[adobephile]

I got a black one with engraved back for my birthday. It's fantastic!
I'm glad I waited for this baby after all of its predecessors. Though some have complained about watching video on its small screen, I LIKE it! What I like is the convenience and the sound quality. For those rare movies I want to watch again, Handbrake lets me encode them from the DVDs and put on my 'Pod.
If you practice a little you can scrub through the movie right to the minute and second.
The 60GB capacity is, of course, awesome, too.
I just got a Speck Products "Tough Skin" for it, and now my mind is at ease knowing that it's substantially protected from scratches, and maybe even a drop or two.
This is one of those Dick Tracey-esque science fiction concepts come true. Thanks, Steve, and Apple for making it happen!

[Nobody]

In reply to:

---

Thanks, Steve, and Apple for making it happen!

---

Wonder if Steve is equally thankful for your $400! /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
I use the previous 60GB version and I find it adequate... I've never had the desire to squint at such devices for hours watching movies and use it exclusively for audio or as an external FW drive for temporary storage of files to transport between home and work. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
For these devices, I tend to skip several generations... my first one was the third generation, I think. I will wait a while for the next one when they might have a serious upgrade, such as touch screen PDA or some such... and perhaps completely solid-state with large capacity. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[adobephile]

So there you have it yet again. One man's ceiling is another man's floor.
While I don't feel the need to squint at my iPod's screen, I also feel I waited just long enough to avail myself more fully of Apple's great Digital Hub system, for which my $400 was a worthwhile investment.
I not only get to watch movies, I get to subscribe via ITMS to video podcasts which are educational, and take those and my music with me to enjoy wherever I am to make the odd "wait" or "idle" periods more endurable and more productive and enjoyable.
I, too, would welcome a touch-screen solid state PDA/phone, but I can use what I have now in the mean time, and when such a marvel does appear, I can recycle my 5g to a family member, just like I would one of my Macs.

[Nobody]

Addendum: To be fair, I should add that I see relatively very few movies, in general and it has been years since I looked at the TV... perhaps, my perceptions and priorities are slightly skewed compared to many others.

[daGrip]

I can relate. My 5g 60GB is great. I bought white with " iTunes inside" engraved. I went with a http://iFrogz.com case kit. They're way cool!
This is my second iPod, I also have a U2 mini which I am going to mount in a custom frame.

[Federalist]

I love mine too. It's just like yours down to the color and the Speck Toughskin. I bought the first generation iPod when it came out and never felt a need to buy another until the 5th gen. I've been dreaming about video since day one. The resolution is fine for TV comedies, documentaries, and educational/instructional shows. I prefer more resolution for the crime dramas and feature films. The video podcasts are wonderful. I'm addicted to a reality show from BornToSalsa.com (you have to be into Salsa dance to fully appreciate it).
I would like an easier way to rip DVD's into a playlist that contains each chapter as a separate file. That way I could jump straight to the topic or scene I want. Also, I would like to get a goggle with a display built-in that could simulate a larger screen and so I don't have to hold the iPod in my hand.

[Federalist]

In my last post, I said, "I would like an easier way to rip DVD's into a playlist that contains each chapter as a separate file. That way I could jump straight to the topic or scene I want."
OK, since I wrote that I discovered that a program called Metadata Hootenanny can read chapter markings from the DVD and insert them into the MP4 metadata. So, all we need is for the iPod to be able to read the metadata so we can jump to the chapter we want.
Also, it would be nice if I could keep a chapter in flash ram so that I can watch it repeatedly without having to keep spinning up the hard drive. That's what drains the battery.
There are already a few companies that make glasses with tiny LCD screens built into them. They are all only 320x240 for now and sell for around $200-300 each. That sounds much better than holding the iPod in your hand for an entire movie. After an hour of holding it up, even something as light as an iPod can feel very heavy.