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iPod Classic ithmb Converter

2026.03
Photo recovery pipeline: from a proprietary format to images .ithmb iPod proprietary format Parse header Resolution · offset Decode pixels RGB565 → RGB OPTIONAL Real-ESRGAN upscale PNG GPU inference via ONNX · DirectML · Python GUI Built as a free alternative to paid converters · 2026.03

Problem

The iPod Classic stores photos not as JPEG but as a Photo Database binary and the .ithmb format, with pixels encoded in little-endian RGB565, so they cannot be opened directly. Existing converters were old or lacked a GUI and any quality improvement.

My part

Built a Python GUI that parses the Photo Database binary for metadata and decodes the RGB565 pixels in .ithmb files into JPEG or PNG. Added Real-ESRGAN x4 upscaling through ONNX, with Intel Arc GPU acceleration via DirectML.

Result

Restores 320×240 photos to 1280×960. Supports four resolutions (F1015, F1019, F1024, F1036), with a preview grid to check before converting.
PythonONNXDirectML
GitHub