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MP3 players: Help! Too many choices!!! Ipod, MP3, WMA.....
now for my "Quote-Back" Tee Hee...
by paulzimm1 - 5/11/06 10:37 PM In reply to: Re: Apple users get more apps than you... by'''because we can run windows as well...''
But the programs won't perform as well, because they weren't made for your Mac's architecture. Even worse if they use the video card.'
actually, windows runs faster on macs 
'''oh, and i'd just love to see you download a video podcast (comes in mp4 format) using the ITMS and put it on your creative''
And I'd just love to see you download a WMV from any website and put it on your iPod.'
watch me convert it to a better quality.
'''well, my most recent computer was an emachines amd 64 athlon... it lasted 4 months before crashing.''
In what way did it ''crash''?'
viruses... and yes, i had norton, mcaffee, and aol virus protection...
'''before that... i don't even remember the brands... but except for my comp running windows 98, those lasted around a year...''
How did they ''crash''?'
Same... viruses... same deal as well, 98 just got old and out-dated after a while.
'''and btw, apple users aren't bulletproof, but we have more protection built into our fancy little computers, just in case''
Nope.'
Yep.
Re: Garbage in Garbage out
by gopherit912 - 5/11/06 10:01 PM In reply to: Re: What I don't get byI asked Deadbunny17 to Convert my WMV file to MPEG4 with iSquint using "Go Nuts" (Higher Quality) at I think 3000 kbps or was it 2500, Can't Remember, at 30 fps and it looks a hell of alot better then it did before. I have witnessed the Results myself and it's not Garbage in Garbage out because WMV is Garbage all around and yet iSquint was able to make it look good again.
No, it didn't
by - 5/11/06 10:21 PM In reply to: Re: Garbage in Garbage out by gopherit912It's a technical impossibility. At the very best, it can turn out almost the same. In reality, the output is always slightly worse than the input.
Technichally Impossible
by gopherit912 - 5/11/06 10:41 PM In reply to: No, it didn't byDon't make me laugh. I can give you links to Both Videos if you want. Just Remember Youtube Degrades all Videos to a much worse quality.
Back on track
by Brandon Eng - 5/10/06 10:39 PM In reply to: Help! Too many choices!!! Ipod, MP3, WMA..... by tsandasunfortunately, your post got lost in a war of words. OK, as to your question:
1. what's your budget? $80, $300?
2. what's 1+ gig mean? 1-60 gigs.
3. how many songs do you have? enough to justify even a 5 gig player of whatever make?
You need to come up with a cost/benefit ratio to rationalize your purchase. Sure, it's great to watch a video on a handheld, but how often will you actually be doing it? Take into account the time spent encoding the vid, depending on the player you choose. I can surf the web on my cellphone. Big deal, never use that feature. My point is, if the device can perform a certain function, will you actually be USING that function?
I own a 4 gig ipod mini- 4 gigs, purchased on Ebay for $150, a Creative Zen 5 gigger with FM Radio, and recording capabilities, a 512 meg Sandisk flash player (no moving parts), a 1 gig flash player bought from Ebay that not only plays music, but records, has FM, keeps txt notes, and is able to be used as a removable flash drive; I also have a couple other mp3 players that are flash drives. My daughter has the 20 gig iPod photo.
The pluses of the iPod mini: yeah, it's sleek, looks cool, fits in your pocket or inner suit jacket, and it doesn't even show. I find that as a major plus, as I already wear a holster for my cellphone, and I don't need any other crap bulging under my suit jacket while at work.
Now the minuses: the iPod is associated with ONE computer only. See if you have any friends with pods, and I'd bet they made the mistake of plugging into another's pc with itunes, and promptly lost all their music. iPod+iTunes+ONE computer= ONE ROYAL PAIN IN THE BUTT. No simple drag and drop with a pod, my friend. Tech support- see my post above.
