I bought an old 30gb iPod video 5G to load up and leave in my car for the AVIC. Loaded it with all my music & videos. When I tried to play a video I found that the iPod's output is 4:3. There are no settings on the iPod to choose the TV out aspect ratio. From what I can tell, the iPod can only replicate what is shown on its screen through the iPod cable.

I've messed with all the settings on the Avic & the iPod but haven't found anything that will give me a real 16:9 output that fills the screen without stretching anything. The videos I'm playing are from the iTunes store and are shown at 16:9 on the computer screen, iPhone, and everywhere else.

Here are the combinations I have tried:

AVIC setting: Normal

iPod setting: Widescreen OFF

Result: 4:3 picture with black pillars on the sides

AVIC setting: Normal

iPod setting: Widescreen ON

Result: 16:9 picture with a thick black border all around. Basically a letter boxed (bars on top and bottom) widescreen output at 4:3 and displayed as 4:3 on a wide screen...so the pillars from the first scenario are there.

AVIC setting: Full

iPod setting: Widescreen OFF

Result: 4:3 stretched to fill the screen. The only way to fill the whole screen.

AVIC setting: Full

iPod setting: Widescreen ON

Result: Letterboxed 16:9 signal stretched horizontally to fill the screen. Black bars on top and bottom.

I'm out of ideas. I've been researching for 2 days and have read about people getting the iPod to display video properly (viewtopic.php?f=58&t=27266&p=188673). I have connected my iPhone and have been able to play 16:9 video just fine with it which leads me to believe that it may be a limitation of the iPod, and that would suck...because the iPod classic does not charge with our Pioneer iPod cable. Maybe there is some kind of hack for the iPod.

i had this same problem but with my ipod touch, what i figured out is(not sure if ipod video works the same) if on my ipod touch(disconnect from deck) i full screen it so the letter boxes dont show on my ipod and then i connect to my deck it will show full screen but if i do it other way(widescreen on ipod) it will show it widescreen on the pioneer screen. try it out let me know if that works

The iPod touch actually has a setting for the output aspect ratio. It's under Settings -> iPod -> Widescreen [ON]

My iPhone shows the video just fine (correct aspect ratio, filling the screen) but I want the iPod to have a bunch of music videos on it...thats why i got a 30gb one...my iPhone is only 8gb.

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