There is nothing better than having your own personal sound track walking along the road with you, your favourite tunes following you around everywhere you go. Such is the main draw card of personal audio devices such as the Walkman, the Discman and nowadays the Ipod.

However new technology does often come with some problems, the most usual one being ease of use to the owner. Nothing could be more annoying than having this great piece of technology and not be able to take advantage of its features due to a lack of detailed instructions in how to use it.

I must admit I did have some trouble downloading music from my computer to my Ipod when I first got it, so once I had it all figured out I thought a quick guide on how to download music from the computer to an Ipod would probably be quite appreciated. I hope this guide makes your Ipod experience that much easier.

So the first step is obviously having music on your computer to download to your Ipod. Music can be obtained via various methods, either by downloading them from a subscriber site or converting your cd collection to mp3 via a conversion program. I have included a link to some great subscriber sites at the end of this article, some of which come with bonus converting software on signup which will allow you to convert your whole cd collection to digital mp3 form.

The next step is of course to find the song or video you want to watch on the subscriber site. Once you have found the desired file, make sure you choose the Video Ipod/ Sony PSP download option. This is simply to ensure that you get the correct file type to be watched on your Ipod. Then you'll need to download the file to a place on your computer, it is best to create a folder called Ipodfiles or something similar so you will know exactly where they are. If of course you are using conversion software to convert your cd collection then the software will lead you through the process.

Once you have your music or movie on your computer, it is then time to connect your Ipod to your computer via its USB cord. On most newer computers there is a USB port at the front of the computer, otherwise it will be at the back just below where you plug in your keyboard and mouse.

Open the Apple iTunes application. Select 'Add File to Library' from the 'File' menu in the iTunes application. Browse your computer for the song you previously downloaded and click 'Open.' Then Click 'Edit,' then click 'Preferences in the iTunes application. Once that is done click the 'iPod' tab, then click 'Songs,' and then 'Automatically update all Songs.' Lastly, you should click 'OK.'

This is where Apples Itunes software really comes into its own, as it will do all the work for you from this point on. It will automatically download all the music onto your Ipod for you, then all you need to do is select the file in your Ipod and you'll be good to go.

If all instructions above have been followed correctly you should have been able to successfully download a movie on your Ipod, and been able to watch it. As you can see, it is not a complicated process and you should be able to achieve this quite easily.

As mentioned above, one of the most important parts of this process is picking the right subscriber site. The wrong one will not have the selection you desire, and could end up costing you more than you are willing to pay if it charges download fees. So I have created a small page with links to two great Ipod sites which do not charge download fees and have a massive selection of songs and movies. But don't take my word for it, check them out for yourself and pick the right one for you.