apples to apples

Joined : 05 Feb 2007 Posts : 344

Okay so here goes...
I am finally interested in 'keeping up with the Jones'. I'm really looking at joining in on the ipod/mp3 player band wagon. Let me preface this by saying I currently own a vast cd collection and my computer skills are so-so at best. I use my home computer to check e-mail, make picture dvds for family, and a couple of other things. I work on computers at work but basically specific work-based applications. I can't tell you anything about my computer specs beyond what it says on the sticker on the front and currently we still use dial-up Embarassed

. My questions are basically.

What does anyone think about ipods? Pros/Cons including any versus just a regular Mp3 player.

If ipod is the way to go, which one?

How easy is it to use? I've read bad and good things about iTunes.

I've already ripped songs from cd to pc and these are wav.files is that okay?

I like the idea of getting BF titles downloaded(please refrain from any commentary about the uk vs. us pricing as this really turned another forums thread into a quagmire), did they ever work it out for simplicity of use and the cover art and whatnot?

And basically anything else that may be of use in deciding If/What to buy?

Thanks all.
cheers

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"I reject your reality and subsitute my own"- MYTHBUSTERS

Age : 32 Joined : 06 Mar 2007 Posts : 158

I have an 80 gig iPod. friends have gotten other mp3 players in the past and had many issues with them and have since all moved to iPods and been very happy.

Now that said i have used about 30 gig of the 80. it's a mix of about 80% of my music collection, every BF Doctor Who play in then 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th Drs Range. then I have some misc BF plays on them, and the H2G2 radio dramas. and lastly I have all 3 series of Doctor Who on there.

So I am not even half way through my iPod and I have a who lotta stuff on it. it has served me well for about 2 years now (I think it has been two years since they got the 80 gigs) they now have a 160 gigs for the price I paid for the 80.

anyway with an iPod you would need iTunes to work best. you would need to turn you wav files into MP3 or MP4 (M4U) files. While wav files have the best quality they are not the norm for home us anymore, mainly for thouse who mix sound.

I have not downloaded the BF plays since the first one as I was planning on only doing that for one I could not wait to hear until I get my self to realize that i don't need the CDs that they sell with them. so One day soon I hope to make the switch.

anyway, I say iPod at least 80 gig (buy a nice cover for it so you don't worry about scratching the screen) and switch to mp3 or 4.
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Brian A. Terranova
www.kasterborous.com
a Doctor Who Webzine

Admin Joined : 01 Feb 2007 Posts : 365

I'm probably the resident Apple nerd, so I'll take a shot at it:

I've had dozens of mp3 players over the years, but the iPod is the clear winner in my book.

The ONLY reason to not get an iPod is if you really want a monthly subscription music service. If this is the case, you probably should look at the Zune.

There is an iPod for pretty much everyone right now.

The Nano is great if you want something small and cheap. It plays video now, has great batt life, and is the best seller. The drawbacks are the tiny screen (not great for watching video) and the smaller storage capacity. This is the perfect iPod for someone with a small music collection or someone who only needs a few dozen albums at any given time.

The Classic is really great for people who want to carry their entire music collection, a tv-series, and a few movies with them at all times. It's much bulkier, but has a bigger screen which works ok for casual video watching. It comes in 80Gig and 160Gig. That storage comes from a hard drive (not a flash chip, like the rest) which is very slightly less reliable.

The Touch is basically the iPhone without the phone. It comes in 8Gig, 16gig, and 32gig flavors, so you might or might not need to swap music. It's great for watching movies and TV shows. It has a built in web browser (that actually works great), email, calendar, notes, youtube, etc. You can also buy music from iTunes directly to the device. It's has a fairly large footprint, but is very thin. Unlike the nano or classic, you can't just reach in your pocket and press a button to skip a track, turn down the volume, or pause - so there are some serious trade-offs. The biggest drawback here is that it's pretty expensive. The other models are much better suited as music players. If you like the idea of a super small portable Internet browser and email client, though, it's pretty amazing.

Don't even bother looking at the shuffle. It's one of the most pointless products I've ever seen.

iTunes is a very good music manager/player. It will rip CDs into mp3s for you and organize all your music. Your WAV files will work, but converting them to mp3 will make them at least 10x smaller.

I have an older 4gig nano and an 8gig Touch (I had a 20gig "classic", but lost it in an accident that I don't like to talk about). I carry the Touch with me at all times, but it actually gets more use browsing the Internet, IMing and sending email than playing music. I would highly recommend it to ADD stimulus-addicts like myself or for people who travel and really want a nice video player, but it really isn't a great pocket audio player. That said, this thing is probably my favorite gadget (and I've gone through a lot of gadgets) and can't imagine not having it within arms reach.

Anything else I can answer?

Admin Joined : 01 Feb 2007 Posts : 365

Big Finish Audios play fine on iPods, but they could be better titled and they are missing cover art. This isn't a problem with the player, as BF just doesn't include the info in the download. I have heard that they are addressing this, however, and future downloads should be better.

Age : 26 Joined : 14 Dec 2007 Posts : 94

I have a 30 gig iPod video and I love it. I've never had a problem with it or iTunes -- although I'm probably going to need to upgrade to an 80 gig soon as I'm quickly running out of space!

Age : 35 Joined : 19 Jun 2007 Posts : 241

Joined : 05 Feb 2007 Posts : 344

To convert the wav to mp3's is it difficult?