Now the Zen:
Pluses: drag and drop. Can be used as a removable drive (so can the Pod). FM, recorder, keeps notes, and a couple other bells and whistles I never use. Fantastic web based tech support. Had it over a year, no problem. My daughter's 20 gig iPod photo is about 7 months old, and it constantly froze up to the point it's no longer working- that's why it's in repair now.
Minuses: it's not as sleek as the Pod. It'll fit into your pants pocket, but there'll be a noticable bulge; even in a suit jacket pocket. When using the Zen, I wear a holster which I'm not crazy about. It's HD driven, as is the Pod (not talking about the Nano), which is more prone to hardware failure than a flash driven device. Both Apple and Creative don't reccommend jogging with these players.
JMHO re: iPod vs. Zen. Zen, hands down. Not tied to 1 pc, drag and drop, FM radio if you want to catch some news (not on an airplane of course). The argument that you can buy an accessory to get FM for the Pod doesn't cut it for me. When it comes to my gadgets, I'd prefer to get more than I need and simply not use what I don't want, as opposed to getting something that simply doesn't have enough- unless you pay a price for it. Now, if you're going to get the...was it the 60 gigger suggested? Well, you're going to be carrying a tank, relatively speaking, AND it's HD driven. The software for the Zen is easier to use in my opinion; actually, I don't think you even need software for the Zen, but I believe you have to load the drivers for the Zen so your PC can recognize it. The Sandisk player doesn't require drivers; I think they make larger capacity flash players by now. If you want simplicity, there ya go. But don't expect the ability to create playlists. You plug it into your PC (don't know about a Mac), drag your mp3's into it, turn it on, and you're good to go.
But Apple and Creative aren't the only game in town, as you know. If you're not an ''everyday, all the time mp3 listener'', then I'd suggest a flash driven 2 gig player, pretty much any make. Just get a good set of headphones. Headphones make all the difference in your listening experience; the player you buy will have headphones, but if you decide to upgrade, just make sure the jack is compatible with a player that uses a mini-jack (1/8th of an inch, but not positive). If you have a CD collection, you wont have to subscribe to a music service. You'll just have to learn how to ''rip'' the music to your player.
Now, do you realistically feel you'll be listening to music for 14 hrs.? I'm a real music freak and guitar player, but I don't think I listen to 14 hrs. of music in a WEEK. And I tend to play the same songs over and over again anyway, despite a music collection I've ripped that exceeds 20 gigs. Quite frankly, more often than not, I carry around the 1 gig flash player more than I do the Pod or the Zen. The thing is tiny, maybe an inch and a 1/2, light as a feather, loaded with a couple hundred songs with room to spare to off-load work stuff onto it. And, again, the ability to drag songs in and and out of the player is a MAJOR plus. I can go to my music collection, highlight the songs I want, right click, and use the "send to" function of Windoze to send to my player. Want to delete songs? Go into Explorer and delete away. Not so with a POD. Don't get me wrong, I really like my mini, BUT IT'S TOO MUCH WORK TO WORK WITH IT. When trying to fix my daughter's Pod, I stupidly plugged my Pod into her computer- poof, wiped out all the songs on my Pod. Pod users might say, "so you shoulda gone back to your computer and updated it". Uh-uh. I had to restore it back to factory settings, then go through the torture of importing songs to it, and I'M STILL recreating my custom playlists. Too much work. Sorry, but I don't have that kind of time. I'll take drag and drop anyday.
But if you're considering the Pod against any other player- I say go for another player. I'm not saying this because of the repair issue I'm having with Apple right now. I'm saying this because of what's already been said by the ''anti-Pod'' posters. From personal experience, I just feel the Pod is a PITA to work with. And if you're considering the flash based Nano, same problems; you wont be able to off-load the music to another computer (I'm NOT advocating piracy- however, I'm a strong believer in Fair Use. So don't anyone try to drag me into a Digital Rights Management debate; the 2 contradict each other, and until the US Supreme Court decides, I'm going to continue to exercise my right to the Fair Use doctrine, and all the other Pod related ''problems'' already stated). The Pod is sleek, sexy, BUT STUPIDLY hampered by its propietary design. The inability for a Pod to drag and drop, unlike ummm...EVERY other player, is a MAJOR drawback for me. But to each his/her own. The only die-hard Pod fanatics I know, are those that bought and use ONLY the Pod and no other. They have nothing to compare it to, so I don't feel they have an objective viewpoint.
