IPOD (MP3 Player) Warning! What you need to know....

MinisterAmos

I bet more than one person here got a shiny new MP3 player for X-Mas? I'd like to share some info about the downsides of the major brands and what you can do to overcome them

ZUNE A DRM filled POS. It touts itself as the "only player with blue toof (to share music without wires)" but what they don't tell you is that the shared music can only be played three times before DRM programs corrupt the data. Why would I want anything that does that?

IPOD The players are great especially because you can use a variety of speaker docks that produce acceptable sound and volume. Think of the suitcase sized "boom-boxes" that are now maybe two feet long and six inches wide and with rechargable batteries that last 12 hours. Awesome for just about anywhere! Back that with 1500 songs in a 200 gram IPOD and it's all good.

The problem with IPOD is twofold

The Apple software is fatally flawed. First, it takes control over every song on the comp, redudes tham to 128 kbps (terrible quality) no matter where they came from and forces an automatic full synch every time you dock the IPOD. Any time the IPOD file, library, and IPOD itself are not "synched", all the music is erased from the IPOD. Connect your friend's by mistake to your comp? You're screwed. Just the tip and it's bad enough. Find a list of serious problems that have been solved by developers here ======> http://www.redchairsoftware.com/anapod/ctable.php

Apple Itunes is tooo expensive (www.allofMP3.com has a 20% off sale this week which makes the same song on Apple about FIFTEEN TIMES more expensive), the music is all at 128 kbps, and it's all DRM damaged. You can only use "your" music on one comp and on one Ipod, it will not play on any other device. You didn't think it was really yours did you?

Fun stuff but interference from the very political entertainment industry has emasculated what should have been a great product. It can be fixed, but you have to know where to go first. Anyone who is not prepared to lose an Ipod full of music should take steps now. Got a Zune? Take it back; it's DRM damaged.

poppers

Gee, I haven't noticed any poor quality in sound, but then my hearing isn't that acute. I hear what I hear without noticing anything out of the ordinary.

MinisterAmos

Poppers:

All Apple WM4 music is formatted at 128 kbps, CDs at 192 kbps and HDCDs at 320 kbps. You're invited to hear the difference on my home stereo.

It's kind of like McDonalds VS Chateaubriand. You might be happy if you've never tried the other, but once you know what you've been missing.....

Leolaia

128 kbps AAC sounds better than an 128 kbps mp3. I never rip with iTunes (I always go for 192 kbps mp3 or better), but the 128 kbps AAC files I get from iTunes sound almost as good. The main thing I don't like is the audio compression (not to be confused with file compression) that destroys current music's dynamic range, but that's unfortunately part and parcel of the music itself, thanks to the mixing process. My iTunes does not take over my computer, convereting songs to AAC, and I do not synch my iPod (you can opt out of synchronization). I have ripped songs off of my iPod and they are still in their native format. I routinely convert iTunes AAC files into WAV and then into a 320 kbps mp3 to maintain as much of the original AAC quality as possible; that gets around the DRM issue. Finally, allofmp3.com is always a far better deal, but I still don't feel comfortable sending my credit card info to Russia (plus my VISA would not be useable anyway), plus they just got sued a few days ago.

MinisterAmos

Leoila:

You CAN use Visa/MC if you go through Allofmp3 Explorer. As far as trusting them, a search for monkey-business by them turns up zero incidents.

Why should they rip people off? They're raking in like $20 MILLION bucks a month! I can only imagine what they would do if their employees created problems for them by ripping CC numbers. Anyway if you feel uncomfortable just buy an XROST card with your CC and pay using that. The REAL pirates are the people at ITunes selling DRM infected music for a buck a song.

Midget-Sasquatch

Minister Amos

Try what Leolaia suggested about converting any Itunes songs you've purchased over into another format. First into the uncompressed format (WAV)..then into mp3 with whatever compression you fine acoustically satisfying. Those other files should be easily transferable between devices then. Also look into deauthorizing your itunes if you don't already (although I'll admit that option is very limited)

Elsewhere

I'm starting to think that Apple sells Apple Crack.... products that are awesome, so long as you don't mind being forced to do things their way.

restrangled

Minister Amos a program has been developed for users like my son who already has around 40 gigs of mp3's that he has collected over the years. We just got him an Ipod nano and he by passed the apple software altogether and used a new freeware program called vpod.

Do a google search for vpod...it comes up first.

CaptainSchmideo

I bought a Sandisk player at Wal-mart for about $70.00. It is compatible with Rhapsody subscription service, and holds 1 Gig of music, is very small,and has excellent sound.

itsallgoodnow

I'm with the captain. I got a 4 gig(?) insignia at bestbuy with rhapsody. It's supposed to hold 1000 songs, but only really takes on about 750 or 800. I purchased a subscription to Bestbuy Rhapsody for $15 per month and can download as many songs/playlists/albums as I could ever want. Only catch is you can't burn CD's but in this day and age, why would you ever want to?

I love it. Never tried Ipod and probably never will. I get to try music with no risk any time.

IPOD (MP3 Player) Warning! What you need to know....

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