I used to be quite skeptical of iPod docks. I preferred just plugging the iPod directly into a stereo system using a wire anyone can buy at RadioShack. (In case youre scratching your head, its the Y-shaped wire with the headphone jack on one end and the red and white stereo jacks on the other.) But Digital Lifestyle Outfitters has introduced two successive docks that make me understand the benefits. The brand new HomeDock Deluxe will help maximize both the audio and video capabilities of your iPod.
Plug the HomeDock Deluxe into your TV set and/or home-theater system then slide your iPod onto it. When you turn on the TV, you see an easy-to-navigate interface that lets you browse through all of the audio tracks on your iPod, be they protected files or plain-old MP3s. Like its predecessor, the Deluxe comes with a remote control. I especially liked being able to find a playlist with 100+ songs, start playing a song then, with one tap, putting the whole playlist into shuffle mode. That simple maneuver usually takes four or five clicks with the iPods own interface. I also liked the fact that, by holding the up or down arrows, you can zip through long lists of artists or songs. Unlike other similar interfaces, this one doesnt take 20 minutes to get to the letter "S".
Sound quality is great, of course, as good as youd expect from a stereo dock that costs $150. Surprisingly, video quality is pretty good too.
I mentioned that the HomeDock on-screen interface lets you browse through music, but I didn't mention video. Thats because you have to switch modes to play videos (assuming you have a video-capable iPod). Press a button on the remote and the DLO interface disappears. Go over to the iPod itself and browse through your videos. You can use your remote to scroll through the iPod menus until you find a video. When you play it, it will appear on your TV screen. Its a little cumbersome compared to the on-screen music interface, but its not painful.
While we're on the subject of iPods and iTunes, I wanted to draw your attention to a cool, unusual development. Coinstar, operators of those machines in grocery stores that turn your loose change into crisp bills for a percentage, is now giving iTunes credit for change. Best of all, they dont take out a percentage. In other words, if you bring in roughly $20 in change and take iTunes credit instead of cash, you get a gift-certificate code to enter when you re in the iTunes Music Store — and you walk away with a dollar or two (that is, a song or two) more than you might otherwise. Coinstar has also partnered with other retailers to turn change into commission-free gift certificates, so you might want to check it out.