Hope this helps in your decision making...assuming you ever come back after all the arguing going on.
I see what you're getting at
by gopherit912 - 5/11/06 10:15 PM In reply to: Back on track by Brandon EngI haven't had a Chance to test the Pod against anything else yet because the Pod was my First. However I don't rule out Sattelite Radio either. So It may be a while before I get around to Creative or the iRiver (Dunno who makes that one).
*Tempted by DRM Debate but Resists Urge.*
Ok I'm done for now.
Thanks!
by tsandas - 5/20/06 5:45 PM In reply to: Back on track by Brandon EngBrandon,
Thanks for the honest reply. I appreciate the various points of view and that it seems you've used both. Yeah, the 14 hours thing is a long time but I've got to take into account a few things.
1) 10.5 hours from Paris to Dallas and you've already seen all the movies. 9.5+ hours going.
2) Did you ever listen to French FM radio? If that doesn't send you to the kitchen door looking for the sharp objects, I'm not sure what will. Certainly makes me wish I had something (ok ANYTHING) else to listen to. Try driving a few hours every day in and around work listening to endless DJ chatter - in a language I don't understand. I'm twitching just thinking about it.
Anyway, thanks for the update without the rhetoric.
-P
Back On Track, hopefully
by Brandon Eng - 5/10/06 10:45 PM In reply to: Help! Too many choices!!! Ipod, MP3, WMA..... by tsandasunfortunately, your post got lost in a war of words. OK, as to your question:
1. what's your budget? $80, $300?
2. what's 1+ gig mean? 1-60 gigs.
3. how many songs do you have? enough to justify even a 5 gig player of whatever make?
You need to come up with a cost/benefit ratio to rationalize your purchase. Sure, it's great to watch a video on a handheld, but how often will you actually be doing it? Take into account the time spent encoding the vid, depending on the player you choose. I can surf the web on my cellphone. Big deal, never use that feature. My point is, if the device can perform a certain function, will you actually be USING that function?
I own a 4 gig ipod mini- 4 gigs, purchased on Ebay for $150, a Creative Zen 5 gigger with FM Radio, and recording capabilities, a 512 meg Sandisk flash player (no moving parts), a 1 gig flash player bought from Ebay that not only plays music, but records, has FM, keeps txt notes, and is able to be used as a removable flash drive; I also have a couple other mp3 players that are flash drives. My daughter has the 20 gig iPod photo.
The pluses of the iPod mini: yeah, it's sleek, looks cool, fits in your pocket or inner suit jacket, and it doesn't even show. I find that as a major plus, as I already wear a holster for my cellphone, and I don't need any other crap bulging under my suit jacket while at work.
Now the minuses: the iPod is associated with ONE computer only. See if you have any friends with pods, and I'd bet they made the mistake of plugging into another's pc with itunes, and promptly lost all their music. iPod+iTunes+ONE computer= ONE ROYAL PAIN IN THE BUTT. No simple drag and drop with a pod, my friend. Tech support- see my post above.
Now the Zen:
Pluses: drag and drop. Can be used as a removable drive (so can the Pod). FM, recorder, keeps notes, and a couple other bells and whistles I never use. Fantastic web based tech support. Had it over a year, no problem. My daughter's 20 gig iPod photo is about 7 months old, and it constantly froze up to the point it's no longer working- that's why it's in repair now.
Minuses: it's not as sleek as the Pod. It'll fit into your pants pocket, but there'll be a noticable bulge; even in a suit jacket pocket. When using the Zen, I wear a holster which I'm not crazy about. It's HD driven, as is the Pod (not talking about the Nano), which is more prone to hardware failure than a flash driven device. Both Apple and Creative don't reccommend jogging with these players.
