College junior Andrew McGregor said he was heartbroken when he had to say goodbye to his two housecats and leave for college. But now he carries his pets everywhere, to class, to the library and even to the gym -- battery permitting.
McGregor has over 100 video clips of his cats loaded onto his iPod, and he watches them daily in full color and sound on its two-and-a-half inch screen.
"I can listen to Blink 182 and watch Loki and Thor eat catnip," said McGregor. "It's sweet."
For Penn students like McGregor, portable video devices have become a staple technology.
Though the portable video technology has caught on quickly, it is a recent innovation. Apple Computer only began offering models of its iPod music player that feature a video playback capability last fall.
College sophomore Julie Roumm replaced her old iPod with the video model this winter.
"I use [my iPod] more now," said Roumm, who recently downloaded some episodes of Saved by the Bell. "It's really nice for traveling."
But for some Penn students, the video feature seems pointless.
College junior Amy Foxman said she does not watch movies on her device because the screen is tiny and the battery drains too quickly.
Video iPod owners like Roumm can download music videos and television episodes for $1.99 each at Apple's iTunes Music Store. The iPod can also play home videos after the files have been formatted by software that comes with the player.
But iPods are not the only pocket theaters on the market.
Sony's Playstation Portable handheld console plays movies and games, and many cinema studios -- including Disney, Warner Bros. and Twentieth Century Fox -- have released versions of their films to play on these devices.
Video iPod and Playstation Portable owner and College junior Prateek Sharma prefers the PSP for watching movies.
"If I want to watch video, I'm going to use the PSP," Sharma said. "The screen is better and the battery can run much longer."
Mobile phone companies are utilizing the technology as well.
Samsung and Nokia have released cell phones that are capable of receiving streaming video and TV signals.
Users should be careful, though, to recognize the differences between listening to a song and watching a movie.
IPod users often like to run while listening to music, but they should avoid doing the same with video, said Eric Alefeld, an employee at Myer-Emco Audio Video in Bethesda, Md.
"For audio, it's perfect. But watching video while running is hazardous," said Alefeld. "I don't recommend it."
Last fall, the Penn Biology Department started posting lecture recordings --in MP3 format --for a few introductory classes on Blackboard, but for now students shouldn't expect any video.
"I think the faculty would rather not" post video, said Linda Robinson, the instructional-lab coordinator in the Biology Department. "The main reason will be that it will discourage lecture attendance."
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