Q: I recently purchased a cable to connect my iPod with a TV. During a slideshow you can hear the music and see the pictures, and videos display fine on the TV. I was wondering: is there is a way to get the iPod’s “Now Playing” display screen to show album artwork, song title, artist, album title, etc. on the TV?
– Phil
A: Built-in iPod on-screen menu navigation and display of the “Now Playing” screen are things we’ve been longing for ever since Apple’s original iPod photo docks had the capability to output an AV signal – and more so with the Universal Dock’s built-in remote sensor.
Still, there is no official Apple solution, nor do we have any indication that we’ll be getting one. In lieu of this, there are three alternate solutions that exist for displaying iTunes content on a larger screen complete with menuing systems and “Now Playing” progress indicators. First – although least likely to satisfy your needs – is Apple’s computer-based solution for Macs, Front Row. There’s also the newly-announced AppleTV, which places an updated Front Row-style interface on a widescreen TV. It can operate both as a stationary, wirelessly-synchronized 40GB iPod, and as wireless streaming client, pulling content from up to 5 other iTunes libraries.
The solution most likely to please users wanting to use their existing iPods with their TVs is a full dock-and-remote system like DLO’s HomeDock Deluxe, which offers both on-screen menu navigation and a “Now Playing”-like progress display with album art.
