Putting a DVD movie onto an iPod (with Video)

This is the process I found that works really well for putting a DVD movie onto an iPod. I am using my Macbook, of course, in this process.
1. Download MediaFork (which was called Handbrake) from http://handbrake.m0k.org/?page_id=8
2. Install this application, for the Mac it was super easy, like it always is, just let the .dmg open up and run the MediaFork.app

After launching MediaFork.app, you’re asked for the DVD or you can go browse for any DVDs that you ripped previously to VIDEO_TS/, .iso, .img, etc.

3. Insert the DVD into your DVD drive. If the movie starts to play, just quit DVD Player on your Mac.
4. Click “Open” and MediaFork will scan the titles.

5. Now, the default values work fine for me, so just click “Rip” and off it runs…

Here’s an image during the progress of the rip…

When MediaFork is done, you’ll have an MP4 version of your DVD and you can add that directly to your iTunes library and then sync it to your iPod. The average time to rip to MP4 from a DVD is about 45 minutes on my Macbook 2.0GHz/1GB RAM.

Your mileage may vary…

Enjoy!

Enjoying my new iPod (5th Generation)

Since I’m an Apple Authorized Business Agent I decided I needed to own an iPod Shuffle, iPod Nano, and a iPod (with Video). So, my first purchase was the iPod. I ordered black and had some business engraving put on the back. I ordered this product on a Thursday and it arrived bright and early Monday morning (using Free shipping option). So early that the FedEx delivery person woke me from a sound sleep. I didn’t realize FedEx got out there so early in the morning.
I was completely psyched to get this bad-boy hooked up. So, off I ran to my office… This was THE easiest iPod to get setup and start syncing. I think it took me all of about 2 minutes. I sync with the iTunes library on my Macbook (2.0 GHz/1MB RAM); it just worked!! Read my next post which will get into the details of getting a DVD movie onto your iPod.

Podcast only plays one time on my iPod

I was asked a question the other day. “Why does my podcast only play once on my iPod and then it’s gone?” As an AABA I knew I better go figure this out. It might be obvious to some but if you’re new to the iPods here’s a great short read from the Apple podcast tip site. Go about half way down the page to the bold heading of Play it again (and again). Better yet, I’ve copied the instructions locally now!

*update*
Before this linked page disappears, I figured I better reproduce the instructions here, well here it is:

Play it again (and again)
Once an episode is finished downloading, a blue dot appears to the left of the podcast, indicating that it has not yet been played. As soon as you begin to play the podcast, the blue dot disappears. When the blue dot disappears, it’s a reminder that the episode will be automatically removed from your iPod the next time you sync it with your computer. If you want to make sure the episode stays on your iPod, right-click it and choose “mark as unread”.