines. The second would increase the file size for both video-ready iPod owners and others. Since iTunes doesn’t allow redownloading of previously purchased music (for free), you couldn’t download just the HD version unless you know you’ll never buy a video-ready iPod (or are willing to pay for the show again). The third option would probably just confuse people, and would take away from the simplicity that is the draw of the iPod and iTunes for many people.

The solution? The current state of affairs - SD only - is a solution, but one that I feel slightly bad about. I feel wary of buying the entire season of a show on iTunes because, for a comparable price, I can buy the DVDs and use them in my DVD player, computer, rip them, copy them, use HandBrake to put them on my (non-existent) video-ready iPod, or whatever. What I hope happens is that by the time the iPod video comes around, there will be a good selection of video from the iTMS and that Apple takes one of the routes outlined above to make HD possible.

Update: In keeping with the playback for music, the new iPod supports scrubbing in video exactly as it does in audio according to an Ars article.