FIRMWARE FOR IPOD VIDEO · 0.1.5 DEV

Old iPod.
New form.

Your music. Physical buttons. An interface worth exploring.

Forma is our firmware built on Rockbox and PodBox. It gives iPod Video a fresh interface and more control over your sound.

Explore Forma ↗How to install
iPod Video 5.5 Enhanced · A1136Forma — main menu
Actual simulator screen · illustrated iPod
5 / 5.5iPod Video · A1136
10 bandsParametric equalizer
4 profilesYour headphone settings
PL / ENPolish and English
Take a look inside

Fewer distractions.
More listening.

Light and dark looks, readable artwork and click-wheel control. Pick a screen to explore.

Forma — Home
Home · Music, visualizer and equalizer.

Actual native Forma simulator captures. Some views come from earlier 0.1.x versions; audio and profile screens are from 0.1.5. Sample files and track information. Captures show the Polish interface.

Make the sound yours

Shape your sound.
Understand the path.

01

10-band equalizer

Adjust gain, frequency and Q. A vertical band view, presets and a quick on/off control.

02

Headphone profiles

Four named slots for your EQ, headroom and volume limit. Slots start empty — you create the settings.

03

Automatic EQ headroom

Accounts for overlapping filters with a level margin. Set a manual minimum; EQ switches off if required headroom exceeds its limit.

04

Two-page audio path

Source codec and properties, mixer rate, PCM output, ReplayGain, resampling and active audio processing.

05

Your offline library

Local music files, album and artist browsing, folders, history and playlists. MP3, FLAC and formats supported by Rockbox.

06

Light or dark

Two coherent interface styles, Polish characters and an English interface. The click wheel stays in charge.

See your music

Three views.
One track.

The visualizer uses real PCM samples. Choose an eight-band spectrum, waveform or stereo VU meters.

The displays are illustrative, not calibrated measurement instruments. Analysis runs while the visualizer is open.

Forma — Spectrum
Forma — Audio path
Keep the click wheel

Familiar controls.
New possibilities.

  • Wheel: navigate menus and adjust values.
  • PLAY: pause or resume playback.
  • Centre button in the player: Cover Flow.
  • Hold the centre button: audio path information.
  • MENU: go back and access options.

Forma runs on the iPod. PodDock runs on your computer and manages music, artwork and themes.

The next step

Forma inside.
PodDock alongside.

The Forma installer is now included in PodDock 0.7.4 for macOS and 0.8.4 beta for Windows and Linux. It checks compatibility, makes a verified backup of the entire .rockbox directory, installs firmware and can restore the previous version.

Download PodDock ↗
  1. Compatibility first. This release targets iPod Video 5th and 5.5th generation (A1136). Classic 6/7 and other models are not supported by this release.
  2. Preparation and backup. Installing firmware requires a compatible Rockbox bootloader and disk format. Copying a theme alone is not enough.
  3. Install and verify. The package contains complete Forma firmware, both interface styles, fonts and codecs.

Development release 0.1.5-dev. ARM compilation, package checks and simulator tests passed. Booting and listening with this version on a physical iPod still need verification.

Forma 0.1.5-dev · ipodvideo · ARM

For advanced users: the package requires a compatible Rockbox bootloader. The PodDock installer does not change disk partitions.

Firmware ZIP · GPL source · SHA-256 checksums

Before changing firmware

Is this a Rockbox theme?

It is more than a theme. Forma includes its own interface and firmware changes, such as headphone profiles and the audio path view. Sudo is a separate theme; Forma is a full firmware package.

Do I need an account or internet?

Playback on the iPod is local. Your music lives on your device. Downloading an installation package requires an internet connection.

What about FLAC and high-resolution audio?

Forma reads formats supported by Rockbox. File properties do not imply the same output properties: Audio Path shows the actual mixer and PCM output. We do not promise 24-bit iPod output.

Does a profile guarantee hearing protection or no clipping?

Profiles can limit the volume setting and add EQ headroom. They do not measure sound pressure or guarantee hearing protection or the absence of all clipping.

What is Forma built on?

Rockbox and PodBox. We retain authorship notices and open-source licences. The corresponding source for this release is available to download under the GPL. This is an independent project, not affiliated with Apple, Rockbox or ACTIVO.