If you have QuickTime Pro 7.1.3 or later, just choose File > Export and then choose Movie to iPod from the Export pop-up menu to convert movies for use on a video-capable iPod.
If you have QuickTime Pro 7.0.3 to 7.1.2, it's still easy to convert movies to a format that will play on video-capable iPod, but it involves a few more steps. Before you convert a DV format movie using QuickTime's Movie to iPod exporter, it's a good idea to check the movie's display dimensions. DV format movies often need to be adjusted to a 4:3 aspect ratio (as described in the steps below). Doing this will ensure that the video of the resulting iPod-ready movie conforms to the proportions of the iPod's display.
Note: The following steps should be used with DV format movies. Most other formats do not require adjustment for use with QuickTime's Movie to iPod exporter.
- Open the your movie in QuickTime Player.
- From the Window menu, choose Show Movie Properties.
- In the Properties window, select the Video track.
- Select the Visual Settings button. (If you do not see the Visual Settings button, try selecting the Audio track, then reselect the Video track to refresh the button display.)
- Deselect the Preserve Aspect Ratio checkbox.
- Set the Scaled Size settings to 640 x 480 pixels.
- Press the Tab key on your keyboard to make sure that the numbers are registered after you typed them.
- If your movie has tracks other than Audio and Video listed in the upper portion of the Properties Window (such as timecode tracks or hint tracks), disable them by unchecking the corresponding boxes for any tracks other than Audio, Video and Quartz Composer tracks.
- Close the Properties window.
- From the File menu, choose Export.
- From the Export pop-up menu, choose Movie to iPod (320x240).
- Click Save to save your movie.
If your movie was not already at 640 x 480, you should see it change its shape slightly after entering the dimensions "640" and "480" in the Scaled Size fields. If your movie doesn't take the adjustment:
Additional Info
The DV format uses non-square pixels. When displayed on a television using DV equipment, the video automatically appears at a 4:3 ratio. But because your computer display has square pixels, the DV video is displayed with its geometric proportions slightly stretched when showing all pixels without interpolation.
Some software, like iMovie, makes a display adjustment automatically. But by default, QuickTime Player displays all pixels of DV format movies without interpolation, allowing for precise verification of DV video in professional workflows. This is by design, but it calls for compensation in cases such as the Movie to iPod exporter, which uses the movie's current aspect ratio for its input.
With NTSC video, the video will appear on the iPod with black bars above and below the video. If the source was DV PAL, the video will appear with black bars on either side when viewed on the iPod display. Use the steps above for both PAL and NTSC to ensure correct display of DV video when the destination is a 4:3, square-pixel display, such as the iPod.