JMHO re: iPod vs. Zen. Zen, hands down. Not tied to 1 pc, drag and drop, FM radio if you want to catch some news (not on an airplane of course). The argument that you can buy an accessory to get FM for the Pod doesn't cut it for me. When it comes to my gadgets, I'd prefer to get more than I need and simply not use what I don't want, as opposed to getting something that simply doesn't have enough- unless you pay a price for it. Now, if you're going to get the...was it the 60 gigger suggested? Well, you're going to be carrying a tank, relatively speaking, AND it's HD driven. The software for the Zen is easier to use in my opinion; actually, I don't think you even need software for the Zen, but I believe you have to load the drivers for the Zen so your PC can recognize it. The Sandisk player doesn't require drivers; I think they make larger capacity flash players by now. If you want simplicity, there ya go. But don't expect the ability to create playlists. You plug it into your PC (don't know about a Mac), drag your mp3's into it, turn it on, and you're good to go.
But Apple and Creative aren't the only game in town, as you know. If you're not an ''everyday, all the time mp3 listener'', then I'd suggest a flash driven 2 gig player, pretty much any make. Just get a good set of headphones. Headphones make all the difference in your listening experience; the player you buy will have headphones, but if you decide to upgrade, just make sure the jack is compatible with a player that uses a mini-jack (1/8th of an inch, but not positive). If you have a CD collection, you wont have to subscribe to a music service. You'll just have to learn how to ''rip'' the music to your player.
Now, do you realistically feel you'll be listening to music for 14 hrs.? I'm a real music freak and guitar player, but I don't think I listen to 14 hrs. of music in a WEEK. And I tend to play the same songs over and over again anyway, despite a music collection I've ripped that exceeds 20 gigs. Quite frankly, more often than not, I carry around the 1 gig flash player more than I do the Pod or the Zen. The thing is tiny, maybe an inch and a 1/2, light as a feather, loaded with a couple hundred songs with room to spare to off-load work stuff onto it. And, again, the ability to drag songs in and and out of the player is a MAJOR plus. I can go to my music collection, highlight the songs I want, right click, and use the "send to" function of Windoze to send to my player. Want to delete songs? Go into Explorer and delete away. Not so with a POD. Don't get me wrong, I really like my mini, BUT IT'S TOO MUCH WORK TO WORK WITH IT. When trying to fix my daughter's Pod, I stupidly plugged my Pod into her computer- poof, wiped out all the songs on my Pod. Pod users might say, "so you shoulda gone back to your computer and updated it". Uh-uh. I had to restore it back to factory settings, then go through the torture of importing songs to it, and I'M STILL recreating my custom playlists. Too much work. Sorry, but I don't have that kind of time. I'll take drag and drop anyday.
But if you're considering the Pod against any other player- I say go for another player. I'm not saying this because of the repair issue I'm having with Apple right now. I'm saying this because of what's already been said by the ''anti-Pod'' posters. From personal experience, I just feel the Pod is a PITA to work with. And if you're considering the flash based Nano, same problems; you wont be able to off-load the music to another computer (I'm NOT advocating piracy- however, I'm a strong believer in Fair Use. So don't anyone try to drag me into a Digital Rights Management debate; the 2 contradict each other, and until the US Supreme Court decides, I'm going to continue to exercise my right to the Fair Use doctrine, and all the other Pod related ''problems'' already stated). The Pod is sleek, sexy, BUT STUPIDLY hampered by its propietary design. The inability for a Pod to drag and drop, unlike ummm...EVERY other player, is a MAJOR drawback for me. But to each his/her own. The only die-hard Pod fanatics I know, are those that bought and use ONLY the Pod and no other. They have nothing to compare it to, so I don't feel they have an objective viewpoint.
