Just a quick thought today…almost more of a half-baked idea than a full-fledged field tested tip. For the last year, I’ve become quite fond of using my iPod with an 1/8″ to dual-XLR cable as a source of test signal (usually using Apple Lossless encoded files) for checking sound systems, both in the shop and outside. When possible I use a dock or PocketDock to get line level and bypass the headphone amp, but in the shop I’ll often just go straight out of the headphone jack in a pinch.
Anyway, I lately was forced to exchange my old 20 gig for a new 30 gig video iPod when I brought it to Best Buy via my extended warranty. (No, I’m not joking, I do mean forced…it meant needing a new case, and that my iPod no longer fits snugly in my dock, which was bought before the Universal Dock was introduced. I’m not happy.) So, while testing some video gear for a recent build at the shop, it occurred to me, why not use the video out of the iPod to supply video test material, as well?
For just verification of basic operation, any video should work. I’m still trying to see if you can get an accurate enough set of color bars out of the thing to actually adjust the color on a monitor (I’d do this as a photo rather than video file, but I don’t think there’s a way to load a TIF on and send it out the A/V jack without converting it to the iPod’s native compression); I’m pretty confident that you could accurately use a grayscale pattern, though (although I’m willing to be proven wrong).
Anyway, it’s been rolling around in my mind for a while now, so I figured I’d throw it out there…I’m actually thinking about going and getting a naked 4-conductor connector so I can make a nice 1/8″ to BNC cable for my iPod. LOL, if anybody else wants one, drop me a line and I’ll see about making a few up :o)
–A
P.S.-So, anybody with a 20 gb 4G iPod want to trade a dock? Or anybody with a 20 or 40 gb 4G interested in buying a used Contour Designs Showcase? E-mail me at the link on the right…
Out of curiosity, what audio tracks do you play to do your testing?
I’ve needed to set this up for myself for a long while, and never found the time. Plus everytime I think to ask our audio guy we’re on site and way too busy!
Have you considered getting a dock connector cable and adding Audio and Video out connectors to it? As I recall, the cables Apple sells have all 30 wires in them.
Chris–lemme get back to you on that later in the week, because that’s a full post in and of itself. The short version, though, is that you want to use tracks that you know well and that are well-engineered and pretty evenly full range. A couple from my current test CD/playlist include “Let’s Get Mesolithic” by Eddie From Ohio, “River Won’t Flow” from Jason Robert Brown’s “Songs for a New World”, Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer”, and Santana’s “Maria Maria” (this one’s not really evenly full range, but it’s very solidly engineered, and a great low-end workout. More detail on the why’s, and lots more songs, to follow…
Mike–Can’t say I have, but that cable’s a lot more expensive than the 1.8″ connector, and I’m too lazy to try to figure out the pinout of it , LOL. Not to mention that I don’t actually want video and audio together at the same time….one more dangling end to put strain on connectors. I’d actually rather have two separate adaptors.
I really liked the PocketDock that only had an 1/8″ line level out, but now it looks like you need to get one that has both that and a firewire or USB out. Grr.
–A