In shopping the nano appealed because it has the screen feature whether you like it or not it would be there. My problem was that it's an 8 gig for about 179 versus the classic 80 gig or 10x the storage for about 200-249 or something can't remember off hand. It seems like it would be best to shell out the extra whatever and get 10 times the bang or basically overbuy so that I wouldn't have to buy another anytime soon.

Also for the mp3's you basically store all your music ,files, whatever on your computer and then load what you want onto your ipod? I'm guessing you are right then the size of the mp3 's is much smaller?
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"I reject your reality and subsitute my own"- MYTHBUSTERS

Joined : 05 Feb 2007 Posts : 344

Thanks for help my tax refund is going towards vehicle replacement now recently in auto ax. But I'm still collecting info as my b-day is in apr.
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"I reject your reality and subsitute my own"- MYTHBUSTERS

Admin Joined : 01 Feb 2007 Posts : 365

You can convert in iTunes by right clicking on the files and selecting "convert to mp3".

So maybe I was a little hard on the shuffle. It may make sense for some people, but you lose a lot of functionality without a screen (playlists, timers, games, videos, etc) and the price difference between it and the Nano just isn't that significant any more. The original model that acted like a USB key was pretty darn cool though. The current one is probably pretty handy for runners too.

Age : 32 Joined : 06 Mar 2007 Posts : 158

my issue with the shuffle is that there is no screen to see what songs you are choosing to hear.

My brother had one and then quickly upgraded to the mini (which they don't make anymore and it may not have been the mini) then he got an 80 gig like me.

He got tired of changing the songs when he wanted to hear something new. like me he realized that the 80 gig would allow him to have his collection of music all at his finger tips when ever he wanted.

the screen isn't just for watching films it's for easy navigation through all of you music.
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Brian A. Terranova
www.kasterborous.com
a Doctor Who Webzine

Age : 35 Joined : 19 Jun 2007 Posts : 241

Let me clarify a little. I realize the screen is useful. Large storage is nice also. Several great and varied features depending on your needs with each style of the larger ipods.

My use falls more in the runner area or overly active area. I wear mine when opening my store. With two hours before the open, I'm moving, counting, and restocking inventory. With that said my shuffle gets bumped around a little more than I would like if it had a screen. Because of this it's perfect. Anything over the $100 mark just to listen to music with feels a little too nice to just let get banged around. Now if you are wanting more than just a music player definitely go with something bigger.
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I'm the Doctor. I'm a Timelord. I'm from the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous. I'm 900 and 3 years old and I'm the man who's gonna save YOUR lives and ALL 6 billion people on the planet below......You got a problem with that? Voyage of the Damned

Admin Joined : 01 Feb 2007 Posts : 365

We must have an Apple mole on the forum...

They just dropped the price of the 1Gig Shuffle to $49. :-)
Still not for me, but it certainly makes a lot more sense at that price.

Anyone have any experience with the Zune? I'm an Apple guy, but it would be cool to have an opinion from the other side of the table, just in case someone really doesn't want an iPod.

I've never actually seen one outside of a Best Buy display case, but I hear the new version is pretty decent.

Age : 35 Joined : 19 Jun 2007 Posts : 241

Haven't tried the Zune, but I would definitely NOT recommend the Zen. Picked one up for my niece, the V model, and she's done nothing but complain since. Apparently it doesn't last on a charge, navigate button sticks, and when trying to get through menus you usually end up starting the playlist over. Not sure if this anything close to a Zune, but on the off chance it is, caveat emptor.
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I'm the Doctor. I'm a Timelord. I'm from the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous. I'm 900 and 3 years old and I'm the man who's gonna save YOUR lives and ALL 6 billion people on the planet below......You got a problem with that? Voyage of the Damned

Joined : 11 Feb 2008 Posts : 267

If I had that much trouble with a product I'd replace it with another one.
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Bustin' chops.

"Oil an emergency?! It's about time the leaders of this planet of yours realised that to remain dependent upon a mineral slime simply doesn't make sense."
—The Doctor "Terror Of The Zygons" (1975)

Age : 35 Joined : 19 Jun 2007 Posts : 241

We did...got her the shuffle. She's as happy as I'll be when season 4 hits. Just wish we'd caught the $49 price CJ found. Mad

_________________
I'm the Doctor. I'm a Timelord. I'm from the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous. I'm 900 and 3 years old and I'm the man who's gonna save YOUR lives and ALL 6 billion people on the planet below......You got a problem with that? Voyage of the Damned

Joined : 05 Feb 2007 Posts : 344

So another question I know you can rip song from cd's and have successfully done this by the way iTunes automatically converted my wma's to mp3. Can you rip video from dvd's or do you have to purchase downloads.
I went with the ipod classic v. the nano 8. Theory was price tag related $199 for nano 8 or $50 more and you get the bigger screen classic with 80G's. Figured it was better to spend the money now and never have to buy another.
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"I reject your reality and subsitute my own"- MYTHBUSTERS

Admin Joined : 01 Feb 2007 Posts : 365

http://handbrake.fr/

I use the Mac version all the time (never tried the Windows version, but I'm sure its similar). One step from DVD to iPod ready mp4 file. Best of all... it's free!

Joined : 05 Feb 2007 Posts : 344

This would be able to copy commercial dvds? We are legally allowed to make copies of dvds we own for personal use yes.
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"I reject your reality and subsitute my own"- MYTHBUSTERS