Getting Video Out of the iPod (Color LCD) To TV

ByMike Moffit

Several companies make cables with a 1/8” jack on one end, and RCA jacks on the the other end for connecting an iPod video or iPod photo (color LCD) to a television or stereo.

RCA jacks are the common cables with red and white plugs (for left and right stereo audio), and a yellow plug (for composite video.)

Apple, Belkin, and Marware manufacturer and sell these cables, typically for $19.00 – $29.00.

My favorite of the bunch is made by Belkin. It’s very well built, and extremely easy to use – simply plug the 1/8” jack into the iPod video or iPod photo’s headphone port, or the line-out port on the iPod’s dock. Then connect the RCA plugs to your television or stereo. Within seconds, you can be watching video or a photo slideshow from the iPod on your television. Note that the iPod photo (4g) will only play photos and photo slideshows on the tv.

The show “Lost” begins it’s third season tomorrow. It’s one of my favorite TV shows currently in production. It’s also the only TV show I occasionally purchase from the iTunes Store. I don’t watch it on my iPod’s screen – I watch it on TV, via the Belkin AV cable. I have a friend who also loves “Lost,” but he lives in a rather remote part of VT where he does not receive the show. He bought the iTunes “Season Pass” for Lost, and used to watch it on his 17” PowerBook. Now, with his iPod video and the Belkin AV cable, he watches it on his big television. The iPod video and the iTunes store serve as a portable, multi-purpose Tivo-like device for him.

You can use the Belkin cable, or a similar cable, to watch movies stored on the iPod on your TV as well. This includes movies you purchase from the iTunes Store, or other iPod-compatible movies you have created, downloaded, or obtained.

See the Belkin cable here:

http://www.smalldog.com/product/40328

See Apple’s version here:

http://www.smalldog.com/product/33767

Similar Posts

  • Spruce Up Google Reader

    I found this nifty little trick while looking around Digg.com. It allows you to skin or theme Google Reader (http://reader.google.com) and it sure…

  • Effectively Use Apple's Knowledge Base

    By Art@Smalldog.com One resource I find myself turning to almost daily is Apple’s Knowledge Base website located from within Apple.com/Support. Being able to…

  • Security on the Mac

    by Matt@Smalldog.com (posted By Ed, written by Matt@Smalldog.com) A very vigilant customer bought a new Mac Mini over the weekend at our Burlington…

  • De-authorize your iTunes Account Before Hardware Repair or Sale

    Pretty much everyone has downloaded media from the iTunes store, but not too many of us know just how iTunes keeps track of computer authorization. Every device on the internet has at least two unique identifiers: a MAC address and an IP address.

    MAC is an acronym for Media Access Control. Many believe that Mac, the abbreviation for Macintosh, should be written with capital letters – this is incorrect. Likewise, iPod – not iPOD or IPOD; iMac – not iMAC or IMAC; etc. Network interfaces have MAC addresses; Macintoshes can be called Macs.

    Since your MAC address is completely unique, it’s the ideal way for iTunes to know that you’re authorized to play purchased content on any given machines. Trouble is, your ethernet port is part of the main logic board, which requires replacement in some repairs. With a new main logic board comes a new MAC address, which confuses iTunes and some other, generally high-end, software.

    You’re allowed to authorize up to five computers at any one time to play your purchased content, but replacing your logic board changes the MAC address. If you didn’t de-authorize before repair, you’ve lost 20% of your available authorizations. I made this mistake a few years ago when I had to replace the logic board in a Mac Mini hooked up to my television, and when I sold my iBook. I also lost an authorization when my two-week-old PowerBook G4 flew off the roof of my car at highway speed. Thankfully, iTunes allows you to de-authorize all computers on your account once annually.

    I only have one Machine these days, a 17-inch MacBook Pro, so this hasn’t been a problem of late for me. It’s a common question asked our technical support team, and a good fix to file in your troubleshooting arsenal.

    The full details from Apple can be found here: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1420

  • OS X Icons

    One of the things I enjoy about OS X is how much more customizable it is, and how easy it is to change…