That�s right; you can watch your favorite movies while working on your tan this summer. You already take your iPod with you to the beach to listen to music; now you can use your MP3 to watch movies as well. There�s no better way to pass the time than to relax and watch your favorite flicks. Thanks to the iPod, you can watch them everywhere and anywhere. You won�t even disturb the people right next to you, because you will be listening to the sound through your ear buds.

Anyone who already has an iPod knows how great they are for listening to music; many people don�t realize you can watch videos and movies on them too. You should definitely maximize the benefits of owning an iPod by using them to view movies too. Many of the iPod models come equipped able to receive downloaded movies, but some do not. Before you can begin the process of downloading, you�ll need to find out if your model of iPod is movie-compatible. This can be simply determined by visiting the Apple website � there you�ll find a complete list of the iPod models, their specifications and capabilities.

Watching movies on your iPod as you commute to and from work will make the time fly by. Many people spend two hours (or more) on the train; you can easily watch a full movie each and every day during that time. You can only read so many magazines and complete so many crossword puzzles before you lose interest. It may be time to start watching full-length films instead.

The majority of video and movie files are not currently in MP4 format; rather you�ll find them as MPEG MPG, AVI files (and the like) which are not iPod-compatible. This will not prohibit you from being able to watch them on your MP3 player, but first you will have to convert the files into the MP4 format and it is pretty easy to do, really. You simply need a converter software program � most can convert any video file (like those mentioned above) into an MP4 iPod compatible format.

All of these will do the trick and you will lose very little (if any) video quality during the conversion process. The software will lead you step-by-step through the conversion process. The instructions are clear easy to understand, even for those of us who don�t have a tremendous amount of computer experience. Converting a movie typically takes a short time only; speed will depend partly upon what type of internet connection you have.

The software you require can be found at a number of sites, including iTunes 7.0, iPod Blender, MP3 Rocket � and that�s just a few of the many out there. Maximize your iPod�s potential; use it as a portable music AND movie device.

Isaiah Henry is a download movies expert writer for Movies and Downloads, which offers movie lovers free tips, reviews and other resources on movie sites, such as CinemaNow.