Hope this helps in your decision making...assuming you ever come back after all the arguing going on.
alright, good... hopefully this can get us back on track :)
by paulzimm1 - 5/11/06 1:27 AM In reply to: Back On Track, hopefully by Brandon Enganyways yeah, i read that post about your ipod problems... and i do have to admit, with all the fanboyism that's holding me back from saying this in my heart, that (almost) all those things you mentioned happened with me as well...
first was the era of the shuffle... even though i now consider it a complete rip-off, and not worth the money... i still use it while taking walks, excersizing, or anything physical... anyways, i bought that while in new york (i live in oregon) and i uploaded songs and did the whle bananza from my friends computer in new york...
back to oregon, attach it to my pc... after what seemed like hours, i finnaly managed to get my ipod to recognize my pc... it was a tad bit annoying because it says NOWHERE in the instruction manual to not put it into another persons pc... anyways, now to when i got my video... (that's where the "support" problems came in...
somehow, in some odd way when i first turned my ipod on... it was on lock... the little switch thing wasn't on lock, but it was for some odd reason...
i went to the website, did everything it said to do for problems like i had myself, and nothing...
i calle dup apple support... after being re-directed twice, i finnaly managed to get a person that knew what he was doing...
then later on my 5th pc broke... so i just said "it's time to move on..." and i got a mac.
anyways, it was a pain to burn all my music onto cd's and rip them to my mac... but afterwards everything went along smoothly...
now, i probably just condemned your getting an ipod to death by saying that, but the thing with it only working with your pc and the support are really the only bad things... now that the bad htings are over, let me give the pros to having an ipod (whether it be 60 gig or not)
video support (if you'd like to use it)... i don't have cable, so being able to download tv shows that i can't see like "south park" or "monk" (great show btw) and being able to take them on the go... really comes in handy for me. also, any full length movie i have i can simply convert it (with my software, it actually ups the quality) witch takes about 20 minutes... and then i put it right onto my ipod... Brandon is right... if you aren't going to utilize the feature of ipods video, i wouldn't suggest getting it...
podcast support. i utilize this very well... i know all mp3 players can have podcasts... but with itunes there are so much more of a variety of them... some podcasts are incredible... about 60% of my ipod is filled with a combination of video/audio podcasts... so once again, if you don't care for podcasts or video... don't bother with an ipod...
those two are really my main reasons to get an ipod, and not another mp3 player...
accessories... i don't accessorize with my ipod, but if you want to purchase some of the neat things they have for it... there's definately more accessories to choose from with an ipod than any other... but that doesn't really matter to me, so... meh.
and last but not least, organization...
the whole working on one computer thing is a downer... however, i LOVE the ability to basically organize my music/vids/podcasts in itunes...
when i'm done organizing everything, i attach my ipod to my mac, and my ipod basically turns into a portable version of my itunes library... and it's easy to organize and make playlists on your mac or pc... so if you care for organization, go with ipod... if not, there's plenty of other options to choose from.
now, on a personal level i like how you pop in your ipod to your pc and it automatically updates your ipod to anything new in the library... it shaves off alot of time rather than doing drag and drop, even if the one computer thing is an annoyance...
i can't necessarily compare the ipod to the creative... i haven't owned one...
however, before i dwelled deep within the ipod world, i had a li'l samsung gig mp3 player... it did it's main function as it was supposed to... then ipods started to become "hotter" when the shuffle was released, so i looked into it and the other options, and determined to join in the ranks of the other "pod people."
now say you do get an ipod, and you want to avoid the deletion of all files on your ipod once it needs to be charged, you can use your laptop (mines a macbook pro to be specific) so that you can always be able to charge and update it anytime you want to... or you can just simply buy a dock for it... i've got both :P
so yeah, anyways... brandon put everything alot better than i ever did...
but anyways, if you're to get an ipod, you should want to utilize these:
Video
Podcast
Accessories/hip design
organization
if you just want a die-hard mp3 player... maybe you don't care for the ipods features... you should just get something else.
