Just recently I decided to upgrade my Ipod from my previous 2nd gen 4GB Nano to a 4th Gen 16GB Nano. And my main use for the Ipod is for my Avic D3. With the 2nd Gen Nano I was happy because it was very compatible with the D3. So I figured I would get a new one with a large capacity to hold more music. Then came the disappointments. First I discovered that the 4th Gen Nano doesn't charge in the D3. Then I learned that while the 4th Gen Nano holds Video, it doesn't play it in the D3.

Now I am pissed, because I feel like I wasted money on this thing and was better off with old 2nd Gen Nano. And to make matters worse I gave it away thinking that I had a newer better one.

So my question is, are there any new versions of the IPods that will charge in the D3? Will the Classic?

I can't help you with the Nano series since I know next to nothing about them.

However, since you're also considering the Classic, the best classic iPod to get for HU use is the 5th gen. It is the most compatible and will play unencrypted video from its output. The new aluminum face Classic iPods have an encrypted video output and requires a special video cable with a chip.

There is also a 5.5g version which is the same, but has a brighter screen. This won't matter if you're going to use it primarily in your car.

Thanks for the tip.

Hi all

According to me iPod classic 120GB is the best iPod. IPod classic holds up to 30,000 songs and hundreds of hours of video. Which means you can take your entire entertainment library with you everywhere you go.

...except that it has the exact same incompatibilities that the OP is asking about.

You'll need to get the 5G iPod. It charges & plays video. However, it doesn't support widescreen video output (the widescreen option in the iPod menu just letterboxes a 4:3 output on the 5G). So you have to letterbox on the iPod then select Wide Mode "Zoom" on the D3 to get a widescreen video to fill the screen without stretching. It looks slightly blocky but it's passable.

I usually just encode widescreen as anamorphic. They'll look horizontally squished on the iPod screen, but since I encode them ONLY for viewing on the HU, they look perfect there.