Kitz Forum
Computers & Hardware => Other Technologies & Hardware => Topic started by: UncleUB on March 31, 2008, 08:37:37 AM
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Hi all,in my new car it has a socket to plug in an mp3 player and listen via the car speakers.I am therefore looking to buy an mp3 player,but what do I need to look out for.I have quite a lot of cd's on my computer which I would like to put on the mp3 to save taking loads of cd's away with us.I am looking for one 2 to 4Gb.I have never owned an mp3 player so its all new to me,so ease of use is quite important.Any help would be appreciated.
Edit. This looks pretty cool,any thoughts
http://www.sony.co.uk/view/ShowProduct.action?product=NWZ-S515&site=odw_en_GB&imageType=Main&category=NWS+S+Series
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We tend to use Creative MP3 players without many issues :
http://www.amazon.co.uk/MP3-Digital-Audio-Players/s/ref=sr_nr_p_4_4?ie=UTF8&rs=573372&bbn=573372&rnid=365489011&rh=n%3A560798%2Cn%3A560884%2Cn%3A573372%2Cp%5F4%3ACreative
Yes I know they look like Ipods, but that's because Apple ripped off Creative's design and in fact Apple have to pay Creative a few dollars for every Ipod sold ;)
Avoid Sony like the plague and get a player which handles high bitrate MP3s - stick to that and you'll end up with something decent that'll probably work as advertised :)
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Rizla,why avoid Sony? the reviews on amazon from buyers seem quite positive.Don't understand what is meant by high bitrateMP3s
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Put very simply, high bitrate MP3s are where you copy your CDs to the computer and the audio is converted in a higher-quality MP3 file.
MP3 is a lossy compression method where the audio can loose quality depending on the level of compression and the encoder employed. In MP3 terms, the higher the bitrate, the better the quality will be (whether you notice it, particuarly in a car or other noisy environment is a different matter). The downside is that the files are bigger.
MP3 bit rates for copying music tracks in most audio programs can be set from 64Kbps to as high as 320Kbps. The higher the bit rate the more audio precision is maintained within the compressed file.
So MP3 players that can handle MP3 files with high bit-rates are favourable if you prefer to have high-quality audio files rather than just cramming as many MP3s as possible on there.
I have a 4GB Apple iPod Nano which is very easy to use. The only thing with iPods as you may well know is that iTunes is the only audio application which can be used to manage the iPod.
All the same, I like iTunes and I use the Apple Lossless Encoder for my music. A lossless encoder means that the audio quality should be the same as that of the original on the CD. The downside is that the files are 30Mb to 50Mb per track depending on length and the variable bit rate.
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Thanks for that soms. :)
Just see this,any comments?
http://www.advancedmp3players.co.uk/shop/MP3_Players.1/Samsung.83/YP-T10JAB/Samsung_YP-T10_4GB_Bluetooth_MP3_Player.2822.html?display=specification
And also this
http://www.advancedmp3players.co.uk/shop/MP3_Players.1/Sandisk.162/SD4R4096/Sandisk_Sansa_e260_4Gb_MP3_Player_with_FM_Radio.2022.html?display=specification
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Still trying to find out why Sony should be avoided(like the plague)
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In the past they have been less than straightforward - sticking root kits - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rootkit - on your PC without letting you know, which had security implications. They also has their own propriatory compression format which was a pain as other players couldn't read it. Overall they seemed obsessed with copy protection and didn't particularly care how they enforced it. Consequently they are on my list of to be avoided
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Just a question.All I want to do is drag and drop music files from windows media player 11 (vista) into an mp3 player.If I bought an i-pod can I do this or do i have to do it via i-tunes?Would I have to transfer my music collection from media player 11 before I could put it onto the i-pod?
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Plenty of Creatives to choose from at eBuyer:
http://tinyurl.com/3d7mxz
Play.com might be worth a browse too:
http://tinyurl.com/2kskdc
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cheers floydy,I have narrowed my search down to either a sandisk sansa e260 4mb or a samsung YP-T10JABXEU.I'm just abit tempted by the i-pod nano but being tied to i-tunes is making me think again.