...
to the person that originally created this thread... i am sorry.
my fanboyism (even though justified fanboyism) combined with automatically being called biased, made me... act a bit harsh here...
now, please bear with me for in this post and any future ones, i'm going to try to be as fair and non one-sided as possible...
sorry again.
-tanner
Yes, back on track but first.......
by daveworld - 5/11/06 6:19 AM In reply to: Back On Track, hopefully by Brandon EngIt's very easy to get files off the iPod (sorry RIAA).
Open (My Computer/tools/folder Options and simply select "show hidden files and folder" 
. Look for a folder on the iPod Drive called "iPod_controls", all the songs are in that folder.
Agreed, Apple should make it clear that your iPod is tied to one computer (Thanks RIAA). But as I explained above, you can easily get files off the pod. When you plug it into a friend’s comp., a prompt message asks if you want to make this you main computer for the iPod, always click no kids.
OK, here's my pick for pfheath for an mp3 player...
by Brandon Eng - 5/11/06 4:42 PM In reply to: Help! Too many choices!!! Ipod, MP3, WMA..... by tsandasYou don't want something bulky, seem not to be interested in video. You never named your price range. You're going to be using this for travel, so I'd suggest something very light. Not everyone is like me, with 5 computers in the house, 20 gigs of music, gadgets up the wazoo. This seems to be your first mp3 player, so, no matter what player you get, there'll be a learning curve you'll have to go through anyway. Sounds like you don't want something too cheap, nor too expensive. So, my choice for you is..the iPod 4 gig nano. Yup. If I had to choose ONE player right now, it would be the 4 gig nano (a higher capacity preferably). It's a flash drive, so no moving parts (not sure if it can be used as a removable drive)- has ability to hold photos, contacts, has world clock, calendar, ability to access large library of podcasts. It can hold up to 1000 4 min songs according to Apple. I dare you to try listening to a thousand songs in one sitting. OK, why the Nano? It's flash based- less chance of hardware failure. It's incredibly light and small; this is for a traveler don't forget. You can jog with it if you wish. It has just enough features to make most people happy. As to ripping your existing library, you can use MusicMatch as I do, or someone here may be able to suggest something else (I honestly don't know if iTunes rip). OK, so you'll have to live with being attached to one main computer- most people are. And you'll be stuck with Apple's proprietary music format; big deal, you're gonna be playing it on their product, not sharing among 7 players as I do. There's a work-around the aac format anyway. So I factored that in. If you want to ''borrow'' some music from others, you can burn it, or purchase a flash/thumbdrive. I carry a thumbdrive with me all the time. Then there's the coolness factor. No doubt about it, the Nano is sleek, small, sexy. In looks alone, it's the Porsche of players. All the drawbacks have been discussed, as have the pluses. Now the choice is yours, pf. I use my players at different times/places/reasons. I'm trying to put myself in your shoes, so with the limited amount of info you've given, I've chosen this for you. Let us know what you choose, and after a test run, whether you like it or not. I'd buy the warranty from whatever retail store like BestBuy if I were you. That way, you wont have to ship it off to Apple. Good luck. Check out the specs at the apple site here:
http://www.apple.com/ipodnano/features.html
PS-A work colleague of mine is an mp3 fanatic and owns more players than me. He's used to drag and drop, and bought a Nano and HATES it. He has over a 100 gigs of ripped music. I think he hates working with the iTunes interface, as do I. But if you have no experience with other programs, I figure, what's the diff? You wont know any different, and you won't be pining for something else.
Hmmmm, uh, huh?
by tsandas - 5/20/06 6:08 PM In reply to: OK, here's my pick for pfheath for an mp3 player... by Brandon EngBrandon,
Ok, so you spent the previous entry weighing all the +'s and -'s and (I think) decided the biggest thing against ipod is the lousy UI for iTunes/Nano organization on your computer.
Yet, here, you say - buy the nano... *sigh*.
