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iPod camera connector: how technically?

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  • iPod camera connector: how technically?

    Hello,

    Apple is coming out with a new accessory for both the iPod photo, the new iPod, and as some rumours have it, even the existing iPod range (via firmware udpate). The accessory is a cable which should allow one to copy photos from a camera to the iPod:


    I personally like the compactness of this solution (had I known this feature would come, I wouldn't have bought the Blaupunkt MP3 player in my car, but an iPod )

    My question now is: how does it work?

    A lot of cameras do present themselves as a USB storage device, but not all of them offer this interface. Even for cameras that do, should we then consider that the iPod effectively becomes a USB master?
    Or is it more likely that they use some technology similar to that in USB memory copiers like this one: http://www.macally.com/new/new_syncbox.html ?

    But then how is it done for cameras that don't behave as USB storage (which if I'm not mistaken is the majority of consumer cameras, using the PTP interface) ?

    Any ideas?

    (other harddisk storage for cameras have a cardreader, and copy from that one)


    Jörg
    pixar
    Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die tomorrow. (James Dean)

  • #2
    Pretty simple really. The white connector under the iPod is just a "universal iPod connecter"-to-USB converter. Plug your camera's USB cable into the USB connection on the iPod camera connector, the other end into the camera, then I would guess that firmware upgrade would give you the option to make the iPod act as a USB recieve device. So you'd press a "sync" button on the iPod and it would look for that USB camera connection and then load a basic set of transfer tools.

    It's one of those things that are so simple it's genius.

    Jammrock
    “Inside every sane person there’s a madman struggling to get out”
    –The Light Fantastic, Terry Pratchett

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    • #3
      The iRiver H3xx already has a master USB port to connect a digicam
      System : ASUS A8N SLI premium, Athlon 64X2 3800+, 2Gb, T7K500 320Gb SATAII, T7K250 250Gb SATAII, T7K250 250Gb ATA133, Nec ND-3520, Plextor PX130A, SB Audigy 2, Sapphire Radeon X800 GTO, 24" Dell 2407WFP.

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      • #4
        hm... that would be EXTREMELY useful. Wonder if it will work with the 4th generation iPod (i have a 20GB which I carry around all the time, and a digicam w/only 256MB SD Card)

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        • #5
          My thoughts:

          The iPod is a firewire device. Firewire is an extremely snazzy protocol, and any two firewire devices can talk to each other as peers (no USB master/slave BS). That adapter is probably a firewire peer on one side, and a USB controller on the other.

          Chrono: Highly unlikely. Apple is notorious for making you buy new versions of things. The iPod is a great example. Your just might be capable of doing this, but your firmware is not. And Apple doesn't backport features. For example: The "extended battery life" of the newer iPods is all a software thing that the old iPods could do, but they're not being given.
          Gigabyte P35-DS3L with a Q6600, 2GB Kingston HyperX (after *3* bad pairs of Crucial Ballistix 1066), Galaxy 8800GT 512MB, SB X-Fi, some drives, and a Dell 2005fpw. Running WinXP.

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          • #6
            From what I've read the older iPods will be able to do it with a firmware update.
            “Inside every sane person there’s a madman struggling to get out”
            –The Light Fantastic, Terry Pratchett

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            • #7
              Jammrock: Yes, I've heard the same.

              Technically, would it work with camera's that don't support the 'usb storage protocol'? (i.e. the PTP cameras?)



              Jörg
              pixar
              Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die tomorrow. (James Dean)

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