Podsize Widget
Podsize v0.2 is here! Bigger and better than ever.
According to the official iPod tech specs, video formats for iPod are constrained by maximum video dimensions/resolution of 640x480 for H.264 and MPEG-4 formats. In practice this restriction is actually set at 307,200 pixels (being 640*480) regardless of the video dimensions, the upshot being so long as you stay below this limit - you can encode video in widescreen formats (16:9 etc) at higher resolutions that you might at first think.
Podsize is a widget for Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger that allows you to check the dimensions of your video prior to encoding to ensure it will be compatible with your iPod.
Using Podsize
On the front, enter your chosen video dimensions into the appropriate boxes, select a constraint (4:3, 16:9 etc) and Podsize will let you know whether or not your video is iPod-compatible.
You can also "bump" your video dimensions up and down using the controls at the bottom of the widget.
On the back of the widget, you can swap between H.264 and MPEG-4 video and customise Podsize to match your iPod.
Requirements & Installation Instructions
Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger is required. If you're using Safari, click the download link. When the widget download is complete, Show Dashboard, click the Plus sign to display the Widget Bar and click the widget's icon in the Widget Bar to open it.
If you're using a browser other than Safari, click the download link. When the widget download is complete, unarchive it and place it in /Library/Widgets/ in your home folder. Show Dashboard, click the Plus sign to display the Widget Bar and click the widget's icon in the Widget Bar to open it.
Requires Mac OS X 10.4 'Tiger', though if your not running Mac OS X you can always use the original, online version of Podsize.
Screenshots
What's new?
- Maximum dimensions for iPod have been increased inline with the increase in video capability with firmware 1.2 for 5th and 6th generation iPod.
- H.264 is now the default encoding option
- Bump buttons have been restyled
- An update function has been included to make sure that your Podsize widget is current
- Input boxes on Podsize have been increased making it easier to read
- The widget file size has been reduced 372kb to 172 kb