Here's what I've gathered (or at least tried to with out getting too "involved" in the various threads).
a) You are right. I'm not all that interested in video.
b) Light weight is important so I'm pretty sure it'll be a flash drive of some sort.
c) Don't need a voice recorder
d) FM would be nice - but not required.
I do want to organize my tunes and don't have a lot of time. That seemed to me to be the thing you felt strongest about. Easy UI and drag and drop. I'm pretty sure that's in the "very" important category for me too.
The computer thing. I have multiple laptops I travel with depending on what I need to do. Nothing flashy, but sometimes more horsepower is a requirement. + I've got 3 home computers - so being able to move tunes across the various systems is an important feature...
The ripping thing. I've got 300+ CDs and want to rip most of them to my computer. So, organization and play list capabilities need to be good - even if that means a specific SW package with a good organizer in it built after the fact. I'll probably buy tunes from time to time - but not a lot.
Headphones will be noise cancelling Senheiser - they're light and once you've been on a plane with noise cancelling headphones, you NEVER leave home without them.
Thumbdrive not required. I've got a zillion.
Last thought. If I buy a 4GB Ipod or a 4GB Zen (for instance), is one likely to hold more music one vs. the other? I listen to rock mostly and am likely to want to record at 128 vs 96 (a bit of a snob fidelity wise, I guess).
Still thinking the Ipod is the winner?
Re: Huh?
by - 5/21/06 4:20 AM In reply to: Hmmmm, uh, huh? by tsandas"Last thought. If I buy a 4GB Ipod or a 4GB Zen (for instance), is one likely to hold more music one vs. the other? I listen to rock mostly and am likely to want to record at 128 vs 96 (a bit of a snob fidelity wise, I guess).
Still thinking the Ipod is the winner?"
It sounds like the iPod Nano is what you're looking for. But, it isn't drag-and-drop capable out-of-the-box, and iPods can normally only be used with one computer.
As far as I know, the only way to get drag-and-drop capability is to change the firmware of the iPod, which will void your warranty.
But as far as using it on multiple computers is concerned... that can be done! There are alternatives to iTunes which will let you manage the iPod on more than one computer.
All in all, I'd say the iPod Nano is probably the right MP3 player for your needs. It'll just take a little bit of work to get the most out of it.
Oh and about 4GB Zen vs 4GB Nano
by - 5/21/06 4:23 AM In reply to: Re: Huh? byThere's no such thing as a 4GB Zen as far as I know. But if there was, it should hold the same amount of music as a 4GB Nano. The difference should be only a few MB.
And nah, you're not a snob for preferring 128kbps. I know plenty of people who would go even higher. 128kbps is a real sweet spot for MP3 - good compression and acceptable sound quality.
Nano..........................
by dave95 - 5/21/06 9:11 AM In reply to: Hmmmm, uh, huh? by tsandasFrom what you described, looks like the iPod Nano is the perfect player for you.
Light and slim, the easiest UI (IMO), though it is basic compare to say a Zen that gives you more customizable option. But it doesn’t look like you care for such. Many people like you and me just want something that is easy to use with very little time to thinker, and sounds good.
300 CDs?
Like the iPod, iTunes has a very simple yet powerful UI. You can set it up so when you insert a CD, it imports you music and ejects the CD once done, waiting for another. Supports the following customizable encoders, so you can make it as low as 16 kbps and high as 320 kbps or lossless if you like:
AAC
MP3
Apple Lossless
AIFF
WAVE
Audible (spoken words/books)
As for as playlist, iTunes again has one of the best and Simplest. Create a simple playlist that you can drag songs into, or you can play with the more powerful smart playlist. I used smart playlist with ''Live Updating'' to list all my high rated songs (5 star) in iTunes, which is then sync to the iPod. Here is the cool part, the iPod also support ''Live Updating'', so for instance if I have a high star rating playlist on the iPod and a low star playlist (3 Star), I can simply send a song with 5 stars to the 3 stars playlist folder on the fly by changing its stars, just like in iTunes.
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