Some questions about Rockbox running on 5.5g ipod video

[Sanek]

Hi,

I'm really impressed with the features offered by rockbox.

I'm thinking about putting it on my 5.5g ipod video, but I'm still unclear about few things.

1) I've read that the Rockbox can be used in conjunction with Apple's Firmare that came with the ipod, how well does this work? Would I be able to easily switch between Apple's OS and Rockbox without flashing my ipod every time?

2) Does Rockbox support any other video formats besides the mpeg support offered by the MPEG Player plugin? I would very much like to still be able to play my .m4v and .mp4 files that I've encoded for my ipod already.

3) Before the installation process, can I backup my ipod's firmware, so I would be able to "roll back" if something goes wrong?

Also I don't have ITunes installed, I've been using Winamp instead of ITunes to sync my iPod, so I hope this wouldn't cause any problems.

Thank You in Advance!

[AlexP]

1)  You don't flash the iPod at all, and yes Rockbox will dual boot the original firmware.

2)  No, but becuase of the large screen and slow processor + we don't use the Broadcom chip you are better watching video in the OF.

3)  Yes, and it won't go wrong, but at the worst you can iTunes restore.

4)  Rockbox doesn't use the iTunes database (it is for lots of players beside iPod).  The rockbox database will scan file tags no matter how you put music on it, or you can just copy and paste and browse by filetree.

[GodEater]

1) I've read that the Rockbox can be used in conjunction with Apple's Firmare that came with the ipod, how well does this work? Would I be able to easily switch between Apple's OS and Rockbox without flashing my ipod every time?

No flashing is done at ALL in the install process for a start. Secondly, the rockbox bootloader, once installed, allows you to choose whether you want to run Rockbox or Apple's firmware whenever you turn the ipod on.

2) Does Rockbox support any other video formats besides the mpeg support offered by the MPEG Player plugin? I would very much like to still be able to play my .m4v and .mp4 files that I've encoded for my ipod already.

No it doesn't.

3) Before the installation process, can I backup my ipod's firmware, so I would be able to "roll back" if something goes wrong?

The tool which we have for installing the bootloader will allow you to do this yes - but it's an advanced feature, and simply double clicking the program as is instructed in the manual will not allow you to do so - you'll need to run it from the command line with some other arguments.

Also I don't have ITunes installed, I've been using Winamp instead of ITunes to sync my iPod, so I hope this wouldn't cause any problems.

It won't cause any issues.

[Sanek]

Thank you very much for your replies!

I followed the manual and the installation went smoothly

I tried using Rockbox Util QT to install Rockbox, but it kept saying "ipod not found" during the install process.

ipodpatcher detected everything automatically and installed patched boot loader without any problems.

The problem I'm having though is that the keys don't work very well in plugins.

I've tried two plugins so far:
Demystify Demo - menu key does not work, I can't quit it. Other keys work fine.
Doom - once I enter the game, none of the keys work. Voice is off.

The only way to exit to main menu is by restarting the ipod.

I used the current rockbox build from http://build.rockbox.org/

I'm going to google this bug in hopes it happened before.

I'm also can't find the lcd screen brightness settings (hopefully there are some).

//Edit: Found out how to quit demystify demo. The manual says to press the MENU button, however that does nothing. You have to press MENU+SELECT buttons together.

Problem with doom only seems to affect Freedoom. I tried to run Doom II and it seems to work fine - a bit slow, but fine.

//Edit 2: Big problem! After shutting down my ipod from rockbox, it doesn't want to startup any more!

Before I shut it down, the battery indicator showed approx 50% battery remaining.

The problem is exactly the same described here:
http://forums.rockbox.org/index.php?topic=12418.0

[Chronon]

In Doom you need to flick the Hold switch on and off to bring up the menu.  Then you will be able to start a game or choose other options from the game menu.  This is also where you will find the option to quit.  I haven't had any problems running FreeDoom.

[Sanek]

//Edit 2: Big problem! After shutting down my ipod from rockbox, it doesn't want to startup any more!

Before I shut it down, the battery indicator showed approx 50% battery remaining.

The problem is exactly the same described here:
http://forums.rockbox.org/index.php?topic=12418.0

Is there any known fix for this? The ipod appears completely dead  

[GodEater]

It's the same fix as we give to everyone else.

Charge your ipod for a LONG time - at *least* two hours before you try anything else.

*Then* do a hard reset by doing the following :

Hold switch to on.
Hold switch to off.
Press and hold both MENU and SELECT for at least 30 seconds, or until your ipod restarts.

[Sanek]

It's the same fix as we give to everyone else.

Charge your ipod for a LONG time - at *least* two hours before you try anything else.

*Then* do a hard reset by doing the following :

Hold switch to on.
Hold switch to off.
Press and hold both MENU and SELECT for at least 30 seconds, or until your ipod restarts.

Thank you, that brought it back to life.

Although I don't believe that this had anything to do with battery life in my case. The ipod was fully charged when I started using it and the battery was at about 50% charge when I shut down Rockbox.

Could this be a bug related to 5.5g 30GB video ipods?
Also, The LCD screen is always so bright in Rockbox, is there a way to lower its brightness, so it wouldn't drain as much power and be easier on the eyes? I've read about this setting being implemented in other Rockbox builds before, but I can't seem to be able to find it in mine


Overall, the "Rockbox" experience wasn't bad, it enhanced capabilities of my ipod considerably. I wish the MPEG files and the gb/gbc emulator worked faster, but I guess its the limitation of the iPods - not enough CPU.

Thank you!

[Febs]

Could this be a bug related to 5.5g 30GB video ipods?

It is indeed a bug related to iPods, but it is not limited to the 5.5g 30GB iPods, and it is not a Rockbox bug.  It's a bug in the Apple firmware.