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You'd be better getting a generic MP3 player, rather than being locked into i-tunes.
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Thats what I thought.Having watched the Sandisk demo video it looks so simple in media player 11 to drag and drop your music straight into your player. :)
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UncleUB, not sure if you've got one already but i've just done a post on the top 5 MP3s around at the moment: www.decidewhattobuy.com . Got my stats from people who actually bought the products and interestingly the only iPod is at number 5. It's a Sony one-two so you might be better off going with one of them although I've had my Creative for years and it's brilliant.
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Thanks for that dwtb,thats interesting because a lot of the guys have dissed Sony on here.I myself have read a lot of reviews and there is not much bad said about Sony (since they dropped the sonic software and made everything able to sync with windows media player.)The one that I am now(after much research) 95% certain to buy is th 8gb NWZA818B.I shall mainly use it for music.I will use it in the car via theAUX socket.Also the earphones which come with it look very good quality,it saves on spending extra cash.
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No probs. Yeah, I have to agree with you, I know a lot of people who have invested in Sony's and really like them. They tend to have a much better track record for battery life but I guess that's not hard!
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The problem I have with dwtb's "bestsellers" (or is it just reviews?) list is that it doesn't tie up with what I'd call "real-world" sales :
http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/electronics/172630/ref=pd_zg_hrsr_e_2_2_last
The top Sony is at number 49.
Doesn't come anywhere near the top with reviews either.
I guess you either like Sony or you don't. I don't as they are disingenuous (to say the very least) and treat European consumers like they are all rich fools. Well I'm neither :)
Edit - the Sony is more popular in the UK :
http://www.amazon.co.uk/b/ref=amb_link_18158765_11?ie=UTF8&node=573372&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=left-1&pf_rd_r=1ADG6AT68M33H721YZM1&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=181682991&pf_rd_i=560798
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In the past they have been less than straightforward - sticking root kits
Oh no. Its not "in the past", well not that far back anyway : http://www.dvorak.org/blog/?p=13379=
You see Sony REALLY are that arrogant.
Another example of Sony :
http://sonystrikesagain.wordpress.com/2007/03/19/hello-world/
There's dozens, if not hundreds of similar cases involving Sony. I for one remember Sony suing everyone in sight to preserve their (illegal IMHO) distribution channels for the PSP and PS2. Hell even the head of Sony Europe had to import his kids PSPs via the grey channel but that didn't stop them finding out the names of customers who had done the same and then denied any warranty claims from those consumers.
Free trade? They've heard of it and don't believe it applies to them.
Sorry for the rant UncleUB. I hope your new player (whatever you choose) is everything you want :)
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Hey Rizla,no probs.As they say'each to his own' :)
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Hey rizla, that top five is based on reviews on www.reevoo.com. They have over 50 online retail partners and whenever somebody buys something through one of the partners, they're sent a questionnaire about the product. The only people who can leave reviews are those people who have bought the product so you know that the reviews are all genuine. They're the only review site that do that and they're partnered with big players like Comet, Dixons, Currys, Empire Direct etc.
I sorted all of the mp3s into ratings order but you can order them by the "most viewed": http://www.reevoo.com/browse/product_type/mp3_players?order=most_viewed . That does show a definite Apple dominance. There are a lot more people interested in iPods and we know that a lot of people buy them, everyone is caught up in the Apple frenzy at the mo. What interested me was the ratings people gave them and what they complained about.
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Just to let you know I went for the Sony in the end
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-NWZA818-Video-Walkman-Battery/dp/B000VD2130/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1208409408&sr=8-1
Put all my music on it last night,really easy to do via windows media player 11.Just getting to grips with all the functions.I now need a lead so I can use it in the car,and a mains charger for when we are away.Anyone got any suggestions for these,or where to get them from.
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Moneysavingexpert's email this week has some cheap Sony MP3 players featured :
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=10159815#post10159815