Connecting an external hard drive to an iPod?

No, there is no cord. There are some "HD" devices available that include wifi and with the app provided by the drive manufacturer you can access and save files/media to/from the drive unit and the iPod. The iPod has to use the app since native apps on the iPod can't access the device.

Here is one such device

lllaass wrote:

Here is one such device

Where?

tt2

Opps, forgot to add the link

http://www.seagate.com/products/media-video-storage/home-media-storage/wireless/

Thanks. 🙂

tt2

I know this kind of thing is becoming popular and I have no experience with them. I can see somebody saying, "Oh great, now I can use my 500 GB of iTunes movies with this external hard drive just like I can do with my computer." I don't think it will work that way. For one, you have to use Apple software to play those movies. Then too (and this is where I am uncertain) even if you copy those movies to your player I don't think those movies would be accessible to the Movie player.

Correct, the wifi drives only allow playing non-DRM media since you can't import the media into an Apple native app on the iPod like the Music or Videos app. iTunes purchas4d vides are DRM protected. You can iTunes purchased music since it is not DRM protected but yo have to use an app provided by the wifi disk manufacturer

Can you play the music files imported from the external with the Music app? (I don't own an i-anything so I am approaching this purely from an academic standpoint.) I seem to recall somebody wanting to play music files downloaded from Dropbox and being told they would have to use a third party player, but perhaps they were misinformed?

Correct, you need a third-party player. The only way to get music into the native Music app is to purchase/redownload via iTunes store or to sync from your iTunes library

Okay, so to summarize (for me and for others): You cannot use the media files on the storage device itself, they have to be downloaded to the i-device. The downloaded media files can only be played with a third party player and will not be part of the iTunes media collection playable with the Music or Movies app on the device. Because you have to use a third party player you will not be able to play DRM-protected media sourced from the external storage drive. This means, for example, you will not be able to play iTunes Store movies stored on this drive.

Limnos wrote:

You cannot use the media files on the storage device itself, they have to be downloaded to the i-device.

Depends on the drive and its associated App. Some will allow you to play content straight form the external drive through their own App, without having to download it to the iDevice

http://www.cnet.com/topics/storage/best-hard-drives-and-storage/best-mobile-wire less-drives/