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It's been fun. Have a safe and happy 4th of July. For more MP3 player topics and answers, check out the MP3 Insider blog and podcast.
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Thanks.
-Donald
Not to sound rude, but looking at your answers they seem very half done. I know you can convert, can itunes be UPDATED along with the ipod to play avi files and of the such. I mean if windows media player can do it... itunes should. Its very inconvenient to have to convert everything. Right now I use itunes for syncing, and FLV player for videos.
Sorry for the quick answers, but I'm trying to get to as many folks as possible here. There's no way I know of to get the iPod to natively support AVI files. You might be able to work some Linux hacks, but I haven't tried.
http://ipodlinuxinstl.sourceforge.net/
Yes, I agree that Apple's limited support for audio and video formats blows. That's why there's an industry of alternatives out there waiting for your money. If you really love watching videos on the go, consider getting an Archos 605 WiFi.
I have a Sony NWZ-816 that I bought a couple of months ago and I am very happy with it. The only problem I have is loading videos; what is the best way to load video podcasts or other videos since the Walkman only supports one video type?
For video podcasts, I recommend Miro
http://www.download.com/Miro/3000-13632_4-10587758.html?tag=lst-1&cdlPid=10834466
Video converters for PC are everywhere. Here's one I found just searching through Download.com
http://www.download.com/Total-Video-Converter/3000-2194_4-10429299.html?tag=lst-3&cdlPid=10842984
Which one should I get, nano or classic. I want to hold 15GB music library on an iPod, and I want video. But I don't want the touch and i can't hold off for a next generation iPod.
Unless physical size is an issue, go with the Classic. You won't have to worry about space, it works with just about every iPod accessory (except 5G video output stuff) and it'll make you look much more macho than a Nano. Case closed.
my oh my are accessories hard to find! even for a much better player than the previous zune 30.
I was wondering if you know of any good universal accessories (or any good ones specifically for zune: i saw your best accessories for the zune video, but I was still ehh about the price) for car rides or home.
Also do you know of any good cases out there for the zune 80? i have a zune original, and I would like to keep that shown.
These guys have some reviews up on Zune cases.
http://www.zunescene.com/zunecase/
With the Zune 80s glass screen, however, you shouldn't worry much about scratches. The metal on the back of the Zune can get pretty beat up though.
Hi, i'm thinking about buying an iPod Touch and I have two concerns, the first is its sound quality. I currently own a Cowon iAudio 7 which has great SQ, so I'm a little concerned that the iPod Touch will fall short in this category, especially considering that I really appreciate the bass in my music.
My second concern is the lack of flash support for the safari web browser on the Touch. I've never used a hand held device to search the web, but I'm worried that with the Touch I wont be able to view a lot of websites.
There's plenty of reasons to love the Touch, but you should wait a month before buying. Once the new iTunes App store comes out, Apple might require Touch users to pay for an upgrade in orger to take advantage of the service (they've done it before, right). As for sound quality, the Cowon is hard to beat when it comes to EQ options and bass boosting, but a bass-biased set of earphones like the V-Moda Vibe or BassFreq may do the trick:
http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones/v-moda-vibe-gunmetal/4505-7877_7-32161239.html
...and Flash, well, I wouldn't hold my breath. If iPhone web viewing reaches a critical mass, however, expect more sites to cater to a Flash-less design in order to capitalize on iPhone viewers.
It seems, space x quality x cost = iPod Classic 80/160GB still reigns supreme. Would you agree?
My question is, have the issues plaguing the Classic been worked out? From forums and even here on CNET, the software was buggy and excessively slow. After almost a year, have these issues been worked out on the Classic?
Firmware updates have made the Classic much zippier than when it was first released. I still wouldn't go using the Cover Flow view on it, however. Is it the king? I think the Nano has been Apple's best seller for a few years now. People just don't know what to do with 80GB of space, much less 160. I think 16-32GB isthe sweet spot for most users, and Flash can get us there now.
What is the best subscrription music store and what player would you use for that specific store?
Thank you
Between Rhapsody and Napster, both have a great catalog, but I like Napster's interface a little better and they're a little better at partnering with hardware manufacturers. The supreme Rhapsody player at the moment is the Haier Ibiza Rhapsody which lets you update content wirelessly over Wi-Fi.
http://reviews.cnet.com/mp3-players/ibiza-rhapsody-8gb-black/4505-6490_7-32751934.html
My old computer that I had all of my music on and synched my ipod too has sadly died.. When I swtich to a new computer, is there any way to transfer all of my songs from my iPod on to that computer so I don't have to reaquire them all? I don't want to sync my iPod to the new computer but lose all of my existing songs.
Mac users can use a program called Senuti to get this done.
http://www.fadingred.org/senuti/
Not sure of an option for PC off the top of my head, but you may be able to just enable disk use on the iPod and tell Windows to reveal hidden files. No matter what, you should be able to pull your iTunes purchased music off using this method:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1727
I am the lone Zune lover in my house with all siblings siding with Apple. I was just wondering who has the largest inventory on music; Zune Marketplace or iTunes
I don't have numbers to quote, but my gut says iTunes has Zune Marketplace beat. In today's music industry, no one can afford to not have their music listed on iTunes. Same cannot be said to the Zune Marketplace.
Can the ipod classic and itunes be updated to play other video formats such as avi, high mp4s, and other video formats? If not what are some of the mp3 players that do play mp3?
You should be able to playback most video files in iTunes, since it's basically leveraging Quicktime. Getting those same files to play on you iPod, however, takes some work. If you right-click on the video in iTunes and select "Convert for iPod" that might do the trick, otherwise you'll need to transcode the video using software like iSquint for Mac or one of the hundreds for Windows (check Download.com). If you can't stand converting video, get an Archos 605 WiFi.
http://reviews.cnet.com/portable-video-players-pvps/archos-605-wifi-30gb/4505-6499_7-32477556.html
Here is a pro cons I created
iPod Nano (3rd Generation): Rating: 6.9/10
Pros: Nice new UI, with speedy navigation. Videos look great, the audio quality, and battery life is great. The device is incredibly small and now is all metal and it's a decent value with all the features you get.
Cons: Hold switch on the bottom is hard to use. Screen size and capacity renders video nearly useless. Headphone jack is still on the bottom. The Click Wheel is smaller and hard to use. Chrome backing returns and is going to scratch and smudge. No 16 GB model. The wide design and thinness is also strange and can make the Nano uncomfortable to hold. Slightly overpriced.
Bottom Line: Apple creates yet another good iPod, cool looking with new features, but better MP3 players in its class are available for the same price or less.
Price: 4 GB-$149, 8 GB-$199
iPod Classic (6th Generation): Rating: 7.3/10
Pros: The new user interface is cool-looking, click wheel is large, all-metal body, the larger screen than of the Nano makes this more video-friendly. Audio quality and battery life are awesome. The hard drive space is now 80 or 160 GB in a package that weighs only 4.9 or 5.7 ounces. The Classic also has an unbeatable price per gigabyte.
Cons: Hold switch feels a little loose, and the Classic is very slow. Chrome backing is still here. Hard Drive is fragile.
Bottom Line: One phenomenal iPod. The iPod Classic combines a huge hard drive space, great audio and video plus many other features in a very affordable, small package. However, it is buggy.
Price: 80 GB-$249, 160 GB-$349
Just get both of them. They're both great. The extra storage and battery life on the Classic makes it a better choice for videos and lossless audio, but the Nano is unbeatable when it comes to its convenient size.
Any indication of Apple bringing out a player worthy of being called the next version of the IPOD classic?.. the touch in my opinion doesnt make the cut... hey its just my opinion! hehe
I expect the Classic will stay just as it is. When you call something a "Classic", you don't go changing it. Expect the Touch to experience an intense growth spurt after applications debut on the iTunes store.
What is the future of stand alone mp3 players? Would it face tough competition from mobile phones that offer excellent audio capabilities? or is there a strong market for the former?
History has shown that there will always be a place for standalone portable audio players. Right now, we're experiencing a heavy split between an influx of budget players (under $100) and a handful of luxury devices (Archos, Ibiza, Cowon, iPod Touch, etc.), with the iPod Nano and Classic standing alone as forces unto themselves. As for music phones, they're very convenient, but as we're already seeing with the iPhone, the turnover rate is very quick. There's something comforting about an MP3 player that lasts for a few years, instead of a phone that gets tossed after a year of abuse. Plus, personally, I just don't like mixing business (phone) with pleasure (music).
I recently ripped some audio tracks off of a CD of a speech and converted them into MP3 files and put them on my PDA. When I played these files I seem to lose a second or so between tracks (a word or two goes missing). When I play the CD I don't get any breaks. Is there a way to properly rip these type of files?
The PDA is the problem here. Only a handful of devices support gapless playback of audio. The iPod is probably the most ubiquitous. Another option is to record the CD audio as one long audio track. To do this, download a free program called Audacity and select your computer's CD drive as the audio source. This will let you record a long WAV file which you can then convert to a single MP3 that plays without gaps on your PDA.
How does iTunes song quality, purchased then burned onto a cd with iTunes, compare to the quality of an actual cd (songs) you would buy in a physical brick and mortar store? I know iTunes has two formates, but everything I've bought has been DRM protected. I just want to know the "audiophile" quality of what I am buying.
Aside for the argument against digital audio in general, CDs technically provide superior audio quality to compressed data formats such as MP3, AAC, or WMA. The question is, "Can you tell the difference?" If not, then who cares. MP3s are much more convenient. If you really want the best quality portable music file, rip your CDs to a lossless format like FLAC, Apple Lossless, or WMA Lossless.
Apple's iPod is the dominant MP3 player for tons of real reasons and a hanful of reasons I attribute to mysterious Apple magic. They got in the game fairly early and made a very user-friendly product right out of the gate. It picked up a ton of momentum, attracted a bunch of third-party accessory manufacturers, and made a very fun online music store.
Show what you've got, people. I'm ready for your MP3 questions.
